In his various letters to churches, St Paul gave many instructions for the way in which the life and worship of a church should be conducted, but in almost all that advice, he was speaking not just to the leaders!! Responsibility for church life, witness and growth lies with all of us in His church family at Ashburnham Church as we move into the interregnum, and this is wonderfully illustrated in the Bible reading below. We really do understand that it is only by all of us working together as a church family, sharing the various responsibilities, helping with Sunday rota duties and continuing to love, care and forgive one another through our Heavenly Father that we will continue to grow and indeed flourish during this time without a vicar.

So please do your very best to join us on the coming Sundays at Ashburnham Church so we can worship, pray and support each other in love as one Church Family. In the coming weeks we are also so pleased that such familiar friends as Renee Durndell, Andy Proudfoot, Paul Wenham, Angela Cooke, Richard Steven, Janet Jennings, Charles Earwicker, Archdeacon Edward and Bishop Richard will also be sharing their and His message with us. Please do come along to St Peters with new and long-term friends who are always welcome !!

Please also be reassured that when a parish priest moves on, the rest of the life of the church does not stop!!  What happens is that much of the legal responsibility now rests jointly upon the Churchwardens and the Rural Dean, with support from our Archdeacon and Bishop Richard too.  We will be in regular communication with one another, and will be responsible for the parish during the vacancy. All enquiries regarding weddings, christenings and funerals should therefore be made to the Churchwardens in the first instance, and we will invite a Vicar known to us to perform these services. We will ensure that church services continue smoothly, seeking to sustain parish life and pastoral care with the help of the prayers of you all,  and visits of the Pastoral Care Team. Our aim is to share leadership and work together as one united team with the Ashburnham PCC and you all, His wonderful church family.

Finally, the PCC as a team are fully committed to sharing many of the church duties between themselves and church members during the vacancy. Please as a church family support and come alongside them whenever you can to all share the work together. We will do our best to communicate with you regularly to keep you in the loop.

With Our Love and Every Blessing to Everyone,

Catherine Duggleby and John Cormode, Churchwardens of Ashburnham Church, John French, Deputy Warden and Richard Hann, Acting Chair of PCC