Dear Friends... 

... and never has that opening to my letter borne more meaning than it does this month., for this will be the last missive to you as your Vicar and Rector.  As the end of August looms more quickly than I ever could have imagined, and I have to say goodbye and thank you to you, who it has not only been my privilege to serve, but for both me and my family, have become "dear-friends".

It had always been Alison and my dream that, once we were married, we could settle down in a place and establish firm roots and become part of a community.  Little did we know that this beautiful part of Somerset would give us not one community but three communities, of which to be part - and for fourteen and a half years.  And so this has not only been our place of work but also our home and the home to our three children, for whom life in the benefice has formed the majority of their childhood.

Now we, and they and indeed, all of us, are being called to "move on".  For Alison, Matthew and I, the physical move will not be so great, as we shall only be relocating as far as Cotford St. Luke, where the diocese has recently bought a house for Alison's (Deane Vale) benefice, from which she will continue to serve her parishes.  The house will also act as an "office-base" for me as my work will cover the western and south parts of the country in my new job as Chaplain's Advisor for the Methodist Care Group.  As you know, and/or can read elsewhere in this magazine.  Emma is returning to Uganda for two years to work as a nursery teacher and continue her outreach and mission work, and, after a six week work placement in Tanzania, Lucy goes back to complete her third and final year at Bradford University.  I know how they will both miss their home and all of the support you have generously given them, sometimes through quite difficult times, over their time here.
People have said to me, that as I won't be so very far away, perhaps I could come back to do services or even run a disco from time to time! But as tempting as that might be, that would neither be right for the parishes, my successor or me.  The reason is that we do all have to move on because only then do we open ourselves up to the new opportunities God has in store for us. That is not to take away from anything that has gone before and all the many things that it has been my privilege to be part of over the past fourteen years, but, after all, would any of us have expected things to be as they are now, fifteen years ago?

I know I will take just so much away with me and into my new job which I really do believe has been God-given. Thank you for all of that "dear-friends" and please come and celebrate all that we have shared together over the weekend of 23rd /24th August. Details of which you'll find below.
May God continue to bless you as I believe He has all over these past fifteen years together, and thank you.

Andrew