South Bersted's vicar's plan is to share the word of God in big-screen way!

A touch of Hollywood could be coming to South Bersted's parish church.

New vicar the Rev Tim Crook wants to bring some big-screen magic to services at St Mary Magdalene Church.

The parish is the first to which Mr Crook, 40, has been appointed. He already has ideas to bring the community into the church.

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"I want to keep the authentic traditional message, but present it in a modern way," he said.

"It's about being relevant for young people, especially men. A lot of churches seem to have more women than men, among younger people as well as older.

"I want to teach the Bible in the way it relates to everyday life, through using film and TV and modern culture.

"That can show us we can be lifted out of our normal everyday experience with its struggles,joys and pressures."

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Mr Crook was ordained as the new parish priest in a service at the 13th-century St Mary Magdalene.

"It's a great privilege to be the vicar of such an historic church and it's a huge responsibility," he said.

"It's thrilling to have my own parish. It's exhilarating but it's also a little bit scary. I feel as though I have served a 20-year apprenticeship to do this job."

Originally from Wimbledon, he entered the Church of England in Plymouth where he worked as a youth worker in a church.

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He met his wife, Annette, 39, in the Devon naval town. They moved to Harold Wood in Essex, where Mr Crook was an associate minister at a church for six years.

The couple and their three children '“ Ben, 11, Holly, eight, and Caris, four '“ are settling in to the St Mary vicarage in Victoria Drive.

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