St. Mary’s Ministry Team

The Associate Vicar at St Mary’s Church, Rev’d Sally Goodson, is retiring in October 2026.
The Rev’d Professor Nicolas Goulding is an Associate Priest.
Jenny Goulding is a Reader (licensed lay minister) based at St. Mary’s. Nina Featherstone is a lay leader of worship.

Two district wardens help with administration and organisation – at present these are Nina Featherstone and Olive Hayward. Our district church committee (DCC) meets regularly. The committee also has representatives on the Parochial Church Council.

Associate Vicar in vacancy from October 2026.

Professor Nick Goulding is Associate Priest at St Mary’s and a scientist. He gained a degree in Physiology & Biochemistry and a PhD in Immunopathology at Southampton University. After spending 10 years researching into arthritis at the Royal National Hospital in Bath, he and his family moved to Harpenden and he worked at Barts Medical School in London where he taught pharmacology, immunology and medical ethics. A licensed Reader for 10 years, he was ordained Priest in 1998. He combined his ordained ministry with academic medicine and was Anglican Chaplain to the School of Medicine and Dentistry from 2001 – 2016.  He is now Professor Emeritus at Queen Mary University of London and acts as the Advisor for Science and Faith in St Albans Diocese.

Jenny Goulding was born in Dunstable and grew up in Bracknell.  She met her husband, Nick, while studying Maths at Southampton University.  Later, she qualified as a teacher and has taught music and piano in schools and privately.  She has 2  children and 6 grandchildren.  Jenny has been involved with church music and Bible studies since being a teenager and was licensed as a Reader in 2008.  She leads the monthly afternoon family worship (Simply Worship), conducts the Christmas choir and is involved in local ecumenical events such as organising the World Day of Prayer.

Nina spent her childhood in Chasetown, Staffordshire and has been an active member of a Church family pretty well all her life with fond memories of her first Sunday School teacher. After University in Newcastle and GP training in Harrogate, Nina moved to a GP practice in Bradford in 1988 where she met Kevin a couple of years later. After 2 children and a few consequent career changes, the family relocated to Harpenden for Kevin’s career in 2003 and continued to flourish ever since. Nina combines General Practice with clinical leadership in Luton, is a member of the Parish Giving Committee, St Marys District Committee and has been a Lay Leader of Worship since 2016.