Rector’s Weekly Update

The Beaminster Area Team
From the Hub update Friday 29th April 2022

Just before Holy Week I was approached by Bishop Karen with a request that I allow Jo to be seconded to Sarum College until the end of the year. This has now been extended to February next year without further consultation. This will provide cover to the college for the remainder of the Rural Hope Project following the departure of Dr Gill Hopkinson.

The project is managed by our own Sarah Keen and I have been a member of the project board throughout its lifetime and our team has played a significant role in the project including placement for students, co-leading the Curates Rural Day, Jo and myself making presentations at Sarum College, and the presentation I made to the national Church at Lambeth Palace about our Team.

I feel that this will be a great opportunity for Jo to explore new avenues in her ministry and to bring back new ideas and insights on how we can further develop our ministry in the team. There will be no direct replacement for Jo so Fiona and I will be expected to absorb the additional work during her absence.

I asked Bishop Karen to write describing how this came about and you can read this below.

‘The Diocesan Rural Hope project, funded by the Church Commissioners, has significantly encouraged the life of the rural church across the diocese through placement opportunities for those in training, through a rural ministry training pathway offered at Sarum College in Salisbury for those training for ordained and lay ministry, through a variety of event and the deployment of archdeaconry rural field officers. The money comes to an end this year and therefore it is important for the diocese to see how the best of Rural Hope can be integrated into the life of the diocese, bringing together academic learning with practical rural experience. I am therefore grateful to Rev Canon David Baldwin for agreeing to second Rev Jo Neary for two days a week until February 2023 to assist with this task. Jo will take on the role of Rural Tutor at Sarum College, helping with the delivery of the rural pathway and helping to imbed it further into the realities of rural ministry. Jo’s secondment will be the equivalent of two days a week, for which the benefice will receive funding to help its own mission and ministry.’ +Karen

Online Worship at Home video services continue even though churches are open. The online community continues to be an important part of our church – such as Thursday Evening Prayers and our increasingly popular Gin Church. As usual each Sunday’s video service will be available on the day before. We hope you continue to enjoy our weekly Rev Chat video. And in person in Beaminster you can join us for Baby & Toddler Group on Monday mornings and our Walk In Wednesday social gathering on Wednesday mornings.

David

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