Home from Home

If there are any regular readers out there you will have realised by now that I am playing 'catch-up' with entries to my blog. I'm already a week behind, and have travelled to Rome and back, but now I have some time at the computer to get up to date.

Our 'second home''

After my drenching in North Wales I drove to our house in Ripon, North Yorkshire. The property was first bought by my late father in the early 1980s and became ours after my parents had both died. It has been a welcome bolt-hole for almost 30 years and friends and family members have enjoyed using it as well. It was my base for my 1996 sabbatical, except for the time in India, and will be again for much of the time until August. It has sometimes been a trial looking after it, most notably in the past year after the 'great flood' of 1 July 2011 (caused by a ruptured joint in a water pipe) which has taken until now to put right.


Kathryn was already there and we were able to enjoy a relaxed weekend. Two sets of friends from Beverley have moved to the Ripon area in the last couple of years and we are able to meet up with them. Part of the attraction of Ripon, though, is Sunday morning worship at Holy Trinity Church.


I have been involved on behalf of Simeon's Trustees in the appointments of the last two incumbents at Holy Trinity: Mark Tanner (now Warden of Cranmer Hall, Durham) and, recently, Chris Butler. I presented Chris at his institution in May and it was good to go along on the second Sunday of my sabbatical to see him settling in. It was a service of Holy Communion in a relaxed, contemporary style, with a music group. There was an excellent, gently challenging sermon from Canon Alison Montgomery, Holy Trinity's long-serving non-stipendiary Associate Vicar, who is held in great affection and respect in the parish and the diocese. 


Kathryn and I value Holy Trinity a great deal. We have got to know the clergy and quite a number of lay people and we appreciate the warmth of the welcome. We feel very much at home in the worship and are excited by many of the church activities as well. It remains to be seen whether we will make our retirement home in Ripon, but if we do it seems certain the Holy Trinity would be our home church. We also have a great affection for the Cathedral, just a few hundred yards from our house,  and would look forward to building a relationship there as well. We would have to sell our existing property and find a more suitable home. The sabbatical is a welcome opportunity to reflect on what might be.


Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you. for the glory of God.

Romans 15:7