Two new clergymen are set to join the ranks of the Anglican Diocese of Bathurst in the coming months.
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Andy Martin has been appointed as rector at the Holy Trinity Church in Orange from October, while Tim Smith is set to become deacon in charge at the Grenfell parish.
Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Bathurst, Mark Calder, is thrilled to have filled the two positions.
"16 out of 28 parishes currently don't have clergy. Once these two guys start, it'll be down to 14 out of 28, so exactly half," he said.
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"There's a couple more appointments in the pipeline, so hopefully 14 might become 12 by the start of next year.
"That's making a dent, but it's still leaving quite a few parishes without ministers."
Reverend Martin is set to join the Orange church from the United Kingdom.
"The Holy Trinity Church in Orange has been without a minister since February," Bishop Calder explained.
"They've had another minister looking after them but this appointment was an amazing act of God.
"Andy is coming from the United Kingdom and he married a girl from Orange. He wanted to come back and give his family an Australian experience.
"He approached me at the end of last year about a role in the diocese and I said, 'Orange already has a minister'.
"When the minister in Orange left, I was able to get back in touch. We went through the due process with interviews and we were just so convinced that he was the right person for the job. He lands from UK on September and starts in October. It's just a fantastic opportunity for us."
Tim Smith will join the Grenfell parish following the conclusion of his fourth and final year at Moore Theological College in Sydney.
"The Grenfell church has been without a resident minister for 18 months, so they've waited a while," Bishop Calder said.
"Tim is finishing his studies at Moore Theological College. He's in his fourth year and he'll finish his studies at the end of the year.
"He first approached me a year ago and we've been having conversations since. He had to pass our ordination process. He'll be ordained in December.
"Once he was approved for ordination, I thought Grenfell would be a great fit for him. I introduced him to the people out at Grenfell. In conversations with him, his wife Jess and the people at Grenfell, we decided that it was going to work."
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