From Revd Malcolm Shaw
To all at St Michael & All Angels, Brimington
Hello to you all.
I have the good fortune and the blessing of being appointed as your next Rector, for which I give my heartfelt thanks to Mike and Phil, your churchwardens, and those who interviewed me some time ago.
I am very conscious that while I have been able to learn quite a lot about the parish, most of you will know nothing about me, and so to address this situation I am now writing to try to give you a short description of my background and perhaps some of my hopes, dreams and prayers for our future together in Brimington.
I was born in 1946 at Mansfield and for my sins was a keen Stags supporter. (you will have to forgive me for that). However at the age of 15 when I left school, I joined the army and served for 12 years with the 14/20 Kings Hussars, a Lancashire cavalry regiment.
It was while in the army that I met my wife Sandy (by the way she is from the Enfield, Middlesex, area but not bad for a southerner). She is also known to have a problem with counting birthdays, for she was born the same year as me, but seems to be convinced that she is only 29? We have two grown sons, both policemen working in Cheshire, and we also have five grandchildren who work tirelessly ensuring that we never have the problem of spare cash to worry about.
It was also while I was in the army that I had my first contact with the Church of England and was confirmed whilst still serving. Prior to joining the army I had been brought up worshiping in a local mission Sunday School.
On leaving the army I joined Royal Mail and eventually they moved us to Crewe in Cheshire to help manage their large mechanised sorting office.
When we arrived at Crewe, we found a small rural church locally, also called St Michaels, and we became a part of their worshiping family.
After serving as Deanery Synod representative, PCC, Treasurer and Church Warden, as well as cutting the grass and having the role of odd job man around church for many years, I felt that God was still calling me to something different, that I was not doing what God had in mind for me. So I started out on training to become a Lay Reader, after three years I still had a gut feeling that I was not yet doing all that God was calling me to do. When I told my priest this, he asked if I had ever thought of ordination, to which I replied "no thanks". He asked me to go away and think about it, to give myself time and space for prayer and for God to speak to me. After about three months I agreed to put my name forward for the selection process for ordained ministry.
In 1999 I joined Trinity Theological College after being selected to go forward for ordination training.
By July 2001 I was ordained in Derby Cathedral to the post of deacon, then the following year to priest as curate at Bolsover.
What has attracted me to Brimington?
Well first and foremost I have been impressed by the current spiritual life within the worshiping church family of St Michaels. Your recent retreat to Iona and frequent quiet days at Derby show that you have a core of people who value prayer and share a commitment to discerning God's will for his people. The fact that the church currently tithe on its giving, is also a very encouraging sign of commitment to a biblical ministry towards care for all of Gods creation.
My prayers for our future ministry together in Brimington are that we will grow both spiritually and numerically. I have a heart for both the ministry to the young and to the elderly, and hope to be active in both schools and Care Homes.
I also have a strong leaning towards a social ministry, of commitment and action within the local community, of showing Jesus' care and love for the poor, the lonely and the disadvantaged.
I truly believe in a teamwork approach ministry, that we all have an equal part to play and that none are anymore equal than others. To this end I will always encourage input to both worship and mission and ministry from all in the church family, and if you have a current role within the life of the church I pray that you will continue playing that role.
There is so much more that I could write, but I think that is all for now, both Sandy and I will hold you all in our prayers as we move towards our move, and I would ask you all to pray for us.
We look forward to meeting you all and getting to know you.
Yours In Christ
Malcolm Shaw