Camden News: Jonathan Barker

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Camden News - by SIMON WROE
Published: 14 August 2008

The Reverend Jonathan Barker is pictured at St Pancras international

Man on a mission with a congregation of millions

HIS congregation numbers in the millions each year, his place of worship is the size of a small town, and he is doing it all on his own.
It has been two weeks since Reverend Jonathan Barker assumed his role as the first vicar of St Pancras International – and the UK’s first full-time railway station chaplain.
The self-confessed “train nut” and former professional athlete has spent the past five months putting down roots in Somers Town in preparation for his multi-faith ministry, which will tend to the spiritual concerns of locals, travellers, pilgrims and staff in the £800million “cathedral of train stations”.
Rev Barker, 53, has just got his office space on site and next on the
to-do list, in November, is a “reflection room” converted from an old waiting room, although he insists it will not be a church.
“People ask me where my church is. I say I don’t have one. There’s a vast number of places of worship, the last thing we’re going to do is create another one. My station presence is to allow God’s love to come into the place in all the different faiths. And there are a lot of people who don’t have a faith but still want a place of quiet meditation,” he said.
Students from Central St Martins will provide ideas for the room. Besides that, Rev Barker is alone in his quest.
But the Lancashire Anglican priest, who once raced against Sebastian Coe in Italy and still trains six days a week, is ready for the challenge.
The former Highgate Harriers runner said: “I’m alone in this. Somehow I’ve got to begin to put a structure in place, from nothing. I’m here to serve people – I have to discover where they are and what they’re doing. It is new ground and a new venture but I have no doubt about succeeding. I’m accustomed to dealing with pressure.”

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