On Monday 8 May our new Minister Revd Robin Forrester was Licensed. By way of introduction, he sent us the following personal message -

"One of the influential ministers of God in the 18th and 19th centuries took as his ambition 'to humble the sinner, to exalt the Saviour and to promote holiness'. He aimed to do this for himself with the help of earnest believers around him, for his congregation, and for those who as yet did not acknowledge Christ as their own personal Saviour."

"What a great target to aim at for those who wish to serve God with gratitude for all he has done for us. To begin with, Rev Charles Simeon was often locked out of his church by the churchwardens and was mocked loudly during the services by Cambridge students when they did get in the church. He was cold shouldered by fellow ministers and university lecturers and was stopped from taking and preaching at any evening service for many years. I hope for a better start than he had! Yet, as an earnest man of God, he pursued these aims wherever he could and the tide gradually turned. Simeon was particularly successful at getting people passionately committed to Christ and into His service."

"I see my appointment to Moulton by the Bishop, and your confirmation of it through your representatives, as being the call of God to follow the same aims in Moulton. There is little choice for, if we do not, God will make our place a 'desolate waste' (Ezekiel 33)."

"From what I have heard it is a matter of picking up where Steve and Andy left off. If we are to get anywhere spiritually worthwhile in whatever time we have given to us by God in whatever we seek to do together at St Stephen's, we must all face up to and get through this challenge. In a quiet and holy place we shall have to seriously commit ourselves or re-commit ourselves without fanfare or ceremony to humble the sinner (ourselves first), exalt the Saviour (in as full a way as is shown to us in the Bible) and promote holiness (in every way and to the highest standard and depending on the Holy Spirit). To this end, as we begin this adventure together, I give you the prayer used on the anniversary of Simeon's death in his college in Cambridge ...
Almighty and everlasting God, who by your holy servant, Charles Simeon, did mould the lives of many that they might go forth and teach others also; mercifully grant that as through evil report and good report he ceased not to preach your saving Word, so we may never be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit live and reign one God world without end. Amen"

With Christian affection, Robin.

"Thank you very much to everyone for your warm welcome with lovely cards and beautiful flowers and personally at the vicarage and in church. Also for help in getting the vicarage shipshape. We are getting unpacked and settled in. We thank God for the rather grand vicarage we find ourselves in - not quite like the Master who had nowhere to lay His head. (As we are quite unpretentious ourselves people need not bow or curtsey when we meet, just a simple touch of the forelock will do). We pray that like the home of every follower of the Lord Jesus this home will continue to be a Christian Mission Centre. We already knew some Moulton people and gradually we hope to put faces to all the names."

Thank you again, from Jenny & Robin.