The next team member we meet in our two-minute interview is Stephen Challenger.
Stephen was born and grew up in South Wales. Together with his wife they moved to Hereford in 1986, granting him the opportunity to fulfill a childhood ambition of singing in the Hereford Cathedral Choir – a dream that continues to this day.
He has worked at Hereford Cathedral as the Finance Officer, then as a Bursar at the Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat School, before becoming the Diocesan Property Secretary in 2006. Stephen has two grown-up children who have followed their father’s footsteps into the music departments of English Cathedrals.
We asked him some questions.
I: Hi Stephen, thank you for taking part in the 2-min interview. Where is the most interesting place you have visited?
SC: In 2018 I was privileged to visit Rome with Hereford Cathedral Choir. In an unforgettable few days, we performed a concert in The Sistine Chapel and sang at Mass for St Peter’s Day at St Peter’s Basilica. Mass was celebrated by Pope Francis who gave his time to meet choir members after the service. The opportunity to explore the Basilica and The Sistine Chapel once the doors were closed to the public was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I: It’s amazing. What a great opportunity you had. What is your idea of a perfect day?
SC: Rucksack packed with an Ordnance Survey Map, Pevsner’s Buildings of England and CAMRA’s guide to Historic Pub Interiors, my wife and I set off for a decent length walk. A typical walk would take in a church or two, perhaps even a castle, ending at a historic, comfortable pub for simple refreshment. The day would end, as most days end for me, by singing Choral Evensong in Hereford Cathedral.
I: The last question. What Do you enjoy about working at Hereford Diocese?
SC: Hereford Diocese has huge geographical variety, from the lush pastures of the Golden Valley through to the cradle of industry in Ironbridge. Visiting any of our 400 plus churches is both a joy and also a lesson in history, architecture, art and the determination of generations of worshippers to maintain the place of worship to the Glory of God and for their local community. Every workday is different and rarely without challenges. But these challenges are what makes my job so interesting - it puts you in touch with a wide range of people. Some have been connected with their churches through several generations of the same family; some are newcomers, but all strive to make these buildings special in their own unique way. Making limited resources stretch, both at the parish and Diocesan level, to meet the demands can at times feel overwhelming but, knowing we are all working toward the same goal, people pull together and many surprising results are achieved. It always fills me with pride when good practices from this Diocese are reported at national church and heritage events – we are quietly modest “influencers” in many ways.