Winter 2013 - Parishes Online

Winter2013 Les Nouvelles 29
Churchnews
Gouray Church
Farewell Peter and
Mary, welcome Gavin,
Helen and Emily
By Prisca Tremeer
Peter and Mary Williams came to Gouray
Church from Ecclesall, Sheffield in the
autumn of 2006 and immediately began to
reinvigorate the church. Before his ministry
at Ecclesall, Peter had been a vice-principal
of Trinity Theological College, Bristol and
was a gifted Christian historian.
Peter’s strength lay in his preaching of well
researched and interesting sermons and also in his
pastoral care of his parishioners. Mary had an
immediate rapport with children and young people
and the Sunday School, renamed “Super Cool
Sunday School”, flourished under her leadership. A
group for teenagers called “Cool It” was also started
and Mary gathered round her a team of dedicated
teachers under whom the teaching and
encouragement of young people flourished. Mary
was instrumental in establishing a link with the
Toddler Group in Gouray Village with the result that
church members became involved with helping at
and eventually running the group.
It was therefore with great sadness that we
learned that Peter and Mary had decided it was time
to return to England and retire to their new home in
Buckingham. It was a mark of the love and respect
felt for Peter and Mary that the Sunday School
teachers, the Music Group, the Churchwardens and
the Clergy of the Deanery all felt that they wished to
mark their retirement by holding farewell parties.
It has been a joy working with Peter and Mary
over the last six years. We wish them well in their
retirement and hope that they have many happy
years of enjoyment ahead of them with their children
and grandchildren.
Above: Gavin with the Dean
Above: Peter and Mary Williams
From The New Vicar of Gouray:
The Rev’d Canon Dr Gavin Ashenden,
Chaplain to the Queen
I have been asked to introduce myself to you as the new
Vicar of Gouray, and I’m delighted to have the
opportunity of doing it through these pages. The editor
suggested addressing the question: ‘What kind of a bloke
are you?’
Tricky of course; it all depends what kind
of categories of personal qualities we
deal in. I think I’m a jolly bloke. I have
inherited a jolly laugh – made louder by
training as a bit of an opera singer. When
my father was alive, if he and I and my
son went into a pub and started laughing,
we could empty it (by accident) in under
10 minutes, - so I have to watch my
sense of humour and try to keep it under
control.
I’m also a passionate bloke. The gap between the way things
ought to be and the way they often are, bothers me a lot; which is
why I’m a Christian and a priest. I can’t bear not to be part of doing
something about narrowing that gap. It’s a gap that appears in the
way our own lives and hopes are a bit of struggle, as well as on the
wider stage of international affairs.
I think the gift of friends and courteous people looking out for
one another is one of the ways we can “do life a little bit better”, and
I’m always very grateful for people who have the time of day for one
another - and can learn to, and deserve to trust one another. I think
the Church is at the heart of that.
And as we approach Easter, the secret that lies at the heart of
the Christian experience that I hope I can be a part of sharing, is
that once Jesus rose from the dead, we can be confident that our
lives aren’t wrecked by the things that go wrong;- because God, if
we allow Him, can bring good from bad, hope from despair, love
and new life out of disaster.
I come to Gouray with a patient and generous family, my wife
Helen and my daughter Emily (14). I look forward to meeting you!
Gavin Ashenden
Above:
Gavin, Helen and
Emily with the Dean