I must say that I am enjoying being with you all. I have now seen a full cycle of the cooperating parishes working together and can say that I am both impressed with the model of covenanting and with the way it is being carried out in this particular instance by All Saints and St Francis parishes.

Most impressive is the level of ‘togetherness’ between the two separate entities/parishes. It is an all too evident human tendency to protect one’s own ground and interests, often at the expense of others. However, you have achieved what seems to me to be a real cooperation which is both nicely balanced and yet allows each parish its own parochial integrity. You do your own thing, but equally you do just as genuinely a combined thing. I hope and think it may be right to pay a tribute to Sr Juliana for such a steady and solid state of affairs after five years of covenanting. And having seen them at work, I would also wish to pay a tribute to your four wardens and their leadership style and skill.  I can imagine the covenanting model of coming together to share resources and activities as being an effective way forward for other parishes in the future, and particularly where congregations are similar and the leadership Christ centred.

It also seems to me to make more sense of the most expensive resource any parish uses – the priest, and all the costs that go with the priest. Working in two parishes allows the one priest and the specialized priestly ministry for which they are trained and ordained to be more efficiently and effectively deployed. The priest is able to carry out more priestly ministry working in two parishes than he or she would be in one, which is eminently sensible.

At the beginning of my time with you I enjoyed the shared ‘Friendship at Francis’, and the shared ‘Families@five’ which to my mind represents a real outreach to families and children. These two monthly events symbolize and actualise for me the reality of the sum being greater than the parts, and all for the cost of only one priest!

It was with both excitement and humility that I learned of the decision of the Nominators of both Parishes to put my name before Archbishop Jeffrey as your next Parish Priest. And it was with both joy and anticipation that I, and Wendy, accepted his and your offer. In the unusual circumstances of being your locum and having got to know you all a little I can only say that I am looking forward immensely over the next period of years to working and journeying together and to meeting the challenges in helping others to see something of the Kingdom that Jesus inaugurated and calls us to.