At long last we have had the announcement that we shall have a new vicar at St Margaret’s and St George’s, Rev Steve Williams. We get the best of both worlds, because Steve is new to our parish, and will bring with him fresh ideas and wisdom, but he is someone we have known for a long time, and he already has our friendship and our trust.
Previous vicars have been full time in our parish and this appointment is different because Steve is already vicar at St Gabriel’s and has responsibility for working with other faiths. In the summer Helen will (God willing) be ordained to the priesthood, and Christine will be ordained as deacon. So there will be four clergy, including three priests. There will not be a problem covering services! Instead of one full time priest there will be a clergy team. This has its strengths as we have different gifts and backgrounds. Christine is well known in the parish, and in turn knows the history. Helen brings us youthful enthusiasm and energy. I provide some continuity with the day to day running of the parish. We won’t need holiday cover and can offer flexibility over dates of weddings, funerals and baptisms.
Jesus’ ministry began with his baptism. He went to the wilderness to pray, and then the first thing he did was to gather a team of followers around him. It was a shared ministry – he taught them and then he sent them out in pairs to preach and to heal. They were the preachers and the leaders in mission. But don’t forget the others. There were the women who provided the meals and often the accommodation, like Salome who looked after Jesus in Galilee and then followed him to Jerusalem, and Mary and Martha who opened their home to Jesus, giving him a place to stay just outside Jerusalem. There was Nicodemus who spoke up in the Sanhedrin, the gathering of the Jewish leaders, on Jesus’ behalf. If the twelve disciples were the beginnings of the ordained ministry, all the other people, named and unnamed who supported Jesus were what we think of now as lay people. Now, as in Jesus’ time, there is room for everyone to join in.
We are coming to a new chapter in the history of the parish. There will be new ideas, new ways to encourage people to come to church and new ways to serve the community. It will be a time of new energy and hope. Will you join in? We value every contribution – prayer, practical and the pastoral ministry so many do without even realising it – the care and acts of kindness within the church and to others too. And we value your ideas and opinions, too. Mission is for everyone.
I am very much looking forward to working with Steve in the months and years to come. The task is to discover what the Holy Spirit has in mind for Holyrood and Simister. Don’t you think that sounds exciting?
Rev Sue
St Margaret's Church Prestwich 