Alongside the rest of the country we were saddened at the death of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.<br><br>On the eve of his funeral in Windsor, in Guildford Cathedral we will hold a Vigil in Commemoration of His Royal Highness.<br> <br>Join the Dean and other Cathedral Clergy, with music from the Cathedral Choir, prayers and readings from the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey and the High Sheriff of Surrey, and a homily by The Right Reverend Jo Wells, Bishop of Dorking.<br> <br>The service will be live streamed and all are invited to join us online in real time via <a href="https://url6.mailanyone.net/v1/?m=1lWGsM-0001b6-3E&i=57e1b682&c=yqU0BGriIGk10vv7l5Z1sKKD-X3qFwS8vr1EQYd98pN_zNRSXEK4Nu3j77OKsWZQ3N6sE2Hja-TrFhmxCLY7X-VbONZ0LYHWfZ1U2ykKkkv9J7Oz0y-gzsZ-_yQswK57wscF6YkolXQEuUy7lPZ4mzvgMe10odqwmURjsyuG-gBF4CEexg3Z87YExG3qJEEn8aFDz6hUtrJRhSSo9pM1O33_C_fexyBMAqoXfHczxyU">https://youtu.be/Nv-KDHYz-7Q</a><br>
At the time of writing, a sense of yet more adjustment pervades me, deciding what to keep of the old and take to the new. Not for the first time this year, I find myself reflecting on 2 Corinthians, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" However, perhaps refreshingly, this impending new normal is not Covid related. I am writing this as preparations are made for a new-look Admin Team at Church House, replacing the dedicated, but administratively isolated, functions previously in place, to better support the work we do in our parishes and schools, and all they do in support of <em>Transforming Church Transforming Lives.</em> We seek for the new model to offer more collaboration, greater efficiency and fewer silos across all our work in serving our parishes, chaplaincies and schools from Church House. Was there anything very wrong with the old? No, not really; it worked perfectly well. But perhaps sometimes that prevents us from attempting something bigger. Just as Abraham took up a challenge of moving away from his own comforts, considered the change and the pain and decided that the blessings were worth it, I hope that we will all see the blessings in this new team and the positive change it brings. But the shift actually makes it even more imperative that we keep the old – the knowledge, experience and relationships – and that these are shared for the good of all. So really, “The old has gone, the new is here!" is not quite true – and shouldn’t be. As I sit here, procrastinating over a flow chart, Jeremiah is with me instead; ‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ And perhaps we can apply that to Covid, too.
As you know under Covid-19 regulations there is a strict limit of 30 on the number of mourners allowed into church for a funeral. On Wednesday, April 14th at 11.30 we will be holding Mence's funeral, following his private burial which is for his family only.Ruth Wilkinson has already reached the limit of 30 able to attend the church service and has spoken to those people. She knows there are many other people who would wish to attend Mence's funeral but can't because of the restriction on numbers.If you are one of those people you can join Mence's funeral via the Zoom link below. The public service in church will begin at 11.30 am.Thank you.https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2746581498?pwd=WjlIcHBydjdOOEEzZ2tBVDNyMFBaZz09
