Sunday 20th July: Trinity 5
- Timothy Astin
- Jul 18
- 4 min read
Bishop Christopher, the Bishop of Southwark, has accepted my resignation as Vicar of Tadworth with effect from the end of September. It has been agreed that my last full Sunday will be on 14th September which will be the day of our annual parish barbeque (see Calendar below). This means that the parish will be ‘in vacancy’ until a new Vicar is appointed. There are people in our church who have been through at least two such vacancies, and others for whom this will be their first time. Already much work is going on behind the scenes with discussion between our Churchwarden Callum and others and the Bishop of Croydon, Archdeacon and Acting Archdeacon, and Area Dean about arrangements for ministers to lead services and much else. In general a vacancy is an opportunity for a parish to take stock and prepare for a new minister to come and is a natural part of the long-term life of the church.
Following a PCC discussion last Tuesday (see report below), members of our Church Council will be pleased to talk about any questions or concerns people might have.
I am grateful for all those conversations with people asking about my coming move to Devon and about this period of transition following Moira starting her work as an assistant bishop.
May you know God with you this week,
Tim
Services for 20th July: Trinity 5
8am: Holy Communion
10am: Family Communion Service: A Prophesy of Amos
1.30pm Baptism: Maeve Elizabeth
Services & Events for Next Week
Wednesday 23rd July
10am: The mid-week Communion Service followed by coffee in the meeting room
Sunday 27th July: Trinity 6
8am: Holy Communion
10am: Parish Communion Service: Hosea, Prophet of Israel
With Church Explorers. Please gather in the Meeting Room before the service
Church Explorers
Next week is the last session of Church Explorers before the Summer break. It will resume on Sunday 14th September.
After last week’s notice, it is encouraging that we have had one new person offering to help with Church Explorers. We would still like to have additional adult helpers to help on occasion, both for our expanding Church Explorers group and to be able to start a follow-on teenager group in the Autumn. Do have a conversation with one of the leaders, Lis, Laura or Nicky or with Tim our Vicar.
PCC Report
Our Parochial Church Council (PCC) met last Thursday. Here is a summary of our discussions.
The PCC has made its formal reply to the Diocese of Southwark as part of the consultation on bringing together the parishes of Kingswood and Tadworth as one benefice. The next step is a meeting with the Archdeacon of Croydon, Ven. Greg Prior, at the next PCC meeting on September 9th to discuss the implications of the proposal with us.
Our Treasurer, Richard Gollop, presented the usual update on parish finances. These are in line with the budget (estimates of income and expenditure) made for this year. We have received information to help us decide on our Parish Support Fund contribution for the 2026 year and this will be shared with the whole church in the Autumn. (The Parish Support Fund is the money each parish contributes to our Diocese to pays for clergy stipends and housing, ministerial training and shared services provided by our Diocesan officers.)
The PCC discussed and confirmed that we will start two major building projects. Our church architect will help us with specifications for a) new lighting for the church which will improve the overall lighting and move us to low-energy fittings; b) replacement of the church hall flat rooves and related work. Both of these projects have been discussed over some years and it is good to have committed to progress them. The PCC have been able to commit to these projects through a combination of the generosity of various people who have underwritten these initial costs, and are willing to contribute to the overall cost of these projects. The development of specifications by our architect will open the way for grant applications which we think have a good chance of success.
We discussed a request from Sarah Phillips to provide a memorial bench in the churchyard, replacing the one facing the church hall which is now in serious disrepair. This offer was welcomed. It was noted that our MU branch has also started to discuss using a small legacy to enhance our churchyard. Suggestions for the refurbishment of a couple of the other, older benches in the churchyard were made.
The vacancy that arises at the end of September was briefly discussed and the support that will be given by the Diocese through the vacancy was outlined.
Reports were received on Safeguarding, from the Hall Committee, and on the recent Deanery Synod meeting which was enjoyed.
As for all our meetings, minutes will be available in the folder at the back of church in due course.
Parish Lunch for August
The next parish lunch is on Sunday 3rd August from 1pm. The list to sign up for this lunch is on the table at the back of church.
Calendar
Don't forget to check the Church Calendar for all our upcoming events!
