Meet Our Clergy

Revd Sarah-Jane King - Curate
Originally from North East England, Sarah-Jane lived in Oxford, Leiden and Florence before settling in Belgium. She did not grow up in a Christian family and came to faith as a student. For her, following Christ is an adventure, a journey of discovery. Part of it is growing in how we see ourselves and others as God sees us, since Jesus offers life in all its fullness to everyone. Sarah-Jane studied theology at KUL and did her further training at St Mellitus College in London with an MA in Christian Leadership. Her interests are theologies of power and justice, resilience and wellbeing, pioneer ministry and outreach, Ignatian spirituality and contemplative prayer. She is married with two children, and she likes walking and singing.
Revd Canon Alan Strange
Alan lives in Leuven, and works from Leuven and Brussels as Chaplain to the Church of England’s Bishop in Europe. He served at Holy Trinity Brussels in the early 1990s, where he met and married Natalie; they have two grown-up children.
Revd Dr Hector Patmore
Hector is an Associate Professor in Biblical Studies at the KU Leuven and a priest in the Diocese in Europe. Once an atheist, it was the study of theology and the beauty of worship at Durham Cathedral that helped him find his way back to God. After Durham, Hector studied at Oxford, where he trained for ordained ministry at Ripon College Cuddesdon. He was ordained deacon in Llandaff and priest in Jerusalem. He welcomes the opportunity to put his academic training to the service of the wider church and finds joys in gathering with fellow pilgrims around Christ’s table.

The Chaplaincy Council

​Our church is governed by two councils, the Chaplaincy Council and Kerkraad.
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Meet our Chaplaincy Council! The parish administration in relation to the Church of England is undertaken by these wonderful members. If there is anything you wish to bring to the attention of the church council, please contact the secretary.
Revd Sarah-Jane King - Curate
Originally from North East England, Sarah-Jane lived in Oxford, Leiden and Florence before settling in Belgium. She did not grow up in a Christian family and came to faith as a student. For her, following Christ is an adventure, a journey of discovery. Part of it is growing in how we see ourselves and others as God sees us, since Jesus offers life in all its fullness to everyone. Sarah-Jane studied theology at KUL and did her further training at St Mellitus College in London with an MA in Christian Leadership. Her interests are theologies of power and justice, resilience and wellbeing, pioneer ministry and outreach, Ignatian spirituality and contemplative prayer. She is married with two children, and she likes walking and singing.

Sarah Jones - Churchwarden, Laychair of the Council, and Safeguarding Officer 
Sarah is a PE and psychology teacher at a large international school. She is training to be a licensed lay minister and is one of our churchwardens, she enjoys exploring different musical styles as part of our worship. Away from church she enjoys hiking, camping and watching sport, in particular cricket.

Lydia Patmore - Churchwarden 
Lydia moved to Belgium in 2019 with her young family after a decade of living and working in the Middle East and western Europe.
A museum curator by training, since moving abroad, Lydia has worked within the education sector supporting international students in their studies and for the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem. Within the M&M's community Lydia is church warden and part of the 'M&M's Kidz' team providing ministry to the church's younger members.

Nathan Shepura - Secretary 
​Nathan is an American who has lived in several parts of the world, including three years in the Middle East and nearly ten in Europe. He's worked since 2016 in Brussels.  
Nathan enjoys literature and sports and hearth fires and stained glass. He's grateful to have (re)discovered the M&Ms community in 2022.
Andrew Wiersum – Treasurer
​Andrew is an R&D engineer in the petrochemical industry. Part British and part Dutch, Andrew grew up and studied in various countries around the world before moving to Belgium for work in 2013. Andrew is married with two young children and in his spare time he enjoys travelling, playing and watching sports and reading books. Within the M&M's community Andrew is Treasurer and helps out with M&Ms Kidz.

Filipe Francisco - Intern @ M&Ms 
​Filipe Francisco is a lawyer that feels like a theologian and a theologian that feels like a lawyer. Originally from Brazil, he moved to Europe 05 years ago to enhance his skills and serve people around the world. First living in Portugal, he finished a Research Master's in Fundamental Rights at the University of Lisbon, where his research focused on the conflicts of values in the Public Sphere, applying the idea of the common good of religion as a system of belief and as a tool to contribute to public dialogue. Currently, he is completing a second Research Master's in Theology and Religious Studies at KU Leuven, researching the interconnection of the book of Deuteronomy as a sort of model of Constitutional Jurisdiction to the interpretation of Scripture in the 21 century. Recently, he has begun an internship at M&M's to discern his vocation for the priesthood. He has been impacted on how to love and let himself be loved more deeply by God through M&M's community.
He loves to spend his free time walking in nature, taking pictures, watching tv shows, reading books and playing chess and Zelda.

Rebecca Breekveldt 
​Rebecca currently works as a freelance translator and copywriter.
After living in many different countries, she and her husband have made Leuven their home for the next few years and have greatly enjoyed becoming part of M&M’s welcoming community.
When she is not at the computer working and answering emails, she can be found experimenting in the kitchen, curled up with tea and a good book, or exploring the great outdoors by bike or on foot.

Roshni Jegan
​Roshni was born in India, moved to Belgium 4 years ago and has immensely enjoyed the experience of living here. M&Ms has been a second home to her for the last year and a half, and it’s been her privilege to be part of the welcoming team. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD in Bioethics at KU Leuven. She enjoys long walks, nature, baking, all things crafty and hanging out with her cats.

The Kerkraad

Meet our Kerkraad! The civil administration of our church in relation to the City of Leuven is undertaken by Dutch-speaking members.

Revd Canon Alan Strange - President 
Alan lives in Leuven, and works from Leuven and Brussels as Chaplain to the Church of England’s Bishop in Europe. He served at Holy Trinity Brussels in the early 1990s, where he met and married Natalie; they have two grown-up children.

Elsie Wilms - Secretary 
​Elsie was born and raised in Lanaken, Limburg. At age 27 she migrated to Belize, Central-America where she managed the George Price Centre for Peace and Development. In Belize she came to faith and became part of the Nazarene Church. She obtained an MA in Christian Studies and returned home in 2013. Since that time she has headed the Academic Secretariat of the Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Leuven.

Andrew Wiersum – Treasurer 
​Andrew is an R&D engineer in the petrochemical industry. Part British and part Dutch, Andrew grew up and studied in various countries around the world before moving to Belgium for work in 2013. Andrew is married with two young children and in his spare time he enjoys travelling, playing and watching sports and reading books. Within the M&M's community Andrew is Treasurer and helps out with M&Ms Kidz.

Brendan Pousett
Brendan came to Leuven in 2022 to pursue a PhD. in Robotics from KU Leuven (a very relevant field of study to be on a church council). He was born and raised in Surrey, Canada, and has three older siblings, or role models, who were integral to the development of his faith in his teenage years. After moving to Europe, Brendan and his wife Kayla were delighted to find the M&M's community, which has been a consistent joy amidst the struggles of settling in to a new home.
He enjoys experiencing God's creation on hiking trips with his brothers and dad, exploring European cities with Kayla, and learning new recipes. Kayla and Brendan are also known at M&Ms for their excessively large water bottles.

Volunteers

Mathias Weikl - Environmental Officer
Originally from Austria, Mathias studied Theology in Belfast before starting his Research Master’s in Theology at KU Leuven in 2021. Through conversations at M&M’s, he has become interested in how the Christian faith relates to the Ecological Crisis. He enjoys talking theology, reading and listening to
music. Having grown up in the mountains of Austria, Mathias also enjoys spending time being active in the outdoors, biking, climbing, or running.
Tatiana Ntompridou - Website Maintenance
​Tatiana was born in Ukraine but grew up in Greece with her mother and their beautiful cat. After studying Preschool Education and Theology in Greece, she came to Leuven in 2019 to pursue a Master of Advanced Studies in Theology and Religion at KU Leuven, which she accomplished in 2021. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, reading non-fiction books, going for long walks, and visiting old churches and monasteries.