Andrew Gunstone's New Year thoughts

Over the New Year period, Audlem Online is featuring what a selection of local residents would like to see in Audlem in 2007. We started the series last week and today, we feature The Reverend Andrew Gunstone:-

"I look forward to 2007 being a year free of builders and discussions about alterations. The builders were great, the discussions necessary and the end result delightful, but I'm still pleased our alterations work is done. In 2007 I look forward to us using our refurbished space. One imminent use will be to perform "Joseph and his amazing technicolor dreamcoat" in February. This will no doubt be one of our highlights this year.

"Actually we can't quite escape builders just yet. Immediately opposite, work on the Moseley's Yard development continues. I look forward to its completion in 2007. Whatever one's views on whether or not it should have happened, our own immediate outlook will surely be better at the end of this year than at the beginning.

"I look forward to Audlem Methodist Church continuing to play its part within the Audlem community. We want to serve the village as well as look after our own. Offering "community" is one of the things the church can still do – and I look forward to us doing this in 2007. A sense of community is easily lost these days and so I also look forward to Audlem continuing to buck the trend by further developing community life.

"I hope 2007 will be another ecumenical year. Working together is something to which the three village churches are committed, as well as something I feel the village wants to see. Will the future see the Church even more united? I don't know. In fact, I don't know what the future of the church will be at all. I suspect it will be different from the past and therefore look forward to 2007 revealing more of what we need to become in order to be the church in the 21st century.

"I hope for what others too will hope for in 2007: that it will be a year of gratitude and tolerance, compassion and peace – for ourselves, our village and our world."

Andrew Gunstone

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