St Nicholas Southfleet

500 by 2012

The Rector

David and Julie

David and Julie

Photo by Judith Cutler
The Rector of Southfleet is the Rev David Houston, who took up this position on 19 July 2006.

Before that he had been the Priest in Charge of The Stone Street Group of Churches in the Diocese of Canterbury for the preceding 6 years.

David was born in South Africa in 1952 and grew up in several mining communities in Africa, attending 9 different schools during the course of his primary and secondary education.

He joined the South African Navy in 1970 serving at sea and ashore for nearly 20 years, leaving in 1989 with the rank of Commander. He then worked in the computer industry for about 7 years until called into full time ministry.

In 1982 he was licensed as a lay minister (reader) in the Diocese of Cape Town and served three parishes in that role, the last being in the Diocese of Pretoria. He was ordained deacon in 1993 and priest in 1995. The system in the Pretoria diocese was that ordinands had to pay for their own training and support themselves during their curacy so this was an NSM position.

In December 1996 he was instituted as Rector of Sabie with Lydenburg, where he served until June 2000 when he moved to the UK.

His leisure interests are sailing, which he is quite good at, and skiing, which he is not very good at, both of which he enjoys intensely.

He is married to Julie, who has her own successful career in business, and she also loves sailing and skiing, and is clearly the better skier of the two.

Office Address:

The Rectory

Hook Green Rd

Southfleet

Kent

DA13 9NQ