Here is this week’s Parish Diary for 5th February.

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Do you come to the 10.00 am Service at St Mary’s? Are you capable of doing a bit of not-too-strenuous lifting? I am urgently looking for more men to put out and clear away tables and chairs in the Church Hall. I’m also looking for people to help serve tea.  The more volunteers we have the less often you’ll be on the rota. Ring me today!

Lara Lavery (240316) lara.lavery@tiscali.co.uk

Thank you, Alpha

At the risk of sounding like the mother in Miranda Hart’s hilarious sitcom I never knew becoming a Christian was going to be ‘such fun’!  I thought it meant being pious and serious and would mean doing all sorts of things I didn’t really want to do.  And anyway doing as I was told had never been part of my make up!  But I found none of this was true.  Every day I trust that God’s plans for me are good and that He will always be at my side and yes, I am willing to do as He tells me.

I realise now that God started preparing me for this time about five years ago as I found myself having to draw on an inner strength I never knew I had.  Looking back I realise that I was being prepared well in advance and that the Holy Spirit had set to work in my life some time ago.

I went to a Catholic day school in Weybridge and was taught by nuns from the age of four until I left at the age of sixteen.  Although my parents were not Catholic they liked the school.  I suspect that as the pupils wore white gloves in the summer they probably thought a school like this would turn me in to a young lady…that is for others to say whether this happened or not but I don’t think my parents choice of school for me was anything to do with religion but simply that they believed it was a good school.

Apart from the church services at school I only went to church occasionally with my family and can’t even recall which church we went to.  It was a case of ‘hatches, matches and dispatches’ and like many others we would visit at Christmas and Easter and would not call ourselves regular churchgoers.  My father tells me he always says his prayers at night and my mother describes herself as an agnostic though she did say that when I was seriously ill as a small child and in and out of hospital that she made a deal with God and only asked for one thing and that thing was that I would get better.   So the prayers of an agnostic can be answered after all…

I was one of only three non-Catholics in my class at school and always felt something of an outsider.  The non-Catholics were told ‘You are welcome to come to the services but you don’t have to’.  Although I did go to the services this affected my feelings around religion in a profoundly negative way as I always felt that church was there but that I was not truly welcome.

When in 1992 Alex and I were married at St Nicolas Church in Cranleigh, a village near my family home, I loved the wedding ceremony more than any other part of the day.  I felt so happy and at peace that I didn’t want it to end, I just wanted to stay forever in the church with my new husband, in God’s presence, that beautiful Spring day.

A few years later when our first child was baptised at St Nicolas I mentioned in passing to the vicar, Nigel Nicolson, that  I would like to get more involved in the church in Walton-on-Thames.  He told this news to the vicar at St Mary’s and one morning  I found my local vicar introducing himself to me on the doorstep whilst I stood awkwardly in my dressing gown holding our tiny first- born child.  To be perfectly frank this visit disturbed me greatly as I felt I wanted to come to church in my own time and this unannounced visit, though kindly meant, did not feel right.  It was clearly not the best time for me to make any way forward as to where my potential faith might take me.

Over the next ten years or so something was happening as I still felt I wanted to get involved but didn’t quite know how to go about it.  I now had two beautiful daughters and even though Linda (Muggleton) encouraged me to bring them to Toddler’s Praise, something still held me back.  Although I had attended some of the services at St Mary’s and St John’s (school events, Christmas etc) I was aware of an overriding feeling that somehow I just didn’t belong.

Once again I felt the Holy Spirit’s presence when, in 2008, my mother became unwell and was in hospital for some months.  She developed septicaemia and then was in a coma for several days.  I drove home from the hospital believing she would not survive the night but that night, in a vivid dream, I saw a vision of her moving towards my bed and I was compelled to sit bolt upright.  A vision of my mother stood before me wearing a pale green suit and a serene, peaceful expression on her face.  I sensed that God was with her and that he was telling me that she was going to be alright.   I slept soundly that night for the first time in several days.

Then I was truly tested.  In 2010 we found out that our eldest daughter had been suffering from a serious psychiatric illness for some years although we were unaware of this.  We were shocked that this had come to light and that her illness suddenly presented an alarming challenge for us all as a family.  In 2011 she spent six months in a psychiatric hospital.    She has now been discharged and we have much to be thankful for.  She received lots of support (some good and some not so good from the psychiatric profession), most especially this support came from our friends and my wonderful bible group and she is doing well.  Her faith is so important to her.

She had found her own faith at eleven years of age when she started going to the Christian Union sessions at her secondary school and did Junior Alpha.  She had also formed a bond with the Lost Property lady at school!  This special lady recognised that God was calling our daughter and encouraged her greatly as her faith developed.

I am guessing the reason you are reading this is that you are wondering what Alpha could mean for you.  My advice would be to go along to the introduction evening with an open mind and see how it feels.  If you still aren’t too sure you might just be curious to find out what it’s all about and feel you want to go again.  Remember you don’t need to try too hard for if you seek God, He will find you.  Taking the first step may be all you need to do in the first place.   God will do everything else.  And don’t be scared by how friendly the helpers are, you will soon get used to this and also get used to the delicious food that you will be served before the evening gets underway!

Nicky Gumbel’s videos are great to watch.  He makes everything easy to understand, throws in some jokes too and the way his wife Pippa lovingly gazes at him as he speaks is just so lovely!  After the video there is plenty of time to explore the video’s main topic and to ask all those questions that are on your mind.  However silly your question might seem to you, it doesn’t feel at all silly to ask, as John Muggleton and all the helpers on the course make it feel so comfortable and natural to ask what you need to know.

The Alpha Weekend in Sussex is the icing on the cake when you will get to deepen your friendship with the other people on the course, get some amazing insights and it is great fun as well.  The walk on the beach is always energizing and it gets you in the mood for the party in the evening.

After the weekend there are a few more sessions and then there is the Alpha Celebration Dinner at the end which is always a beautiful occasion.   What follows may be an opportunity to join a bible group if you wish to, visits to HTB and events such as Pentecost at the O2, yes a proper Christian rock concert! – and much more.

So where did Alpha come in for me? Doing an Alpha course has transformed my life!  That is not to say my journey to this point was always easy but don’t let that put you off, not for a second.

Alpha came along, just like God does, with perfect timing!  Carol Abson, who has taught our girls Suzuki piano, told us about the Alpha course as our eldest daughter and I had mentioned we were thinking of getting confirmed together.  It turned out that because of the difference in our ages it was tricky for us to do the same confirmation class at St Marys, but Carol told us that if we did the Alpha course together this could lead to us to being confirmed at the end of the course if we wanted it to.

Guess what, we did! We were confirmed together in December 2010 and haven’t looked back.  This is my testimony but I have a feeling that further testimonies from the Phillips family may well follow, at least this is what I hope with all my heart.  Thank you Lord for the amazing work you have been doing in my family so far and thank you very, very much Alpha!

Amanda Phillips - January 2012

Full details of our Spring Alpha Courses are now available on our Alpha webpage – or download Alpha Dates Spring 2012

I take is as read that someone invests in a company because they think they’ll get a good return on their investment: in other words, the primary beneficiary is the investor. As Wikipedia puts it: “In Finance, investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain.”

There is, however, another kind of investment, which rarely hits the headlines: it’s one where someone invests time, energy, money, or some other kind of support into a person, a group, a community, a cause, a faith – the list could go on – but where the main beneficiary is not the person making the investment. ‘Dragons’ Den’ is a classic example of the former model; ‘Secret Millionaire’ exemplifies the latter.

The more I’ve reflected on this, the more it strikes me that coming to church/ being part of the church family/ serving the local community/ holding people and situations in our prayers (include as applicable) is also a kind of investment. The question is, ‘Which model of investment is actually in operation when we come to church?’

It is possible – sometimes it’s probably essential – that we come to church “to get a top-up from God”, to grow in the understanding and practice of our faith, or to enjoy the worship and fellowship of the Christian community; i.e. ‘church investment’ with a view to ourselves as the main beneficiary.

Yet, while we come to church to worship God, and to be inspired and challenged to go on growing in our discipleship and service, all of which can enrich our Christian lives, I want to suggest that it’s the other model – investing for the sake of something beyond ourselves, and into building up something greater – it’s this self-less, serving, generous model of investment that more truly resembles what the Bible teaches of the Kingdom of God.

The trouble is that this second investment model tends to require a letting-go. In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25.14-30), the servants who invested selflessly the five and the two talents with which they’d been entrusted – in other words, they let them go – were the ones who were praised on their master’s return. The servant who thought of his own interests, played safe and buried his one talent ended up with nothing.

It’s never easy to live in ways which are counter-cultural to the consumerist assumptions which permeate British society today – the ‘what’s in for me’ approach – but the fact is that a degree of counter-cultural living is in the DNA of the Church, and always has been.

So I repeat the question: “When I come to church, which sort of investment strategy am I operating?” The more we come to invest, without thought of personal gain, the more our churches and congregations will resemble the kind of Christian community God calls us to be, and the more the life of the Kingdom will be seen among us.

Yours in Christ,

Charles Stewart

Job description and parish information from the Parish Office (01932 224238) or downloaded here. Salary is RSCM category A. Potential applicants should contact Canon Charles Stewart on vicar@waltonparish.org.uk or 01932 227184.

Closing date for applications Friday 29th October
This post is subject to CRB enhanced disclosure.

Is ALPHA ‘Life changing’?

I wouldn’t say I came from a religious family, my parents pride themselves on going to church whenever invited – i.e. weddings, christenings and funerals. However I was christened as a baby and went to a C of E school, although that may have been based on location not faith. It was at school that I learnt the story of Jesus, Christian celebrations (Harvest, Easter, Christmas), prayer and sang hymns in worship. This was the foundation of my faith but it wavered through university and my early 20’s.

I met the love of my life and we started planning a wedding! It was important to us both to get married in Church and we wanted God to be part of our married life and future family. Hayden had had a much more Christian upbringing than me, regularly going to Church, Crusaders and studying the bible. I was obviously pleased that we shared our Christian faith and knew it made us stronger but I felt my faith wasn’t as secure as his, and I had big gaps in my knowledge and understanding of it.

We moved to Walton on Thames in November 2007 when I was 7 months pregnant and we started attending St John’s church at the top of our road. We instantly were made to feel welcome by the small but very friendly congregation. We agreed on bringing our family up within the church and being a Christian family, although I still felt I wasn’t necessarily qualified to teach my children about Christianity.  We regularly attended St John’s, had Owen christened there and got involved when we could.

I’d heard about the ALPHA course but didn’t really know what it was, other than people saying it had ‘changed their lives’, surely that can only be a good thing? I hoped this was my opportunity to learn more and deepen my faith – and with Owen starting nursery I had a free morning to dedicate to ALPHA without a Bob the Builder sticker book in hand.

On our first session I was struck by how lovely the other attendees were, all friendly and not at all strange! I found the format was a really refreshing way of looking at the bible. The talks from Nicky Gumbel were interesting, funny, relevant and provoked lots of questions – yes you can ask questions, in fact it is encouraged! I always found the discussions a great way to develop my understanding of that week’s topic and often found a link to something personal to me; it’s a safe environment to openly ask questions and share. I always left our sessions feeling upbeat, happy, optimistic and ready to take on the week ahead.

One week the topic was on healing, the talk as always was captivating and inspiring as was our discussion. At the end of our session John suggested we pray for anyone that wanted or needed some help. I didn’t say anything but John turned to look at me and said ‘I feel you need us to pray for you Lucy’, without saying a word I had tears in my eyes. I’d been having some problems but didn’t feel it was worthy of praying for, but when John asked me, it felt like God knew I needed help and was offering it to me. The whole group all laid their hands on me and prayed for me. I felt an overpowering sense of love, a warm sensation throughout my body and although my eyes were closed I saw a golden light.  It was an overwhelming experience on that day and also ever since as I felt I wasn’t alone and God was and is always with me. I took comfort from that day onwards and it has changed the way I feel on a daily basis.

The other big change in my daily life came through Prayer. After every ALPHA session we prayed together and sometimes prayed for each other but I found the structure of my prayers at home sometimes sounded a bit jumbled up and I was self-conscious that they didn’t make sense or weren’t heart felt. One night I went to check on Owen before I went to bed myself and as I saw him lying there I felt really emotional as I love him so much, I decided to sit next to him and pray. I laid my hand on him and thanked God for this precious gift in my life; I have so much to be thankful for that my adoration and thanks came straight from the heart and easily. I found it came naturally and filled me with such happiness and fulfillment that no matter what happened that day I went to bed thinking how lucky and grateful I was for all I have, and in turn I woke up feeling that way and being open to seeing the good, not the negative, and this has continued. It changed my outlook on life and therefore my general mood and therefore my experience of life. I feel content with myself and all the wonderful things in my life – which can’t help but put a smile on your face.

As part of the ALPHA course there is a weekend session dedicated to the Holy Spirit. It was really enjoyable with live music and meeting lots of new people. Near the end of the sessions we watched a film on people’s experience of the Holy Spirit; a bright light, falling to their knees, hearing a voice and collapsing to the floor. They spoke of messages, feelings of love, and one man spoke about his desire for the Holy Spirit but nothing had happened to him, until one morning at 4am he experienced the Holy Spirit in bed and was overjoyed. Well at hearing all of this I didn’t much fancy falling to the floor in front of all my new found friends so when everyone was encouraged to pray to experience the Holy Spirit, I prayed for the Holy Spirit NOT to visit me right there but that 4am one day would be fine. I left the event on a real high.

The following week John spoke about the Annual Parish Meeting, and that as members of the church we should go and participate in ‘our’ church. So I went along with a fellow ALPHA friend Paula. The meeting was like most AGM’s a lot of accounts and budget talk. Then it went on to talk of lack of volunteers, and David, the Church Warden, spoke of his frustration over nobody standing for Church Warden (and other roles). So again he was left alone with a huge responsibility, this frustration led him to think he wouldn’t stand again, until he remembered why he is active in the Church – the reason: because Jesus died on the Cross for us. Well that struck a cord with me!

On our way home Paula and I spoke about it, and how we were sure that the members of the parish were willing to help but maybe they needed someone to facilitate – to match the willingness with the need… well that night I was sound asleep until about 4am, when I woke and sat bolt upright and thought ‘I can facilitate it’! Lots of ideas of how I could do it flooded me, so I got my reading light out and wrote them down. It was an enlightening, empowering but peaceful vision, I put my pen down and went back to sleep.

The next morning I questioned if that was the Holy Spirit or baby brain talking, or maybe I could share my ideas and someone better qualified could fulfill it, as I’m certainly not someone the Holy Spirit gives a mission to, am I? Well I emailed my ideas to John and spoke to him that week at Alpha. He suggested I read Joshua 1 – it certainly helped and gave me another spur ‘maybe I can do this’.

Then it was Easter and I spent the holidays in Bristol with family. On Easter Sunday we went to Church and had communion, I’m not confirmed so I just went up for a blessing. When the vicar came to me and put his hand on my head, I was overwhelmed with warmth and a glow, I didn’t hear his prayer but I felt fantastic as I returned to my seat. On our way out of the church the vicar shook everyone’s hand, when I came to him he held onto my hand and said something like ‘when I came to you today I couldn’t give my normal prayer as I saw you are embarking on a special journey, you may not know what it is yet but you have a great task ahead of you and I pray for your success’. I just said ‘thank you’ smiled and kept walking. My husband said ‘That’s the volunteering business you’ve been banging on about’. I still thought maybe it was something else! Surely it isn’t that important and surely nor am I? That night when I prayed I asked for reassurance. I had a wonderful dream and woke up feeling really confident I could put my plan into action.

The mission is still in its planning stage but my aim is to get it up and running before I have my second baby (early October) so please keep your eyes open for notices and your hearts open to the opportunity of being more active in your parish.

ALPHA has deepened my faith, filled me with confidence as a Christian, given me a more positive outlook on my wonderful life and future.

I am getting confirmed in December, which feels like another positive step in my new life.

So they are right ALPHA is ‘Life changing’ – and for the good.

Lucy Flower – August 2011

ALPHA starts again in the Autumn with a launch event with guest speaker Jago Wynne from Holy Trinity Brompton. It will be held at 7.30pm on the 8^th September at St John’s church, Ambleside Avenue. I urge anyone who has not done ALPHA to do it! Contact John for more details and/or to sign up – John Muggleton (224 244)  jomug@talktalk.net

My name is Kerry, l am 36 and have four children, three who live with me, and my eldest lives with his grandparents.  This is my testimony, which l call My journey so far, because it’s really only just the beginning….

Like many people l didn’t have the best upbringing, but l tried to make the best of my life…  I tried, maybe too hard, as l made so many mistakes.  Yet somehow l got through, l always picked myself up, brushed myself down and got on with it, probably out of sheer determination!!

I was not really a happy person.  Very stressed, easily irritated and argumentative!!  I guess I constantly felt that l always had something to prove – I was not that “horrible person” that they made me out to be.  I did not like myself at all feeling that l was not a very nice person, and made it hard for others to like me too.  I never let anyone too close, and found it hard to trust people.

I met my partner (the better half lol) James in 2004, and we moved up here in 2006.  I felt that l could no longer live in Devon, the ghosts constantly reminding me of my past. I know that if we had stayed, then we would not be together today!

James is an amazing person!  He has been a rock, supported me, encouraged me and most of all has been patient with me, even today he still sometimes has to give me a “kick up the bum”.

In 2009 l had my third child, Mackenzie.  It was a difficult pregnancy, the birth was a nightmare, and even though l had this beautiful baby boy, l didn’t know what to do, and found it hard, l got depressed as l felt so alone, with no friends – it felt like no one cared.

James’s Mum, was brilliant, a real rock.  We are great friends and to be honest l refer to her as “my mum” because she has been more of a mother to me, she knows me really well, and is as a mother she should be, knows when to get involved and when to butt out!!  She is a star.

Eventually, when Mackenzie was about three or four months old l found Linda’s Playgroup at St Mary’s, l went along and took mum along with me (moral support) and it was really nice!  To my surprise l really enjoyed it.  Linda was lovely, so warm and welcoming.

Linda got excited as her daughter Mary was coming back from the States and had a baby girl Leah around the same age as Mackenzie and she wanted us to meet.  l have since become really good friends with Mary, and felt that we got a bit closer as we were both pregnant again at the same time.  My son Malachi was born in the August and Mary had Hope in September.

Mary and I began to spend more time together, and this is where my crazy journey really all starts!!

I wanted my boys to go to Ashley School, mainly as it was close to where l lived at the time, and l had heard it was a really good school.  I also wanted the boys to have the best education they deserved, and after conversations I realised that it was down to me to ensure that they got into that school, and l was prepared to do what was required of me to get them in!  Then Mary suggested l did an Alpha course, and l said l would think about it…  She was really gentle with the Alpha course recommendation, she was not at all pushy and did not keep going on and on about it – if l asked her a question, she would answer it, but l guess the seed had been planted and then it was down to me, and l did think about it, quite a lot!!

Mary and l spent time together during the summer break of 2010, and l began to feel very drawn towards Mary which felt a bit odd…  One day we were walking along the road chatting, and l found myself really looking at Mary – l saw love coming off her in waves, and l felt a sense of calm, so warm and loved.  All l wanted to do was throw my arms around her, give her a really big hug and tell her that l loved her!!  AWKWARD!!!  I felt this to be a bit weird as l had never felt this sensation before, and could not tell her, l was very embarrassed!!  Mary was going to be leading crèche at St Mary’s and asked for support from friends, so l said that l would go, the boy’s enjoyed it, and so did l and from them on

I thought even more about the Alpha course, and I decided l would go to the introduction evening, l told myself to be open minded and see what it’s all about…  After this l thought umm OK, and maybe if I just go to the first few sessions, see how l get on, l can always leave if it’s not my thing…  I had to make a decision, but l was still so unsure, Then I thought – right that’s it!!  I cannot think about it any more, it‘s doing my head in and giving me a headache! I will definitely go.

I attended the Alpha course in September 2010, and really enjoyed it!  It was an amazing journey to go on and after a while l felt that l needed that little bit extra help, and John suggested l get myself a study bible, that way l would be able to read into our sessions a bit more, so Mary and I arranged a day out to go and buy one.  We had a wonderful day out and we also got a beautiful Bible, I say we because Mary I and went halves on it – and I learnt so so much, not only about myself but also about God and how much he loves me and wants the best for me, just like a dad would…  I made some wonderful friends on Alpha who l care about very much, and have since gone on to join a study group, with a wonderful bunch of girls!!  They are all great and l hold them all close to my heart!

I decided that l would become a Christian, and committed my life to Christ and since then my life has kind of taken off!!!

I have found that my approach to life has changed, l am a lot calmer, and I think I am more patient, and l try really hard not to let things get me down. I am a BIG believer in the power of prayer.  The results are really amazing – prayer has done so much for me and my family!!   Some examples…  We lived in a small two bed roomed flat, myself, James, my daughter Peta and the boys, Mackenzie and Malachi. After praying lots (believing, trusting and having faith in God) we were given a beautiful three bed roomed house, not by the council, or housing authority – but our landlord and lady bought it for us!!

My daughter Peta was being a bit difficult, and l prayed for help from God. After a chat with Mary, Peta decided to go on the junior Alpha course, which she really enjoyed, and resulted in her coming with me to the 02 Arena for the Pentecost celebration. She absolutely loved every minute of it!  She has also jumped at the chance to come with us to visit different churches to experience the different styles of worship!  I feel so lucky and blessed.

In the spring of 2011 l offered to help on the morning Alpha course and I really enjoyed it, watching everyone grow in their belief was a true honour!  But the sad thing was that there was no Mother and Toddler group any more, as it folded, so the Alpha crèche leaders had to try and muddle through, but they did a great job in entertaining the children!  It really bothered me that there was no more Mother and Toddler group, what would we do for future morning Alpha sessions??  It ate away at me and in the end l put my hands up and OK, OK, enough already!  I will offer to set up and run a new one…

I had a vision as to how it should be run, and decided that l wanted it to be Christian based, with crafts themed on Bible stories and for the children to have a bible story read to them at story time.  At snack time the children would have healthy snacks like fruit and raw vegetables, their drink would be water, none of this sweet stuff and E numbers to send the kids banana’s!!  It took a lot of hard work but now the Mother and Toddler group (called New Creations) is up and running…  Every Tuesday from 9.30 till 11.30 at St John’s church in Walton on Thames.  Numbers have been steadily rising and everyone seems to have a wonderful time!!  So mission accomplished!! lol

I love my new life!!  And I am looking forward to being baptized and confirmed.  I am also preparing for my next mission too!!!!

It’s great to be a part of God’s family, I am never ever alone, and if l feel that l am slipping, l will speak to God (the boys often ask who l am talking to) and some how either through reading the Bible or speaking to a member of the clergy team or even just chatting in general, the answer always comes to me!!  And do you know the best thing??  This is only the start of my journey!!

So with all of this in mind, please pray with me to thank these special people – without their guidance l would not be where l am today!!

Thank you Lord for these wonderful people: Mary Kurz, Linda and John Muggleton, Kim Wright, Jackie Richardson and Sheila Samuels – without their love support, guidance and faith l would not be where l am now.  And special thanks to James (my  partner) For his faith and patience.  Amen

In the Church of England, July also means ordination season; and, sure enough, on July 2nd there will be an ordination of priests at Guildford Cathedral in which Walton parish has considerable interest.

I put it that way because I’m determined in the course of this month’s ‘From the Vicar’ to avoid referring to the Revd Jackie Richardson and the Revd Kim Wright as if they were some kind of ecclesiastical double act. They’re not. Each of them came to ordination as the result of a personal, individual call. And although over the past year they have been learning and gaining experience in the things that all new clergy have to learn, their respective ministries are already perceptibly diverse, reflecting their respective skills, interests and personal qualities.

This shouldn’t surprise us. The reason goes back to St Paul’s insightful words in 1 Corinthians 12, where in the context of writing about the gifts of the Holy Spirit he also outlines the theology of the Church as the body of Christ. What use would it be (I paraphrase!) if the whole body consisted of eyes, or ears or any other single function or purpose? He extends this idea to include a range of recognised ministries: not all ministers have identical ministries.

That’s because, “there are varieties of gifts, but the same spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone” (1 Cor.12.4-6). Which doesn’t mean that every person has all these gifts and varieties of service; rather, as he goes on to write in the next verse, “to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (v.7).

For a few, that call, that particular ‘variety of service’ may be to ordained ministry; and it’s right that when a new ordained ministry begins – or is released in new ways through ordination to the priesthood – that we celebrate!

If we stop there, however, we’ll have missed Paul’s point, which is this: everyone who has responded to the call of Christ has a ministry which comes from God, who will also give us the necessary gifts through the Holy Spirit to perform it. In other words, every Christian reading this article – no matter how old or young, how busy or (comparatively) time-rich – has a ministry, even if we’re not yet aware of what it might be.

Please pray for Jackie and for Kim. Please pray also for the person God is calling to serve from July 2012 as our next stipendiary curate (when I know who that person is, I’ll tell you!). And please pray for yourselves, and for all your brothers and sisters in St Mary’s and St John’s, that each of us may discern more fully how God is calling us to serve him now. You might like to use the words of the Collect used in the Ordination of Priests, which is a prayer for each one of us:

God our Father, Lord of all the world, through your Son you have called us into the fellowship of your universal Church: hear our prayer for your faithful people that in their vocation and ministry
each may be an instrument of your love, and give to your servants now to be ordained the needful gifts of grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Yours in Christ,

Charles Stewart