Dear friends,
My year at St. John’s, serving as your Pastoral Assistant, comes to an end on the 14th August. I feel that I have gained a lot working alongside you, seeing what day-to-day life in a parish is like. My sense of vocation has been confirmed and deepened by my presence here, and many of the experiences I spoke about at my Ministry Selection Conference drew upon the life of Hampstead Parish Church. Thank you all for the support and kindness you have shown me.
In September I take up a place at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, West Yorkshire where I will train for three years for the ordained ministry. The College was established in 1902 by the Community of the Resurrection, an Anglican religious community founded by Charles Gore in 1892. The life of the college is still bound up with the community and a number of the Fathers teach the ordinands. Part of my training will include studying for a BA in Theology and Pastoral Studies through the University of Leeds. I look forward to my time at Mirfield knowing that I will be able to relate what I am learning to the experience of parish life that I have gained here with you in Hampstead.
Please keep me in your prayers this summer as I prepare to enter the college.
With the assurance of my prayers and all best wishes,