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18th September 2006
To :- The Congregation of Holytown
I was delighted to be able to announce the date and time for your new Interim Minister to be installed. The date has been set for the 26th October 2006 at 7.00pm in New Stevenston, Wrangholm.
That is when the Presbytery will conduct the Service of Linkage and the Induction of The Reverend lain Goring as the Interim Minister for the new linked charge.
Having said all that, this then becomes my last pastoral letter for the Church Magazine. From the time when the Presbytery asked me to become the Interim Moderator for Holytown until now may have seemed a long time for you all here at Holytown. It has been two years and eight months in total. However it must be said that for yourselves as a Church from the time the vacancy was declared it has been even longer.
Personally I have found the whole experience very rewarding from the point of view that I have had the privilege of steering you through what has been a long and at times an exasperating period in the life of Holytown Church.
Nevertheless it has been a very enjoyable period in my ministry and I am very grateful for the help and assistance that I have received during my time with you. There are so many people who I should thank, but to name them would be wrong of me for I would not like to omit anyone from the list.
Let me therefore say many thanks to the Members of the Kirk Session and to those on the Congregational Board for the help and support that they have given me during my time with you.
This Church is indeed blessed with an excellent group of office bearers who have a very high level of commitment to the work of this Church.
With your "New Minister" at the helm there is absolutely no reason that I can think of, that will stop the Church from moving in the right direction. You can and will move forward and remain an integral part of the community both in Holytown and within the Presbytery of Hamilton.
I am most certainly looking forward to the Service of linkage on the 26th October 2006 and will be keeping a watching eye on the future of the new Linked Charge of Holytown and New Stevenston, Wrangholm.
My prayer is that you will continue to hold out the Gospel to the Parish and community for many years to come.
May God richly bless you in the years that lie ahead.
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