I hope you’ve all had the chance to meet Rev Alastair Kirk, our new Team Vicar? He’s had a busy first month, ministering in each of our churches and making a good start with his team oversight role for All Age Discipleship. If you were with us for his licensing you’ll have heard me talk about the Kaleidoscope and I want to share this again here. At Rev Julie Fleming’s licensing, Archdeacon Andy Jolley shared with us a picture that he’d seen when praying for the Keighley team.

Like me, you may have had a kaleidoscope when you were younger and can remember looking through and seeing the different shapes and colours, moving in sync, growing and merging and then separating out again. It’s a beautiful thing and quite mesmerising.

In establishing the new team and for us as a parish this idea of the Kaleidoscope feels to be important. We need to understand and see how we, with different roles and responsibilities, different gifts and passions are called to me be moving together, aware of each other and finding ways to share in and complement what others are doing. Rev Tracey found the picture here – it’s lovely how it’s all centred around the light, with the various shades and colours reflecting that light.

The Parish of Keighley has three vicars (2.5 stipend) – each of us has a whole parish role; each has a church/congregations to which we will relate in terms of pastoral contact and leadership; but it’s important that we all will be known in each of the congregations. Therefore:

· Rev Natasha is our strategic lead for Mission and primary person for St Mark’s

· Rev Alastair is our strategic lead for All Age Discipleship and primary person for St Barnabas

· Rev Mike leads on vision, holds oversight for the whole parish and is primary person for St Andrew’s

· In addition we have Paul Fleming, our operations manager as strategic lead for communications, finance and administration.

· Alongside this we continue to work closely with St John’s Ingrow, valuing from Tracey’s involvement in our strategic groups and input into pastoral care.

The wider parish team of lay people (licensed or otherwise), retired clergy and employed staff also need to see themselves as part of this kaleidoscope. You may for example, worship at St Mark’s, volunteer at the Welcome Café and be interested in contributing to pastoral care. When we understand ourselves together, it strengthens the whole. Thank you for your part in Kaleidoscope Keighley!