Dear Friends,

My last letter as Rector of Newbold with Dunston! This has been a month of “lasts” – my last School Assembly, last Churches in North Chesterfield Service, Churches Together in Newbold Meeting, Pastoral Visiting Team Meeting, Mothers’ Union Mass and Meeting, PCC Meeting, Baptism, and so much more. Still to come are several more “lasts” before retirement day arrives. My last service will be on 4^th October – Dedication Sunday.

Dedication Sunday is a Sunday when a church looks at itself. Parish priests often work hard at getting congregations to look outside their own church walls to understand that they are part of a wider church – referred to as catholicity. We belong to a diocese, to the Church of England, to worldwide Christianity, to the universal band of pilgrims who are baptised into Christ as his followers. This is our fellowship and not to recognise it risks descending into congregationalism and personal religion. But we also know that to belong to one church, one congregation is also important. For many people the church is only real insofar as it is local. “My Church” is the place where worship, witness, mission and evangelism, together with fellowship as brothers and sisters in Christ are practised and experienced. Here is where “church family” is lived out in mutual encouragement, nourishment and growth. Dedication Sunday is THE Sunday in the year when we look at ourselves.

For me, Dedication Sunday has three focusses for worship and meditation – past, present and future. 1. At St. John’s, I have always encouraged thanksgiving for the inheritance we have received and for all who have loved and served God here in the past – not only faithful priests, founders and benefactors but every person who has worshipped here and supported the venture of Newbold Parish Church since 1857. 2. We give thanks for the church of the present day with all its blessings. When St. Laurence was asked to deliver the treasures of his church to those who demanded its riches, he presented the people! We might well give thanks for the building in which we are delighted to worship and socialise but the real treasure and beauty here is found in the folks who come faithfully to worship and to serve. 3. To ask for God’s grace for the future – for wisdom and strength to meet the challenges, for His guidance to form us into the Church he would want us to be for generations to come.

So, earlier in the year, as I pondered when would be a good time to retire and on what Sunday to celebrate my last mass here, it seemed to me that Dedication Sunday fitted the bill perfectly. My retirement brings memories of the past, blessings of the present, and hopes for the future as the Interregnum begins, as does the search for a new Rector.

Memories of the past were brought into sharp focus this month as we heard of the deaths of two priests who served at Newbold.Fr Robin Charles was assistant priest here with me for 2 years before he left to take up a post in Worcester. Fr. Raymond Ross was, of course, Rector of Newbold for 23 years before his retirement nearly 20 years ago. He will be remembered by many here. There will be a Requiem for him at St John’s at 2.00pm on Monday, October 12^th followed by the interment of his ashes in the churchyard. May they both rest in peace.

So, on Dedication Sunday (4^th October) there will be services at the usual times of 8.00 am and 9.30 am followed by the opportunity to say farewell at 11.00 am in the Eagle Club. I do hope you will be there at one of the services and at the Farewell afterwards.

Sixteen years ago, I had accepted the Bishop of Derby’s (+Jonathan) invitation to become the next Rector of Newbold. He suggested that I be “put in” in early October (1999). The Archdeacon of Chesterfield (David Garnett) was apoplectic at the idea as the Rectory was partly demolished and was boarded up! He suggested February 2000. So, we had to wait for the builders to finish their work. We moved into the Rectory on 8^th January 2000 (a millennium move!) whilst the builders were having to take off the boards from the windows etc. at the same time. I was installed on 24^th January 2000. The builders finished their work in the Rectory in the second week of February!

Sixteen years on and Janice and I are waiting for builders to complete the work on our cottage! It looks increasingly as though we shall be spending the first few weeks after our move with builders invading us to finish their scheduled work.

No doubt, there will come a day when I can sit in an easy chair and in peace begin to reminisce. Those already retired tell me the day never comes – but I live in hope! I know that I shall always think of my time in Newbold with thankfulness, surrounded and supported by church folk I think of as family, schools which have been such a joy to work with, organisations which have been inspiring to be a part of, and parishioners who have been so supportive. I have been amazed by people I hardly know, coming up to me or shouting across the road “Oh dear! You’re leaving us. So sorry – but good luck for the future.”

All the baptisms, weddings, funerals, special services I have taken, together with the regular weekly masses and “the daily round, the common task” which constitute parish ministry have provided a time richly blessed in having a “care of souls” in Newbold as I have sought ways to serve Christ, who called me and sustained me. I leave Newbold with a thankful heart for all we have experienced together.

In love and with every blessing,

Yours sincerely,

Fr Nigel Johnson       Rector

Dear Friends,

First of all this month congratulations are due! The St John’s Newbold Branch of the Mothers’ Union is 100 years old. I wonder whether the ladies of the Church who founded the Branch in 1914 under the then Rector, Fr Cutlack, would have thought that we would be recognising their foresight and enthusiasm 100 years on?

 

The Mothers’ Union was founded by Mary Sumner in 1876. She was the wife of the Rector of Old Alresford, near Winchester and started the movement after the birth of her first grandchild. Remembering her own difficulties as a young mother, she sought to bring together women of all social classes to provide various kinds of support for one another as they sought to do their best within their family life. Mary gave her first speech about it in that Diocese in 1885 and it encouraged other parishes to set up similar organisations to the one she had created. It quickly became a Diocesan Organisation which spread rapidly to other dioceses and by 1892 there were 60,000 members in 28 dioceses. In 1896 the Mothers’ Union Central Council was formed and by the turn of the century there were 169,000 members. In May of 1914 the Newbold Branch was formed, only 38 years after Mary Sumner first put her ideas into action.

 

Today, the Mothers’ Union is a worldwide organisation. It continues its original objectives in parishes of upholding family life, but is also an international campaigning charity working against, among other things, violence against women and the trafficking of women. It continues with its campaigning too for the rights of children to have a childhood. The Mothers’ Union is open to all women, whether or not they are mothers. For many years now, perhaps reflecting its campaigning role rather than only the mutual support of mothers, it is open to men to become members.

 

Although the Union continues to flourish globally, it has been in decline in our own country now for some time and many parishes have had to close their branches. However, the Newbold Branch continues to meet monthly 100 years on since its founding and we should all be very proud of this. Well done ladies and congratulations! Enjoy your celebrations.

AGM and APCM              The Annual General Meeting of a church is essentially to elect churchwardens to serve and represent the parish. They become the Bishop’s Officers after their swearing in before the Archdeacon. This year, Julie Franks was returned to office for a second year and Richard Peet was newly elected. We congratulate them and thank them for serving, and we offer them our prayers for the ministry and office they perform on our behalf. Richard has replaced Bob Cable who has had two terms of office over many years. Our thanks are due to Bob for the unstinting offering of his skills and energy and the diligent way he has fulfilled his office. We are delighted that he agreed to be elected as a deputy warden along with Lesley Howard, who was re-elected.

 

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting receives reports on church activities during the year and on the work of the PCC, including the important financial report and reports from other church organisations. There are also elections to Deanery Synod, to the Parochial Church Council and of sidespeople. I am delighted to say that at our meeting all the positions were filled by volunteers – no one’s arm twisted at all! A further meeting followed to elect from the PCC the Church Officers – again, all filled by very able and willing volunteers.

 

I came away from the meetings feeling very encouraged and grateful that so many able members of our congregation were willing to serve in these official capacities. I hope that they will feel that they have our full support in fulfilling their tasks on behalf of Newbold Parish Church.

 

Holy Week and Easter   The services each day during Holy Week and Easter this year were simply wonderful. There was a real sense of walking with our Lord to the Cross and pondering its meaning; then getting up off our knees to celebrate the sheer joy of the Resurrection. The Church looked beautiful; the music was so uplifting, and the first greeting of, “Alleluia! Christ is risen: He is risen indeed. Alleluia!” was just thrilling. Thank you to everyone who contributed to and supported these services.

 

Ascension Day               The celebration of the Ascension and Coronation of our Lord is on 29^th of this month. The Sung Eucharist begins at 7.00pm. I hope as many people as possible will come to celebrate this special commemoration. For some years now we have had a reception and social time in the Parish Room after the Service, and we hope to do so again. Surely such a time requires our celebration. A previous Bishop of Sheffield said that all the Church of England needs is more prayer and more parties! Perhaps it needs more than that – but it seems a good place to start. Do join us on the 29^th.

With every blessing,

Yours sincerely

Fr Nigel Johnson      Rector