As Rev Bill Henderson has written in his letter, we will shortly have to say thank you and farewell to him and Viv, after nearly 25 years of dedication and commitment to our parish of Stanley. Many of us will have been helped enormously over the years by their kindness and wisdom, and we will all miss them greatly.
Bill’s last service at St Peter’s will be at 10am on Sunday 4th March. Everyone is invited to this service and to a bring and share lunch which will follow the service.
For those unable to come to the service, from 1pm—4pm on Sunday 4th March there will be a tea and cake drop-in—call in at anytime during the afternoon for tea, coffee and some cake.
These are both opportunities to say farewell to Bill and to Viv; to share memories and to give thanks for all they have done for us.
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All services and activities at St Peter’s church will continue unchanged after Bill’s retirement, and services will be led by our assistant minister Rev David Teece, and Readers Vicky Wilson and David Greenwood-Haigh.
St Peter’s will begin a period known as ‘interregnum’ which means that the church will be without a priest in charge. However, the process to appoint a new vicar will start immediately, and the PCC will shortly be preparing all the information needed to advertise the post.
This process will be done in conjunction with the other churches in our United Benefice: St Mary Magdalene in Outwood and St Anne’s in Wrenthorpe, as the new vicar will take over Bill’s role as Lead Vicar for the United Benefice, as well as being the priest in charge of Stanley.
It is not clear how long the process to appoint a new vicar will take, but we will continue to give you updates where appropriate in the parish magazine and on our Facebook page.
We have a huge amount to offer a new vicar at St Peter’s and in Stanley: a supportive community and many exciting things going on. And the fact that we have such a warm and welcoming church to offer a new vicar is testament to the character and inspiration of Bill and Viv.