Greetings dear friends and praise the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The days have been drawing closer than I had anticipated as I warm-up for my next appointment in the New River Methodist Circuit. May I say it has been a humbling experience to serve the wonderful people of God in the Northampton Circuit. And as such, this becomes my last Minister’s letter to appear in the Circuit during this Connexional year. Now, if I may recall my first contribution to the minister’s letter column for our circuit news, it was way back in January 2019. Henceforth, the process become part of my ministerial journeying and of re-learning. The product of this kind of ministerial duties have hugely contributed to a personal mantra which can be summed in the words of Denis Waitley inspirational work that, ‘life is a continuous learning process’. To be historically precise, 22nd August this year, will be a total of five years of my pastoral ministry in the Northampton Methodist Circuit.

And as I reminisce on my ministerial journeying, the feedback that I personally receive directly from those I work with around our Worshipping Communities, have played a huge contribution in the becoming of a Wesleyan traditional Methodist minister. And as I move forward, I am happy that I have got something to propel my ministerial resources into future ministerial engagements. I must confess that without a prayerful, supportive framework, ministry can be very stressful. I am grateful to everyone that has richly enriched my ministry. I can only sum my ministerial experiences in NMC in the words of Brown.H.Jr.’’The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today’’.
You have all been there to make this possible for me. Thank you. Now, going forward, NMC has given me the best experiences and skills for my next appointment, and I look forward to becoming a new fan of Tottenham Football Club.

As a family we are very positive about the new move and it’s in our prayers that there are beautiful and wonderful things the Lord has in store. We do surrender our life and make ourselves readily available to be a blessing to those we are called to serve. In my very first Pastoral letter in January 2019, the theme was on call of God from Isaiah 6 ‘’here I am Lord, I am ready for the sending! today I am yielding to the same voice of the Lord, here I am Lord to your sending!

Thank you, to my Northampton Methodist Circuit Ministerial colleagues and to the pastoral leadership across our churches and everyone that I have interacted and worked with. If it were ethically acceptable for each person to carry out their own self-assessment, like apostle Paul, I could declare.

12 Not as though I had already attained,
either were already perfect: but I follow after,
if that I may apprehend that for which also,
I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:
but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippian 3:12-14 KJV).

Thank you all for your prayers and support. I leave you with additional words from apostle Paul:
10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. (Hebrews 6:10)

‘Kwaheri ya kuonana, mungu awabariki wote, na asanteni sana’ (google can translate)

Revd Francis M’Itiiri