Licensing of David Lewis as Priest-In-Charge of Norwell with Ossington, Cromwell, Caunton, and Sutton with Carlton on Trent
Wednesday 3rd September was a special evening as Bishop Andy licensed the Revd David Lewis as Priest-in-Charge of the Benefice of Norwell with Ossington, Cromwell, Caunton, and Sutton with Carlton on Trent. The service marked the beginning of a new phase of ministry for both David and the churches, particularly as David is also a Mission Associate in one of the rural clusters as part of the rural pilot, which seeks to intentionally link rural parishes into a wider group to avoid the isolation of clergy and lay leaders and increase the possibility of shared resourcing.
The service included a meaningful welcome from Alison Jones, Lead Mission Enabler of Cluster 2, as well as a member of each church (who each brought a gift grown/made/produced in their parish), the Methodist Church, deanery, District Council and Norwell primary school.
Bishop Andy asked those present where our confidence was found and, drawing on Psalm 27, challenged us that as good as a human leader or plans might be, the only place that we can have unfailing confidence is in the Lord: ‘I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ He further challenged us that if our confidence is in Christ then it will be reflected in how we live, as like the Psalmist we will worship (v4) and seek the Lord in prayer (v7).
David grew up in Leicester, with five years spent in Oxford where he studied Film and English Literature at Oxford Brookes and completed an internship at St Aldate’s Church. It was there he met his wife Hannah, originally from London, Ontario. David served at Holy Trinity Leicester, leading the music team and developing an internship programme before stepping back from full-time ministry to grow their family. They now have four children – Norah, Seth, Ethan and Margot. A lifelong lover of the arts, David plays guitar, sings, and writes songs, and is also a dedicated Leicester Tigers supporter. Hannah and David having are very excited about settling into a rural community as part of what God is doing in the new diocesan pilots.
We are delighted to welcome David and his family into the diocese and pray that they and those in this benefice and rural cluster would find their confidence in Christ and see the goodness of the Lord across their churches and communities.