The Rev. Leslie Jell, the new Baptist minister at Burton Latimer was inducted on Saturday night before a large congregation including several members of his previous church in Folkstone.

Mr Jell was a member of the Baptist Missionary Society and his first post was in the Congo, but when riots broke out a year ago he was forced to return to England. Mr Jell and his wife, Dorothy, had been in Congo for two years and were responsible with African pastors for an area the size of Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Rutland. His wife, a trained nurse was in charge of the dispensary they had built He was preparing to return to the Congo with his wife, but could not do so because of her ill health. He said that he would have liked to stay in the Congo but now realised that his duty lay in this country. Mr Jell said:"On my second visit to the town I was convinced that this was the post for me."

Mr Jell believes he will be happier with church work in Burton Latimer as he will be able to help people with their personal problems, he had little opportunity to do this in Africa as the tribal ethos is so strong that it can exclude individual pesonality. Mr Jell and his wife are from Folkstone, he was educated at Baptist College in London, and together they went to Belgium to learn French and study the Congolese way of life before moving to Africa. The minister was introduced to the local Church Council through Mr Reg Cooper, a former resident of Burton Latimer who now lives in Folkstone. Mr Jell succeeds the Rev J R Cooper, who left ten months ago.