I would like to start by saying a huge thank you to all who have welcomed us so warmly into the Evenlode Vale Benefice. My wife Lucie and I have received flowers, food and lots of good wishes over the last couple of weeks. It has been a pleasure to begin to take services around the Benefice, including the joy of a wedding and a baptism early on.
I have to regularly pinch myself to make sure I really am living in such a lovely area. Not only is the scenery stunning, but the friendliness and positivity of the people we have met are testament to the resilience of communities recovering from the woes of a global pandemic.
But we are all conscious of those who still feel worried and isolated, and the difficulties of the last 18 months are a reminder that this world is far from perfect, and that we are not as in control of it as we often like to think. For Christians such a time is a reminder that there is a better world yet to come; an expectation which enables a peace-bringing perspective on this life.
I very much looking forward to walking alongside the people of the villages of the Benefice in all their sorrows and joys, and to plenty more of the vivacious singing and generous hospitality which I have already found are a hallmark of church life here. If you haven’t met me yet, then please do pop in to a Sunday service or call in at the Rectory in Broadwell to say hello.
Rev Oliver Strange