{"id":627,"date":"2012-02-01T09:56:01","date_gmt":"2012-02-01T09:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stmichaels-hls.org.uk\/?page_id=627"},"modified":"2026-05-19T09:26:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T09:26:36","slug":"rectors-letter","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/stmichaels-hls.org.uk\/?page_id=627","title":{"rendered":"Rector’s Letter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rector’s Letter:
Building Bridges in a Time of Change
<\/em><\/h1>\n\n\n

As the dust settles on the recent local council elections, there is no denying that we have lived through a momentous few weeks. The news has been full of the seismic political shift right across Sunderland, and the eyes of the entire country have been fixed on our city. In our own Houghton-le-Spring wards, and across our communities, people are waking up to a brand-new local government landscape. When I speak to neighbours and parishioners about these changes, I am struck by a deep, complex mix of emotions. For some in our town, this moment feels like a hopeful new beginning\u2014a tangible sense that a voice that felt ignored for too long has finally been heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For others, particularly those who are already navigating life feeling vulnerable, marginalized, or isolated, the shifting landscape brings a profound sense of fear and uncertainty about what the future might hold. Over recent years, we have all watched growing divisions tear at the social fabric of our wider national life. The risk of deep, painful polarization is very real, and it is a trap we must actively resist. At this crossroads, our primary calling is to build bridges rather than put up walls that cause further division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A beautiful blueprint for this approach happened right here on election day itself. At our Space4 hub, we hosted a joint Recipe Box Event with the Friends of the Drop In (FODI) Asylum Seeker\u2019s Group. It was an extraordinary day filled with great conversations, laughter, and delicious food, where everyone went home with fresh ingredients and recipes to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a day when the political atmosphere outside was tense and uncertain, inside our building, local residents, staff, volunteers, and new arrivals in our community sat at the exact same table. By simply sharing a cuppa, swapping recipes, and connecting as human beings, the artificial barriers that fragmentation tries to reinforce gently began to thin. This is the grassrootswork we are committed to. In the lead-up to the election, I stood alongside other community leaders at the Tyne & Wear Citizens Sunderland Election Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We brought real local stories to the table\u2014the daily struggles of families trying to make ends meet, concerns over community safety, access to dentistry, and inadequate SEND provision. What remains a powerful source of hope is that, despite intense political differences, leaders from all parties seeking election\u2014including the newly elected Reform leader, Chris Enyon\u2014publicly committed to working alongside us to address these issues. That shared commitment is the foundation we must now build upon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we look ahead, we say a sincere thank you to those councillors who have stepped down for their years of service, and we congratulate those newly elected. In Houghton, we are guided by the historic hospitality of Bernard Gilpin, our former Rector, whose famous garden was always open to everyone, regardless of background, status or story. His spirit lives on as we prepare for this October\u2019s Feast, where our theme is simple but vital: \u201cTogether We Feast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The election is over, but our shared life continues. Let us reject the rhetoric of division and choose instead the hard, beautiful work of being neighbours. The kingdom of God is always found when we pull up more chairs, listen to one another\u2019s stories, and commit to the common good of this town we call home.<\/p>\n\n\n

With my prayers and very best wishes.<\/p>\n

\"\"                                                                                      \"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rector’s Letter:Building Bridges in a Time of Change As the dust settles on the recent local council elections, there is no denying that we have lived through a momentous few weeks. The news has been full of the seismic political … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":10,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-627","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stmichaels-hls.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stmichaels-hls.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stmichaels-hls.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stmichaels-hls.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stmichaels-hls.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=627"}],"version-history":[{"count":206,"href":"https:\/\/stmichaels-hls.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/627\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6760,"href":"https:\/\/stmichaels-hls.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/627\/revisions\/6760"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stmichaels-hls.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stmichaels-hls.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}