Revd Katrina Hutchins
Telephone:
01604 812907
Mobile:
07710 464675
E-mail:
katrinahutchins94 @ yahoo.co.uk (when sending an email, you should remove the spaces either side of the @)
Introducing Katrina...
If you're wondering who I am. What’s my background? Well, I grew up in the 1960s/70s in a small country town in Hampshire called New Milton, which is on the edge of the New Forest and looks out onto the Isle of Wight. I went to the village church, and the local primary and secondary schools. From a young age, I fell in love with the New Forest and I go back – when I can – to walk beside its woodland streams and explore its hidden depths. I am often reminded of the opening verse of one of my favourite psalms:
As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
Psalm 42:1
I have also been reminded of this very verse, and felt so close to God, on my walks around Sywell reservoir. It is a beautiful place and, on a clear day, I love to pause and gaze out upon its glistening and shimmering waters. I’ve never been to the Holy Land (I have vertigo, so have never flown) and this reservoir is my equivalent of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus liked to sit and pray. I wonder where you find peace and calm in your life?
As a child, I was very good at maths and thought that banking would be an ideal career choice. My dad was a cycle mechanic and, as he worked next door to Barclays, he was able to introduce me to its manager – Mr. Moody. After spending a very happy 31 years working for Barclays, mostly in leadership roles, in 2011, I decided that it was time for a change of life-style, so I took the bold step to leave and dedicate my time to volunteering in the church and local community. One thing led to another and, before I realized what was happening, God (who is full of surprises) called me to explore ordained ministry. In 2013, I was accepted for training and spent two enjoyable years at Ripon College Cuddesdon (a small village outside Oxford). Ordained at Petertide 2015, I served my curacy in the Kingsthorpe Team, in Northampton..
I’m single and keep in close touch with my brother Simon and sister-in-law Sue who live in my home town in Hampshire, and their adult daughter Caroline and her husband Jonathan who live in Surrey. I'm also a very keen walker, trying to get out for an hour a day, and a cyclist too. I’m a bookaholic and, in my spare time, I love reading modern and classical English literature, crime and spy thrillers, Tudor and Victorian history (as well as the Bible and theology!). I have a varied taste in music, including opera thanks to José Carreras and his Three Tenors concerts. If you visit my vicarage in Mears Ashby, both of these passions will be obvious.
Every blessing,
Katrina