John Neilson, secretary of Imperial College London, will be the next chairman of the trustees of USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel). He will succeed Canon Chris Chivers, principal of Westcott House, Cambridge, whose six-year term concludes in July.
“I am excited to be asked to lead the USPG trustees at such an important time to be improving partnerships across the worldwide Anglican community,” Neilson said. “USPG’s work with partner churches to tackle poverty and injustice and to transform lives is inspirational. There is a big challenge to communicate the vision and purpose of a 21st-century mission agency more widely, particularly in parishes.”
John worships at St. Mary’s Church, Wimbledon. After being warden of the Parish of Wimbledon, he became involved in clergy annual reviews and mentoring in the Diocese of Southwark, and he recently completed a ten-year term on the Archbishops’ Council Audit Committee.
Adapted from USPG
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
