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June has seen
Tom and Jan launched into retirement midst considerable festivities. We wish
them all that is best in the years to come.
Perhaps as fitting a way as any for us to record our heartfelt thanks is
provided in the following short appreciations from a variety of
parishioners.
Alan Morris
I write with Tom's sermons fresh in my mind. How splendid, over the fourteen
years past, to have such sermons, week upon week, from the pulpit of St
Mary’s.
And, also - those occasions when, at Advent or Lent, we have gathered, a
group, to have Tom expound whatever it be, a chosen topic to illumine the
season – all in the same masterly style.
For Tom is a master at teaching and preaching. Backed by a lifetime of study
and reflection he transmits with conviction, skill and erudition the message
of salvation in Jesus Christ. A message assuredly such to change lives: such
to change lives among us, his congregation.
So that, as you leave us, Tom, for retirement, you leave behind you a goodly
inheritance: numbers for whom your teaching and preaching have lit the path
of everyday life; numbers who have found, through that teaching and
preaching, new riches: nothing less than the way to God.
And, when you have left us, we will remember: these fourteen years. And as
we remember - so shall we be grateful for what you have taught. May you
think of us putting your teaching to good effect.
A real friend to me.
Barbara Moreland
Tom has been our vicar for over 14 years. During that time he has inspired
us, supported us and influenced our lives in many, many different ways.
For me, Tom was the person who suggested back in 2002 that I train as a Lay
Reader and the person who gave me continuous support during my training. So
I would like to pay especial tribute to Tom's spiritual ministry in the
parish, and his role in leading and developing the pattern of worship at St
Mary's. The church services really do reflect the spiritual life of a
community, and one of Tom's remarkable gifts is to make each service seem
special and relevant.
There is an enormous amount of effort that goes into the preparation of a
service. Choosing the hymns and music, making sure that the intercessions
reflect both local and international concerns, and above all making sure
that the tone of the service matches the needs of the congregation, whether
it is all age worship with young children, or the more sombre atmosphere of
Remembrance Sunday or All Souls Day. Tom has a very sensitive awareness of
the needs of the congregation on any particular occasion, and is able to
adapt the worship to match that need.
Tom has the talent for getting that balancing act right. He encourages the
Director of Music and the choir in exploring a wide range of music. He has
high standards for ensuring that the liturgy and the sacramental parts of
the services are conducted with respect and reverence. Above all, he has a
personal and powerful conviction that the sermons must be relevant, must
explore topical issues and must speak into the hearts of each member of the
congregation.
So, may I say thank you, Tom, for all your support to me during my training,
but also on behalf of all the church members for your inspiring spiritual
leadership during the last 14 years.
Lorna Cowell
Tom is a man of vision who can articulate the relationship of Christianity
to the present day in the language of the modern world. This makes him an
excellent preacher.
I hear from so many sources that his ministry to those whom he meets for
“occasional offices,” & who are not directly members of the congregation, is
particularly caring, understanding and helpful. He meets people “where they
are”.
Norman Start
Many expressions of thanks to, and appreciation of, Tom’s ministry have been
expressed. I wish to express a sincere debt of gratitude to him for the
content of his sermons, many of which have been quite excellent. Always well
prepared, they have been grounded in modern biblical scholarship, together
with a contemporary theological understanding. During his time with us at St
Mary’s, Tom has clearly felt that a teaching ministry is of major
importance, though not at the exclusion of pastoral and other ministries,
but none the lass basic. For this I am thankful.
During Lent this year, in place of a traditional Lent Course, Tom gave a
series of sermons at Evensong which formed the basis of discussions that
followed. He led these discussions and their success reflected the
preparation that went into the addresses. We have had very successful Advent
Courses under Tom’s leadership—not always led by Tom, but always enlightened
by his careful theological insight.
One of Tom’s trademarks has been his abundant supply of jokes! I do not know
whether everyone found them entertaining or even funny! They were to me an
indication of a down to earth approach that was neither arid nor stuffy.
Tom, you made a mark at St Mary’s and we are grateful.
Grenville Williams
When Ian Aldridge and I took on the job of Churchwarden, we had some
understanding of the role and responsibilities but very little experience of
the practicalities. Both of us were determined to ensure that the role did
not become all-consuming. We realised after a few months that the job could
be streamlined and made manageable but that much of the key to that lay in a
very strong environment of working collaboratively with Tom. There was a lot
to discuss. We needed to spend ‘quality’ time together.
Ian and I thought that the answer was to have an ‘away day’. Tom was
intrigued and ask us what we had in mind. Ian and I said that the three of
us needed to spend a day together, away from Merton Park, away from St
Mary's, discussing a whole range of changes in the role of Churchwarden, how
we were going to work with the Vicar, and changes that he should consider in
the way he worked. We shouldn't try and do it at the weekend, we should do
it during a week day. It was agreed.
All three of us like the sea and the idea emerged of having our away day in
Littlehampton. A date was set and on the day we set off early in Ian's car.
Now Ian is not a potential rival to Lewis Hamilton in speedy driving stakes
and, as we progressed in a stately fashion to Littlehampton, I think we all
got more and more apprehensive about the magnitude of the task that we had
set ourselves, and that this task was based on personal relationships as
colleagues that were only just beginning to develop. A sombre air fell upon
the three occupants of the car travelling to Littlehampton. The weather was
OK but looked a bit stormy.
We arrived at Littlehampton. What to do now? Well, and this was a
masterstroke, I suggested breakfast. Tom's face lit up, as did Ian's. But
where to have breakfast in Littlehampton? All three of us like our food.
None of us had any previous experience of full English cooked breakfast in
Littlehampton. We were standing on a pavement, debating, when I saw a
postman across the road delivering mail. Without telling Ian and Tom what I
was doing, I ran over the road and asked him “Where do you get the best
cooked breakfast in Littlehampton?” He was delighted to able to impart his
local knowledge, saying “Go down the road, don't call in at the first cafe
you meet, the second one is much better.”
He was right about the high quality of the cafe he recommended and the
enjoyment of the full cooked English breakfast broke the ice between the
three of us. We spent most of the rest of the day in a seaside shelter on
the promenade at Littlehampton, discussing an enormous number of topics in a
very open way, which involved challenging each other on some quite
fundamental things. That day, the three of us cemented a deep affection and
respect for each other, that persisted, despite occasional difficulties,
throughout the time that Ian and I were wardens and, I believe, continues to
this day.
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