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Well Hill:

Our Rector, Rev John Tranter, has held his last services in the Church and at Well Hill Mission. He will now retire with Janet to Shropshire. His retirement was originally scheduled for last summer, but like so many other aspects of life it was derailed by Covid.

Who’d have thought that we’d be able to fit fifty people into St Martin’s for John’s last Sunday service? All done with the appropriate Covid-safe distancing in place! To be fair it did take a bit of flexibility, with the ‘every other pew’ set up added to via people in the Choir stalls, Chapel and Belfry.  John gave us a very interesting service and it was a very enjoyable time.

What could not happen, of course, was a proper send-off (which, many may agree, requires wine and nibbles etc) Therefore it has been agreed that he will return, provisionally on 4 July, take a service in Church and then we will give him a proper send off. Please put that date in your diaries. The date has been set in anticipation of the Covid restrictions having been sufficiently relaxed to allow us to have a proper ‘do’. If that is not the case then we shall look to reschedule the event.

Looking back

John was installed into the Parish in March 2014 by the Bishop of Rochester. During his time at St Martin’s he settled in well with us and took part in all that went on in the Church, also supporting events in the Village. Similarly Janet has been a constant support to John and the church and will be equally missed. We have really enjoyed his sermons and teaching, which have been a blessing to us. Equally we know that people have truly appreciated the warmth of his ‘Occasional Services’ – Weddings, Funerals and Baptisms.

It is often said that adversity can bring out the best in people and John certainly rose to the challenges of the last year, recording services in various places around the Churchyard. At some he even had an informal congregation – arguably at the limit of what was allowed.  People from around the world were seen to have logged in to his on line services – never before has the reach of St Martin’s extended so far.

In the meantime, all at St Martin’s are sorry to be losing John and Janet and we wish them a safe move and a long, happy and healthy retirement. They will now be taking a short break and then returning to pack up the Rectory before they move away late in May.

Looking forward

As you’ll remember, back in the summer of 2018 it was proposed that a ‘Pastoral Scheme’ would be implemented whereby St Martin’s will link with St Mary’s and All Souls to become a Joint Benefice, to be called the ‘Benefice of Chelsfield with Green St Green and Pratts Bottom’.

Rev. Susan Atkinson-Jones was recruited in late 2019 to lead the new Benefice but was only able to visit Chelsfield a handful of times before Covid struck. At that time John and Susan agreed that it was safest to focus on their individual parishes so as to both reduce the number of people to whom they were each exposed and also to limit the possibility that one of them might carry any infection to the other congregation.

As of this month, May, we shall start seeing more of Susan and she will be leading our Family Communion service on Sunday 2 May as well as taking a number of our Wednesday morning Communion services.

On 1 June the Pastoral Scheme will come into force and, from being Priest in charge of St Mary’s and All Souls, Susan will be renamed Rector of the new Benefice of St.Martin’s, St.Mary’s and All Souls.

On Sunday 16 May, Revd Susan announced the appointment of the Revd Michael Gentry as Associate Rector to the Joint Beneface. He will live in the Chelsfield Rectory in Skibbs Lane.

Steve McCann (updated 16 May 2021)

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If you are unable to view any of our Facebook services through our website, please go directly to our Facebook page:
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Daily Prayers - John Sargant & Val Hemmings are now broadcasting live daily prayers on Tuesdays and Thursday at 8.15am on our Facebook page:. www.facebook.com/ChelsfieldStMartins

Services have now resumed in Church and Well Hill, complying with Covid 19 regulations.

See the latest issue of Staying in Touch.