Across the connexion, churches last month were saying farewell to old friends as their much-loved ministers moved on to pastures new under our system of itinerant ministry. And now in this Methodist New Year they gather to welcome their replacements and renew the church’s mission to local communities with a new presbyter in post.
Congregations generally know little about the person who appears in their pulpit on the first Sunday in September. The churches at Old Roan, Longmoor Lane and Fazakerley in the Liverpool North Circuit will have a big surprise. Their new minister, Rev Kim Goh from Singapore, is a former Triad gangster who spent four years in prison for violence and extortion.
His story is a powerful illustration of the Christian themes of justice, repentance, and forgiveness. Who says the church is dull?
