New chapter is beckoning for popular Newmarket curate as he is set to take up new role in Haverhill

Published: 12:14, 17 August 2020

| Updated: 12:16, 17 August 2020

Parishioners at St Mary’s Church, in Newmarket, will be saying farewell to their assistant curate at the end of the month.

The Rev Max Drinkwater, who has served St Mary’s and St Agnes for four years, will take part in his final service on August 30 at 9.45am when he will receive a gift to mark his time there.

He will take up his new role as priest-in-charge of St Mary’s Church, Haverhill, and St Mary’s Church, Withersfield, following his formal licensing on September 14 by the Rt Rev Mike Harrison, who is the assistant Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich diocese and the Bishop of Dunwich.

Mr Drinkwater, 29, and his wife Charlotte came to Newmarket at the end of June 2016 to take up his first appointment after training for the ministry in Cambridge. During lockdown the couple welcomed their first child Cynthia, who was born in May.

He has been one of three assistant curates working under priest-in-charge the Rev John Hardy, who has supervised his work.

“I am very grateful to him for his help and encouragement,” said Mr Drinkwater.

Rev Max Drinkwater centre at launch of the Inter-Faith Forum at Turner Hall in Newmarket Picture Mark Westley. (40275961)

Among the challenges he has faced in the parish, the Covid-19 pandemic, during which church doors stayed locked for many weeks, presented the most problems.

“The church was not even open for private prayer so we had to make it accessible online and by home visits and telephone calls,” said Mr Drinkwater.

“Even now that we are allowed to open for services again with social distancing in place, some people are still safeguarding at home or are cautious about being in groups so we have to make arrangements for them.”

Another memorable time in St Mary’s was continuing to use the church while the roof was being relaid just after his arrival in the parish.

“We kept the services going around the scaffolding which was an interesting time,” he said.

Mr Drinkwater, who has also been heavily involved in the Newmarket Interfaith Forum during his time in the town, said he was looking forward to settling into his new role at Haverhill where he hoped to work with local organisations including West Suffolk Council’s family and community officers, as he had done during his time in Newmarket.

Haverhill Newmarket Tina Murray