As we enter our interregnum, the "From the Vicar" section will become the "From the Clergy" where one member of the clergy team will write something for each issue until we find our new Vicar!
It was with sadness and celebration that we said goodbye to Averyl, Sandy and Peter on the 14th August. We will obviously miss them but we give thanks for three fruitful and rewarding years, in which their ministry among us inspired and encouraged us as a community of faith.
We now look to the future with excitement and expectation. There will be many challenges ahead, most notably the forming of the Uqited Benefice, the re-ordering of St. Mary's, establishing new links with the local community, and developing further our work with children and young people. These are highlighted in our parish statement, which, thanks to the hard work of both teams is coming along very well. We look forward to the appointment of a new Priest-in-Charge for both the parishes of St. Mary and St. Anne, and we move into this time of interregnum with both anxiety and optimism. It is inevitable that some people will feel uncertain as to the way forward but I am also aware that many interregnums have led to growth and the strengthening of a sense of community, which I hope will happen here.
The formal responsibility for the two parishes lies with the Churchwardens and Area Dean but we are very fortunate in having a strong Ministry Team across both parishes. In July we welcomed Dr. Peter Hansell as our new Curate and at his welcome evensong, as I looked around the Ministry Team I had a strong sense that everything was going to be all right.
Each member of the Ministry Team has their own particular skills and gifts as do we all, which was emphasised at the family service in September when we launched our skills audit.
Each member of the Ministry Team also has particular areas of responsibility and many people have wanted to know who is in charge or who the best person to communicate with is. It is therefore fair to say that there does need to be good communication at all times but especially now and that the proper channel of 'line management' so to speak should go via the monthly Joint Wardens Meeting, chaired by myself and attended by Liz Blakey, Ann Cockel, John Dowell and Graham Hindley; to Standing Committee and then to PCC chaired by Mike Stocks.
It may be helpful for people to have a fuller picture of the particular responsibilities of each member of the Ministry Team as detailed below although I fear that many things will be missed out and that many things go ‘unsung’. However it is our sincere wish that we are viewed as a team and therefore if particular issues are raised with one individual they will be discussed as a team at our weekly staff meeting held on Wednesday afternoons.
I believe that if we all work together as a team and continue to build up a sense of community across our two parishes, we will see growth and development during this time. Moseley is a great place in which to live and work and I am finding it both challenging and rewarding. I hope and pray that a new Priest-in-charge will do so too.