Kevin Fulcher

Kevin describes his calling to Reader Ministry as 'a long journey'. Despite being brought up in the church, Kevin rejected his faith as a teenager and after a few frustrating years working in the aircraft industry, Kevin left engineering, and took a degree in History at the University of Kent, with a view to becoming a teacher.

When he met his wife, Ann, at his first teaching post in Maidstone, his engagement with the church was confined to weddings, baptisms and funerals. After settling in Staplehurst, Kevin and Ann started gradually, to attend services, and introduce their children to Sunday school. Kevin explains: "I was asked to take on a number of active roles in the church and I began to think deeply about the meaning of the words I was speaking and singing, and became convinced, at an intellectual level, of the spiritual truths of the Christian religion."

Kevin continues: "But I had not known the love of God. Then one evening, I set off to walk to the parish church for evening service. For reasons that I can never fully explain, I turned left instead of right at the end of the road, and went to the Free Church instead. It was during the service there that I felt the most tremendous sense of warmth, peace and love, in a way that I had never experienced before, and haven't since.

"I considered what this meant for me, my life and my family. It was undoubtedly a call, but a call to what? Readership seemed the best way that I could serve."

After retiring from teaching Kevin took his call forward, and was selected to join LMTS at Canterbury.

Kevin, who sings with the Sutton Valence Choral Society, feels passionately about issues of Social Justice. He explains: "Coming from a very poor background to achieve a comfortable lifestyle through education, I am acutely aware of the vast inequalities in both our society, and in the world. As a Reader, I hope to heighten awareness of issues of social justice, so central to scripture. I am very fortunate to be part of a team in Staplehurst for whom these issues are also central."