I have been Vicar of St Mary’s for one year. In many ways it is such a short period of time and yet at the same time it seems like I have been here forever. We celebrated (or commiserated) in the Church Hall with a 3 course meal kindly cooked by Chef Tom Reid and his able Sous Chef, Lizzy Wilkinson.

It was an evening of fellowship and grateful thanks to God for all the blessings that have poured down upon this Church and Community within the past year.

The really important messages I wanted to leave people with are as follows:

a) Hospitality and fellowship are really important in the fostering and building up of good relationships. It was often the way Jesus taught and challenged the societal norms of His time. There is no doubt I have been blessed with good support and friendships that have been nurtured and that have grown during this year.

b) That nothing comes for free except for God’s unconditional love(which we all need). Yes we had a great time, yes we had a free meal – but in that moment how could we show our love for others, for those who do not have what we have. How will people know we are Christians unless we show love to our brothers and sisters who are less fortunate than ourselves? And so we paused to give thanks for what we shared whilst at the same time remembering those less fortunate than ourselves and so we raised £112.27 for the local food bank.

c) That we can do nothing on our own and in our own strength. We are dependent on God’s grace and His providence in all that we do and give thanks for it.

This celebratory night was so much more than just giving thanks for anew vicar (hopefully now just vicar). It was much more about how great and awesome our God is. We rightly gave all the glory and the thanks to Him.

Revd. Sharon