Our Advert is Now Live! 

We're delighted to say that the advert for 'Vicar of Bagshot' went live last week, and if you're interested you can have a look at the advert here. The advert includes a link to our parish profile which aims to give a snapshot of: who we are, what we can offer a new vicar, and our hopes for the future of St Anne's. Please pray for God to be nudging the right people to look at the advert and profile, and please pray too for those who are trying to discern if this is the right place for them to apply, or perhaps already hard at work on their application form! You might like to use the words of our vacancy prayer:

God our Father, you have welcomed each one of us in Jesus and called us to be His body in this place: Send your Holy Spirit at this time of uncertainty and change, to fill us with vision, energy, and faithfulness in prayer, that we may be true to our calling to bring new life to our community.

Give your heavenly wisdom to those who are to choose a new vicar for this parish, that she or he may be a wise and gentle shepherd of your people, ready to serve us with joy, to build us up in faith and to lead us by example in loving obedience to your Son, Jesus Christ. 

Amen

Quite a number of people were asking about the vacancy process at our Remembrance Service, so a quick recap on the process:

• Advertising now
• Shortlisting mid December
• Interviewing mid January
• Potential start date after Easter (most clergy are on 3 months notice and may also have family/schooling matters to take into account).

The church works quite differently from secular organisations, who would try and ensure succession planning without much of a gap between people, but that difference is quite intentional. Having a period of vacancy between vicars can give us time to imagine someone new in the role, rather than that person being defined by their predecessor. It can also give us time to discover our own gifts and talents and to use them in new ways as different people step up to help run things, and can give us space to reflect on our own hopes and dreams for St Anne's and Bagshot. So in addition to praying for our new vicar, please do also pray for those who are using their own gifts in new ways, whether up front or behind the scenes, and do keep on thinking about what role God might be calling you to play in the life of St Anne's.