A new tenant for the Vicarage in Bere Regis!
At the beginning of October, we welcome the Reverend Sandra Williams to our community. On the 2nd October she will be licensed and installed as an Associate Priest in the Benefice of West Purbeck of which St John the Baptist’s and St Laurence’s are now part.
Sandra and her husband, Graham, will live in the Vicarage and she will take most of the services in Bere and Affpuddle. However, she will be a member of the team and will also take services in other churches, usually once per month, in the Benefice in the same way that our Rector, Carol Langford and other Associate Priests, will take services in our two churches.
Sandra will not work full time. She will work 3 days in the week and on Sundays. On the three days a week she is not working, urgent duties will be carried out by either Rev. Carol Langford or one of the other Associate Priests. This means that from the community’s point of view, there will always be a priest available if needed. It also means that we do not ask our clergy to do too much but allow them time off, which we all need. Sandra will normally work Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Contact details for the Rector and other clergy will be found in the Parish Magazine.
We all appreciate this has been a time of transition and change, something that will continue for a short while to come as everyone settles into their new roles and the future plans for the benefice emerge. Thank you for bearing with us.
Elizabeth Whatley, Stephen Sanderson, Sarah Welton, Joan Naylor
Church Wardens
Sandra has written:
From Revd Sandra Williams
Hello, I’m Sandra,
I was born and christened down on the south coast of Hampshire and confirmed and married in north Hampshire, a village just outside Basingstoke, where I met my husband Graham on a Cub trip to Bovington Tank Museum! We very much feel this move was meant to be. Since that time Graham’s work within the water industry has taken us to Hong Kong, Oxfordshire, and North Dorset.
Graham and I have three children – Amy, married to Neil, has two children, Zachary and Ruby and lives in Salisbury; our son Adam and his wife, Maria, are both teachers and live in Berkshire with their Schnauzer Gus; and our youngest daughter, Lucy, with her partner Sam and Husky/Beagle Cross Bella, live in Gillingham, North Dorset, where she works for Waitrose and keeps an eye on my parents who moved there a few years ago. Our family grew up in Gillingham, where, prior to ordination, I was a Primary School Teaching Assistant. I was also a Cub Scout Leader for 30 years (I started very young!), stepping down before I was ordained. I’m very excited to have the County Camp Site, Buddens, just down the road, where Lucy and her Cubs along with grandson Zach have just returned from camp.
We are moving from Shipton Bellinger in North Hampshire where we have been for the last six years, most recently as Priest in Charge of five parishes west of Andover. Prior to that we were in Shropshire where I completed four years as Curate in The Wrockwardine Deanery Team Ministry in Lichfield Diocese, twelve rural villages between Shrewsbury and Telford.
One of my main loves is walking and I’m looking forward to getting to know the lovely footpaths around the area with our 8-month-old labradoodle puppy, Zinnie, born on Christmas Eve. Please do say hello if you see us out and about, and maybe share your favourite walk with us if you don’t mind a lively doodle!
We are looking forward so much to walking alongside you all in The West Purbeck Benefice, seeing what God is up to, and joining in!
With blessings
Rev Sandra Williams
FROM THE REGISTERS
Baptisms
At St John the Baptist, Bere Regis
27th July Theodora Raine House
11th August Georgia Belle Gibson
Christine Matthews
Food Bank – Update!
Usually every 6 -8 weeks we hand over at least five carrier bags full of your gifts to the Food Bank - so thank you from the people who were very grateful....and please keep your contributions coming!
There are boxes in both our churches for you to place any goods you would like to donate. This provides a simple way of helping people who have fallen on hard times.
I would ask: Please ensure that your gifts are at least 6 months in date.
You do not have to be a church member to contribute!
The boxes are emptied regularly
and the contents given to the Wareham Food Bank.
The list of what is most appropriate is:
Tinned Soup Fruit Juice(carton) Pasta Sauces Baked Beans Rice/Sponge Pudding (Tinned)
Tomatoes (Tinned) Pasta/Rice (1kg) Tinned Vegetables Tea Bags/Coffee Instant Mash Potato
Tinned Meat/Fish Tinned Fruit Sugar (500g) Biscuits or snack bars
The FOOD BANK provides for local individuals and families in crisis -
Thank you for your support!