Jeremy’s JottingsThe summer has finally arrived and we have been sweltering in the sun. The schools will soon be breaking up and our thoughts naturally turn towards the holiday season. Some of us will of course have already been on holiday whilst others will be about to go away, whilst others will be staying at home. Whatever we might be doing at this time of year, may I encourage us all to think again about the principle of holidays, opportunities to live life at a slightly different pace.For the word ‘holiday’ comes from ‘holy day’ and holy... Read more...
Finding a New RectorThe Recruitment Process - Progress
You will know by now that our first attempt to find a new Rector did not go as we had hoped. We received nine applications, and, although applicants were generally of a good standard, the shortlisting team (consisting of Bishop Andrew, the Area Dean, the Patrons and the three Parish Representatives) agreed that none provided the right fit for the role. The Parish is a large and complex one and it was felt that many of the applicants did not have sufficient depth of experience for such a role. All applicants have... Read more...
Jeremy’s Jottings
St. George’s Day falls on 23 April and so I want to share some thoughts with you about our patron saint this month. There are many myths about his life but what we do know is that he was probably a soldier living in Palestine at the beginning of the fourth century, martyred at a place called Lydda, now known as Lod near modern day Tel Aviv. He is known in the Eastern Church as the Great Martyr, and is also the patron saint of Christians in Syria, India and elsewhere. Garth Hewitt, Director of the... Read more...
Finding a New Rector
The Parish Profile and Person Specification
We are currently nearing completion of the Parish Profile. This is a document designed to ‘sell’ the Parish to prospective incumbents, so it celebrates all the good things we have been doing; it contains is a lot of information about new initiatives (Fresh Expressions, the new small house groups, the Olive Branch, etc), about our new governance structure, and about special events we have organised.But the Profile must give as true an account as possible of how we as a Parish are performing. A prospective incumbent does not want... Read more...
Vacancy Process
With Dan announcing his move at Easter the process to find a new Rector is underway.What has happened so far
The Bishop met with the Parish wardens in December 2012. The Bishop outlined the process of seeking to fill the vacancy. He confirmed that the post of Rector would not be suspended as had happened before when we were also looking at combining our three churches into one parish. Therefore the vacancy period should not be as long as last time.The PCC have met on 10th January and were addressed by Rev Catharine Morris (Parish Development... Read more...
Jeremy’s Jottings
‘I hate Christmas!’ said the person I was sitting next to in Caversham recently. They knew I was a priest and admitted they felt slightly guilty for saying this, but nevertheless I encouraged them to say more. ‘Why’s that then?’ I asked? ‘It’s because of the commercialisation of it all’ they replied. And so began a fascinating conversation for the next fifteen minutes or so.How do you view Christmas, the celebration of Christ’s birth? Do you love it or loathe it? That may seem like a strange question to ask readers of this... Read more...
Moving to Bristol
I would imagine that you will have heard by now that I have been appointed as Vicar of St Mary Redcliffe in the Diocese of Bristol. My final Sunday in this parish will be Easter Day, 31 March 2013 and my induction is at 4.30pm on Saturday 20 April.It was very hard weighing up whether or not to apply for the post. I was asked to think about making an application in the summer and I took wise counsel from four different people across the Church of England. Each of those conversations led me on... Read more...
This month’s Main Article is about the development of Small Groups (House Groups) across the parish. In it, Graeme explains why we are developing these groups at this point and what they will look like and feel like for those who chose to join them.
I would encourage you to think seriously about finding out more about these new small groups. There are all sorts of benefits to being part of a group that meets regularly to eat and drink, to talk and think, to pray and work out what it means to be a follower of Christ in... Read more...
To all the Saints in Caversham and Mapledurham who are faithful in Christ Jesus: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thus the apostle Paul may have started a letter to us in the first century ... almost. Actually he would have started it with “From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, to all the Saints …”. But you get my drift.If we’re not careful we forget to remember just who the saints of our faith are. We look up into the stained glass windows of our churches... Read more...
Welcome to this edition of our parish newsletter. I hope you have had a good summer and have had the opportunity to marvel at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The weather may not have been up to much, but the sport, alongside the celebrations of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, have made it a summer to remember!Back in June, the Church Council adopted a Mission Action Plan which seeks to frame developments across the parish over the next few years. We are going to be working on such things as small groups, encouraging participation, enabling people to consider their... Read more...
