St Stephen's was as full as is allowed by social distancing for Katy's first service as 'priest' - celebrating the Eucharist for the first time. We were happy to welcome people from all the villages in the Joint Benefice to this special service.

Her supervisor Revd Derek Spears was there to contribute and advise. Derek spoke about the significance of Holy Communion, how Jesus instituted it with symbols of love and openness and that it reminds us Jesus is with us today. He taught us that the Latin for priests in Ancient Rome was 'pontifex' which is literally 'bridge-maker'. Using as his text "you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood"(1 Peter 2:9), he reminded us in his sermon that we are all priests together with Katy.  We are all called to be bridge makers and connect people with God. As Jesus our great high priest connects us with God, he is the great bridge builder and we share in that ministry.

You can watch the service on our YouTube channel, here: https://youtu.be/dEkGMWBkZns