Bedlington minister Peter Rand rerpots on two celebrations in the South East Northumberland Ecumenical Area, a year after its inauguration in September 2004.
Well over 300 people packed into Blyth URC on Sunday 28th August 2005 for a very special ecumenical occasion.
As the South East Northumberland Ecumenical Area, we were celebrating the Ordination to Christian Ministry of Yvonne Tracey and the Welcome into Ministry in the Area of Carla Hall and Catherine Minor.
Earlier this year, Yvonne completed her training for ministry at NEOC, and is going to serve as a non-stipendiary minister in Blyth.
Catherine is a full-time Methodist minister who has come to Northumberland from Solihull, also to serve in Blyth. Together Yvonne and Catherine will minister to Blyth URC, Blyth Central and Cowpen Methodist churches.
Carla is moving from being a student minister to being a Methodist Probationer minister and is continuing to serve St Mark's URC and St Andrew's Methodist churches in Newbiggin.
The liturgies for the Ordination and the Welcome had been woven together to make a truly ecumenical act of worship. The preacher was Geoffrey Clarke, who many Synod members will remember from his days at Seaton Delaval . He gave us a truly inspiring word, letting the congregation and the three ministers know in no uncertain terms what should and shouldn't be expected of them!
The service even had joint presidency from Leo Osborn and Peter Poulter, and concluded with Holy Communion, led by the Ecumenical Area President, Malcolm Sellers.
It was a truly inspiring and uplifting day. Thanks be to God.
Trinity Church , Bedlington (a Methodist/URC Local Ecumenical Partnership) came into being on the first of September 1980. On the following Saturday, an Inauguration Service was held for the new LEP. And on that same Saturday, 180 miles away in Bury, Lancashire, a green young (well, youngish!) man was being ordained into Christian ministry. He was Peter Rand, and 16 years later he came to Bedlington to be minister of Trinity church. So on Saturday and Sunday 3rd and 4th September 2005 both church and minister celebrated their Silver Anniversaries!
There was a celebration tea, and cakes, with photos of the church and minister cunningly set into their tops, were cut. There was a display of photographs from the church events through 25 years. And on the Sunday, the Anniversary Preacher was Richard Mortimer, the URC's Secretary for Ecumenical Relations, who had been at college with Peter.
Richard's worship was inspiring, uplifting, humorous and challenging. His theme, from Paul's letter to the Romans, was the love that is the sum total of all the commands of the law, the love that truly binds God's people together, the love that is self-sacrificial.
Church, minister and everyone had a great weekend.