Arthur Powell Davies

Born in 1902, entered Richmond College in 1922 and served in the Ilford Circuit (which included this church) from 1925-8. With his new wife, Muriel, he emigrated to the USA in 1928.
Eventually he transferred to the Unitarian Church ministry and became a renowned orator and prominent social activist for civil liberties and government accountability.
He was the minister of All Souls Unitarian Church in Washington DC from 1943-57 which gave him a powerful platform for influencing national issues. He was a prolific writer on religious and social topics, and many of his books are still available today.
He died in 1957 and three justices of the US Supreme Court attended his memorial service.
Leslie Newman

Born in 1904 and entered the ministry in 1927. The Ilford circuit (including this church) was his first appointment. Minister of Brunswick Methodist Church in Newcastle on Tyne (1944-53) and superintendent of the Dome Mission in Brighton (1953-67). A distinguished Methodist preacher.
Author of several books including ‘Highways in the Byways’, ‘The Master Enters’ and ‘News from the North’. He died in 1986.
William Chamings
Born in 1857 and entered the ministry in 1880. As a supernumerary, assigned to Warley barracks in 1928 as chaplain to the Essex Regiment, with responsibility for Billericay church in 1930.
Author of ‘The Church and the Children’ and of several hymns. He died in 1932.
J Rodney McNeal

Born in 1903 and entered the ministry in 1928. Served for one year only in the Ilford Circuit (including Billericay) then at Rilion, Jersey, Sirhowy Valley,
Bradford and Whitechapel. He died in 1981.
Garth Flemington
Entered the ministry in 1931 and the Ilford Circuit was his first appointment. Most of his ministry was spent in the south of England. He died in 1968.
Vincent Knowles
Born in 1903 and entered the ministry in 1927. After Ilford, he served in South West England (Sherborne, Bodmin and Holsworthy) and Yorkshire before retiring in 1968. He died in 1976.
George Massey Chesters

Born in Liverpool in 1871. Entered the ministry in 1896 and was active for 41 years, then as a supernumerary served as chaplain to the Essex Regiment at Warley barracks and as Billericay minister from 1937-1942. He died in 1949.
Wilmot Carvosso Carlyon
Born in 1878. Entered the ministry in 1904. In 1942, as an active supernumerary, assumed responsibility for Brentwood and Billericay churches, Warley barracks and RAF Hornchurch in the Ilford circuit. He died in 1957.
John Hurd Barley
Born in 1917 into a distinguished Methodist family, many of whom were missionaries. Son of the Rev B A Hurd Barley. Entered the ministry and married Doris Cadman in 1947.
His appointment to the new Romford circuit was his first and he was the first minister to be resident here.
He was appointed the Head of Religious Education at the John Mansfield School, Peterborough in 1967, where he remained until 1980. He and his wife both died in 2007.
James Temple
Born in 1921 in Hong Kong and entered the ministry in 1944. He died in 1994.
Norman Earl
Entered the ministry in 1941.
Bernard Holland

Born in 1934 in Sri Lanka and entered the ministry in 1957. The Romford circuit was his second appointment and he moved to Pinner, Middlesex in 1968. He died in 1987.
David Dunn-Wilson
Entered the ministry in 1955. Prof Dunn-Wilson has served Methodism in Britain, Kenya, the Carribean & Americas.
Trevor Allen

Born in Kingham, Oxfordshire and attended Chipping Norton Grammar School. Trained at Didsbury College, Bristol, where he gained his BA.
Entered the ministry in 1962 and served in Canterbury, Mansfield, Nottingham, Billericay & Herongate, Fleet and Godalming. He retired in 2003.
Derek Poole
Entered the ministry in 1964. Spent much of his active ministry in Central America.
Keith Lemar
Entered the ministry in 1983 and resigned in 2003. Also served at Blackpool and Rochester.
He died in 2003.
John Buxton

Entered the ministry in 1960. Served as Billericay minister in 1994-5 whilst circuit superintendent and based at Basildon.
Neil Trainer

Born in 1954 and died whilst in service at Billericay in 1998. Appointments in Sierra Leone.
Kathleen Allen

Widow of the Rev Tom Allen, whose appointments were in Boston, Doncaster, Folkestone, Bromley and Bishop’s Stortford. She entered the ministry after his death in 1991 and Billericay was her first appointment. Later moved to Brighton & Hove as circuit superintendent and retired to Essex in 2007.
Ian Carpenter
Born in Staines, Middlesex and candidated for the Methodist ministry after some years in personal banking and finance. Served in County Durham and Billericay and resigned from the ministry in 2005.
Les Wallace

Entered the Methodist ministry in 1994 as a deacon in the Peterborough circuit, after in-service training in south Norfolk and at Wesley House, Cambridge. He was ordained in 1996.
He transferred to the Presbyteral ministry and was ordained into that order in 2003, after his move to Billericay. Les and wife Di moved to Alston, Cumbria in 2008.
Judith Maizel-Long

Brought up in Derbyshire and educated at Durham University, Judith entered the ministry in 1983. She served as a circuit minister at Leeds, Barnsley, Dearne Valley & Tunbridge Wells, then as a lecturer at the South East Institute for Theological Education.
She was a coordinating secretary for Churches Together in Britain & Ireland and then a director at the Housing Justice organisation.
Judith moved to Billericay in 2008 and retired in 2013.
David Bagwell
David Bagwell was brought up in Plymouth and then attended Bath University, training to be a middle school teacher. Having been called into the Methodist Ministry he studied at Wesley College, Bristol before taking up his first appointment in Southampton. He did further training for an MA in Evangelism Studies at Cliff College and served in Bracknell, Nailsea (near Bristol), and as superintendent minister in Camborne in Cornwall.
Over the years David was involved in the setting up of a number of new churches, and other ecumenical initiatives such as Street Pastors and Food Banks. He authored a number of books based on long distance walks, and a series of small group study guides on Christian discipleship and Celtic Spirituality.
David joined us in 2013 and retired in 2022.