St Chad’s Church Shrewsbury signs the Armed Forces Covenant

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York signed the Covenant in 2015 of behalf of the entire Church of England, but St Chad’s is the first individual church to follow their lead.

The formal signing took place at 5pm on Wednesday 8th June.

The Covenant was signed by a churchwarden from St Chad’s, on behalf of the whole congregation and Colonel R L Maybery QGM from 11 Signal and West Midlands Brigade on behalf of the armed forces.

Dignitaries from Shropshire and beyond, including the Archdeacon of Salop: The Ven Paul Thomas, the High Sheriff of Shropshire: Christine Holmes, The Revd Steven Whiting (Representing the Chaplain-General) and Councillor Tim Barker, Chair of the Shropshire Armed Forces Covenant partnership attended.

Father Mark Chadwick, Vicar at St Chad’s Church said: “We all owe a great debt to those who serve this country in the Armed Forces and it is important that every organisation works to ensure that they do not face any disadvantage. Our Covenant pledge confirms the commitments we have had to the Armed Forces for many years.”

St. Chad’s have committed to supporting military families by adopting a flexible approach to meeting families for weddings or baptisms, understanding the restrictions of being posted abroad and ensuring that Godparents who cannot be present at a service are included. The church also supports the Covenant by the employment of veterans (two of our car park attendants served in the armed forces), by working to maintain the military chapel as a place for quiet reflection and by recognising and remembering the sacrifice made both on Remembrance Sunday and throughout the year.

Councillor Tim Barker, Chair of the Shropshire Armed Forces Covenant partnership said: "Shropshire Council are delighted that St Chad’s Church have shown commitment to further support our Armed Forces community. The Church are huge supporters of our Forces and we fully endorse their willingness to help, not least the pledge to adopt a flexible approach for Baptisms and Weddings taking into account deployment issues."

Brigadier Robin Anderton-Brown, Commander of 11 Signal and West Midlands Brigade said: "I am delighted that one of our principal churches in the region is the first in the whole country to sign the Armed Forces Covenant. This public statement of their special commitment is greatly valued by the Ministry of Defence and will be warmly appreciated by the military community in Shropshire."

The Bishop of Shrewsbury, Rt Revd Mark Rylands said: “I applaud the congregation of St Chad’s who are pioneering in signing the Armed Forces Covenant as a parish. Those serving in our armed forces and their families are uprooted and moved around the country frequently: the welcome and care that any church can offer is a small token of our gratitude and the respect we have for them.”

Fantastic evening with @StChadsShrews @RAF_Shawbury @ArmyWestMids @RoyalNavy yesterday https://t.co/z6TuIBDrnc pic.twitter.com/KvAFXQxVxM https://twitter.com/ShropshireAFCC/status/740826454498390016