“For in the one Spirit we were all baptised into one body” 1 Corinthians 12: 13

I’m Diane, the soon-to-be Associate Vicar here in the North Wakefield Benefice and I’m really excited that I’m going to be joining you permanently this month. My family and I are currently settling into the vicarage in Wrenthorpe, slowly working through all the boxes and adjusting to the quirks of our vicarage. Then after my licencing I’m looking forward to really getting to know you all and the gifts that God has given each of you as I start to learn how you all fit into this body because we all have a part to play in building God’s kingdom here in North Wakefield. It’s always a great adventure seeing how the gifts we have can be used to help each other to grow.
One of the things I’ve learned over the last thirty odd years of being a Christian is that everyone has a contribution to make. No-one is too young or too old, too unfit or too unworthy to be able to contribute to the work we do together. The people God called in the Bible were all of those things too – Samuel was young, Abraham was old, Moses was a murderer and Peter was a denier. God used all of them to do amazing things despite and often because they weren’t perfect. And he can and will use the gifts he’s given to each one of us if we’re willing to trust him to do it.
Over the next weeks and months and years, things will change. That’s an inevitability when people come and go and I know it’s hard. My prayer is that we trust each other and trust God and remember that its His Kingdom we’re building here which is bigger than any of us. When I was on placement with you I began to get to know you and I know there are a lot of very gifted people in all the churches. I know you all have a huge amount of love for the communities you are each a part of and I am looking forward to really getting to know them all and loving them as you do.
In the meantime, please pray for me and my family as we settle in and get to find our way around everything. Thank you to everyone who has offered suggestions to get the shed built! As soon as the weather permits we’ll get that done. Please also be patient with me as I attempt to learn everyone’s names – it will take time, especially whilst I’m only with each church only one Sunday a month! I’ll do my best to get my head around it as fast as I can. God bless you all.

Revd Diane Komorowski
(soon to be Associate Vicar for the North Wakefield Benefice)

Many years ago I can remember talking to a man who said he had been asked several times if he would stand as a local councillor. He had never taken up the invitation as he wanted to have a quiet pint in his local after a long day at work. He thought that as a councillor he would be at the beck and call of the locals and never have a moment of peace. In many ways I take my hat off to those who offer them-selves to serve in parliament or as local councillors. I am sure it has never been an easy undertaking but how hard it must be in today’s social media world where arm-chair pundits feel it’s their right to be abusive to those in public office and we have even had MPs murdered for their beliefs. It must take some soul searching to offer oneself to serve in this way and we are all thankful that people still stand to serve.
I am writing this before the general election on the 4th July and after the dust has settled, MPs will be getting ready to take up their place in parliament and a new government will take shape and be sworn in. I wonder what you look for in the person who serves your constituency? When I was ordained many years ago one of the people who had overseen my training was asked “if I met the test of character.” In other words, was I fit to take up the office to serve as a priest in the Church of England and the people I was called to serve.
Looking back, the run up to the election has not so much been dominated by personality or policy, but rows about selection of candidates, D-Day, betting scandals, racists remarks…the list goes on. In other words, many of the top news stories have been about matters of character. I wonder therefore what would be in your list of character traits for our new MPs? For me they would include, integrity, trustworthiness, resilience, endurance and a desire to serve all people.
To hold office to serve the nation is indeed a very high calling and our MPs need our prayers and support. Here’s a prayer for your own personal prayer time as our new government and opposition take up office:
Endue the High Court of Parliament and the ministers of the Crown with integrity, wisdom and understanding. Bless all those called to government and opposition; guide and guard them in their public service. Amen.
Take care and God Bless and hope to meet you over the summer at many of the wonderful events taking place across the benefice. Also, please continue to remember Revd Diane and her family as they move into Wrenthorpe vicarage in August and Diane prepares for her licensing service at Outwood Parish church at 7.30pm on Tuesday 10th September.

Rev Glenn Coggins, Vicar of the United Benefice of North Wakefield

I wonder if you are a ‘Swiftie’? This is the name is given to fans who follow the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift who is an extremely gifted, popular and very successful pop star. She is only in her thirties but has been writing songs for many years that come from her heart about her feelings, vulnerabilities and relationships. Writing from the heart takes a lot of courage and when you are on the world’s stage it is open to public scrutiny, but for the ‘Swifties’ her words speak to them in their situation. I wonder if the same could be said in general of works of literature, art, poetry, music, sculpture etc where there has been a process of self examination of life along the way to the completed work.
In early June, St Paul’s in Alverthorpe will host the Borealis Chamber Choir who will be recording some choral works that were composed out of a mixture of sad-ness and joy in the composer’s life. The composer is Robert Fürstenthal (1920-2016), a Jewish émigré who narrowly escaped the Holocaust and later settled in California. Steve Muir who is co-director of the choir, has been asked to make the recordings by Robert’s 100 year old widow, Françoise. After the war, Robert believed that Françoise, his child-
hood sweetheart back in Vienna, had been murdered in Auschwitz. But miraculously they found each other again thirty or so years later, neither of them knowing that the other was still alive, and both living in the US! They married, and Robert poured out his joy and gratitude via a remarkable body of new musical compositions until his death 8 years ago. Take time to read that again – what a story!! We look forward to hearing the final recording.
Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we are ‘human beings’ and not ‘human doings’. In other words life is not about rushing around from one thing to the next but also allowing time to sit and reflect on life. When we do this, it allows us see more of God’s hand at work in our lives and indeed in the world. In the early days of the Church, St Irenaeus wrote “The Glory of God is man (and women of course) fully alive”. Being ‘alive’ is more than just existing but experiencing the wonder of our lives and the world God has given us to share. There may be times when we feel we have fallen short or things can not be redeemed but nothing is beyond God’s mercy and forgiveness. We are followers of a God of new beginnings and all of life’s experiences can be used by God as we are transformed into Jesus likeness and our own lives can be offered to God as a work of art.

Take care and God Bless, Glenn
Rev Glenn Coggins, Vicar of the United Benefice of North Wakefield