Kris Seward
Hi, my name is Kris and I am married to Karen, we have just moved into the vicarage at Welford. In this short period of time, we have begun to experience the hospitality and love of the community. The wonderful welcome of cards, flowers and meals have been so thoughtful and gratefully received whilst we are in the middle of the chaos of moving to a new house and settling in, so please accept our sincere thanks for this blessing. Over the past two years, Karen and I have been living in Durham where I studied Theology, Ministry and Mission at Cranmer Hall. Before this, we lived in the small village of Geddington which is just outside of Kettering. Whilst we loved Durham I have felt God’s call for me to serve in rural ministry grow stronger and stronger so it’s with a great deal of excitement and anticipation that I begin my curacy with you all. I am really looking forward to meeting everyone over the coming weeks but also a little disappointed that under the current restrictions this may not be possible in the same way as normal. However not to be deterred I’m hoping to set up a few informal drop-in sessions via zoom and will be calling others on the telephone so we can have a chat over a cup of tea or coffee and get to know one another. Having spoken to Miranda, I am also planning to begin a weekday morning prayer service via zoom, so keep your eyes peeled on the Naseby Group website for further details.
Over the coming weeks I also plan to visit each parish to prayer walk the streets and get to know the villages, I should be quite easy to spot as Archer my dog will be by my side and he has an opinion on everything and likes to express it loudly, so please look for me. Walking is a real passion of ours and being in Gods beautiful creation is often where I feel closest to God, it’s a great opportunity just to relax and be, and we are delighted to be surrounded by so much beauty within the benefice. I have a real heart for mission and a deep pastoral concern for all, and my hope is to walk alongside the communities encouraging and developing the gifts that God has given us, to learn from those around me, enabling one another to reach further into our communities and show the love of Christ to those who have not heard or experienced his love before. I am often struck by the message from John 21 v.15- 17 and our call to feed and care for Gods sheep, to find those who are lost or in need (Luke 15:1-7). This is the ministry I would love to develop as together we seek to re-define what Church means and how we can do things differently post COVID-19 whilst continuing to make Church relevant and life-giving to our communities, building on the good work already underway within the parishes. We are so blessed that God has brought us to this wonderful place, and it will be a real privilege to be able to serve you over the coming years. In the meantime, I look forward to being part of these lovely communities and assure you of my continued prayers and I look forward to journeying with you and seeing where God leads us.
I wish you all Gods perfect peace and blessings.
Kris
Kris and Archer
Contact Details:
Kris Seward
The Vicarage
The Leys
Welford
01858 575 909