Joy French

Vicar

I was born in Gateshead, Newcastle and grew up in the North East before moving to Nottingham at age 6. From an early age, faith played a central role in my life through active childhood involvement in church.

I moved to Sheffield to study Biblical Studies and Philosophy at the University of Sheffield. Clynt and I married in 1997 and we are parents to three sons: Isaac, Caleb, and Moses. I have worked in youth ministry, fostering, and child mental health in both education and the NHS.

I first sensed a call to ordination at age 14, but put it off for many years! I trained for ordination at St Hild College, and was ordained in Sheffield Cathedral in 2017. I served my curacy at St John’s Owlerton, Sheffield where I later became Oversight Minister until 2024. In 2024, I took on a national Church of England innovation project with the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, developing “Perfect Peace”- a resource designed to support toddler groups in estate communities and to promote positive mental health and wellbeing for families. I have a particular passion for mission, community engagement, children and families and supporting people to connect their faith in Jesus with their everyday life.

I felt a clear call to St Mary’s, Ealing and we are embracing life in the south! I enjoy good coffee, sunshine, long walks and meals with friends and family, reading, running (slowly…), gigs and shows. I love people and love to hear people’s stories. I am enjoying getting to know members of the St. Mary’s family.

Wai Meng Chow

SSM Associate Vicar

I was brought up in a nominal Buddhist family in Singapore, but turned to Christ at eighteen.

I came to the UK to study economics at Bristol and later qualified as an accountant. After working in Hong Kong, I returned to Bristol to read theology, during which I was selected for the ministry by the Church of England. I was ordained at St Paul’s in 2002 and my first parish was St James the Less in Pimlico. I have lived in Ealing for many years and have been serving as a very part-time associate vicar at St Mary’s since 2011.

After spending three decades in finance, mostly in the City, I retired with the view to pursue other interests. I try to draw parallels and inject insights from economics and theology – two seemingly opposing spheres of thought – in my sermons. I believe the twin aspects of my calling are firstly, to be a light to the world outside the church, and secondly, to be a spur to the church to get out into the world.

My other interests are walking, football (couch version), comedy (especially, political satire) and travel.

Alex Volossevich

SSM Associate Vicar

After a varied career starting in engineering and developing into business management, I am
 now in leadership in other organisations. 40 years at All Souls Langham Place, 3 years at St 
Mellitus College and various other experiences have prepared me for the roles that I now
undertake:

At St Mary’s Ealing, where I have been ministering since 1999, I am Associate Vicar, which
means I get to take weddings, funerals and baptisms as well as to lead other services and to
preach regularly.

At St Olave’s Hart Street, I am part of the life of an inner-city church ministering to the
Guilds in the City of London and to the midweek congregation.

At the Railway Mission, I chair the Board. The Mission is an overtly Christian organisation
that provides chaplaincy services throughout the railway network across all of Great Britain.
Each year, Railway Mission chaplains deal with the aftermath of some 400 deaths on the
railways as well as supporting staff and passengers in many challenging situations.
And when I am not doing any of the above, I get to serve in other churches where there is
no minister for whatever reason. This makes for an interesting and varied life.

In my own time, I write songs, hymns, carols and am a member of the Acton Poets poetry
circle as my passion is communicating the good news of Jesus Christ in many different 
forms.

I have a wife and two grown up daughters, one of whom has now made me a grandfather.

Isobel Peaty

St Mary’s Administrator

I’ve lived in Ealing all my life and have known St Mary’s and so many of its members for as long as I can remember. As a child, I attended St John’s, Mattock Lane, but joined St Faith’s Church, Brentford, when I became a Christian, aged 23. Recently we have merged congregations with our sister church, St Paul’s, also in Brentford, where I’m on the preaching team and lead worship.

I’m from a creative communications background, in digital and interactive television and then mainly with Tearfund, the international aid agency, where I was editor of the supporter website and writer for the magazine for thirteen years, and then ran internal communications across the organisation for four years. I also managed to fit in having four children with my husband Julian in that time – two boys and two girls – which keeps us fairly busy too.

It’s great to be part of the team here at St Mary’s. It’s a very friendly bunch and there’s always something going on!

Julia James

Church Warden

Charis Eldrid

Youth Worker

I was born and raised in Ealing. My grandfather was a reverend who baptised me as a baby, however it wasn’t until my late teens that I started attending church regularly and exploring my faith more. 

I studied at the University of Kent, with an Erasmus year in Amsterdam, for my degree in Sociology. Over the years, I have worked with children and young people. I am really excited to begin my journey as the Children and Youth Work Apprentice for St Mary’s, as part of the Apprentice Programme run by The Diocese of London alongside Ridley London which provides the academic training in Theology, Ministry and Mission. I have been a volunteer with the St Mary’s Youth Club since May 2023, but am really looking forward to having more time and energy to put my passion for working with children and young people into practice whilst being the Apprentice.    

In my spare time, I am a very keen cook: I love experimenting with different recipes and like spending the time cooking for others. I enjoy reading, travelling, and going to the cinema. I am also a huge football fan splitting my time between supporting Chelsea and Maidenhead United.