A Message from Rev’d Clare Downing

Greetings from Hornsea!

I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to you all.  Firstly, thank you for all the good wishes I have received as I finished my term as Synod Moderator. I’ve been reminded of just how important it is to receive encouragement, which of course means it’s just as vital for me to encourage.  So thank you too for being a Synod where there is so much happening which I hope that I have been able to encourage during my time with you.  I hope that you will both encourage, and be encouraged by Mike as he serves you as Moderator for the next few years.

A really big thank you for the generous gift from the Synod.  I’ve not yet decided what to spend it on, but will make sure that it is something that will be a regular reminder of you all.  One little thing that I have done is bought a little glass dome, where I’m going to display some of the decorations from the cake at my farewell service – a little project for the next couple of days – see the photograph.

As some of you know, I’ve not quite retired yet, as I am now on my much delayed sabbatical – 2020 wasn’t a good year!  In a couple of weeks time I’m going to start walking the Trans Pennine Trail, which starts in Southport, where I was received as a newly ordained minister at General Assembly, and ends about half a mile away from where we are living.  I’ll be doing quite a bit of reflecting on the journey of ministry en route.  I’ll try to post a bit about the walk on Facebook, so if you want to follow me, just send a friend request.  And if anyone fancies joining me for a little while as I travel near Manchester, message me.

Finally (this is beginning to sound like a letter from Paul), I would like to reiterate some of what I said at the farewell service, where we looked at a short passage from Philippians 4.  Be joyful, don’t get anxious, and think about the good stuff – then you will know both the God of peace, and the peace of God.