Tom Mumford

Vicar, St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
image of Tom Mumford

My name is Tom Mumford, and I am a Vicar serving the town and civic church of Ipswich, St Mary le Tower.

Having grown up outside a Christian family, I first started exploring faith and ‘church’ in my early twenties. But despite the warm, inclusive and loving church community I found, I’ve always felt like a bit like a square peg in a round hole. This feeling was probably most intense during the ‘discernment process’ and at theological college.

Although I don’t necessarily see this as a negative, I do remember it being quite hard to begin with. I don’t think this is necessarily because I grew-up outside of the church in a non-university educated, non-middle class family, but I think that plays a part. After all, people from these backgrounds aren’t hugely visible in the hierarchy of the Church of England.

I first really understood what it meant to believe in God in a cathedral, and so in an Anglican, high church setting is probably where I feel most comfortable. But I’m not tribal. I have been involved with Fresh Expressions, and enjoy spending time in more evangelical settings. I have a real love of theology, in particular Patristics, and am influenced by Orthodox spirituality.

Why am I a vocations mentor? In a nutshell, because I want people from a similar background to me to have a more positive experience of discernment and training.

Other things about me: I am a lifelong Newcastle United fan, my favourite bands are the Who and Radiohead, the Lake District is my favourite place to escape, and I have a growing passion for craft beer.

If any of this resonates, get in touch. I can do online, on the phone or face-to-face mentoring. I can be relatively flexible to what works best for you.

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