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CELEBRATING MINISTRY On Sunday, May 18th, the focus of our worship will be to Celebrate our Ministry. This will be an opportunity for each of us to give thanks for the ways in which we have been used in serving God, not only in the life of the Church but in the community and in our everyday lives. This event happens to take place on the occasion when John Williams will be celebrating 50years as a priest. The preacher at the 10am service will be Bishop Tony Dumper, who at one time was Dean of Singapore Cathedral, and later as Bishop of Dudley in the Diocese of Birmingham. He and John have been friends for many years since they worked together in the Stockton on Tees. John was ordained as Deacon in Durham Cathedral in 1957 and the as Priest in 1958 on Trinity Sunday. During the past 50 years he has served in the North East of England and in Southwark diocese and in Lichfield. This has included a wide range of Parochial work, Industrial Mission and Social Ministry, and then in Lichfield as Bishop's Officer for Ministry concerned with the Selection and Training of clergy. In 1996, John and his wife Jean retired to Edinburgh, where Jean was born. Since then, John has been part of the Ministry Team at Christ Church in a voluntary capacity and Jean's Ministry has included Christian Aid and Care for the Homeless and many other areas. Both Jean and John have expressed their hope that Trinity Sunday this year should be an opportunity for all of us to recognise that we are all called by God to worship and service in many different ways and to celebrate and give thanks for the ways in which we have been given these gifts of Ministry. The service will be followed by "celebratory refreshments" in the Hall, to which all are invited.
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