This weekend we celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the church with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that so filled the apostles that they left the security of the upper room for good and set out into the life Jesus had called them to as witnesses of his love.

It is fitting that at St Mary’s we will be celebrating Marilyn’s particular calling to ordained life as we thank her for her placement with us, and pray for her as she prepares to take up her curacy in Culloumpton. Marilyn’s enthusiasm for sharing the love of Jesus, her warmth and care for others, and her trust in the path God is setting before her exemplifies a Pentecost faith and I have no doubt she will be a real gift to the communities that she will serve in time to come. Please keep Marilyn and her family in your prayers through this time of change and adjustment.

In the midst of a couple of weeks of the formal parts of APCM’s it is a good time for us to be praying for all who serve across the Mission Community on our PCCs. After a challenging year we look forward to more opportunities to meet in person and allow the Holy Spirit to guide the way we step out beyond our walls and notice what we already have to share with the communities we are part of.

In the meantime, while we haven’t been able to organise a group prayer walk for Pentecost this year, perhaps you could individually let the Holy Spirit guide a walk in your locality, or an imaginative journey through things that are important to you, praying for the renewing presence of the Spirit in all things,

God bless

Samantha