[Magdalen] Please pray

[Lynn Ronkainen]

Michael, I hope today's celebration of your long ministry was one of joy and love among your various flocks. Well done good and faithful one!
peace
Lynn 

On Sep 10, 2017, at 2:38 AM, Michael Bishop <rev at michaelbishop.name> wrote:

Dear All
I am quietly waiting to go across to church for my final celebration of the Eucharist as a rector in my parishes as I retire from stipendiary ministry this coming Thursday which is my 70th birthday. The service will be a very special one - the congregations of my 8 parishes will be coming together for this service and the numbers seem likely to be very large as people who I would not have expected have been saying they will be here.
The last few weeks have made me feel like Frank Sinatra - with lots of farewell visits and events.
.It will be hard to go - I have been here for almost 21 very happy years -living here longer than anywhere else in my life - but the time is unquestionably right. Please pray for me as I seek to settle into new ways in my retirement home in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire and for the parishes I will be leaving. They have a time of uncertainty as they await the Bishop's decision on what the future will bring for them. It seems almost certain that there will be a long inter-regnum as the diocese seems to see vacancies as an opportunity to save  money from the budget. People find it difficult to understand why there is as yet not even the beginnings of a search for a new parish priest.
God bless us all.

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God bless

Michael Bishop
rev at michaelbishop.name

Rector of Boylestone, Church Broughton, Dalbury, Longford, Long Lane, Sutton-on-the-Hill & Trusley

Diocese of Derby, England