Minister: Revd Dr. Zoltan Biro
Zoltan is a lifelong learner who is passionate about making biblical truths easy to understand. His natural curiosity drives him to read widely, listen to people’s life stories, and figure out how things work, often fixing them when necessary.
He began his ministry 26 years ago in Hungarian Baptist churches in Transylvania, where he also taught New Testament Greek and Exegesis to future ministers. Before moving to Reading in 2025, he served for 11 years at Eynsham Baptist Church while completing his PhD.
Zoltan has been married to Marta for over 28 years, and together they have three children.
John Chilvers
I have lived in Reading all my life. I first came to the church in 1973 and was baptised and came into church membership in September 1976. Working it out, this makes me currently the sixth longest member! Over fifty years I have seen many changes in the life of the church, particularly so in the last few years with a rapid growth in membership. One thing that has not changed is the warm friendship and support of the Abbey family through the ups and downs of life.
I served as a Deacon in the 1990s. Then I became the Church Administrator in 2003, staying in this role for nearly 20 years. I returned as a Deacon in 2018 and became the Church Secretary in May 2023.
Nigel Varndell
Nigel has been a member at Abbey Baptist for nearly 30 years and has, at various points, been a deacon, treasurer and children’s church leader as well as preaching and leading services. After receiving a PhD in evolutionary biology he has pursued a career in the charity sector working for Christian Aid, The Children’s Society and The Diana Award (amongst others). He worked for many years on the Middle-East, has helped run a guest house in Bethlehem and remains inordinately fond of hummus. He is married to Anne McFarlane with their wedding taking place at Abbey Baptist Church.
Simon Bird
As I grew up, my interest in science made me a complete atheist. I loved arguing with Christians, but at University some Christian friends were
patient enough to listen to me, and eventually I became convinced of the truth of Christianity. I worked as a civil engineer in the UK and in many other countries, I did some development and disaster relief work,
but am now retired.
I am a deacon of the church and concentrate in serving the church in a pastoral role. I am working towards being what the Baptist church calls a Recognised Local Minister. I have lived or
been based in Reading for 40 years, and with my wife Jill, have three
children we adopted from China. I love hiking and organise walks for
the church in the lovely surrounding countryside.
Jill Bird
I have been a deacon at Abbey church for over 2 years with responsibility to co-ordinate our outreach activities and also doing a lot of pastoral care. It was a privilege to particularly support the church as it grew so fast during these years and also to stand in the gap in the period when we had no pastor in 2025.
I am a retired GP. We also worked in Thailand for some years with the group Youth with a Mission YWAM and on returning to the UK took up a post as Associate pastor at Wycliffe Baptist church in Reading before retirement. We have 3 children and 3 grandchildren to date who keep us young and we still cycle everywhere in Reading!
Selina Chan
Selina was the first Hongkonger to be baptised at Abbey Baptist Church on Easter Sunday in 2022. Since then, she has been serving faithfully as a Deacon for over two years. With decades of experience as a communications professional in the hospitality industry, she is eager to use her skills and passion to serve God and the congregation. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling, jogging, singing, watching films, and reading.
Lam Yee
Having built his career over 30 years in brand management, communications, visual merchandising, event management, and social media marketing, Lam has worked with organisations of all sizes — from multinational corporations to small self-started businesses.
With academic degrees in Film Production and Information System Management, he has developed broad interests in cultural and historical heritage, travel, cooking, and digital marketing. He also enjoys making and fixing things around the house — something he inherited from his father.
God has blessed him with many gifts in the first half of his life, and he is truly grateful for the opportunity to serve Him, our church, and the community in Reading.