The PCC had a successful 'Section 12' meeting with the Bishop of London, the Archdeacon of London, Luke Miller, and Adam Atkinson, the new Archdeacon of Charing Cross, via Zoom on Wednesday the 29th of April.
A Section 12 meeting is intended to allow the bishop, the patron (in the case of St Giles, this is also the bishop) and the PCC to discuss the needs of the parish and to provide an opportunity to discuss any issues around the appointment of a new incumbent, as well as any particular requirements of the parish and how a new appointment will be conducted.
We discussed the type of person that we would like to see as the new Rector - an ambassadorial figure committed to our distinctive style of churchmanship. Asked what strength would mean to St Giles, we discussed how any appointment would build on the temporal and mission foundations left to us by Alan and Bill, as well as the fact that we, as a church, take pride in enabling the good works of others, such as the Simon Community. The Archdeacon was keen for applicants to the living not to be dissuaded by the volume of potential projects, but was reassured that we do not expect all of these to come to fruition! The diocese is also excited by the prospect of future closer engagement with other nearby parishes.
Due to the current epidemic, the appointment process will unfortunately be delayed - the Bishop mentioned a time-frame of an additional six weeks. This is to be confirmed to us as soon as possible.
- Oliver Flory & Wil James