Martyn Snow appointed Archdeacon

Story: John Mellor | Photo: Richard Hanson

After being vicar of Christ Church Pitsmoor for nearly nine years, Martyn Snow is moving on to take up the post of Archdeacon of Sheffield and Rotherham. Martyn has spoken to the Messenger about his time in Pitsmoor and the changes involved in starting this new appointment.

Martyn’s journey to becoming a vicar was a long one. It began when he was a teenager as a member of a church youth group, an experience he thoroughly enjoyed and which started to develop his leadership skills.

In 1986 he came to Sheffield University to study Chemistry, although at the time he wasn’t quite sure what he would do with that qualification! Following two years working in the civil service he took a year out to do voluntary work with his local church in Netherthorpe. He found this such an enjoyable experience that he felt it was worth enquiring whether this was the right way ahead for the future.

Describing the next period in his life, Martyn said:

“There is a long selection process to becoming a vicar in the Church of England but they eventually said ‘yes’ to me. After theological training in Oxford, I was ordained in 1995 in Sheffield Cathedral and began my first post as a curate in Rotherham for a couple of years.”

Martyn and his wife, Lynn, then travelled to the French-speaking west African country of Guinea to work with the Church Mission Society (CMS) where he was vicar of a parish and also initiated youth work projects across a number of churches. Lynn, who is a doctor, was involved in primary health care work. After three years, unrest and fighting in Sierra Leone and Liberia spilled across the border into Guinea and they had to return home earlier than planned.

Speaking about this sudden change of plan, Martyn commented:

“At the time it was a disappointment not to be able to return to Africa, but we felt that Pitsmoor was the next best thing! – and the vacancy occurred at just the right time, in 2001.

“It’s been a fantastic nine years, no two days are ever the same and you never know what’s going to ‘come round the corner’! Pitsmoor is an area where there has been so much change in recent years and as a church we are now more involved in the wider community and more confident in engaging with the needs of those living around us.”

Bringing about this change has involved recruiting a number of staff to help with projects in the community, including work with asylum seekers, children and young people (including Pye Bank School), vulnerable and isolated people, a charity shop (‘Rainbow’s End’ on Spital Hill) and the Welcome Centre. All these ventures involve many volunteers who have been through a training process to increase their skills and confidence. Martyn observed:

“Some amazing people come to us as asylum seekers, very highly qualified in their own countries, obviously gifted and skilled, but who then have become almost completely de-skilled and told they can’t do anything. The church offers them a way to contribute something to the wider community, for example through voluntary work in the shop, helping them in their learning of English and giving temporary accommodation to those who have nowhere to stay.”

Martyn said that he and his family had mixed feelings about their imminent move – very sad to be leaving their many friends in Pitsmoor but also excited by the new challenges ahead. For their three children it will mean moving from the only home they have known and also from Pye Bank School where they’ve been very happy. They will be moving to their new home near Hunters Bar in mid-April.

Of his role as vicar over the last nine years, Martyn reflected:

“It has been a huge privilege to be involved with people at very significant times in their lives through the regular duties of a vicar, such as baptisms, weddings and funerals. Some of the funerals have been for victims of shootings in the area and have been very moving occasions with the church full to overflowing with grieving family and friends.”

Martyn’s new role as Archdeacon (“it’s a strange title!”) is an extension of the work he has been doing for the last three years as Area Dean of the Ecclesfield Deanery, covering eighteen churches in north Sheffield. The role has two aspects, the first being an assistant to the bishop, “a bit like an area manager”, responsible for finance and buildings. The second is helping to facilitate the changes which are necessary for the church to respond to the culture around it and be relevant to people’s needs. This will involve supporting vicars in the various situations they find themselves in, helping them to reflect on what they are doing and the direction the church is moving in.

As he leaves us, Martyn has a positive message for his former parishioners:

“I’ve loved working in Pitsmoor. It’s a community that has had its problems and issues, but a community that people should be proud of in all sorts of ways that are not reported on, or talked about, and not known by the rest of the city. So I’ve seen myself as something of an evangelist for the area, as well as the church, which I shall be able to continue in my new role.”

Martyn’s induction as Archdeacon will take place at Sheffield Cathedral on 29th April at 7.30 pm.

His final service at Christ Church will be on Easter Sunday, 4th April, at 10.30 am.