Hillsborough Rector takes on a new challenge

Simon and his family will be moving on to Holywood Parish where he has accepted an invitation to work part-time as a curate.

When Simon was appointed rector back in 2008, he had just been accepted to study for a doctorate in Belfast. He was, however, aware that it would be impossible to fulfil the more-than-full-time demands of being Rector of Hillsborough alongside part-time study.

In his letter in the parish magazine Simon said that he had become, “increasingly convinced that God continues to call me to go deeper into theological study, and I have always been determined to respond, as well as I may by his grace, to God’s calling on my life, wherever it may lead me.

“So, since Hillsborough still needs and deserves a full-time Rector, I have therefore decided that I will step down from my current role.”

Simon’s new post will allow him to spend two days a week at Union Theological College in Belfast.

“This has not been an easy decision, for many reasons, and many people will think it a strange one”, he continued.

“However, if God calls me to step down from a place of such honour, and to reduce my income, in order to study him more, and simply to be obedient, hopefully the last lesson I will leave in Hillsborough is that sacrifice for God is joy in itself.

“Moreover, although I hope that I have made some difference here, I believe that it is for someone else to lead this parish into the next significant stage of its growth and development - and I will always pray this for Hillsborough; I remain convinced of the potential in this place to be a shining beacon of the Gospel.”

Sunday 14th August was Simon’s last as rector and Sunday 21st will see him introduced in Holywood.