Good evening friends,

We got back from sunny Staffordshire late this afternoon, so I’m very pleased to sit down with a cuppa and tell you about the conference and catch up a little bit. I hope your week has gone well?

The conference was for all the clergy in the diocese – the first full gathering since 2016. We had various lectures, talks, and workshops about how to flourish in ministry, about finding hope amongst the stuff of life, and about the value of humour and its importance for wellbeing. It was an excellent few days, busy and not really restful, but a great opportunity to learn alongside colleagues, as well as enjoying quizzes, stand up comedy, and Karaoke in the evenings!

That word flourishing resonates very loud and with great frequency for me. Flourishing is what God wants for us, and it is when we do so that we become the person he calls us to be. To flourish means to grow and develop in an abundant way, as a result of being in the place we are meant to be, surrounded by those we are meant to be with. How does that settle for you, in terms of whether you are flourishing? or not? I’m really keen that we all flourish and that we encourage each other to be our very best version, which isn’t all about doing, but also about enjoying, celebrating, and being where we find ourselves to be happy, challenged, and excited by life. Quite a tough call really, but something that can only be good to aspire to. What do you think?

I think I”m going to leave it there for now, but ask that you pray with me over the coming weeks. As we prepare for Kevin to leave and we cope with the vacancy, we mustn’t lose sight of God’s desire for the best for us, so please use the words below, or your own. Thank you.

With love,

Sally xxxx

Father God, 

Thank you for bringing us to this place. 

May we flourish in your care, 

open to your plan for us.

Help us to rest in you, work with you, 

and celebrate you in all that we do.

May we discern your desires for us,

and may we love others as you love us.

In the name of your Son Jesus, 

and trusting in the Holy Spirit,

Amen.