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15 Mill Fields I am absolutely thrilled about being the new County Ecumenical Officer for Churches Together in Kent. I am greatly looking forward to starting work alongside you all on 1st September, and it will be so good to begin getting to know you and sharing in the ecumenical adventures and challenges of our churches in these days.  Although I was not born in Kent, I have a natural affinity with this wonderful county. Carol, my wife, was born in River, near Dover (where we married in 1974); I served as a Methodist minister in the Medway Towns (in the Walderslade & Luton Chatham LEPs) between 1978 and 1983; I was later stationed in Welling (in the London Borough of Bexley) as Circuit superintendent; I have been a District Chair which included, among other ecumenical responsibilities, the chairing of Churches Together in Kent; and now we are soon to move from Croydon to our new home in Shepherdswell, a beautiful village located between Dover and Canterbury (with a sharing arrangement among Anglicans and Methodists). During my time as District Chair I travelled widely throughout Kent, coming to love it dearly, and I feel very closely attached to church life here in all its varied shapes, forms and expressions.
I hope to bring enthusiasm and commitment to Church unity in these demanding times. It is not always easy to maintain our witness to the Gospel in a way that appeals to those beyond church structures, especially when Christianity is perceived by so many to display irreconcilable differences and divisions. However, we have in these present times unprecedented possibilities to bear witness to our common faith and united action, particularly when we can see our Christian unity in terms of reconciled diversity. 'Unity in reconciled diversity' has become a powerful phrase within ecumenical endeavours - locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. From my student days at the (then) newly established ecumenical theological college of Queens in Birmingham to my current commitment to European issues, I believe there is an undisputed imperative for our prayers and fervent efforts to be brought to bear in working for God together and worshipping God together. I am filled with excitement as September gets ever closer, and I hope and pray that I can serve you all in Churches Together in Kent faithfully and well. Yours sincerely, Harvey Richardson |
