Parish Letter Dear Friends,


I amwriting this letter to you at a time in between times. Later today, Friday 20th January 2017, will see the Inauguration of the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump. I’m not sure those are words I would have conceived of writing this time last year, let alone 4 or 8 years ago! As fate would have it, I’m flying out to the States tomorrow for the last of the four 2-week blocks of teaching for my Doctor of Ministry programme. It will be good to catch up with friends and colleagues from both sides of the ‘Pond’ in Pittsburgh as we study and learn together, but I’m sure that there is one topic of conversation which will be re-visited time and time again!


What we cannot know, or even judge, is what kind of country the United States will become under its new President. The wave of optimism and hope which heralded the election of Barack Obama has largely disappeared and we are left with an uncertain future. The signs are not encouraging so far, but the hope must be that the magnitude and responsibility of this high office will moderate his sometimes divisive utterances (a.k.a. ‘Tweets’!) and that he will pursue policies that are fair to all Americans, and which do not jeopardise world peace and order. Time will tell, and history will judge!


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