A meeting was held at St Augustine's on Monday 16 June 2025 and those attending were Luke, Bishop of Richborough, Paul, Bishop of Dorking, a representative of the Guildford Diocese, Fr William, Priest in charge of St Augustine's, and representatives of the Parish and Forward in Faith, for an initial discussion about possible ways forward to assist the Parish of St Augustine's to thrive into the future. The meeting was constructive and honest.
This meeting was informal in nature and no minutes were kept but here is a summary of the discussions:
1. Assurances were given that there was no threat of closure to the Parish, its church or its way of life and worship. St Augustine's and all it stood for were greatly valued by the Diocese and its Bishops.
2. It was made clear from the outset that no incumbent would be appointed for the foreseeable future because of financial constraints, despite representations, and it was apparent that there was no point in further discussion of this proposition for now.
3. Apart from this, promises were made to the effect that no effort would be spared to revitalise the parish from the two Bishops and the Diocese so that it could be a beacon of Anglo-Catholic parish life in all its fullness in the Diocese. There were many models that could be followed that were tried and tested.
4. No solution would be imposed but possible ways forward would be discussed as time went on and then acted upon.
5. The Parish, Priest, PCC and people would be fully involved with the Bishops, Diocese and Deanery over the next year to look at possibilities for action. The current challenges within the parish were expounded and recognised. Nevertheless this was a time for optimism and hope, for prayer and waiting for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Angus Henderson
Lay Chairman
Forward in Faith Guildford Branch