I was born in Croydon, south of London, in the early days of the Second World War. My family were loyal Anglicans in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. Towards the end of my teens, I felt God was calling me to be a priest, and so I trained at King's College, London, and then at Chichester Theological College. I was ordained by Bishop Robert Stopford, who was then Bishop of London, and served two curacies in the London diocese.

Although the ordination of women as "priests" had not yet become a major issue, the decision to ordain then as deacons meant that the writing was on the wall. I decided to leave the full-time ministry and become a non-stipendiary. I took a secular job with the Post Office, so giving myself financial independence from the Church of England. When the decision to ordain women priests was finally made in 1994, I was able to transfer my allegiance to the Traditional Church of England, and continue with my secular job.

Within the TCE, I served as assistant priest at King Charles the Martyr, Brighton, and as chaplain to Bishop Whiting. Later, I became priest in charge of KCM, a post which I still hold. At Michaelmass last year, I was consecrated Bishop of Windlesham by Bishops Whiting, Sigillito, Persson and Sagar
to serve as assistant to Bishop Whiting here in England.

Yours in Christ,

+Michael Newman