On Sunday May 16th during the morning service in St Stephen’s Church, the Vicar Revd David Frost announced to the congregation that he will be leaving Bexhill in August 2010.

David has been appointed to the post of Team Rector in the Rye Team Ministry. Rye has a team of 6 churches, including the famous St Mary’s in the centre of the town that has an important ministry to more than 150,000 tourists who visit the church every year. The Rye area is already well-known to David, as he was a Team Vicar there for four years before moving to Bexhill.

David became the vicar of St Stephen’s in January 1994 and since arriving in Bexhill has played a significant part in the life of the church and wider community. He is currently the Rural Dean of Battle and Bexhill, looking after the Church of England parishes in Battle, Bexhill and the surrounding villages. For many years he has been the Chair of Churches Together in Bexhill, leading such events as the Good Friday Walk of Witness and the Summer Hymn Singing on the sea front in June and July. He is just about to finish a year as chaplain to the Town Mayor, and he has been a governor of King Offa Primary School for 13 years.

David said that although he is looking forward to the exciting challenge that his new job provides, he leaves St Stephen’s and Bexhill with very mixed feelings. In many ways being vicar of St Stephen’s is a dream job said David. The church is a wonderful mixture of clergy and lay people and I have been loved and supported by so many over the past 16½ years. It will be hard to leave.

David’s last Sunday at St Stephen’s was August 1st and he left Bexhill soon afterwards. He will be instituted as Team Rector of Rye by the Bishop of Lewes in St Mary’s Church on Tuesday September 7th at 7.30pm, and all are welcome to the service.