We didn't go in the end. The weather was so iffy & we're so tired, it didn't seem worth the effort of going round to the church to see if the garden party was held outside or not. We'll discover what happened later today.
Today we're off out to another church event - lunch at one of the Morecambe hotels. John, the vicar, is retiring. He's holding his last services today. To show our appreciation of John & his wife Janet's devoted service over 17 years, the parish is having a celebratory lunch, a chance to say thank you & give them our best wishes as they move away from this parish. They're not going far - just to Lancaster.
John will leave a big vacuum. Intellectually he's not the most stimulating preacher. However, when it comes to caring for his flock, he's second to none. Any problems & he'll be there. He regularly comes to check we're okay if I'm not at church for a while. Anyone in hospital is guaranteed a visit. He's not above scrambling up on the church roof to repair the building himself. A good man, with a good laugh, a devoted servant to God & to the parishioners in his care.
The parish itself is unsettled. It has still not been decided if we'll get another priest purely for this church or whether we won't end up combining with another local church, sharing the one priest. Everyone is very anxious over the coming interregnum & its uncertainties. We'll just have to see what happens.
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