May 2009

Dear Friends

It only seems like yesterday that as a family we arrived in Staunton on Wye and I started my time as Curate here in the Weobley and Staunton Group of Parishes, but unbelievably it has been almost three years and so, sadly my Curacy will soon be ending and I shall be leaving. Fortunately I'm not going too far as I have been appointed as Rector of the Bredenbury Benefice, which is between Leominster and Bromyard. I will be Rector of 7 rural Churches, so my time in this group of parishes has obviously been a really good training ground for me. My last Sunday here will be on July 26th and I will be starting in my new Parishes on September 7th, so I will still be around for a little while.

I found myself in the slightly strange situation of preaching to myself in one of our services this morning, not because I didn't have anyone in the congregation, but because I suddenly realised that I needed to hear what I was saying. We have just celebrated Easter and the joy of the resurrection and our reading for today was from John's Gospel when Jesus appears to the disciples in the upper room, where they were hiding, in fear of the Jews. When Jesus appears to them he gives them two very special gifts, the first one being his peace, a peace that is beyond the worlds understanding, and then he breathes on them and gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus appeared to a group of very frightened, bowed down, bewildered, overwhelmed and probably terrified disciples and he knew that he could not stay with them but that he needed them to carry on his work and to go our into the world with the good news of the Gospel, and so he doesn't just give them reassuring words, he gives them the tools that they need to do the job that he has asked them to do. And that was where I found I was preaching to myself. Taking on the responsibility of a new group of Parishes is very exciting but also daunting and slightly terrifying, but I need to remember that God gives me his gifts of peace and the Holy Spirit to do the work He has called me to do. My prayer for each of us this Easter season is that we will receive God's gift of peace, a peace that the world cannot give and know the presence of his Holy Spirit with us.

With my love and prayers,