We are coming to the end of the academic year. It’s an exciting time. It’s a time for school trips, end of year productions and sports days. Some of our young people are moving on to new schools or leaving school to begin employment or go to university. Others are moving into a new class. And some are unsure, at the moment, of what they will be doing.
In this Parish, there will be leavers’ services for all the Year 6 children, when they will be presented with Bibles and prayed for as they move on. These services are always a special time for reflection, celebration and thanksgiving.
As many of you are already aware, Phil and I will be moving on to Norwich in Norfolk, probably sometime in early September, as I take up the post of Vicar of St Mary and St Paul’s Churches in Hellesdon.
The decision to move on hasn’t been an east one to make, and it has been done with much prayer. As a family, we’ve really valued our time here where we’ve been loved and made welcome, and so it will be very hard to move away from a community and a church family that we, in turn, have come to love.
Times of transition, as well as being exciting, can also sometimes be a bit scary, can’t they? Both for the people that are moving and for those who are left behind or at home. But they also offer opportunities for new doors to open. And it’s important, during these times, to remember that God is there for us, to hold us, to help us and sustain us.
The prophet Jeremiah, in Chapter 29 and verse 11, when he was speaking to the Israelites in exile in Babylon, reassured them by saying,
‘For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.’
When we are unsure of the next steps, we can trust God. That applies to those moving schools, moving jobs, moving house or whatever.
Before children move on, they usually have the opportunity to adjust by visiting their new school, new class, place of employment or university and teachers assist in the process by sending records of each child’s skills and needs. Please do pray for all our young people who are entering a new stage of life, and for their parents and carers as they adjust.
Before Phil and I move on, I will be meeting with the Archdeacon and Area Dean so that they are fully aware of the needs of this Parish and all the good things that people are doing. Please do pray for the right appointments to be made, in due course, and for those who will be holding positions of responsibility in the Parish, as they prepare for a new phase. They all do a great job, often unnoticed.
In the meantime, I am here to serve you until early September.
Take care and God bless,
Sue