A MESSAGE FROM Fr KEVIN

July: what a busy month!

Celebration, Farewell, Welcome...

On Sunday 25 July we said farewell and thank you to the Revd Kath Cockburn. Kath was with us in Walker for the last three years, and came to know us well – and we her! She brought with her many gifts: her humour, her gentle but firm care, her humility and her insight from her world of work. It was a joy to see her ministry flourish and blossom. We wish her well in her new role in the Team Parish of Christ Church & S Augustine's, North Shields.

On Sunday 4 July we were in the Cathedral, where Bishop Martin ordained 9 new deacons for the diocese, and 1 priest. It was uplifting to see the Cathedral full as the Church obeyed the call of Jesus to send out disciples to proclaim the good news of the Gospel and to administer the sacraments. Among the deacons was Phil Medley, ordained to serve in our parish here in Walker. Fr Phil is settling in well and beginning to get to know his way around – and to put the right name to the right face! We look forward to his ministry amongst us.

On Saturday 4 July there was a Celebration of Ministry in Christ Church, to give thanks to God for my 25 years' ministry as a priest, and to welcome formally Fr Phil to his ministry here. Canon Audrey Elkington preached a challenging sermon, reminding us of God's aweinspiring call to us all to be eucharistic people: like Jesus, like the bread in the eucharist, ready to be taken, blessed, broken and shared out by God, in order to bring his life and his love into the world today. Each parish where I have served was represented. The church looked beautiful, and it was lovely to see it so full. The service was followed by a splendid lunch. I am deeply grateful to all those many people involved in making the day go so well, in church and afterwards, to the congregation for their generous gift, and to all who sent cards and good wishes. But above all, thanks be to God for his love, for the love of his people, and for his call to all of us to love and serve him.

Each of these occasions show us that the Church here in Walker is alive and well, and getting on with what it is meant to be doing: being the people of God, a sign of God's presence here in our midst, celebrating and proclaiming the good news. But this does not mean that we can rest on our laurels: September is upon us and the new term, the next stage, begins. The PCC and the Local Ministry Group will be reviewing our Mission Action Plan, exploring again how we may more effectively live out the Gospel, and let others know more of the good news of God's love.

Back to Church Sunday – 26 September – will be our next 'big do'. Members of the congregation are encouraged to invite a friend, who may or may not have had church connections in the past, to join us for the 10.00 am Parish Eucharist. Magazine readers who don't always get to church – please take this as your invitation too! This year we shall keep our Harvest Thanksgiving, so there will be familiar harvest hymns. After the service there will be Coffee, Tombola, and the Grand Summer Draw. Then at 12.15 pm, there will be Sunday Lunch. Members of the congregation are asked to contribute £ 6 each, but guests come free (a variant on Buy One, Get One Free...! ). Tickets will shortly be available, and a list for guest numbers at the back of church. Please give this all your support – by
coming along with a friend to church, joining in the coffee, etc, and then enjoying a Sunday Lunch together! Don't forget too to sell – and buy! - your Summer Draw Tickets! It promises to be a good day – phone a friend now, and get the date in your diary, and theirs!

With my love, thanks, and prayers,
Fr Kevin