Behold, I am doing a new thing;

now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  Isaiah 43.19

Dear new  friends

Spring is my favourite time of the year - days lengthening, air warming up, green shoots and the foretaste of good things to come. A general feeling of newness - and so it is for Joanne and myself, pulling up our roots as did Christopher and Helen in 2007, all on the move after 26 years in one place!

We, like all newcomers, would ask:  what will we find in these lovely Wealden villages? What will the village communities find in us? I leave you to give your own answer to the second question in the fullness of time. I have a partial answer to the first question - we will find people of all ages, with many stories to tell, going about their daily lives in much the same way as they have always done, with the hopes and dreams, joys and sorrows, which we each experience in our own way.

In the centre of it all stands the church – not just a building, but a community, a testimony to the faith and service of local people since medieval times.   The faith is passed on to each new generation, the call to service is proclaimed anew to each one of us.

This is a good time of year to experience an 'inner freshness' too: Lent gives us a chance to reflect on our personal and community journey; in Passiontide and Holy Week we are caught up in the unique journey of Jesus of Nazareth, the 'man for others'; at Easter we proclaim afresh the astonishing words which lit the flame of Christianity two thousand years ago: Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

Time for a new chapter, a fresh start, but building on the commitment and dedication which have characterised parish life in Benenden and Sandhurst for centuries. And no more so than in the interregnum, where so many wonderful people have worked unstintingly. I would like to pay special tribute to Rosemary, your Readers and Churchwardens, and all church officeholders and workers, for their outstanding care of the parishes. I feel very privileged to be joining such a great team.

Joanne and I hope to get to know as many of you as possible in the coming weeks. Please do not hesitate to get in touch, if you have a special need, want to share a bright idea, or simply to say 'hello'.

The verse from Isaiah at the top of this letter was the 'watchword' for 2007 in the Herrenhut Community of the German Protestant churches, and it touched me profoundly throughout the year. Readings from Isaiah figure on many occasions in our liturgy and especially as we prepare for the great festivals of Christmas and Easter. There's a real sense of newness, freshness and the working of God in the words of this long and varied book. Not least in Chapter 6, where the prophet senses the call of God, 'Here am I, send me!' God's call goes out to us all, in some way or other, often without us realising it, often challenging us with the prospect of a complete personal change of direction. And it's all too easy to say, 'Surely, not me!'. But rise to the challenge - here is the grace of God at work, enabling us in turn to support and encourage each other, whether in the church or the wider local and global community. The watchword for 2008 echoes the vital optimism of the resurrection faith, even in adversity, 'because I live, you also will live.' (John 14.19)

So what will the newcomers find? I pray simply that they will find good things, and that the coming years - through the grace of God - will bring hope and blessings for us all.

Yours in Christ