Latest Vicar's Letter

Dear Friends,

As we say goodbye to Joy and Dave and wish them well in their retirement, giving thanks to God for all that they have offered to our parish over the last nine years, I should briefly introduce myself. I am The Revd. John Russell and until June last year I was Team Rector of the Berkhamsted Team Ministry with responsibility for the parishes of Great Gaddesden, Little Gaddesden and Nettleden, and Chaplain of Ashridge House. (I continue to be Chaplain at Ashridge).

After about a month of living in Edlesborough (which Karen, my wife and I love), I thought I should introduce myself to the local Vicar as we started to attend St Mary's. It was then that I realised that God has a sense of humour, when Joy warned me confidentially, that she was to retire next year. Clergy apparently never retire, those who have been in full time ministry, merely stop being paid!

I have been married to Karen for almost 48 years, (poor girl!), we have three married children and seven grandchildren of varying ages from a few weeks to age twelve. Before I entered ministry, I was a luthier.

In these early stages of Interregnum, or in current parlance, 'Vacancy', we might take reassurance from those words of Jesus to his disciples, during The Last Supper, I will not leave you orphaned. (John 14: 18),

I decided to look up 'Orphaned' using AI, just for fun! It describes the orphaned as those deprived of parents, guardians, or support, often due to death or abandonment. Any of us deprived of a loved one for whatever reason will recognise that feeling. We have, as a parish in a sense, been orphaned, our situation is not uncommon, and we could be in for some months without a Vicar; my previous parishes have yet to appoint a new incumbent and they've been nearly 12 months in interregnum.

By the time you read this, we shall have had our Annual Parochial church meetings and may know a little more of the plans ahead and the processes we will have to go through in the months ahead, but be assured Jesus says to us I will not leave you orphaned. God is to be trusted, and in the word of Julian of Norwich, 'All will be well'.

As the season of Easter in the church draws to a close and we look towards Jesus' Ascension into heaven and the coming of Holy Spirit at Pentecost, it is easy to forget that in those early hours after Jesus had been crucified, that promise he made to the disciples must have seemed hollow, as they hid themselves away, fearful of further arrests and reprisals from the religious authorities and the Roman Government.

On that fateful night of the Last Supper, when Judas, is going to betray him, when Peter his closest ally is going to deny him, when he knows the others will run and hide, in fear, Jesus tries to reassure the disciples that even when they have no idea what is happening, what's coming next, God can be trusted. In the fragile world in which we find ourselves, 'I will not leave you orphaned, gives us a wonderful sense of hope, through the Holy Spirit.

That same Holy Spirit, sometimes called the Advocate, gives us confidence and courage; it gives us wisdom and understanding to continue the work of spreading the Good News in our parish and beyond, because our work does not stop, because we have no Vicar for the moment.

We know in our own lives, the best supporters, the best advocates are those who stand by us and respect us, value us and love us; these coming weeks and months can be an adventure, we need not be inert, in our waiting, we can continue with all that Joy has achieved and have our parishes fit and healthy for the next incumbent to lead us forward.

We pray for Catherine and members of the PCC as we embark on this adventure, this journey, we all have a part to play in turning an unknown God, into the reality of Jesus Christ.

None of us is orphaned, because we are one in Christ.

John.