West Norfolk vicar to retire after 15 years in the community
A vicar who has been serving a number of West Norfolk parishes for 15 years is retiring this weekend.
Rev Judith Grundy, who was rector at Denver, Ryston, Bexwell and more recently, priest in charge of Crimplesham, will lead her final service at St Mary’s Church in Denver on Sunday.
Judith, who also used to be rector at West Dereham, said she will “miss Norfolk terribly” when she and her husband move to Surrey.
“I’ve got to say a big thank you to everyone for 15 very special years,” she said.
“I shall miss Norfolk terribly, our children grew up here.”
In Denver, the church has “really good links” with the village school, Denver VC Primary School.
Judith currently visits the school once a week to talk to the children in assemblies – which will continue thanks to church volunteers, as will ‘messy church’, which takes place on the last Wednesday of every month in term time from 3.30pm to 5pm.
“Denver is a really large, friendly congregation, they are so welcoming,” she said.
Becoming friends with members of the community will be one of her fondest memories of her time as a vicar in the area.
“What I love is if I go into Tesco, people say ‘hello Judith’, people know who their vicar is,” she said.
“I find lots of lovely cards from people I did funerals with in 2004/2005 who said thanks, because I had time to visit and be friends with people, and that’s really my happy memory of being a vicar – being able to have time with people.”
She added: “I came into working in the church and I didn’t really know that Jesus could be personal.
“It’s taught like a fairy story, but I came to realise that he’s real and can be your best friend, and that’s what I hope I’ve managed to share with other people.”