| The article from our church
magazine, placed elsewhere on this site and written by our previous
vicar Revd. Barry Dryden, begins with some observations on the speed
with which time flies. It is hard to believe that a year has passed
since we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Church of the Ascension
here in Woolston with a fantastic flower festival and many celebratory
events. Shortly afterwards we said a sad goodbye to Barry, who had been
our vicar for the previous seven years, and his wife Janet. But saying
goodbye to an incumbent was not a novel experience to the folks here at
the Ascension, for in the 40 years since the church opened its doors we
had had no fewer than six vicars which means that we are now in our
sixth interregnum! Being in an interregnum is not particularly easy and somehow the longer it goes on the harder things seem to get. There are good points, however, one in particular being meeting all the different clergy that have come to take our services week by week. They are all different in so many ways, there are men and women, some young, some older, some still working in a parish, several are retired - one - a chaplain at a local university - has come all the way from California! And of course they all bring a different slant to worship which helps keep us on our spiritual toes! We really have beeen lucky with the cover provided by our visitors and can't thank them enough for their continuing help and support. But we are looking to the future also, looking forward to once again having a vicar in post, who can make us his - or her - own special flock and help us as we continue on our spiritual journey. The Church of the Ascension has a lot to offer a prospective incumbent. It is a suburban parish with a good location. There is a thriving Church of England School that has maintained close ties with the church and a regular congregation of around 70 worshippers. Relations are good between the Ascension and the nearby Methodist and Roman Catholic churches. We are a friendly bunch and pretty efficient at doing what has to be done, if we say so ourselves. The social committee arranges everything from coffee after church to the fund-raising Fairs we hold each summer and Christmas, the fabric committee and other members of the congregation will always step in to do minor repairs, we have a willing band of cleaners, Junior Church leaders ... there is so much more we could say. Please check out our profile on the Diocesan web-site ( www.liverpool.anglican.org ) for more information. We know that there are a few issues to be sorted out regarding staffing between the Ascension and its neighbouring churches and the post is almost certainly to be shared, but realistically we know that the days of one vicar in every vicarage are long gone. So what we are saying is, surely there is someone out there who is intrigued by the idea of this church in the North of England that needs a new shepherd! Please check us out, we are here, waiting for you. One thing's for sure, you will get a very warm welcome!
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