A CHURCH’S new vicar says he is looking forward to working on a range of community projects.

Father Damon Bage has been appointed vicar of St Mary’s Church, in Cockerton. He has moved from being priest-in-charge of St Michael & All Angels, in Norton, on Teesside.

His new job will have a strong emphasis on working with young people. This will include working with Cockerton CofE School.

He said: “I have a passion for working with children and young people and am excited about working with the school and building on the initiatives already started in the parish within those areas.

“In my current parish I’ve encouraged the church to engage with local youth projects, supporting the Cornerhouse Project in Stockton with food parcels and financial gifts.

“I started attending church in my teens through what I’ve lovingly termed Sunday Dinner Evangelism.

“My younger sister attended Holy Trinity Church in Davison Drive, Hartlepool, for their Sunday School which is just around the corner from my Nana.

“I loved having the TV to myself for the morning but was tempted into attending church with my sister by the prospect of my Nana’s Sunday Dinner's which are legendary in our family. The rest, as they say, is history.

“As for what brought me to ministry - I have to say that it was an Epiphany moment. The parish priest at the time, Fr Philip North, had encouraged me to think if I may be called to ministry which I decided I definitely wasn’t.

“About a year later, while at Midnight Mass, the ‘moment’ happened. I was stood during the service and what can only be described as a wave enveloped me and at that moment I felt that God was calling me to explore a vocation to priestly ministry.

“Describing it like that never does the intensity of the feeling any justice.”