Church news Dear Friends I am sure that many of you will have heard that, after eighteen years in Melbourn and Meldreth, I will be leaving to take up the post of Vicar of Canford Cliffs and Sandbanks in the Diocese of Salisbury. It has not been an easy decision as we, as a family, have very much enjoyed living and working with you all in Melbourn and Meldreth. We have made lots of friends here and I am sure our children will always see it as home. We have thought long and hard about this decision, but gone are the days when vicars stayed in their parishes for thirty plus years and by the time I retire, if I stayed here, I would have been with you for thirty-three years! I do wonder what my Easter and Christmas sermons would be like after that length of time. This way, I can at least recycle some! I do believe that it is healthy for parishes to have a different perspective and a new vicar brings different gifts and abilities. The process for appointing a new vicar is likely to take some time, as the Diocese does not rush these things! It could be a year or so before someone is appointed, but I know you will support Mary, our Associate Priest, and the Ministry Team who will shoulder the responsibility of covering the various aspects of pastoral care during the interregnum. When we began searching for a new job I hadn’t realised just how difficult and different the whole process had become. These days you don’t just get asked to look at a new parish, you have to apply, have several interviews, preach sermons and do presentations, so I feel very lucky to have got through this process in one piece, We didn’t set out with any geographical area in mind and certainly had no idea
what Canford Cliffs was like! In fact, at interview, I called it Canford Hills and had to be reminded by the Churchwarden that it was actually Canford Cliffs! The parish consists of one church and a chapel on Sandbanks which has a midweek service. The building dates from the 1960’s and it will be the first time, in twenty-five years that I don’t have a medieval building to look after. The Vicarage is a ten-minute walk to the beach and I hope that many of you will look us up if you are planning a trip to Dorset. The main attraction of the parish was not the beach, as you might think, but that we found the people warm and welcoming and very similar to our friends here. Our last Sunday in Melbourn and Meldreth will be the 28th June at All Saints’ Church, Melbourn at 9.45 a.m. We will be moving shortly afterwards and my licensing as Vicar of Canford Cliffs and Sandbanks will be on Tuesday 21st July at 7.00 p.m. at the Church of the Transfiguration, Canford Cliffs, with the Bishop of Salisbury. It would be lovely to see you there if you are able to come. I just wanted to say, once again, how happy we have all been here in Melbourn and Meldreth and how much that is due to all of you. We couldn’t have wished for a more lovely and welcoming place to bring up our children and you will always be very much in our hearts and prayers over the years to come. We shall expect to see you in Dorset for your holidays! Andrew, Joanne, Tom, Rebecca and Tilly (the Dachshound!). melbournmagazine
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