The Church of England is divided into 44 main areas called 'Dioceses' each with a Bishop and Assistant Bishops. We are part of the Diocese of Blackburn and our Bishop is Bishop Nicholas and he has two assistants; The Bishop of Lancaster and The Bishop of Burnley. They divide the Diocese into three main areas and we deal mainly with The Bishop of Lancaster. The Diocese is further divided into Deaneries and we come under the Deanery of Blackpool. The Deanery is then divided into 'parishes' and our parish is St. Thomas'. As a church we are responsible for the baptisms, funerals and weddings in our parish. We also pray for and care for those in our parish, sharing the love of Jesus with them. This is not the job of the Vicar alone but all of us together to share in the work that Jesus gives us to do for Him.
We have several members of staff. George Fisher is the Vicar. He is assisted by Joan Fisher, the Associate Minister. Our Outreach Worker is Captain David Thorp (Church Army). Damian Platt is our Youth Pastor, Linda Thorp is our Catering Manager and volunteer coordinator and Christine Pawson works part-time in the Church Office as Church Administrator.
More Staff detailsIn reality, with so much work to be done, many of the congregation are involved in the life and work of the church with its many varied activities.
This is an elected group of our own church members who deal with a lot of the administration and decisions involved with the smooth running of the church. They meet bi-monthly and there is a list of the members at the back of church. The minutes of the Church Council meetings are also displayed at the back of church. There is an annual election which generally takes place around March/April. Those who are on the church's Electoral Roll are eligible to vote.