St Anne's ministry team consists of the Vicar, The Reverend Peter Budgell and reader, Sandra Riley, we consider ourselves very fortunate to have such a dedicated team looking after our spiritual needs.

The Vicar, Sandra, have provided potted biographies, that are printed below.

Peter became Vicar of St Anne's in October 1988, having had quite a range of experience in a number of varied parishes.

He was born in 1950 and brought up in Croydon South London and on leaving school went to work in the accounts department of the Nestlé Company before going to theological college. He studied for his London Bachelor of Divinity (hons) degree at London Bible College.

Then after working for a short spell in the administration of Buckinghamshire Education Authority he went to Manchester where he trained as a teacher. He spent a two-year spell teaching religious education in Wythenshawe, on a large estate near Manchester Airport.

He was ordained in 1978 into the Baptist ministry and worked for two years in Handsworth in Birmingham, prior to taking a special youth post for the Diocese of Chelmsford, which is part of the Church of England. He worked as a peripatetic youth counsellor in Barking and Dagenham. From his work there, as an accredited lay minister in the Church of England, he moved straight to All Saints Church, Goodmayes as curate, first as deacon and then a year later as priest.

Three years on he came to the St Albans Diocese and worked on the Dollis Valley Estate, which is part of an Anglican and Methodist Local Ecumenical Project in Chipping Barnet. It was from there he moved to St Anne's.

As well as the routine parish work, he has spent a lot of time involved in education matters. For virtually all of his time at St Anne's, Peter has been chair of governors of Wenlock Voluntary Aided Junior school, which is Luton's only church School. He also is a member of Diocesan Synod and the Bishop's Council.

His work in Dagenham and Goodmayes involved him with the Young Women's Christian Association, and he had a spell as a vice-chairperson for the London and Southern England Region in the early 1990's.

He has always involved himself with young people and from the first weeks of his time at St Anne's began to rebuild the work among teenagers, still maintaining contacts with many of them.

Peter is one of the few Church of England ministers who speak Norwegian and regular visits to Norway both on holiday and sabbatical leave have enabled links to be built up between the parish of Nordberg in Oslo and St Anne's.

The ethos of St Anne's is one where people can be themselves. There is an emphasis on authenticity and being allowed to think through the issues of Christian faith. Peter regularly reminds the congregation that a centre core of faith is that of knowing one is known and loved by God, freely and unconditionally, and being in a relationship with him that is open and simple. A frequently quoted verse is "He is mine and I am his".

Peter has a number of hobbies. He is a birdwatcher, likes to read and to take photographs, and is proud of his success at getting pictures of polar bears in the wild. He enjoys live theatre and to watch modern dance. He is a fanatic about buses and has an interesting collection of timetables and maps of buses and trams.

My name is Sandra Riley, and I am a Reader at St. Anne’s Church, which means a Licensed Lay Minister. My role is to assist the Vicar in the worship, life and ministry in St. Anne’s Church and its surrounding Parish.

I was born in Preston, Lancashire. I was baptised and later confirmed at the age of 12 years in the Church of England and took a very active part in the Sunday School and Youth work of the church. I made a commitment to the Lord at the age of 14 years. On leaving school I trained to be a General Nurse and then a Midwife.

I joined the Army in 1965 and served in the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps for four years. On leaving the Army I married a soldier and had one son. On returning from a posting abroad I trained as a Health Visitor. Sadly I was widowed when my son was 7 years old, but continued to work as a Health Visitor. I was also very involved with my local church, and was a member of the Church Council and the Sunday School Superintendent. I took an active part in the life of the local community and for four years ran the local St. John Ambulance Division.

Twelve years ago I married Brian, a Lutonian, and left my native Lancashire to become an Honorary Lutonian and joined St. Anne’s where I am now a member of the PCC and also represent the church on Deanery Synod. After a few years I felt called to the Lay Ministry; I trained and was licensed as a Reader and am thoroughly enjoying my ministry.