Farewell to John & Judith Lampard
Many friends and family came to say farewell to Rev Dr John and Mrs Judith Lampard and to celebrate a ministry of over 35 years.
John and Judith began their ministry in 1970 in Yorkshire when John was appointed a probationer minister at Headingly Methodist Church in Leeds.
They remained in the circuit after John's ordination in 1971 when John became minister of Burley Methodist Church (left). While there, he was involved in a major reorganisation, closing four old inner-city churches, and helping to build a new one. In Leeds, their children, Rachel (below left) and Daniel were born while they were there.
After six years, John, Judith, Rachel and Daniel moved to a seaside ministry at St Anne's near Blackpool. While there, John was responsible for a major refurbishment of the interior of the church and a congregation which grew to 550 members.
In 1981, John and the family moved to Worthing in Sussex, where he ministered to a similar sized congregation and set up a counselling service.
They were only in Worthing for four years, when John was asked to become Connexional Local Preachers' Secretary, based at Westminster Central Hall. He served there for nine years. During that time, after careful research and consultation, he oversaw the introduction of the Faith & Worship course for training local preachers. The apprecation of John's service was recorded in the Leeds Conference agenda of 1994 which comments that Faith & Worship was "the most serious attempt in recent years to integrate preaching and theological study into a living whole".
Judith was director of the National Retreat Association before becoming an executive officer of Churches Together in England when John was moved to the superintendency of the South London Mission in Bermondsey in 1994. While there, John reorganised the whole working pattern of the Mission's social work, built the new Manor Church, oversaw a £500,000 development of the mission building, which included enlarging the worship premises for a growing congregation and improving accommodation for the 30 resident students.
From left to right, the pictures show John with Judith, Rachel and Daniel, in Worthing and receiving his doctorate.
In 2001, John and Judith moved to their new home in Dalston in the Hackney Circuit. John made happen the steady progress towards the rebuildlng of the new Clapton church which is planned to start in the autumn. Significant links were made with congregations and groups which use the Dalston church. His pastoral, preaching and liturgical work was also very important and will have a long lasting impact in the Circuit. His approach has always been positive, affirming, calm, supportive and helpful.
For the past 3 years, John has also been Deputy Chair of the London North-East district. He and Judith became grandparents for the first time with the birth of Benedict (right) (to Rachel and Steve) and celebrated with the wedding of Daniel and Anna.
For a decade, he worked on his doctrinal dissertation, and published it as a book, 'Go Forth, Christian Soul: The Biography of a Prayer.' This tells the fascinating story of the prayer known as the Proficiscere beginning 1,200 years ago probably in a Frankish Benedictine monastery, through to Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius and to the funeral of Princess Diana. The Church Times called it "a fine example of how historical, liturgical, and pastoral theology can be brought together and can illuminate each other."
To mark the end of this phase of their ministry, there was standing room only as well-wishers came from all parts of the Circuit and the country to say farewell at a special service at Dalston (below) and give best wishes for their retirement in Walthamstow.
'Go Forth, Christian Soul: The Biography of a Prayer' can be purchased online at Amazon... amazon.co.uk
John writes about the history of Methodism in Clapton... Clapton History, the seven congregations which use the Dalston church... Never Silent and his visit with Judith to Montserrat and Antigua... Montserrat & Antigua