Let’s appoint ..

I’ve spent this evening at Paddy’s Institution – new Rector in the Strathearn Group of congregations. That means Crieff, Comrie and Lochearnhead. If you don’t know this part of the world, it’s visual perfection and the people are nice as well.

By my reckoning, it’s more than a year since I first met the Vacancy Committee. We had all sorts of difficulties which I won’t bore you with. I know that I attended a meeting some time ago which they said was their 14th. And yet out of it all .. in that extraordinary way which is the church at its best .. nothing quite turns out as you expected but it’s probably the better for it. They bought a Rectory and that wasn’t easy either. They expected to have to borrow lots of money and then a quiet generosity in the congregations kicked in and they didn’t have to borrow lots of money.

So there we are. Paddy’s tucked up in a nice, easy-to-heat modern Rectory. She’ll hit the ground running tomorrow. And I still have one or two problems to sort out elsewhere. But sufficient unto the day, etc.