Minister's Message

Message from the Minister – October 2026

Greetings!

It’s a real pleasure to be able to write a little something for The Voice for

the first time! I thought I would begin my first one with a little introduction.

Although it’s a first for me to be a minister in this Circuit, a first for me to

have a university chaplaincy, a first to be superintendent – so lots for me to

learn and get to know – I am coming back to a part of the world I’ve lived in

before and know pretty well.

I was sixteen when I moved to Woking back in 1990 and years later when Claire I got married we lived in a flat in Knaphill and then moved to Guildford – so you could say I am back home!  Claire and I have two sons, Matt and Evan – they are now 22 and nearly 19, .

After training for Methodist ministry, I was stationed to Eastbourne where we have been for twelve years. Although I will miss the sea, I am enjoying the rolling Downs again!

So, God-willing, as Merrow’s minister you’ll have someone who isn’t completely brand new to either ministry or the local area, but it’ll take me a little bit of time to get up to speed with everything. For me, the best way to do that will be through meeting you, speaking with you, finding out what’s important in Merrow to the community that surrounds our church, the community that we’re already a significant part of.

At the time of writing I’ve led worship at Merrow, we’ve had our first Church Council altogether and I’ve begun to get to know faces and names. One of the highlights so far was the Coffee Morning on 10th September with the talk by Dr. Ang Swee Chai – which was powerful, shocking, and inspirational somehow all in one.

A wonderful event for Merrow to host, and as well as highlighting the plight of so many vulnerable people, it also spoke to me about how this mattered to Merrow people too.

As I write this article I have a beautiful Bible text in my eyeline above my desk. It’s the famous line from Jeremiah: “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

I don’t believe in destiny at all, but I do believe with all my heart that God desires nothing but good for us and all creation, and that we can go into the future with hope that the love of God is always with us, prompting, shaping, guiding us forward.

I am really looking forward to the coming years, to see all the possibilities that God has in store for us all – and plenty of coffee and cake with you too!

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Paul Tabraham