It’s twenty years now since I was first ordained in the Church of England. If, in that time. I’d had a pound for every time someone said “you only work one day a week, don’t you?” I’d have about 137 pounds. It might, to outsiders, seem an idyllic life of peace and contentment, but it has more often been living proof that God works in mysterious ways, and generally likes to inject into our lives the sort of rollercoaster switchback lifestyle you’d normally associate with, say, Alton Towers. 

And God hasn’t finished moving in mysterious ways. Hence the appointment of Rev. David Ward as Priest–in-Charge of St. James’ Brindle. That’s not because anyone thinks he’s not up to it – we all agree he is – and they’re very pleased at Brindle, as well they might be – it’s just that we expected him to be here until the Second Coming. Now he’s on his own rollercoaster. After all God had done for us in Jesus, he has the right to ask that much of anyone. Pilgrimage and discipleship aren’t just words on a page. This is the next stage in what God is asking from both David and us.

Many will want to know why. Across Blackburn Diocese, which covers pretty much all of Lancashire, we have to shed about 20 paid clergy posts. There will be record numbers of clergy retiring in the next few years, and those that are left will be spread more thinly, with increased reliance on unpaid clergy, like David. Our Bishops and Archdeacon want small groups of parishes to work more closely together to share resources. They’re not just picking on us. From their point of view, Higher Walton, Hoghton and Brindle could be served very well by one paid vicar (me) and two unpaid part-time clergy (David, and David Dickinson at Hoghton), together with the Readers and other ministry team members.

So perhaps the best way of thinking about this is that we are not so much losing David as having to share him – and to some extent, me. We have agreed that David will still take services here on a regular basis. (At a personal level, there is no expectation that the Wards should move into Brindle Rectory. They’ll be staying in their own home.) The more we embrace the “cluster” concept, the more good we’ll be able to create out of the situation. There are many things the three churches could do together more efficiently than apart. And at this end, encouraging more people into a leadership role, while always important, has just shot to the top of my “to do” list.

I’ve just called together a small group of people who, one way or another, have stuck their head over the parapet to lead something – be it a house group, or the 915 worship group, the development of technology in worship, or the 40 Days of Purpose programme last year. I’ll be working with them to encourage and develop their skills and ministries.

 I’m very glad to be able to say that we will still have Rev. David Woodhouse, and his wife Bridget, to help us out. Some of you will know how close we came to losing him when a recent minor operation went horribly wrong and he went into total paralysis – the surgical team weren’t sure whether he was still alive. God clearly still has work for him to do, and he has been sent back to us.

David Ward’s licensing at Brindle will be at 7.30pm on Monday 5^th July. If you want to go, please sign the list at the back of church. We’re not running coaches – not for that short distance – but it would just help David and his wardens know how many of us they will have to cope with. Parking is not good at St. James’, so if we can car-share from here, leaving at 7.00pm, that might ease congestion. That should also solve the problem of people needing lifts.

Above all, pray for David as he adjusts to a major change in circumstances, and for us all as we get to know our partner churches better.

In the meantime, to avoid confusion, I may just change my name to David – just to be consistent across the cluster. Why should I be the odd one out?