Page 6 - Moravian Messenger September 2018

Synod was a humbling and overwhelming experience for me and I would like to thank people for their kindness and best wishes on my election as Bishop. I have valued the prayerful support of so many people throughout my service in the Church and I hope that that will continue in the months and years to come.
Another group of people who really deserve our prayers and support are the newly elected Provincial Board. They have the task of leading the Church into the future and of dealing with all the complexities not just of the worshipping body but also with company and charity
issues. There are property matters, personnel issues, financial details and more all to be dealt with on a day to day basis and speaking from experience at times it can seem difficult to get out from the trees to see the wood.
Many charity boards struggle with the fact that their boards are white, male and in late middle age. So recently there have been many moves in the charity world to try and increase the diversity of those on sit on their boards. That is thankfully not an issue for us because the diversity of our newly elected Board is a
Editorial
Introducing the new Board Members...
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Br Paul Holdsworth
Hello there. My name is Paul Holdsworth, a new non-stipendiary member of the PEC, and I have been asked to write a little about myself for the Messenger. I am originally from Lower Wyke and was educated at Fulneck School, followed by a Law Degree in Leicester. Were it not for
Leicester Tigers and my brothers and sisters at Leicester Moravian Church I might not have had the will to complete that degree! Br Victor Launder was a great inspiration as well and after a spell at York Law School I decided to offer myself for ministry in 1993. I was accepted for training and studied for a degree in Contextual Theology in Manchester and was then called as a student minister to Fulneck Moravian Church in 1998. The following year Patsy and I moved to London following my call to serve Fetter Lane and Harold Road congregations.
I was also ordained that year at Hornsey, by Br Joe Cooper and, after five and a half years we moved to Belfast, in answer to my call to serve Kilwarlin and University Road congregations. When Patsy completed her training I remained with University Road, whilst also taking up Cliftonville and Patsy began her ministry at Ballinderry and later also at Kilwarlin. After ten and a half years in the Emerald Isle Patsy and I were called to serve six congregations in the Western District, with Patsy serving Brockweir, Kingswood and Tytherton and me serving Bath Weston, Bath Coronation Avenue and Swindon congregations. And this is where we find ourselves today and so, as you can imagine, a call to become a non-stipendiary PEC member is a challenge, for sure. I can only pray that I am able to continue to serve our congregations in the west as a minister and our province as a member of the Provincial Board.
And so I would like to conclude by thanking the members of Synod 2018 for electing me to join this long heritage of brothers and sisters who have served this province for so many years. Please keep our new team in your prayers so that we can serve you and the Lord in the best way we can.
Br Paul M Holdsworth
Minister at Bath Weston, Bath Coronation Avenue and Swindon Congregations
Br David Howarth
It seems customary these days that new members of the Provincial Board are asked to write something about themselves for the Moravian Messenger, however, I am fully aware that there will be some people in the Lancashire District who will read this who have known both my parents and maternal grandparents. My grandparents were members of the
Wheler Street congregation long before I was born, and so I followed in their footsteps and those of my mother in attending the Sunday School and in time becoming a member of the congregation.
Unlike many of my generation I did not lose a regular church connection, my mother making sure of that by arranging for me to have things to do. Sr Joan Howarth (née Walker), my mother, was one of the organists and she made sure that I would go to church with her and my father in plenty of time before the service began where I would help putting out hymn books and the hymn numbers on the board.
On reaching 21, I was elected to serve on the Church Committee, although once my term of office ended I graciously declined a further nomination. The following year I was elected and went on to serve until I offered for training for ministry.
Following four years of study and formation for ministry at Northern College, Manchester, I was called initially to serve at Fulneck and Gomersal before receiving a further call six months or so later to what was then Sparkhill United Church. Shortly afterwards, a call was issued to also serve at Leominster. I consider myself extremely lucky with these calls as my first in ministry, for the lessons learned and mistakes made have informed my ministry. Since then I have served at Leicester and Ockbrook, Hall Green United Community Church and Leominster and now at Baildon and Horton. Between the Synods of 2014 and 2016 I also served on the Provincial Board. I have enjoyed and been blessed in so many ways and by so many people.
From the very beginning of my training, and especially following ordination, I have drawn heavily on experiences gained earlier on in life. My CV is quite varied and shows that I have worked for the then Inland Revenue and within IT and product delivery for BUPA within their Corporate Insurance business.
I hope and pray that with the experiences gained, both within the church and secularly, will ensure that I am suitably equipped to serve on the Provincial Board once more. I see this, as with all aspects of church service as a joy and a privilege.
Br David Howarth
Minister at Baildon and Horton Congregations