The Churchwardens & Parochial Church Council invite you to join us at the service of Institution and Induction of The Reverend Dr Chrichton Limbert BSc BA by The Right Reverend Pete Broadbent, Acting Bishop of Edmonton. The service will incorporate the licensing of The Reverend Hazel Miall as Associate Priest of Christ Church Southgate

About this special service:

The institution & induction of The Reverend Dr Chrichton Limbert as Vicar of Christ Church Southgate and the licensing of The Reverend Hazel Miall as Associate Priest, marks the beginning of a new chapter in the evolving story of our parish.

We hope you are able to join us on this special occasion, to help us to celebrate the arrival of Fr Chrichton, his wife Judith and their family and to look forward in anticipation of the ministry of Fr Chrichton and Reverend Hazel as our new clergy team.

This year we celebrate 400 years of continuous Christian worship in Southgate. The Weld Chapel, which stood on this site until 1861, was founded on 24th May 1615. We were delighted that Fr Chrichton was able to join us at our 400th Anniversary Service, led by the Bishop of London.

The current building, a fine design by George Gilbert Scott, contains beautiful art and sculpture from the period, including an impressive array of windows by William Morris & Company (London’s largest collection in terms of period of output) with several unique designs. We remain a creative parish, with a strong musical tradition. Christ Church is home to north London’s finest voluntary liturgical choir, who have sung here for over 150 years. The art and windows in the church – and the people to whom they are dedicated, trace the changing social and economic history of our parish, from the days of the “Great Estates” to the suburban landscape we see today.

Our ministry in what is now a diverse area of north London, remains as important as ever. Christ Church Southgate is Enfield’s first registered Inclusive Church and under the direction of Fr Chrichton and Reverend Hazel, we hope to become even more inclusive and outward looking, accessible by and welcoming to all communities in our parish; a task in which we can all play a part.

This special service will mark two ‘firsts’ for Christ Church and for the church in London, which together tell the story of the changing path to ordained ministry and celebrate the transforming power of God’s calling. Fr Chrichton is the first person to become Vicar of Southgate from curacy – an exciting and interesting three years at All Saints Leighton Buzzard, following a successful career at the BBC. Together, Fr Chrichton and Reverend Hazel are the first alumni of St Mellitus College to lead a parish together; a demonstration of the success of this new college, which specialises in training candidates for ordained ministry while they remain engaged in work and family life. 

If this will be your first visit to Christ Church Southgate, we hope it will be your first of many. Thank you for sharing this special evening with us.