It's Official!
On the 1 January 2008 the two parishes of St. Matthew’s and St. Oswald’s will become one.
Following widespread consultation, much prayer and discussion, the green light has now been given and the necessary papers are now being drawn up, to bring the new parish and benefice into existence on 1 January next year.
For those interested in the legal bits the name of the benefice will be Rugby West and the name of the parish will be St. Matthew and St. Oswald.
The Vicar of the new parish will be Martin Saxby, currently Vicar of St. Matthew’s, and his institution will be on Thursday 17 January at St. Oswald’s Church at 7.30pm.
Martin says, “as we bring together St. Matthew’s and St. Oswald’s with our churchplant at Overslade, we become one church, with three worship centres and four congregations.”
The new parish will have two parish churches, St. Oswald’s and St. Matthew’s, there will be one PCC, soon to be appointed, and 4 churchwardens.
New Year, New Beginnings
The new year and the new parish will be marked with special services and a coming together outside St. Oswald’s on Sunday 6 January.
At 10.30am that day services will start in all three worship centres and then people from Overslade and St. Matthew’s will board buses, and some will walk, as we converge on the grass in front of St. Oswald’s for a special act of worship to celebrate these new beginnings.
We hope everyone will make a special effort to join in this act of witness and unity.
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