'Rolling Reverend' shows shock value of resurrection

A vicar at a church in Cheshire has been named “The Rolling Reverend” after delivering a sermon on the resurrection of Jesus during which he roller skated up and down the aisle of the church.

Roger Preece, 44, at St Mary’s Church, Bowden used the shock value of a vicar roller skating during a sermon to illustrate the shock that would have been felt at the resurrection of Jesus.

He said, "While I was skating I was saying to the congregation 'Some of you will no doubt say later that you saw the vicar of Bowden skating around the church. If two or three of you say this then people will know it is true,'” reports The Telegraph.

He continued, "The skating seemed to get my message across. All the adults were wide eyed with shock and the children were thrilled and giggling.

"It really caught people's attention. Later, when I was walking through the local park, one of the parishioners shouted 'Why are you walking? You should be on your roller skates!' It's got everyone in the area talking."

Preece, who was previously an investment banker, said that he used to do a lot of skating during his 20s. He added, “I haven't done it for a while and certainly never in a church before. I was just thankful I didn't fall over.

"I just thought it important for people to see that their vicar can have fun. I also wanted to show them that sermons are not necessarily boring."

One of the congregants, Caroline Anderson, 39, gave her impression of Preece: "The new vicar is obviously a bit of a hoot. Normally people tend to regard sermons as pretty staid affairs.

"But we couldn't believe when he started skating up and down the aisles. Now we are all calling him the Rolling Reverend."