This Sunday an amazing 26 adults and children will be confirmed by the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, the new Bishop of Tewkesbury, in a glorious Confirmation Service at the Forest Church Drybrook at 11am.This is a Benefice Service so there will be no 9.30am service at Lydbrook or 10am service at Ruardean as all three churches join together to celebrate.
.Also in the service the brand new benefice branch of the Mothers’ Union will be commissioned and blessed by the Bishop. The day before at the Cathedral at 4.30 pm, Ruardean organist Mrs Yvonne Sainsbury will have her many decades of faithful service to Ruardean Church recognised by the Bishop of Gloucester in the first award of membership of the Order of St Kyneburga: Kyneburga was an abbess of what is now the cathedral some 1200 years ago.
The churchwardens and rector are delighted with the good news. Rector Nick Bromfield said: “It’s very rare to have so many Confirmation candidates. In fact the number of Confirmations has fallen considerably nationally in recent years. That’s not the case at Drybrook, Lydbrook and Ruardean churches where we’ve now had around 80 candidates in the last seven years. In fact, the only church in the Diocese of Gloucester that has had more Confirmation candidates is Tewkesbury Abbey. If you’ll forgive the comparison, this is the equivalent of Bristol City versus Manchester City – we’ve done marvellously in recent times! It’s all thanks to a superb team of selfless and faithful individuals who are ready to put their own lives to one side for the glory of God here in the Forest.”