Of things not seen: Jim and Kit

...St James', Park Hill, Clapham

...A year in the life of a London priest

...‘Of things not seen’ is a photo-essay which tells the story of one year of ministry for Kit Gunasekera, a Church of England priest in Clapham, South London.

‘Of things not seen’ brings to life both Kit’s professional role as a priest and lynchpin of his church community, and his personal faith.  The joys and rewards of having a vocation with a strong calling and a higher purpose are juxtaposed with the everyday challenges of running a church, ministering to a very diverse group of parishioners, and a mission to increase the congregation.

Kit Gunasekera is the Vicar of St James’, Clapham.

Born in Chiswick in 1972, Kit is of Sri Lankan descent and spent his early childhood in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Kit found God when he was 17 at a Sunday church service in Holy Trinity, Hounslow.  It was a profound and life-changing experience for him.  He went on to study theology at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, and was ordained in 2006, following which he was a Team Curate at St Paul’s Church in Brentford. 

He joined St James’, Clapham, as ‘Priest-in-Charge’ in 2009, his first parochial leadership role.  He became Vicar in 2015 when his remit was expanded to include partnering 2 other local churches in Clapham.

Kit is married to Jill, who works for a London-based charity; they live together in the church vicarage, a short walk from St James’.  Kit enjoys playing the guitar and singing, and is an occasional artist.


Jim Grover is a photographer (visit his website here).

After a long and successful International business career (he was previously Group Strategy Director of Diageo PLC, owners of iconic global brands such as Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, and Guinness), Jim has increasingly focused on photography over the last 5 years.

Jim’s images have been recognized in various competitions including the ’Sony World Photography Awards’ in 2012 and 2014.  In 2015 he won the ‘Faith Through a Lens’ competition; the judging panel was led by the internationally renowned photographer, Don McCullin CBE.

His photographs have frequently appeared in various publications and online including: The Saturday Guardian Magazine; The Sunday Times and Times Travel Sections; and The Daily Telegraph Travel Section.

He lives in Clapham, South London.