After 8 months, I can finally announce that I will be serving my curacy in the parish of ST LUKE THE EVANGELIST, Beeston Hill and Holbeck, Leeds. We'll be moving back to Yorkshire this summer, specifically to LS11!
My Training Incumbent (TI) who is like a kind of boss/mentor/lead vicar, is a brilliant chap called Alistair Kaye (read about him here, here and here). He's easily one of the main reasons I was drawn to this curacy.
Because, and if we're honest, this part of Leeds we're moving to is not Cuddesdon, rural Oxfordshire! It's a vibrant, diverse, exciting, challenged and challenging place to live. And the church is doing some amazing work and it's going to be a place of huge opportunity and blessing - we're looking forward to joining in with all that God's already doing. To give you a sense of the challenges you can look at this useful info provided by the Church Urban Fund. If you're really interested you might also consider a recent documentary about the decriminalised red-light zone in Holbeck, part of the parish. It's pretty uncompromising, and by no means a reflection of all the area has to offer(!) Indeed, there's been lots of investment and good intentions about south Leeds.
It's a funny old process announcing where you've been sent to serve your curacy. Well...when I say 'your' curacy...in my case it's 'our' curacy, as in me, Jen (my wife) and our boys.
Well...I say sent to 'our' curacy when in fact what I should say is: I am sent, my family follow. They might even say 'dragged.' It's a very hard process, one I'm not sure I've got quite right.
And above all, announcing the curacy begins, somewhat formally, the process of mentally connecting with a new place, community, church and activities. I am very excited about where we're going. Excited and nervous.
It's days like these when I think about being both excited and giddy for the future and service, whilst also considering the cost and sacrifice to my family.
The old faithful verses come back to mind:
"I will come to you and fulfil my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:10-13)
And:
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other." (John 15:16f.)
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