Clergy & Staff
Our Bishops
Bishop Julian Mark Dobbs
Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word
Bishop Julian Mark Dobbs is the Bishop of The Anglican Diocese of the Living Word and has oversight of the clergy and congregations in the diocese. He and his wife Brenda, have made their home in Northern Virginia since 2006 after emigrating to the United States.
Ordained in 1991, he planted three congregations and served as the rector of the fastest growing Anglican church in New Zealand. He was elected and consecrated as bishop by the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) in 2011, and is a member of the College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).
Bishop Julian is passionate about the saving power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is committed to empowering congregations, supporting clergy, transforming injustice, inspiring local and global mission, and church planting churches.
Bishop William Love
Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word
Bishop William Love was ordained to the priesthood in 1992. He was consecrated as a Coadjutor-Bishop in 2006 and began his term as the ninth Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Albany in 2007. Bishop Love resigned from his position as Diocesan Bishop on February 1, 2021. He began his service as Assisting Bishop to the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word on Easter Sunday, 2021.
As an assisting bishop, Bishop Bill supports Bishop Julian in providing episcopal ministry to the congregations, church plants and ministries of this diocese.
In 1983, William, an Air Force veteran himself, married the now retired Air Force Colonel Karen Love. They are parents to two children and proud grandparents of five grandchildren. The Loves make their home in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York.
Vicar
Reverend Geoffrey Firth
Vicar
The Reverend Geoffrey Firth hails from the United Kingdom where he was a chaplain in the Royal Air Force.
Geoffrey attended the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside studying Finance in Business. It was during this time that he began to sense a call to ministry. On finishing his degree, he was invited to work in a part-time voluntary capacity at the local Church alongside some part-time teaching and study at the University. After a number of years, Geoffrey was selected for training for ministry within the Church of England and returned to full-time study at Oak Hill Theological College in north London.
On completing his training, Geoffrey was made a Deacon at Chester Cathedral in July 2006, and he returned there a year later to ordained Presbyter. From 2006 to 2010 he was Curate at the parish Church of St. George, Poynton.
Reverend Geoffery is passionate about conveying that nothing is “able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Our Deacons
The Reverend Phillip Shade
Deacon
Rev. Phil and his wife Heather have 3 children and have lived in Souderton most of their married life. Together they operate the Broad Street Grind a specialty coffee shop and bistro in Souderton. As an outgrowth of a book study that began in the coffee shop in December 2020, St. Peter’s Anglican Church was founded. Rev. Shade served as the founding clergyman and Dcn.-In-Charge from September 2021, when St. Peter’s first began to hold services, to the arrival of our Vicar, The Rev. Geoffrey Firth in October 2023. Phil is a graduate of Cairn University and has studied at the Reformed Episcopal Seminary. He was ordained to the Vocational Deaconate in 2013 and has been instrumental in church planting since then across the Delaware Valley.
The Reverend Blair Biddle
Deacon
Deacon Blair served for 28 years in the USAF, retiring in 1989. Following retirement, he was ordained to the vocational Deaconate in 1995 in the Episcopal Diocese of Albany, where he served as both a Hospital Chaplain as well as a Corrections Chaplain. Following his wife Joella’s death, Deacon Blair returned to the Philadelphia region, where he had been raised. He is currently residing in Chalfont PA with his daughter. Dcn. Blair has been attending St. Peter's Anglican Church since December following his return and, upon request of the parish clergy, was appointed to serve at St. Peter’s.