July-August Newsletter

Dear Friends,

The days seem to be passing all too quickly and our time in Saddleworth will soon be finishing.

It has been a privilege to minister in this part of “Yorkshire” to be made welcome and invited into people's homes and to share important moments in people’s lives. It has also been a joy to be able to work in such a beautiful part of the country. We have discovered lots of wonderful views up on the moor above Dobcross, above Delph village and in the vicinity of Dovestones. We have also enjoyed the multitude of musical and theatrical events available in Saddleworth and in Manchester too, as well as being introduced to Whit Friday ways.

But what we shall remember most of all are the people here and the friendships we have made within the churches and in the local community.

I have had many different opportunities for ministry, not only through visiting, preaching, Bible Study groups etc. but also in other ways that I might not have envisaged when we first moved here.

Where from here? We shall be moving to Melton Mowbray, a town some 17 miles northeast of Leicester. I shall be working with a team of lay and ordained people in the town and the surrounding villages.

The gradients on the roads will not be as steep, although the countryside is not flat. There will be opportunities for us to explore the area by tandem!

Methodist Ministers count their years in the ministry as years they have travelled and this year marks the end of my twenty-eighth. It has been a varied and interesting journey to date and we look forward to the next stage and the new opportunities and challenges that await us.

With every blessing,

James