Greetings friends,

Family

The year 2025 has been the year that our family of 3 became a family of 4, as we welcomed Reuben Judah into the world in June. Caleb (now 2½) has adjusted well to being a big brother and likes to hold ‘baby Reuben’ and often asks for Reuben to be placed next to him in his bouncy chair at the dinner table. Caleb’s speaking has really taken off after quite a slow start. It is particularly special listening to him pray at bedtime, always thanking God for Rosie, our dog, and elephant, his toy, before anyone else gets a mention!

Church, Training and Ministry

We continue to worship and serve in different ways at St Chad’s church, Shrewsbury, Alex’s link church while he is an ordinand (training for ordination). Alex is regularly involved in leading the Sunday services at St Chad’s and St Alkmund’s (the other church in the benefice) and occasionally preaching. A particular highlight for him is assisting with the Eucharist each week. I (Rachel) am a member of the church PCC, and am currently taking a lead in initiating some children’s ministry along with two other church mums. We plan to launch a monthly group for all ages with interactive Bible storytelling and creative prayer and worship activities. The vicar’s wife, a church warden and myself all had babies this year, which almost doubled the number of regular children at church. So this gave us the impetus to start something, which is exciting!

Alex has just started his final year of theological training at Queen’s college in Birmingham where he is working towards a postgraduate diploma. In the last academic year, one of his assignments was to write a research proposal, the MA thesis for which he hopes to complete during his curacy, on the theme of the ecumenical relationship between the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches. This is something about which he has become increasingly passionate in recent times.

Alex continues to volunteer with the chaplaincy team at HMP Stoke Heath, where he has been leading a weekly centering prayer group, assisting with statutory duties such as visiting new or vulnerable prisoners, and occasionally preaching at the Sunday service. At his most recent centering prayer session, they managed a record half an hour of complete silence! The pastoral nature of Alex’s time at the prison has been particularly valued, in a context which has immense challenges, including several deaths and suicides this year alone.

We maintain contact with some of our former 8SC community residents and have enjoyed a few walks with them in recent months. Despite some challenges along the way, including recalls back to prison for some, it has been great to see them trying to make the most of a fresh start and making positive choices, such as finding work or volunteering opportunities and reconnecting with church. Caleb enjoyed blackberry picking with them last time we met up!

What Next?

The next big thing on the horizon for us is Alex’s ordination followed by starting his curacy next June, the location of which has just been confirmed. We are pleased to know that we won’t be moving too far away, but we’re not allowed to announce exactly where yet, so watch this space! In the meantime, I will be on maternity leave until spring next year, after which I intend to return to my part-time Preschool Worker job at Trinity Church, Meole Brace. I will maintain connections with the groups I was running there by taking Caleb and Reuben along, and enjoying just being a guest for a while.

For those of you who have been so generously and faithfully supporting us financially, we would hugely appreciate it if you are able to stick with us until Alex’s ordination in June 2026, after which he will receive a stipend for his work. Thank you so much indeed for investing in us in this way, we are so very grateful.

Prayer and Praise

• We thank God for the safe arrival of Reuben and for how Caleb is growing to love him as a brother
• We pray for their development as they grow up – physically and emotionally, as well as spiritually, and above all that they would know God as their loving father
• We pray for God’s inspiration and blessing over Alex’s study and work in prison as well as at his link church, and my involvement in starting children’s ministry at St Chad’s

Blessings and love,

Alex, Rachel, Caleb and Reuben