Chris Meyer is not everything you might expect in a pastor.
Yes he still wears a dog collar and a robe (the Anglican official uniform) when he preaches, but he is far removed from the unapproachable holy man that many people picture when they think of a priest.
Meyer is the new pastor at All Souls Anglican church in Sheffield, replacing Pete Houston who previously wrote a column for this paper and has been reassigned to St Agnes Anglican Church in Kloof.
Chris has a law degree and worked for Tongaat Hulett for 11 years before taking the literal leap of faith into the rectory.
“I have pursued money and the usual careers but I was never really happy, because this was where God wanted me.”
He said his wife, Paula, fully supported his drastic career change and they decided to study the Bible together at St Johns Collage in Nottingham in the UK for two-and-a-half years.
“While Paula is now a full-time teacher, she is a huge support to me and we consider ourselves a team.”
The couple have have three boys, William (9), James (6) and Benjamin (3) and a rambunctious Australian Border Collie puppy named Bandit. So you can imagine that there’s never a quiet moment in their busy home.
Meyer took on his first church in 2007 at St Paul’s in the Durban city centre and 18 months later he was sent to St James parish in Morningside. In April the couple arrived in Salt Rock for a whole new adventure on the Dolphin Coast.
While excited for the new venture Meyer said he has committed himself “to a period of listening” to get the heartbeat of the community he serves
Meyer is passionate about the wider church, and not just his own front porch.
“I love the Kingdom, and I believe my role is not only to build one church but a community.”
In order to do this he said it was a priority to build relationships across race and class.
“It is too easy for those of us who live on this side of the highway to give financially to those in need, but it needs to go deeper then that for us to operate as the body of Christ.”
Speaking of All Souls, Meyer said they were “a family church that accepts complicated families. Everyone is welcome.”
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