Churches in vicar crisis
A group of churches on the south Shropshire border is in crisis because its vicar has been away from his work for nearly six months due to stress.
In one incident about 200 mourners were left without a vicar to conduct a funeral service when the Reverend Mark Sharpe failed to attend.
The service was instead conducted by funeral director Alan Caldicott, of Caldicott's in Tenbury.
He said: "We arrived at the church at noon and when 1pm came he never arrived. We had no reply from him or heard nothing to say he wouldn't be there. I had to step in and take the service because there were nearly 200 people waiting."
The church covers rural parishes near Tenbury Wells in the United Benefice of Teme Valley South.
Residents claim there has been no pastoral care, church services have been cancelled and the church has failed to help following an alleged murder, fatal car crashes, bereavement and other serious issues.
The problems were highlighted at a meeting of the parochial church council on Thursday. Church warden Geoffrey Gwilt said: "There is a very violent criticism of the diocese."
He said officials had been offered the free services of a solicitor who would try to resolve the matter. Mr Sharpe, pictured, declined to comment when contacted by the Shropshire Star.
The Bishop of Worcester, the Right Reverend Dr Peter Selby, said: "We are not at all ignorant of the fact that there is a huge amount of distress, division, upset and hurt around in that benefice. We regard it as probably the most serious running situation that we have.
"Mark Sharpe has been signed off because the stresses in the parish were such, and came to a head over the funeral service, that they pushed him into a position where his doctor said he would not manage that level of stress.
"The church can only say that not having a vicar at a funeral was inexcusable. It is a very painful situation and we are working very hard on trying to seek ways forward."
In September, Mr Sharpe, 37, of Broad Heath, Tenbury Wells, received an undisclosed pay-out from the Ministry of Defence after taking it to an employment tribunal for sexual harassment and discrimination. The former police officer objected to the use of hardcore pornography.
By Andy Richardson
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