Church
A message from our Rector
It has been a great joy and privilege to be Rector of Ditton and one of the aspects of my job I’ve most enjoyed has been my close involvement with Ditton Church of England Junior School. It is so important to give children a real opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ in a way which is both informative and exciting because Jesus claimed he came to give to us ‘life in all its fullness’.
I am involved in taking collective worship for the whole school and we also have all the children in the Church for celebration at Harvest Christmas and Easter. Additionally, we hold a Christingle service just before Christmas for children and parents where we celebrate Christ as the Light of the World.
In recent years we have started holding a Bible service for children in year 6. The Church Council in Ditton purchases Bibles for all children in that year group and at this service we present each child with their own personal Bible. It is wonderful to see the excitement on their faces as they receive a Bible!
There are many occasions during the year when I hold question and answer sessions both in classrooms and also in the Church. What brilliant questions young children ask! Great conversations and discussion have emerged during these times.
We pray for the children and school regularly at our Sunday services and at our Prayer@7 meeting which takes place each Monday evening. We also pray for the school at our small group meetings which take place in different members of the Church's homes ( when there is no Covid!).
The Parish Church of St Peters Ditton is delighted to have such a close link with the school. We look forward in the coming years to building on and strengthening this link.
Finally, some more information about me personally:
- Favourite TV series – The West Wing, The Americans and Star Trek and Dr Who – but they have to be the original series! I am not originally from Kent but was born and grew up in the sunny seaside town of Fleetwood, just 10 miles north of Blackpool. I studied first of all in Sheffield and then prepared for work in the Church of England with more study at Oak Hill College in North London. My work in the Church first took me to Carlisle, then to Guildford and then in 1994 I became Rector of Ditton. I’m married to Natalie who is Principal of a College of Further Education.
- Favourite food - Anything Italian – my Dad was Italian which may explain that!
- Favourite Sport – Cricket closely followed by tennis.
- Favourite Film – that’s a hard one – The Lives of Others, The Time Machine, Gandhi would all be in my top ten
Ross Terranova
Rector of Ditton
You can find our church website here:
About St Peter's - St Peters Ad Vincula (dittonchurch.org.uk)