The new rector for Congleton Parish has announced that he and his family are looking forward to moving back to Cheshire.

The Rev Ian Enticott, vicar of St James and St Paul's in Accrington as well as Priest in Charge of Accrington Christ Church, will take over from the Rev David Taylor and will be running a new single parish.

Writing in the parish magazine, he said the move to Congleton rectory would be the 13th house he and his wife Fiona had lived in since getting married 35 years ago; the couple met in Sheffield at a "lively" evangelical church with a "fantastic preaching ministry".

He said that when they met, they were both looking to serve God in other countries, Fiona in Rwanda and he in Kenya.

Fiona had already spent six months working in India as a physiotherapist and Ian had been teaching in an Anglican boys' school in Canada for two years

They served as a couple in the Anglican Diocese of Morogoro, in Tanzania, for nearly 10 years, having their first daughter Keren, eight weeks before the flight out.

By then they had spent a year at All Nations Christian College learning all about cross-cultural mission and spent the first four months immersed in studying the language Swahli.

Mr Enticott said: "I was already a Methodist local preacher, so besides working at the Bible School we found ourselves leading an English-speaking church. We learned a lot about relying on God in those years in Tanzania.

"The first thing to do whenever someone fell ill was to pray, and only after that to find a doctor. Illness did take its toll on us though, and we returned to UK somewhat prematurely for our first period of leave."

They returned to the UK and supporting churches agreed to house them in return for work, and so began an association with St John's Knutsford, where Canon Michael Walters was then vicar.

Shona, the couple's second daughter, was born in that year in Knutsford, before the couple returned to Tanzania, and Mairi was born the next time they were home on leave; both were born at Macclesfield.

Mr Enticott added: "Fiona held English classes in the Bible School in Morogoro to enable the students there to go on to higher study. She also ran the Sunday school, got involved with Mothers' Union and I meanwhile helped develop a national programme for the remote teaching of church leaders in the Anglican Church, besides teaching in the Bible School and in various villages throughout the diocese."

Mr Enticott's call to be ordained ministry came to fruition but necessitated relocating to England. Two years at theological college in Durham was prefaced by the arrival of Euan, the couple's fourth child.

Ordained ministry began on the Wirral, and then the family moved to Kelsall for eight years, where Mr Enticott was also the evangelism and Lay Training Officer for the Diocese of Chester, taking on, among other things, the training of parish evangelists, which was started by Heather Kemball, formerly of Congleton Parish, now working at Christ Church, Alsager.

Ian added: "As well as being very involved in children and families' ministry, Fiona had a slight change of career from physio to Pilates teacher. We worked closely with the Methodist church in the village, initiating annual children's holiday clubs and a large youth group, but the hope we had of bringing the two churches together only came to fruition last year, long after we left."

He then began working with Churches in East Africa as director of a small charity; African Pastors Fellowship, which meant a move to Warwick and regular trips to East Africa.

Mr Enitcott continued: "I oversaw the transition to a new way of working to ensure the sustainability of the charity, and initiated projects with a one-volume Bible commentary in Swahili and solar lighting for rural pastors before handing it on.

"Meanwhile Fiona continued to lead children's ministry in a lively local church just outside Warwick and completed the Children's Mission and Ministry course at Cliff College."

They moved to Accrington for the past six years and helped to re-form Accrington Christians Together and establish regular fortnightly prayer meetings and termly praise and prayer evenings.

Mrs Enticott has been instrumental in starting a food bank and working with Christians Against Poverty as well as re-establishing Pilates classes for the third time in a new place.

One of the couple's grandchildren has a very rare large chromosome deletion and last year, Mr Enticott ran in the London Marathon to raise money for Unique, the charity that has supported them and linked them with other families children with similar genetic conditions.

The Enticott's hope that both Bishop Godfrey from Tanzania and William from Uganda, who had plans to visit this year, but are unable to do so, can visit them next year in Congleton.

Mr Enticott wrote: "We are really excited to be moving back to Cheshire. We finally have a date for my licensing in Congleton, although given the present situation that might have to be moved, but we hope not.

"We are really impressed with the different ministries going on within the parish and the quality of the online presence the team have had to develop recently, alongside the pastoral work to ensure that those not online don't get forgotten.

"We would really like to thank all those involved in keeping the church fellowship alive and active during this period, not least over the last two months."