
Hello from the “nearly new” curate!
I am not sure for how much longer I can say “I’m the new curate in Tetbury”; I have been here already eight months! I am however new to these pages and this is an opportunity for me to introduce myself. I’m Pauline Setterfield, married to Peter and, as Revd Poppy mentioned a few months ago, we have lived for 35 years in nearby Hawkesbury Upton where I was organist, director of the choir and worship leader. Having sung with the Tetbury church choir on many occasions and as a supporter of the Tetbury Music Festival since its inception, links were already made here. Now it is really good to have joined this community and I am looking forward to getting to know you better once restrictions ease.
On September 19th I was ordained Deacon by Bishop Rachel at Gloucester Cathedral. Ministry looks very different from how I expected, but although I have had little opportunity to be out and about in the Benefice these past months, the power of Zoom has taken me into people’s homes every Sunday morning for worship and chat, and that has given me the chance to get to know people…and their pets! Do visit the church website (tetburychurch.co.uk) for details of our popular Sunday services at 10am on Zoom. Details for Holy Week and Easter will also be posted soon. It is also a huge privilege to be walking alongside those who have been bereaved. Pastoral care is hugely important to me, as is ministry to children. Poppy and I enjoy recording weekly worship for St Mary’s Primary School; we keep them and also the staff and pupils of Sir William Romney’s in our prayers.
I realise that this is a tough time for many, whether in retail, hospitality, caring services or perhaps home schooling. As we enter the period of Lent we can feel that during this pandemic we, like Christ, are being tempted in the wilderness. But Lent is a time of positivity; not so much a time to pull up weeds, as to plant new seeds, physically and spiritually, to look for new life springing up in our gardens and in our lives, and to plan for days when we can all be together again, to look forward with hope. Our faith in the resurrected Christ gives us that hope and the ability to see things differently.
It is currently difficult to plan as far ahead as we would wish; my heart goes out particularly to all our prospective wedding couples. We are busy planning Home Groups for Lent when we will be picking up themes from Rowan Williams’ latest book, “Candles in the Dark”, based on his reflections during the pandemic. As Lord Williams writes, “it’s worth thinking about how already the foundations have been laid for whatever new opportunities God has for us on the far side of this crisis.” New opportunities, new life in Christ.
God be with you.
The Revd Pauline Setterfield
Tetbury Benefice