Friends of minister pay a visit to London
FAITHFUL friends of a minister who served the town for many years travelled to London to see him take on his new role.
A coach load of worshippers from St Mary’s Church in Hinckley went to Putney, where former vicar Reverend John Whittaker was installed as team rector for the South West London parish.
Rev Whittaker served as vicar of St Mary’s for eight years and he is now based at another St Mary’s Church, right next to Putney bridge on the river Thames.
One of the Hinckley faithful who went down for the occasion said: “It was lovely to celebrate with John and his family as he begins this new chapter.
“His passion for sharing God’s love and living a life of kindness and openness will be of great blessing and challenge to the people of Putney.
“We miss our friend and co-worker but this is an exciting time for St Mary’s Hinckley too, as we consider afresh our vision for the future.”
Community and faith leaders from the area gave a special welcome to Rev Whittaker during the service, including Putney MP and former Cabinet minister Justine Greening.
The church wardens will take over running St Mary’s Hinckey during its interregnum, with curate Angela Tarry also helping lead the community.
You can watch a video of Rev Whittaker being inducted by the bishop of Southwark and the area dean of Wandsworth on the Putney Facebook page.