The churchwardens write :-

We thought it appropriate to share with you an interim announcement that was made at our services on 8th and 11th August regarding progress with the appointment of a new vicar. It is expected that full details of the appointment will be announced in September and we are hopeful that the induction will take place before Christmas.

ANNOUNCEMENT, 8thAugust 2010

I have some good news and some sad news to share with you this morning.

First, the good news.

Last Wednesday Malcolm Brown and I shared in the interview process for a new Vicar to succeed Jeremy, and we are pleased to say that an appointment has been made.

Because of our financial situation, we are unable to cover the cost of a full time priest so the new vicar will be part-time and, as a community, we shall need to adjust our expectations.

We can’t tell you who it is yet, because there are still some   legal processes to complete, but I can tell you that it is a woman. Malcolm and I are confident that she will be a good person to lead us into the next chapter of our life as a parish.

Having a woman vicar will be a new departure for us at St Paul’s, but the possibility is something that our PCC has had to consider during each vacancy since the Church of England approved the ordination of women in the early 1990s.

Each time, the PCC has voted that it would accept a female incumbent should the occasion arise.

And this brings me to the sad news, which is that Fr John Roskilly has decided to withdraw from ministering here with effect from last Sunday. As many of you know, Fr John is against the ordination of women. This is a deeply-held view on his part and we understand entirely that he feels no alternative but to withdraw. Of course, we are greatly saddened by this: John and Liz have been wonderful friends and servants of St Paul’s over many years. We shall miss them. Please remember them in your prayers. John has told us that he does not wish to have his departure marked in any way.

We expect to be able to make a full announcement regarding the new vicar in early September. It is unlikely that she will be in post for a few months yet and, in the meantime, it would be sad if John’s decision were to overshadow our own joy at this appointment which is such good news. We thought it was best to set out clearly and fairly this morning how things stand.

Janet Burrow & Anne Furphy