In the Parish Communion Service this morning, Archdeacon Michael Harley thanked everyone in the Parish for the wonderful Valley welcome and hospitality given to the four candidates for Rector and for all the work behind the scenes that had been done by so many people, not only on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week but throughout the whole Vacancy.  He pointed out that the process was not one of passing an exam but rather discerning God’s will for the parish and for the individuals concerned.

He said that he was pleased to announce that a candidate had been selected!  However, as the appointment was under the auspices of the Crown, that no name could be given out at this stage.  The various CRB and other checks would need to be completed and once this had been done, it would be possible to announce a date for the licensing of the new rector.  He anticipated that this would be ‘around February’.  It is not clear when we will have details of the name of the successful candidate, but it is nonetheless very exciting news.

My thought is – we are so used to having information instantaneously that not knowing NOW is of course frustrating for all of us (especially for me….).  However, patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and thus, if we do find it difficult to wait, perhaps we should concentrate on asking the Holy Spirit into our lives….!

Revd Alex Pease