Dear Friends....

As September begins, I’ll be marking my first year of ordained ministry—and my first year serving the four churches that make up the North Downs Surrey Pastorate. It’s been a brilliant whirlwind of a year, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know you all.

At home, my five-year-old has been growing cucumbers in the Manse garden. Not just growing them—playing with them too, as toy ankylosauruses! Perhaps that’s why I’ve found myself thinking about faith and compost lately.

I used compost in a recent Sunday service within the pastorate—writing down things we wanted to let go of and placing them in the crevices of logs in the church garden, trusting that God could take what feels messy or difficult and turn it into something life-giving. Compost isn’t tidy, but it’s busy, transforming endings into new beginnings. It reminds me of how faith often begins—quietly, but often out of sight or overlooked.

This year, I’ve seen moments of growth—emerging from faith and care that have been cultivated in the pastorate over many seasons:

• Worship that invites all ages to take part, with storytelling, prayer, and worship activities that help us connect with God in creative ways.

• Elders offering committed leadership that is rooted in grace and care.

• Friendships deepening over coffee, toddler group conversations, and shared laughter.

• People showing up with courage and kindness, even when life feels uncertain.

These moments remind me God is here among us.

As we look ahead, we’ll need more people to help tend this shared garden of faith. If you feel drawn to any aspect of church life—whether eldership, pastoral care, worship, or volunteering—I’d be very glad to have a conversation with you to explore what it might look like for you to serve in a new role.

This autumn, we also have opportunities to gather and reflect. In Banstead, David Skitt will be leading a Wednesday morning prayer and reflection group in October, inspired by The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. I’ll be running a parallel group online on Zoom for the whole pastorate, offering space to explore faith together from home. If you’d like to be added to the sign-up list for either group, just get in touch.

Over the next 12 weeks, I’ll also be working with Bethan Evans, who will be supporting me as a temporary admin assistant. You may receive messages from her on my behalf—especially around sign-ups for church events or booking meetings.

As we enter the season of harvest, I’m reminded of these words from Galatians:“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Thank you for all the ways you help your church flourish—seen and unseen.

With love and blessings,

Siobhán - Minister, North Downs Surrey Pastorate

Taken from the September Edition of The Record