Dear All,

The adventure begins! This will be the first of our many chats together. In this hinterland of imaginings where we are thinking of the future together we have been given the time and space to make this place an expectant area of faith where we may invoke the grace of God and ask him to lead us forward in the fellowship and love of the body of his Son. After all, Jesus has brought us together at this time of transition for Christ the King and we live to do his work in this place. Thus may I, his priest, the fragile human who has been entrusted with the cure of your tender souls speak directly to you, the people of Christ the King, who rest in my imagination, sitting, talking, thinking and praying in our beautiful, clear and inspiring church.

Carolyn, Guy, Toby, Katie and myself are looking forward to making our home in Salfords. How is it possible for grown up children to squabble over the choice of rooms in the vicarage? Some things never change! The engaging long-haired youth whom you may bump into is Guy, who finished University last year, Toby is in his second year studying medicine at Durham and Katie begins her studies at Drama School in London this year (happily, I hasten to add, not as an actress but on a Stage-Management course).

At the time of writing it is ‘A’ level result day with all the associated emotions. Many of you must know the parental feelings or even be experiencing them at the moment. Things are okay here and it looks like we will be having a celebratory curry later.

After training in Oxford, much of my ministry in the church has been with the Church in Wales, the faithful and inspiring Church of a special people with whom we are very close in spirit. Following a brief sojourn in Scotland, we are happy that God has now brought us back to England and to Salfords. I feel lucky to be with you in the Diocese and my heart was drawn to Christ the King from the moment of crossing the threshold. Carolyn and myself arrived fittingly on the Feast of the Transfiguration after a trouble free drive from Edinburgh with the three cats, Angel, Fats and Pongo (we are not good with names) safely stowed on the back seat. By the time of reading, most of the boxes will be unpacked and we will all be looking forward to the Induction.

This is an exciting time. There is much commitment from both clergy and laity to the existing Christian ministry here in Salfords and we are all to be joined together in a marriage of humility, sharing this unfathomable mystery that is the way of our Lord Jesus Christ with its challenges, frustrations, and intense joy. He has brought us to this point of meeting in our individual spiritual journeys with much to share and much to learn. There will be many stories to tell; the stories that make us who we are. May we listen with open hearts and minds. As we grow to become one family, pray for us as I will pray for you and those you love.

"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way; God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him … Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected is us." (1 John 4:7-9, 11, 12)

Let us take it from here.

God Bless!

Father Paul, Carolyn, Guy, Toby and Katie