Meet Some of the Team
Canon Phil Ashey
Trustee
Phil’s focus and passion is to develop Biblically faithful leaders at all levels of the Church - both in North America, where he serves in the ACNA, and across the Anglican Communion. In 2015 he received his LLM in Canon Law from Cardiff University. Phil leads the Lawyers Networks in ACNA and Gafcon. He is also the author of 'Anglican Conciliarism: The Church Meeting to Decide Together'.
Phil is married to Julie and they have a son, three daughters and a daughter-in-law.
Rev Carl Chambers
Trustee
Carl serves as Vicar of St Michael and All Angels, Wilmington, on the southern side of Dartford, Kent. He’s been married to Jenny for a bit longer than being ordained (both in 2001). They have three teenage children. Previously he was involved in church planting in Brighton, after curacy in Hove. He has been involved in supporting Christian ministry in Cuba for over 25 years, working with more than half a dozen denominations. In spare time (!), he is doing an MA in Biblical Counselling at Westminster Theological Seminary, Pennsylvania.
Mrs Susie Leafe
Director
Susie has spent the last ten years serving faithful Anglicans in the UK, with a particular heart for smaller local churches.
In 2010, she was elected to serve on the Church of England's General Synod, which led to her running the Proper Provision campaign, and then working, first as the Director of Reform, and later for Gafcon, formalising the structures of their local branch. She also has considerable media experience, both in front of the camera or mike and behind the scenes.
She is married to Dan.
Mr Dan Leafe
Trustee
Dan has over thirty years experience of church leadership. He is clear thinking and compassionate and his commitment to 'being useful' has led him to work amongst students, train leaders, preach and support many church leaders in times of crisis. He is a trustee of Anchor Anglican Church, Fowey, a founding congregation of the Gafcon sponsored, Anglican Convocation in Europe. Somehow, he does all this alongside his 'day-job,' as a barrister. He is married to Susie.
Mrs Susanna Sanlon
Trustee
Susanna is passionate about children's ministry and caring for parents who have experienced the death of a child.
She and her husband, Peter, recently made the decision to come out of the Church of England, and have planted Emmanuel Anglican Church, in Tunbridge Wells
where they live.
In church life, Susanna serves in the children’s work, music ministry and in other practical ways along side Peter. Professionally, she is a Town Planning Consultant, working in a practice within the town.
Susanna and Peter have two young sons.
Melvin was Anglican Futures' first Chair of Trustees.
Melvin was Vicar of St John, Newland in Hull for 26 years, then, having led the church out of the Church of England to come under the oversight of the Anglican Network in Europe, he became Director of Theology for the Christ Church Network.
Melvin was a well respected international speaker and the author of many books and more than 70 articles relating to doctrine and cultural engagement, including, 'Veiled in Flesh: The Incarnation-What it Means and Why it Matters'; 'That Hideous Strength'.
He offered us his godly wisdom and experience. He encouraged us to promote the truth that saves and fight the lies. He pointed us to the hope we can only find in Jesus Christ.
We give thanks to God for him
and we miss him.
Melvin Tinker
27 June 1955 – 23 November 2021
Melvin died of cancer, aged 66.
He is survived by his wife, Heather, his three sons, Christopher, Michael and Philip and eight grandchildren.
What others have said...
A consummate pastor-theologian who was valiant for gospel truth
A sinner saved by a gracious and merciful King
Why evangelicals will miss Melvin Tinker, not a celebrity but a prophetic teacher
Son of a miner who became a vicar and led his large flock in Hull out of the Church of England
A song written by his son,
Michael J. Tinker.
A little bit of history
Anglican Futures began during Lockdown, in 2020.
At the time, Susie was working for Gafcon and had been seconded to help set up their UK branch. As church leaders sought to work out how to respond to the Covid crisis, Susie did what she could to help them maintain contact with their congregations, by training them to use Zoom and other online conferencing platforms.
This developed into a regular 'ideas exchange,' called Anglican Futures. How could church leaders grasp hold of the opportunities afforded by Covid to do things differently? How could they think outside the box and make changes that would benefit their church family in the long term?
Sadly, Gafcon were forced to make Susie's role redundant. It also became clear that they would not be the only organisation forced to reduce staff numbers.
After consultation, and with the blessing of the Gafcon UK trustees, it was decided to start something new: a charity that could continue the work of Anglican Futures and develop it by providing day-to-day practical and pastoral help to church leaders and a consultancy service to churches and organisations that were no longer able to fund permanent staff posts.
We are grateful to all those who have encouraged and supported this new venture and pray that it will be used to provide a positive Anglican future for many.