Following 4 years with us at Curate, the Reverend Jo King will be licensed as Priest-in-Charge at Holy Cross, North Bersted, on Tuesday 25th September at 7.30pm (see noticeboard in church to request tickets).
She and her husband Mike, and daughters Lucy and Amy officially said goodbye to us on Sea Sunday, 15th July, during the 9.45 service and then afterwards at a party at the Church Centre.
Below you can see photos of the farewell party and also read the farewell letter Jo wrote to the residents of Pagham in July’s Good News.
Rev Jo’s Farewell message in Good News July 2018
Farewell and thank you to the Pagham community. At the end of the summer, my family and I will be leaving sunny Pagham as I take up my new role as the vicar of Holy Cross church in North Bersted, the one by the pink pub. We have had an amazing four years here in Pagham and have all been made to feel very welcome. Pagham, of course, has much experience in welcoming visitors and holiday makers, I couldn’t count the number of times I have heard the same story about why people live here. It goes something like this… Well you see my grandparent/ parent/ I/ used to come and stay here on holiday, and it was so lovely that they retired/ had children/ got some money/ they moved down here and we all stayed. Having been part of this community I can understand why people stay: the quiet pace of life and almost always empty beach along with good pubs and eateries and a great sense of community. It is our own little paradise. It is my prayer that Pagham finds a way to stay that way, as the oldest generation dies away and are replaced with young families or newly retired people. It is important that we retain our compassion and love for our neighbours; even though they may be less like us than those who have gone before. As my family and I are facing the challenge of change so all communities experience change, and this can bring worry and fear. The trouble with fear and anxiety is that they can lead to anger or withdrawal, giving up or resignation. These emotions can then prevent us from being open to the good things that change brings. There is a passage from the words of Jesus that my family and I will be relying on over the coming weeks, it comes from Matthew chapter 6. Jesus tells us to look at the birds of the air and the flowers of the field who do not have to worry about what to wear or do or eat because God looks after them, if God does this for them how much more will he do this for us. The passage ends “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”