Benefice Letter
Dear friends,
Those of you who know me well
are aware that I am rarely lost for words, but the emotions and kindness
expressed at my final Sunday service in the Benefice on Easter Day left me quite
speechless.
My Raydon churchwarden Geoff said,
‘count on 40’, I printed 60 service sheets, but on the day the congregation
exceeded double that! Nearly 130 of us celebrated the joy of Easter and marked my
nearly 5 ½ years of ministry in our parishes. Members of the churches from around
our benefice, teenagers I have prepared for confirmation, Baptism families,
wedding couples, and friends from further afield gathered for what was a
celebratory and immensely joyful service. But there were also emotional moments,
and there were some tears among the congregation, too.
I am deeply grateful, and I
was touched by the many tokens of appreciation, flowers, kind words, very
generous gifts, a delicious fruit cake to take home; and at the end we all
enjoyed an amazing buffet with coffee and even a glass of sherry.
Zarina painted a beautiful
painting of Stratford Church as a gift from the benefice which will find a
special place in my new home
I also want to mention the
original music team, Martin, Trudi and Ali as well as the singers who sang my
favourite hymns, and we heard several pieces for Cello with piano accompaniment. It was a service I will
never forget. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!
So it is with mixed feelings
that I leave friends, the lovely villages and churches in the benefice, but as
I won’t be far away, I know I can come back. Do stay in touch, I have a couple
of dates for a chat over coffee in the diary with some of you and I am hoping
to come to the occasional event and certainly to one of Raydon’s famous
afternoon teas.
I am also grateful to Bishop
Joanne that she has given me permission to officiate at three weddings this
summer for couples I have got to know well. But apart from those, I will now
have the customary six months to reflect and refocus and see where God leads me
next. I am enjoying tackling my overdue garden maintenance, weeding and
planting and watching things grow. The horses are enjoying the sunshine, and I
now have time to take the dogs on long excursions in the woodland, too. I have
started writing again and I am enjoying having time for all these things.
Happy memories go with me, and
I will be praying for you all. I hope that the vacancy won’t be as long as the
last one, and I know that the ministry team is working very hard and trying to
ensure that everything will continue to run smoothly.
I hope you have a wonderful
summer and I look forward to catching up with some of you soon.
With every blessing,
Manette
- The Churchwardens, St Mary's Benefice
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