Endings and beginnings

Today marked the final service of our congregation of Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church. On 1 January we form a union with 2 nearby churches to create Newington Trinity.

This has been in the pipeline for a couple of years. The three congregations have, in effect, been worshipping together since the summer and much groundwork for the new congregation has been laid. There has been a lot of positivity and hope for the future. But also feelings of loss and change.

We took the opportunity to use today’s service to invite former ministers, associates and some past members of the congregation to join us and, after the service, to meet up and recall the past 31 years of our congregation and the history of previous iterations of congregations. 11,000 photos were sifted with a select number posted on the walls and a video made too.

The main photo is of a model of the church and in the display of elders from the 1990s you may spot me in the bottom row. My hair was not grey then.

It was a very enjoyable event. One of the visitor was our previous church manager - now 93. See the extra.

A bit more gardening (some seeds sown) and battening down things as the wind picks up and the weather worsens as we head into the New Year.