Rector's Letter and Sabbatical - April 2026

The Rector's Letter

A very happy Easter to you all! I hope that you will be able to share in our Easter celebrations at St Mary’s, St James’ and St John’s. We have journeyed together across Lent and into Holy Week. Maybe you have joined in with one of our Lent Groups or have followed your own pathway through this season. Maybe you don’t feel properly prepared for Easter (who ever does?). Either way, Easter is upon us, and all creation is invited to celebrate the eternal hope it brings.

Although Jesus signposted what returning to Jerusalem would mean for Him, His disciples were still confused and unprepared for what happened there. They still needed the rest of their lives to understand the significance of those few days for them and for their world. They did not complete that task in the remainder of their lives, and the Church they left behind has been working it out ever since. There is a sense in which we should never regard ourselves as being “prepared for Easter”, as this would suggest that our task was done and there was nothing left to understand, no mystery still to be solved. That is not the case. In parallel with whatever spiritual preparations we may be making for this season are the events in our news from around the world and within our own nation.

As I write, the USA and Israel are attacking Iran and Lebanon once again, and the dogs of war are straining at the leash. I have about as much understanding of where our world may be by Easter time as those first disciples did as they walked towards Jerusalem. Yet the important thing for me is that Jesus walks with us just as He did with those disciples. Whatever is happening, and might happen, in our world (both globally and personally), He walks with us. From that I take hope that God’s purposes surpass any present troubles, and that God’s Kingdom deserves my allegiance more than any temporal power.

On a different note: April also brings with it our annual meetings. The reports we receive represent a huge amount of work, love and service from volunteers, staff and clergy over the past year. My thanks to you all. When this is published there will still be time for you to offer your services on the PCC and in other roles for the year to come. Please do consider this. We all have gifts to share.

My thanks to you all

Jeremy

Jeremy's Sabbatical

At the end of the month, I will begin a sabbatical. My last day with you is Sunday 26th April and I return on Monday 27th July. I will not be able to respond to any phone calls or emails received between these dates and will use the quieter weeks of August to catch up with people and new developments, and to prepare for a busy and active Autumn. The Parish and Team will be under the good care of our Team clergy, our Churchwardens, Office Staff, and all those wonderful people who continue to keep things running so well.

A sabbatical is not time off, but a time set aside for ministry through study, reflection and rest, in a similar vein to those times Jesus took His disciples away from the crowds so that they might rest, learn from Him and reflect on their experiences. I will be focusing my learning on the theme of Pilgrimage – that conscious and reflective Journey with Jesus that takes us into a deeper understanding of what it is to be His companion. I will begin by undertaking a substantial part of the Way of St Francis in Italy, ending in Assisi, where I will spend time with the English Anglican Franciscan community there. This will be followed by walking several shorter pilgrimage routes in this country, including some devised by my previous Diocese, Exeter, an urban pilgrimage, a walk to Lindisfarne (if you haven’t been, do try to get there), and retracing a journey an ancestor of mine took as he walked with Jesus nearly three hundred years ago. I will reflect on this using a pile of books I have built up over recent years and also through the medium of photography and will be looking for ways to share what I learn in the Autumn and beyond. I intend to post regular updates online, for those who may be interested, and will advertise how you can follow this through the Grapevine nearer the time.

My thanks for all who have made this vital learning experience possible through taking up the reins during this time.

Yours Jeremy