Tying the knot

Today I woke up a changed man or, at least I woke up with a new status.

I went to bed as a priest-in-charge and woke up as a vicar. All this is because today is the day that our new united benefice came into operation.

The what? Yes, I know the CofE likes to use as much obscure terminology as it can and generally confuse everyone as much as possible - you should see the pages of legalese that made all this possible.

The closest I can get to explaining it is this: imagine a couple who have been engaged for years and then they finally tie the knot. On that day they make official a relationship that has already existed for years.

Well, that's a bit like St James and St Anne's churches.

They have had the same vicar for years. They have been served by the same team of preachers and leaders for years. In fact, they've been an 'item' for as long as anyone can remember.

Now they've made it official.

Our two parishes are now linked together permanently: from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer.

Of course like any marriage relationship this is one you have to work at, so today we begin a new phase in our life as two Bermondsey parishes, working together, praying together, seeking God's will together, united in our mission together to share the Gospel with the people of Bermondsey.

Like a married couple we retain our individual identities - St James remain St James, and St Anne's remains St Anne's - but we are committed to an even closer relationship from this day forward than we have enjoyed in the past.

Bermondsey from the air