| | home | search | back | |
helmdon.com®
|
|
home > village groups > church > john roberts' retirement |
|
John Roberts' Retirement |
|||
On Sunday 3 April we held a special service to mark his retirement.
It was led by Will Adams, one of the curates in the area, who is
shortly to become our vicar. The service was based around the theme
of love - entirely appropriate as John has shown love to all of
us. He has embodied the words of St Paul to the Corinthians: The service was held at Helmdon church because it is the largest of the village churches which John looked after. The building was full to bursting and the choir was swelled in numbers by many past participants returning to its ranks to sing. The bell-ringers rang a quarter peal in his honour and continued to ring after the service. The collection of £520 will be donated to John's favourite charity - Send-a-Cow.
After the service we were welcomed into Syresham village hall where there was an excellent lunch organised by all the parishes in his care. John was presented with a voucher to choose a telescope to the value of £1500......so he can still keep an eye on us! Jenni was not forgotten in the proceedings as she has been the
quiet support by his side. Jenni has had a full-time career as a
teacher and will be (almost) Together they made a terrific team and will be remembered with love. We wish them both a long and happy retirement. Morag UnderwoodThe Rev John Roberts: What shall we remember? A thin man, sallow, with a beard; the ready interest in the work we do; the friendship for children and gentleness with little ones; the recorder lessons, and choir practices and performances; his entering into our mourning and our love of our dead; the strong voice to deliver music or heartening words; a loving smile at the child he's baptizing; the skillful fingers to make or mend; the easy confidence with machines; the long legs folded astride a model railway engine; the priority of people; affectionate mockery and warm laughter; eyes for beauty in a building or a bird in flight; his sense of a place among wild things, both the fierce and the victims; the pleasure in our joys; his suffering when we harm one another; the enjoyment of fellowship at table, and appreciation of food and wine; the packing of his days and our submission too to the pressure; eight minute sermons; sharing his prayer in national griefs; the quick frown that might be irritation or concentration; the teacher's patience and perseverance; generous gifts of opportunity and trust; the total attention to the job in hand or the person he is with; the willingness to hear our fears or anger without sharing our doubts or prejudice; the decisive chairmanship, good humour and sense of proportion; the certainty that a PCC is for God's kingdom and not for a building; his need of us and loyalty to us; that we have changed, in our ways and attitudes, our relationships and value for one another, while he has led us; the narrow shoulders stooping under the load of his cure of souls which perhaps in the sense of a care for souls he will not entirely lay down until the end; his watchfulness of others' weariness and impatience with his own; thin neck, thinning hair, and flashing smile still. And Jenni sharing. Yes, we shall remember many things, including our indebtedness. But he is a good teacher: he has not made us dependent on him. We shall miss him, certainly, but are not afraid to go on without him. Jean Spendlove Reprinted from Helmdon Talkabout, Spring 2005 |
|
home > village groups > church > john roberts' retirement |
| | home | search | back | top |
helmdon.com®
|