Rev Paul Welch
Paul is a Pioneer and Methodist Minister in the Calderdale circuit. Below is his circuit bio..
I have been in the circuit since 2008 and enjoy being in Yorkshire. I love sport, playing and
watching, and delivered Pioneer Sports Ministry within the Circuit over the last 4 years which has now come to an end as I now have 5 churches to look after.
I have a wonderful supportive wife and two beautiful daughters, (I’m biased) who are a real
blessing, one works in the TV industry while the other is still at high school.
I am originally from Stoke on Trent (The Potteries) which is (according to me) the centre of
the universe followed closely by Yorkshire. I support Port Vale FC and LeedsUnited FC and was Chaplain at Leeds for 10 years. I enjoy playing golf and once got a hole in one at a club I was a member of in North Leeds.
I have run 2walking football groups in the circuit which now have others running them but I
still play as I see it as part of my Ministry. I also brought to birth the theBusoasis project (link opens in a new window) and currently project manage that amazing ministry within the Circuit Mission Enabling Team which I also chair. Iam an active member of the Circuit Heritage Group mainly at Mount Zion Heritage Chapel where I am also the named Minister.
I also run a photography group (Simple Reflections community photo group Facebook) which has
a monthly theme and a monthly photo walk where we share together our pictures based on those themes.
I have written a few reflective walks along the canal which goes from one end of the circuit to
the other as well as others. These are headed on the website as ‘Walking The Way’. As part of the Circuit Mission Enabling Team we are beginning monthly reflective walks on a Sunday afternoon around Calderdale.
None of this would be possible without the prompting of the Holy Spirit, Jesus and God the Father
who continues to encourage, resource and bless me with the wonderful gifts of friends, colleagues and partner projects.
As I look back at my time in the circuit I realise what a blessing it has been to me and hopefully to others too and I look forward to the remaining years I have here, however long or short that may be. At Mount Zion, in Irene’s Garden, it says: ‘Time how short, Eternity, how long.’ How true that is!
