10/05/2026
Today, our benefice reached an important milestone as we held St Leonard's Annual Parish Church Meeting (St Aidan's on the 24th) These gatherings hold our past, help us see where we truly are, and open our hearts to the future God is shaping among us.
On 27th April, I marked my first year as incumbent, and I want to express my deep gratitude for the trust, patience, and faith you have shown in me throughout this first year. It has not been without its difficulties, but every difficulty has been worth it for the new shoots of life, faith, and hope that have grown because of them. God has been faithful, and so have you.
At St Leonard’s, there is much to celebrate. Not a single PCC member stepped down this year, and our wardens have continued to serve with remarkable steadiness, generosity, and grace. We have also welcomed new members willing to offer their gifts and energy to the life of the parish. This is the sign of a church that is healthy, hopeful, and confident in the future God is preparing.
We are blessed, too, by the ministry of Revd Margaret and Revd Pat, whose wisdom and presence enrich our life together, and by Tony’s faithful leadership as LLM. And then there are the many members of our church family who work quietly in the background — unseen by most, but never unnoticed by God. Their faithfulness is part of the foundation on which everything else stands.
We also continue to face the real and sometimes heavy challenges of our buildings. They matter — because they hold our worship, our welcome, our witness, and the daily life of our communities. Caring for them is not easy, but it is part of our shared stewardship of God’s mission in this place.
As St Aidan’s prepares for its own APCM, I have every confidence that it will reflect the same resilience, generosity, and quiet strength that God has been nurturing there. The story unfolding across our benefice is one of faithfulness — God’s faithfulness to us, and your faithfulness to one another.
And for me personally, my role as your vicar has never been simply a job or even a vocation. It is, at its heart, a privilege — the privilege of helping to make God known among us; to hold Jesus before us as the One who is real, present, and life‑giving; and to trust the Holy Spirit to make that presence relevant in the everyday lives of our communities. To walk alongside you in this, and to witness the grace of God at work in this place, is a gift I never take for granted.
God is good. God is present. And God is doing something real and life‑giving among us. Thanks be to God.
