By Hugh Prentice
16 May 2022
On Sunday 1 May, Berwick Anglican Church said goodbye to our vicar Reverend Wayne Schuller as he concluded his ministry among us over the last nearly 12 years. He preached from Ephesians 4:31 – 5:2 at each of the three services, urging us to heed God’s call to us His people to be kind and compassionate to one another, and to forgive one another, just as in Christ God has forgiven each of us. He praised God for the great privilege of being a minister of the gospel of His grace to us in Christ in the context of this thriving parish. He expressed his great confidence in God’s revealed Word in the Bible for our life and faith, and in the Godly and competent lay and ordained leadership in the parish. He said how grateful he was to all in the Berwick parish who had supported and encouraged him, especially during times of his illness when he needed to take time to recover.
There were two gatherings for speeches and food, one at noon after the second morning service, and one after the 5pm service. Several people told how Wayne had been a means of grace in their lives, and in the life of the wider community. Bob Flavell described Wayne as a great lover of the Lord Jesus, of the Bible, of the Church, of his family, and so on. Wayne paid tribute to his wife Helen, for how she has stood by him when demands of ministry took him out of the family circle at times. Reece Kelly, now Berwick’s locum minister, spoke warmly and praised Wayne for his leadership of the ministry team.
We all wished Wayne well for his time of refreshment ahead, and for his new role on the ministry team at St James’ Pakenham, and we pray for our Bishop Paul Barker and all in the Incumbency Committee as they seek a new shepherd for this part of Christ’s flock.
The Reverend Canon Hugh Prentice is seniors’ minister at Berwick Anglican Church.
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