There was a sense of celebration and anticipation in the air on the evening of July 3 in Badshot Lea. Carol Wilson-Barker, the long-awaited new team vicar, was installed in a service at St George's by the Bishop of Guildford, the Right Rev Christopher Hill. And although the service followed the required ceremonial format - which would have made it impressive enough - it was far more than just a ceremony.  The general consensus was that there was, as Carol herself says "a sense of joy".  There was also a sense of purpose.  In his address, Bishop Christopher talked about the "thousands of people out there and not in church tonight, who half believe and half doubt, who are asking questions about life and faith, about the world around us and the society we live in, looking for the meaning of life which quietly challenges the overconfident unbeliever".  He said that there were many such people in the parish and it was for Carol and the church to show them "the wounds of Christ's love".

We are delighted to announce the appointment of the Revd Carol Wilson-Barker as Team Vicar (subject to the usual CRB and health-checks). Carol comes to us from Cornwall, where she is presently curate in the Godrevy Team Ministry. She is married to Neil, and has two sons, Toby (8) and Guy (4). They hope to move into the Vicarage for the start of the second half of the summer term. Carol's Installation and Licensing will take place on the evening of Tuesday 3rd July at St George's. Put the date in your diary now! Please pray for Carol and her family as they prepare for their move to the parish.

Well, judging from some conversations I've had recently the answer is: yes, you do - some of you, at least.  A number of people have come up to me expressing their concern, even dismay, at what they see as the increased use of incense in our worship in St John's.  For some, this may be because they find it physically irritating; for others, it is more a question of taste - they find it too ‘High Church' perhaps.  In short, they are incensed by the incense.

A Christian approach to a topical question.

At one level the climate change we are now beginning to experience is the result of increased concentrations of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere.  At another level it is the result of human activity, mainly through burning fossil fuels like coal, gas and oil.  So carbon dioxide concentrations have increased by one third since 1750, the start of the Industrial Revolution, and the United Kingdom has provided 15 per cent of this.

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