THE Parish of Ipsley will soon have a new curate.

Keith Johnson was born in Leamington Spa and spent the first 13 years of his life in the West Midlands.

He met and married his wife Rachel at St James Church, Tunbridge Wells in 1994 and they now have two sons, Luke, 10, and Samuel, seven.

Mr Johnson said he tried to evade the call to ordination but God finally caught up with him while worshipping at St. Helens, Hastings.

He trained at St. Johns, Nottingham and his career previous to that began in Barking, progressing into Christian publishing.

Mr Johnson's ordination will take place at Worcester Cathedral on Sunday.