Winchelsea church was full on 28 January as friends and family, members of the church and local community came together for a service to launch the ministry of Nathanael
Hayler as Rector of Winchelsea, Pett and Icklesham.
In the specialist legal terminology of the Church of England, he was collated by the Bishop of Chichester and inducted by the Archdeacon of Hastings.
As Bishop Martin pointed out, the new rector took up his role on the same day that the new Archbishop of Canterbury took up hers. In a sermon drawing on Jesus’ Parable of the Sower, the bishop encouraged us to cultivate the gifts that we have all been given, exploring the mystery of the growth of the seed of faith and tending it in worship and prayer.
Having administered the necessary oaths, the archdeacon led Nathanael to the west door for the symbolic act of taking possession of the living, and then to ring the church bell.
After communion, Nathanael gave warm thanks to all the people who had looked after the parishes during the year- long vacancy, to the team who had prepared the Rectory for him to move into, and to all those whose contribution had made the induction service such a memorable occasion.
Read the interview with Reverend Nathanael Hayler in this week’s paper here.
Image Credits: Natasha Robinson .