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‘Maureen’s Musings’
The Vicar’s monthly letter for the Parish News
July 2019
Thanks to Gena for stepping in during the month of June while I was off exploring Russia!
The end of an era . . . Don’t worry – I am not disappearing from Pattingham and Patshull just yet (!) but as of the beginning of this month, I have retired as the Rural Dean of Trysull. And I am delighted to announce that my successor will be our friend and neighbour in Perton, the Revd Julia Cody. Please pray for her and for the Deanery as she takes on her new role.
The position of rural (or in some places, area) dean is an ancient one in Church structures. Essentially we act as the bridge between the Diocese and the parishes in our deanery. Trysull Deanery is quite large, extending from Pendeford in the Tettenhall Regis Parish, including Tettenhall Wood, Penn, Pennfields, Smestow Vale, Kinver, Enville and of course ourselves here in Pattingham. It is roughly a crescent shape skirting the west and south-west of Wolverhampton.
Our role as rural dean is that of an encourager — to both fellow clergy and lay people — and also that of guide. Now, I cannot claim to have been the fount of all wisdom for my colleagues and their parishioners but I have found myself frequently finding out the answers for some of the stranger questions that arise, especially when a parish is without a vicar for a while!
Thankfully we have not had a huge number of vacancies during my tenure and in this part of the world they, again thankfully, seem to come along singly. Some of my fellow rural deans have had multiple vacancies to try to cover during their terms of office.
Rural deans are usually appointed for five years at a time. I have done the job for two of these terms and decided that it was definitely time for someone else to have a go! But I have enjoyed my time and the Deanery Synod gave me a lovely surprise send-off when we met in June at Enville.
During the next few weeks I will be gradually handing over to Julia, although I expect to still be involved in one or two projects with her as we head towards the autumn. And since I still have a lot of work to do with my Diocesan hat on as a ministry development adviser, looking after the continuing ministerial development of all clergy throughout the Diocese of Lichfield, a little extra time will come in very useful!
But now with July we have the Fete as our pressing priority. I am writing this in a particularly wet and miserable phase of June . . . let’s hope the weather has bucked up its ideas by the time we reach July 6! And I trust we will all have our usual day of fun and sun, not to mention raising some very welcome funds!
Meanwile – Century Club! Yes folks, this is the time of year to renew your subscription to our very own kind of lottery – but one that offers you a much greater chance of winning something than the national kind. I think there are still some vacancies (which means there’s an even better chance of winning!) and we are looking for new subscribers; but for all regular members, it is now time to pay your annual contribution of £60 . . . but that only works out to £5.00 per month. What a bargain! Monthly prizes of £150, £100 and £50. Profits go towards our outreach to the community and maintenance at St Chad’s. Please contact Steve Jones at Sunningdale, Great Moor Road, Pattingham or telephone 700395
Summer blessings!
Maureen.