Our Goodbyes and very fond farewells to Howard and Anne
It seems like we have been saying
Goodbye to Howard and Anne for months! In February the Youth
Club held a Valentines Meal with Howard and Anne as our Special
Guests, March we had Ministers Musings at our Womens Network Meeting
at Tamar Valley with a special retirement cake and the end of our
Guild Sessions here at Callington were marked with our AGM and
another meal! Now the final farewell has arrived.
To sum up 9 years of Howard's ministry
here at Callington, and almost as long for Anne, isn't easy.
Everyone will have their own highlights and special memories -
Services, Social Events, care and support at difficult times, being
received into membership and so on.
So ladies first! Those of us that
took part in the Pastoral Course run by Anne really felt that we got
to know each other and her, a lot better through trusting and
sharing some of our life experiences and the course culminated in
the group leading worship on the first Sunday after the tragic
events of 11th September 2001.
Candles, Stones and Nails! We have
been introduced to different ways of worship and prayer by Anne
through Circuit Prayer Days and services, especially during Lent
Good Friday and Easter. Anne has been a willing member of
Galaxy - our little singing group and has toured with us to
Menheniot, St Ive, Saltash and St Dominick!
We have shared tears and laughter - one
touching story about Operation Sunshine which Anne has used
is very emotional and never fails to move me; she tells of Kathy
(founder of the charity) finding a dying baby under a tree, she has
nothing to give the child except to wrap it in her cardigan and
cuddly it until it dies in her arms. Then there were many
times of laughter - those of us who were at the Gift Day Concert
will never forget Anne and Jill's sketch of two ladies meeting up
for an afternoon cup of tea, (a send up of the ladies in
'After the Summer Wine' series) only to be taken over by the giggles
all the way through!
Howard - We have all appreciated his
wisdom and leadership. Our Friday morning prayer
meetings and communion services have been special times - 'when two
or three are gathered' - sometimes it has only been Howard and one
of us!
We shall all remember the trombone; I'm
sure many of us have been inspired to learn to play a musical
instrument after hearing Howard!
Cafe Church has been a great success and
has continued to grow - and remember his impression of Manuel as the
waiter wearing a bow tie making us all laugh! Although Ann and
Howard had separate ministries, like all good 'double acts' they
have worked well together - the Disciple Course; jointly leading
Communion; Cafe Church; the Thanksgiving and Memorial Services;
their support at our Guild Meetings; Seed Time (our Lay Witness
Weekend); Church Stewards Training Day; Coffee Mornings; Junior
Church events; as members of the Circuit Choir etc.,
We have been encouraged and blessed by
their time with us and maybe there are some things 'we now belong to
to do that way' because of their ministries - for a while anyway.
(Ex Circuit Steward)