The Reverend Nathanael Hayler will be installed as the new rector of Winchelsea, Icklesham and Pett in a ceremony at St Thomas’s on Wednesday 28 January at 7.30pm.
The legal process required formally to create the new benefice was completed in December and work has been taking place to refurbish and decorate the Winchelsea rectory on St Thomas’ Street.
“The Church of England has a splendidly arcane set of terms for launching its clergy,” said David Page, the editor of the Winchelsea Magazine and a former Church of England priest. “Nathanael will be collated by the Bishop of Chichester and inducted by the Archdeacon of Hastings during the ceremony.”
He said Reverend Hayler has moved to Winchelsea from the Diocese of Newcastle. “That’s where he served his title post as assistant curate in the Coastland Churches (a multi-parish group of coastal churches in rural Northumberland). Nathanael’s theological and ministerial training has taken place in both Cambridge and Durham where he has studied at Westcott House and St John’s College respectively.”
The new rector told the Winchelsea Magazine about his hopes for his new appointment. “I have a heart for seeing all people find a warm welcome in their local church and, beyond that, supporting all to share their faith with confidence. Genuine inclusion and generous hospitality are an essential part of my ministry.”
He said he was looking forward to getting to know local people. “To share in the ordinary (and extraordinary) moments of our life together, to hear your stories, and to discover how God is already at work among you. I’m excited to celebrate and honour all that has shaped these communities and churches, and to be creative in exploring new ideas as we move and grow together. At the heart of it all, I hope to be a prayerful, warm, encouraging and visible presence in the parishes.”
Rye News will have a report on the ceremony next Wednesday and a look at the history of some of the churches in the new rector’s ministry.
Image Credits: Nathanael Hayler .