After 22 years Revd Rod White will be retiring from the parish of St Mary, Northiam with a farewell service on January 9, 2022.
Rod and his wife Sarah have played a huge part in village life since arriving from Manchester in 1999. In his farewell editorial in the Northiam parish magazine he says; “For Sarah and me, moving here was like returning to our roots, but for our three young sons, who all spoke with broad Mancunian accents and wore their Manchester City shirts with pride, it was as if we’d torn them from the earth they’d grown up in.”
Coming to the village with a young family, they shared many of life’s experiences alongside their parishioners and it has been Rod’s heart for the gospel and an empathy for those who are facing life’s challenges, that has endeared him to so many.
His wife, Sarah, has been a great friend to so many in the village and has been the organisational brains behind so many projects. Rod is the first to sing her praises; “Anyone who knows Sarah and me will know that we have shared in this ministry together. She has been the rock at my side throughout all the good times and the bad.”
A long-serving school governor at the village primary school, Rod and Sarah have been the instigators of so many initiatives for the youths of Northiam that theirs will be a very hard act to follow. Saturday clubs like Going Crackers, X-Tension, a weekly After School Club, and Messy Church are just a few of the many ways Rod and Sarah have helped the younger generation.
Rod finishes by saying “Over these 22 years we have so many precious memories, most of which revolve around very special people. It emphasises the truth that a church’s life is about teamwork rather than about any one individual. And about dependence on God’s grace and power rather than on our own strength. Above all, it’s about love. So, thank you to all those who have loved and supported us in our lives and ministry in Northiam.”
Rod and Sarah will be moving across the border to Pembury for the next stage of their lives and leave with love and best wishes from the people of Northiam.
Image Credits: Northiam Parish Magazine .
They will be sadly missed by us all in the community of Northiam. Thank you Rod and Sarah for everything you have done. You are the unsung heroes, working 24/7 in the most difficult of circumstances.