Dear Everyone,

You will be reading this letter  2022, but I am writing it at the end of December (29th). Even the few days difference could change our view of the future.

Starting by looking back, 2021 has been a difficult year for everyone because of Covid-19. Many of us got vaccinated in the first few months of 2021 and had our second doses 6 months later. Younger people had to wait till the end of 2021 before they could get vaccinated. Now we are facing another wave of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. Looking to the future it is still too early to be certain how this wave is going to play out, but there is hope. Although the infection rate is very high the numbers of people in hospital and dying may be much lower than earlier in the pandemic. This could be clearer by the time you read this letter. Whatever the Covid-19 situation, I think we still have a duty to look after ourselves and others by acting in a way that slows the spread of the virus.

I hope that by the end of January we will have appointed a new Organist and Choir Director, and that this will strengthen all our musical activities. I also hope that we will be able to start having concerts again. One concert that we have already arranged is a recital by David Briggs on Wednesday May 25th at 7:30 p.m. David was once an Assistant <span style="font-size: 1rem;">organist at S Alban’s and now an organist of world renown. I also look forward to restarting concerts by students at the Conservatoire.</span>

Another hope I have for 2022 is the return of students from Ark St Alban’s Academy to the church for Collective Worship. We had hoped to have our usual Academy Christmas Services in church, but the rapidly worsening Covid-19 situation meant our plans had to be cancelled. The same was true for the Bach Choir 9 Lessons and Carols service.

Another hope is for an Anglo-Catholic missioner funded by the Church Commissioners to work with us and four other churches. To help our grant application for a missioner I would like us all to think about our Church’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities for our church, and Threats to our church. I also would like to know what you think are the most important things about our church — our core identity, how we are seen by the parish and what do we aspire to be.

As you can see from this letter, we have lots to think about, lots to do and lots to pray about. Let us go into 2022 with hope and faith, and be open to possibilities.