Minister's Letter |
Hello everyone,
As I write my first letter for the church magazine, Fred and I are surrounded by packing boxes and the kind of organised chaos that comes with any house move. However, this is like no other move we have done as Fred has been “shielding” since March and we have been very anxious about how to move to Leicester safely in August. We are tremendously grateful to Novette and the Circuit leadership team and to Dave Almey and his volunteers for all their help and support in preparing the manse for our arrival, and indeed to Steve and Sue Clark for their generosity of spirit and Steve’s willingness to re-measure windows and patio doors!! During all of this time we have been praying for you especially during your second wave of lockdown and feel sure that many of you are remembering us in your prayers too.
Let me tell you a little about myself as I begin my ministry amongst you.
This is my fourth appointment having served in the Ashton-under-Lyne; Stratford and Evesham and Ripon and Lower Dales Circuits. Prior to being in ministry I worked in the world of Opera as a Stage- Manager, at Marks and Spencer whilst my children were young and felt God’s call to ministry in 1996, serving first as a Lay Worker with families and then as a Local Preacher. I trained at Hartley Victoria College in Manchester and first went into Circuit in 2003. I have two sons and Fred a son who lives in Plymouth and between us four grandchildren and a great granddaughter. Fred and I have been married for 13 years and we really believe that God drew us together in ministry.
We are looking forward to our new adventure in God’s guiding in Leicester West and to getting to know you all. During my time at Stratford I was involved with their one million plus redevelopment of the site which has won many awards as one of the “greenest” in the Connexion and somewhere I have a photograph of me looking very fetching in a hard hat, so the completion of the 20-20 project is exciting too. I would say my passion in ministry is in pastoral care, leading worship and small group work. So, like everyone else I have really had to adapt the way I carry out my ministry in recent times but continue to strive to ensure that people feel remembered, valued and held in prayer.
The pandemic has brought so many issues to our minds and hearts and I think we have all re-evaluated what are the really important things in our lives and in the life of the church. As we begin to emerge from lockdown we have to remember what we have learnt and what God is saying to us during this time. In all this we know that God is with us and in Jesus our Saviour there is always love, hope and new beginnings. I look forward to discovering what God has in store for us all at Glenfield and across the Circuit churches as we work together in God’s service.
God bless you all, see you soon I hope,
Helen
As I write my first letter for the church magazine, Fred and I are surrounded by packing boxes and the kind of organised chaos that comes with any house move. However, this is like no other move we have done as Fred has been “shielding” since March and we have been very anxious about how to move to Leicester safely in August. We are tremendously grateful to Novette and the Circuit leadership team and to Dave Almey and his volunteers for all their help and support in preparing the manse for our arrival, and indeed to Steve and Sue Clark for their generosity of spirit and Steve’s willingness to re-measure windows and patio doors!! During all of this time we have been praying for you especially during your second wave of lockdown and feel sure that many of you are remembering us in your prayers too.
Let me tell you a little about myself as I begin my ministry amongst you.
This is my fourth appointment having served in the Ashton-under-Lyne; Stratford and Evesham and Ripon and Lower Dales Circuits. Prior to being in ministry I worked in the world of Opera as a Stage- Manager, at Marks and Spencer whilst my children were young and felt God’s call to ministry in 1996, serving first as a Lay Worker with families and then as a Local Preacher. I trained at Hartley Victoria College in Manchester and first went into Circuit in 2003. I have two sons and Fred a son who lives in Plymouth and between us four grandchildren and a great granddaughter. Fred and I have been married for 13 years and we really believe that God drew us together in ministry.
We are looking forward to our new adventure in God’s guiding in Leicester West and to getting to know you all. During my time at Stratford I was involved with their one million plus redevelopment of the site which has won many awards as one of the “greenest” in the Connexion and somewhere I have a photograph of me looking very fetching in a hard hat, so the completion of the 20-20 project is exciting too. I would say my passion in ministry is in pastoral care, leading worship and small group work. So, like everyone else I have really had to adapt the way I carry out my ministry in recent times but continue to strive to ensure that people feel remembered, valued and held in prayer.
The pandemic has brought so many issues to our minds and hearts and I think we have all re-evaluated what are the really important things in our lives and in the life of the church. As we begin to emerge from lockdown we have to remember what we have learnt and what God is saying to us during this time. In all this we know that God is with us and in Jesus our Saviour there is always love, hope and new beginnings. I look forward to discovering what God has in store for us all at Glenfield and across the Circuit churches as we work together in God’s service.
God bless you all, see you soon I hope,
Helen
