General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Dear Elector,
Thank you for taking the time to read my election address (candidate statement) for election to
the House of Laity of General Synod.
As an active committed member of the Church of England in the North-East of England for over
30 years, current PCC Treasurer and recently retired business manager, I hope you will conclude
that I have the skills, energy and experience to enable me to serve as one of your Durham
Diocese’s General Synod representatives.
On the next page I have put a bit more information about me and some key topics for General
Synod over the coming years (mission focus, going for growth, parish well-being,
environmental sustainability and safeguarding). I am committed to faithfully and prayerfully
give the time and effort needed to be effective as your representative should I be elected.
This election matters so please do use your vote. I would greatly value being your first
preference choice. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me (see above).
Yours in Christ,
Guy

VOTE
Nominated by: Margaret (Mags) Vaughan
(Lay Member, Durham Diocesan Synod)

Seconded by: Lucy Falcus
(Lay-Chair, Stockton Deanery Synod)
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have
any questions. You can write or speak to me at:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 07484223807
Guy Wingate
1
My prayer is that Almighty God would work through
the Church of England to facilitate a wide-spread
Christian revival across our country, that all might
come to know Jesus and be faithful to Him and his
teaching in their lives.

About me…
My wife Sarah and I worship at All Saints, Preston-on-Tees in Stockton Deanery where I am the
Church Treasurer, and one of the church representatives on Stockton Deanery Synod. We have
three grown-up children. Our church life over the years has encompassed membership of both
small country and larger urban churches. I came to faith in my youth through an invitation to a
church youth group, and greatly value the role of children and youth work in our churches. I served
as a volunteer Sunday schoolteacher for many years.
After completing my doctorate at Durham University, I worked at ICI Engineering in Billingham
before joining a pharmaceutical company called GlaxoWelcome at Barnard Castle (now GSK) where
I held various roles of increasing responsibility until my recent retirement. I am used to wading
through large amounts of information to discern key details, an important skill for General Synod.
Some key topics for General Synod…
Mission and missionary focus: Our mission is to share the Word of God across our nation, bringing
people to faith in Jesus and the everlasting life He offers. As the Church of England we need to keep
our focus and promote a Christian way of life that is distinct and authentic to our calling. Bishop
Rick shared some of the challenges he sees ahead at the Durham Diocesan Synod in May and I am
excited by the prospect of General Synod supporting a fresh missionary focus across the country.
Going for growth: We need to reach out and grow across all areas and sectors of society. Church
attendance should reflect the diversity of the local communities we serve. A focus on children and
youth continues to be vital when schools no longer necessarily provide a strong lead on Christian
teaching. Actions for growth agreed at General Synod must be fit for purpose locally.
Parish well-being: Parish finances and clergy are stretched more than ever. As a church treasurer I
understand this at first hand. The Church of England needs to ensure that resources (money and
people) are focussed at a local level, especially for marginalised and poorer communities.
Duplicated effort, that is unnecessarily repeated across different dioceses, should be removed.
Environmental sustainability: Our national church initiatives on climate change and moving
towards net-zero must take account of local needs and practical constraints to be successful. My
experience of implementing sustainability for a large company and at our local church has shown
me how important it is for central planning to appreciate and accommodate local priorities.
Safeguarding: We must continue to strengthen safeguarding at all levels of the church
organisation. I know from having led corporate ethics in a large company how important it is for
training to be practical and effective. We must also ensure incidents and issues, wherever they
occur, are promptly investigated and addressed in a timely manner.
My commitment to you…
• To faithfully devote the time an effort needed to fulfil my duties and responsibilities as an
active member of General Synod
• To be available to you by phone and email through my term of office to discuss and understand
issues so that I may better input to Synod debates
• To visit in person or via zoom the various Deanery Synods in the Durham Diocese to explain the
workings of General Synod and seek feedback on topical matters

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