Here at St Peter’s, we have been very fortunate.  For the last 24 years we have had a dedicated and committed priest in Bill Henderson and in his wife Viv.  Together they have made a wonderful team dedicated to bringing the Gospels to life in the church and supporting the community here in Stanley.  Things haven’t always been easy or run smoothly but they have stayed committed to the idea of “love thy neighbour”, the challenge set by Jesus and brought to us through the Bible.

With much sadness, on March 4th, Bill   presided over his last service here at St Peter’s as he prepares for a well deserved retirement.  That day marked the end of one era and the beginning of another.  For Bill and Viv, a chance to explore new areas in life and an opportunity to spend more time with family.  For the church, we have entered into what is usually called an Interregnum, which means a time between priests, the period between one priest leaving and another being appointed.  This period often referred to as the vacancy, can be a challenge to the church and its congregation.  Continuing to meet the teaching of Jesus without the support of a priest can at first seem daunting.  The truth is that Interregnum often lead to a church discovering what is really is, and the challenge helps us grow.

The church congregation is much like a large family and like many families, we have our ups and downs.  The scriptures tell us that where two or more are gather in Christ’s name, then he is there also.  To us, this means that we are never alone in what we do as a congregation and as individuals. Jesus walks with us in our daily lives, not just on a Sunday when we meet together to give thanks and worship. Because of this we, as the family of Christ have an all knowing and all loving father, ready to guide us whenever we wonder from the right path.  The Interregnum, the vacancy, whatever you might want to call it, is a chance for all of us to become stronger together as a family and to explore together the next era, as we grow, to meet challenges with a new and strengthened vision for the future.

Rev David Teece