The Revd Jim Edie was welcomed to the Benefice of Sherborne on Tuesday 6 September, as both Team Vicar of St Paul's Church, and Chaplain of The Gryphon School.
The special service was not just a welcome, but also a celebration and marker of the signifcance of partnerships between schools and churches,
Speaking at the service, Bishop Karen said,
"This evening marks the end of a whole process of discernment where the needs of the school
for its new Chaplain, come together with the needs of the church and with someone with the
right gifts, the right experience and an eagerness to take on a new challenge in a new place.
So tonight is a celebration and a new beginning. Jim bringing his own gifts here to share
with you. Those gifts come from ministry both within the church and outside it particularly
in youth work, project management and outreach.
"Church, and school, and community belong together. Not only are they
significant places set in the heart of a particular community made up of
other buildings, they are places centred on local relationships which criss-cross inside
and outside their walls. So the partnership that develops is both corporate and personal."
The Revd Jim Edie says,
"As well as being places of learning, fellowship and pastoral support, churches and schools are central in providing places of unity and acceptance in our communities. Here in Sherborne, I look forward to working with others in developing further the bridge between these two important organisations and in helping God’s Kingdom reign in our ever-challenging world."