Who’s Who

Peter Mawson – Pastor

Peter and his wife, Linda, met while studying at the Royal College of Music in London. Linda went into school teaching after leaving college while Peter became, firstly a free-lance trombonist working with the London Orchestras and then joining the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. After working in this orchestra he joined the Instrumental Music Service, the Bromley Youth Music Trust, in Bromley, South East London, where he served as Principal for 23 years.

…he realised, through discussions with a school friend that the Lord Jesus Christ died for his sins and he needed to commit the rest of his life to God

Born in Stoke-on-Trent, Peter began playing trombone at the age of 11 and music quickly became the love of his life. However, at the age of 17 everything changed when he realised, through discussions with a school friend that the Lord Jesus Christ died for his sins and he needed to commit the rest of his life to God.

…he and Linda decided that God wanted them to take early retirement from education and work full-time serving the church

Although music, and eventually the teaching of music to young people, was still a great passion, Peter also served enthusiastically in his local church. Eventually, he and Linda decided that God wanted them to take early retirement from education and work full-time serving the church. This led them first to South Bristol where with a colleague and a group of enthusiastic Christians they set about the re-starting of a struggling church. The Lord blessed the five years they were in Bristol and the church grew into a thriving and large fellowship.

Peter and Linda came to Trinity Baptist Church in May 2012. They have two grown-up children, Tim and Rachel and two granddaughters, Ava and Hannah who they are besotted with! In their spare time they enjoy visiting interesting places, reading and films, while Linda continues working for “Praise Trust”, editing, arranging and writing music for worship.

Peter Smith – Elder

Peter studied Automotive Engineering at Loughborough University and had jobs with London Transport and Voith Engineering before joining the Civil Service in 1989, working on vehicle safety and other regulatory issues at the Department for Transport. This included a spell of 3 years as an engineering advisor to the European Commission in Brussels, again in motor vehicle safety legislation.

[Peter] has been a Christian since 1966

He took the opportunity of early retirement from the Department in 2006 and worked for some years as the administrator at his previous church, East London Tabernacle Baptist Church (ELT), where he was also an elder for 10 years. Having lived in London for most of their lives, Peter and his wife, Jean, moved to Woodchurch, a village close to Tenterden, in July 2011, becoming members of Trinity in October of that year. In 2012 they were asked to look after the Church finances, which they continue to do. Peter was elected as a deacon in January 2013 and, following the resignation of Mike Roper, he was appointed as an elder in January 2015.

Jean came to the Lord while quite young and benefited from the ministry of Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Peter has two daughters and four granddaughters, all of whom live not too far away in Folkestone. He has been a Christian since 1966 and enjoys badminton, motorcycling and country life! Jean came to the Lord while quite young and benefited from the ministry of Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Her career was in retailing where latterly she was Personnel & Training Controller for the Jaeger Group. Leaving before retirement age, she did some consultancy work before involvement with the re-siting and re-establishment of a Christian bookshop, which is now part of the CLC chain. At ELT she managed a large refurbishment project.

Stephen Dean – Elder

Stephen grew up in Hertfordshire moving to Kent with his family when he was 10 years old. Having a passion for cars he went on to study transport at University and then on to a successful career in distribution. In addition to this full-time job Stephen found time to acquire properties to refurbish, some were sold and others were let and over the course of several years, this grew to such a point that it was a full-time job in itself. So when the prospect of relocation to Lincolnshire loomed for the ‘day job’, there was no question, he took the plunge and widened his property business into the curious world of Student Accommodation in Canterbury and Medway – where dealing with students has been an education in itself and the source of many humorous stories!

Becoming aware of his need for a Saviour he committed his life to the Lord and was baptised here at Trinity soon after the millennium

Although Stephen grew up in a Christian home it wasn’t until many years later that life’s events caused him to revisit his faith. Becoming aware of his need for a Saviour he committed his life to the Lord and was baptised here at Trinity soon after the millennium. Since then Stephen has been involved in the life of the church at Trinity, helping with clubs for children, golf days for men, home groups and even surprised himself when he discovered his ‘artistic feet’ in the unlikely area of church flowers.

Stephen served as a deacon for a short time before being elected to become an Elder in 2013.

The life of the church has given opportunities for Stephen and Sarah to work together for the Lord

In 2012 after many years as a bachelor, enjoying his hobbies of playing golf, karting, skiing and racing cars, Stephens life was changed, this was when he met Sarah whom he went on to marry here at Trinity in 2013. The lifestyle change since 2013 has been quite a learning curve particularly for Stephen from confirmed self-indulgent bachelor to a responsible husband with a ready-made family, Sarah’s daughter Gemma who is married to Jo and studying at Sheffield University to become a midwife, and Lydia also at Sheffield studying Maths and French. Stephen tries to keep up some of his hobbies and still holds out hope for Sarah to become a motorsport convert!

Having been a Teaching Assistant for 10 years Sarah now helps in Stephens’s business with anything from soft furnishings for student houses, painting and decorating and assisting with house viewings.

The life of the church has given opportunities for Stephen and Sarah to work together for the Lord helping to run the IGNITE children’s group on Sundays and Mondays as well as hosting their local home group.

Gerald Heddell – Elder

Gerald came to faith in the Lord Jesus at the age of 15 and met Pauline through the youth groups at their respective churches.. They married in 1971 whilst Gerald was studying Microbiology in Glasgow and Pauline worked in a bank as the “family breadwinner”.

Gerald came to faith in the Lord Jesus at the age of 15

After graduation, Gerald worked as a microbiologist in a general hospital in the West of Scotland until 1978, when Gerald and Pauline moved south as Gerald started to work for a pharmaceutical company in Kent. After 26 years in a variety of roles the in the drug business, an unexpected offer came for Gerald to become a civil servant working as a director for the Government Agency that makes sure that medicines and medical devices used in the UK are safe and work -The Medicines and Healthcare products Agency, MHRA. A job which gives Gerald great satisfaction and the opportunity to relate with fellow regulators and industry throughout the world and from which he is reluctant to retire.

Throughout their Christian lives, Pauline and Gerald have counted it a privilege to be actively involved in the life of local churches in various ways

Pauline and Gerald are blessed with four lovely daughters who are all Christian believers and live with their husbands and children in London and Kent. With six delightful (most of the time!) grandchildren, being a grandma sometimes seems like a full-time occupation for Pauline.

Throughout their Christian lives, Pauline and Gerald have counted it a privilege to be actively involved in the life of local churches in various ways, including running a thriving youth group for a number of years and, for Gerald, being a deacon, elder and church treasurer. He was elected as an elder at Trinity in 2016.

The love of the garden is a shared passion and Gerald gets great enjoyment from horse riding, albeit not very well.