Dear lovely Emmanuel Church family

I have finally been able to bring myself to read all your very kind messages and cards (somewhere I could shed a tear in privacy!), and am deeply touched by the lovely things they say.

It was a wonderful day yesterday, and will be a very happy memory for us all.  It was so good to see so many of you in church, and I was completely bowled over, first by the beautiful stole, which will always remind me of Emmanuel, and then by the enormous generosity of the cheque for “clergy things”.  I shall buy a few clergy clothes (including a black dress with a space for a dog-collar I have been yearning after, but felt might be rather extravagant), and some books I need, and I will let Fr Jonathan know in due course what I bought so he can report back to you.  Jeremy and the boys were also very touched by their mementoes of Emmanuel - Hugo and Guy cannot remember a time when we were not attending the church, and Jeremy much enjoyed his years as Churchwarden, and the many links he made through it - especially with the creche families at the back of church!  Thank you all so much for your kindness.  Many thanks too to everyone who contributed to the delicious lunch, and especially to the Catering Committee who organised it.

As I said yesterday, Emmanuel is a very special place, and has a wonderful warmth and family feeling, which I think makes it quite unusual.  It will also be growing and developing into the future - I was so delighted that one of the last Emmanuel pieces of news I heard was that the school development project had been given the go-ahead.  The plans for building new rooms (and sorting out the dodgey floor…) are moving forward, so before too long there should be space to accommodate the ever-growing numbers of children (apparently yesterday there were over 100 children in church!).

We were so lucky to find Fr Jonathan to lead Emmanuel forward, and also to have gained the input of Mo Annette, Mo Claire, and soon, Alysoun Whitton, who, as you know, is a dear friend of mine.  I cannot even begin to list the people who work to keep Emmanuel the way it is - I am too frightened of leaving someone out, but it has been a privilege to be involved with such a vibrant and committed community, and I have made many wonderful friends.

I am glad that I shall still be in the Deanery, so snippets of Emmanuel news will continue to reach me.  I shall always be grateful for the part Emmanuel and its congregation have played in my journey - I arrived in 1999 as an unbaptised, unconfirmed ex-Quaker, and am leaving eleven years later to be ordained…  I am very grateful for the trust and inspiration of both Fr Peter and Fr Jonathan, who have supported and encouraged me, and from whom I have had the privilege to learn a great deal about ministry.

I wish Emmanuel every blessing in the years ahead.

With my love, thanks and prayers,

Emma