Update on Sunday Worship

Sunday 26th July

The Eighth Sunday After Trinity

Thank you for visiting the Tove Benefice website.

We are currently reviewing our approach to communications and would appreciate your feedback.  We would particularly like to know if this is your first visit or you are a regular visitor to the website.  It would also be helpful to understand what it was you were looking to find out.

Please contact us using the Your Comments page, by email to 360musafa@gmail.com, or by contacting the Tove Benefice Office.

Sunday
  9:15 am  Holy Communion at St Lawrence, Towcester
10:15am  Benefice Sunday Worship via Zoom 
11:15am  Holy Communion (BCP) at St Bartholomew's, Greens Norton
11:15am  Holy Communion at St Augustine's, Caldecote


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Our weekly news contains details of services for this and next weekend, as well as daily bible readings, prayer requests and notices for forthcoming events. 

Looking ahead to events and services that are happening please do look at the monthly calendar for July

Copies are available in churches for collecting especially for those who do not have emails. 



Dear friends,

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28

These words of Jesus have brought comfort to countless people over the centuries. They are an invitation to anyone carrying life's burdens, reminding us that God never intended life to be an endless cycle of doing. From the very beginning of creation, God established a rhythm of work and rest. Sabbath is not simply about stopping. It is about making space to be renewed in God's presence.

Next summer I will have been ordained for thirteen years and will have served seven years as Rector of the Tove Benefice. It has been, and continues to be, a privilege to share in so many moments of joy, celebration and challenge alongside you.

As I reach that milestone, and with the Bishop's permission, I shall be taking a three-month sabbatical from July to September next year. Over the coming months you will probably hear me mention it from time to time as I begin preparing for this important season of renewal.

A sabbatical is something many clergy are encouraged to take after around ten years of ordained ministry. It is in addition to annual leave and provides an opportunity to step away from the everyday responsibilities of parish ministry to rest, pray, study and reflect before returning with renewed perspective.
For me, rest is an important part of that. It has been a privilege to share life with this Benefice over the past seven years, celebrating baptisms and weddings, sharing in schools and community events, gathering around the Lord's Table, and walking alongside people through times of joy, sadness and uncertainty. Ministry is a privilege, but it also carries responsibilities that are often unseen. Alongside the public aspects of parish life are the quieter demands of pastoral care, difficult decisions, supporting people through times of crisis and change, and carrying concerns that sometimes remain with you long after the working day has ended. Over the years I have become increasingly aware that some of the burdens of ministry have become ones I have continued to carry for too long. That has led me to reflect afresh on St Paul's words that Christ gave leaders to the Church "…to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" (Ephesians 4:12).

That verse captures something that has shaped my ministry over the years. I have always believed that every one of us has a part to play in God's mission. Whether it is welcoming people into church, supporting our schools, helping with children and families, visiting care homes, serving on our PCCs, joining a discipleship group, or simply sharing the love of Christ in our everyday lives, each one of us has gifts that God has given us to use.

That is one of the reasons for my sabbatical. Alongside time for rest and prayer, I hope to spend part of it visiting churches in Asia that are seeing significant growth, exploring how they organise themselves, how clergy and lay people share ministry and leadership, how governance supports mission, and what lessons might be applicable to our own Benefice.

My hope is to return not only refreshed, but with fresh insight into how we can continue to help every one of us discover and live out the calling God has given us. Not so that we simply do more, but so that together we become a healthier, more sustainable church where ministry is shared, gifts are recognised, and each of us has the confidence to play our part in God's mission.

As part of that preparation, and with the Bishop's encouragement and support, I shall also be stepping back from parish ministry between Monday 28 September and Monday 2 November this year. This period is separate from my annual leave and will provide an opportunity to rest, spend time with family, pray, and begin preparing for next year's sabbatical. I am enormously grateful to my colleagues, churchwardens, PCCs, and the many volunteers whose faithful ministry means that the worship and mission of the Benefice will continue while I am away.

Thank you, as always, for your prayers, encouragement and friendship. It is a privilege to serve as your Rector, and I look forward to returning refreshed and, God willing, with renewed energy and fresh insight as together we continue to share the love of Christ in our communities.

With my prayers
 
Revd Paula Challen 
Rector 

Worship for this coming week