I sat in the visitors' gallery at the last Synod. It was my first time back since the Assembly Hall was refurbished. The new seating and speaking arrangements intrigued me. There was however much that was pleasingly familiar – friends (and opponents!), procedures, obfuscating answers at Question Time. It is nearly five years since I retired from Synod but I felt at home.

If Synod was one of my “church homes” in the past, it is not so now. I am in the second year of my curacy at St Paul‟s Deptford in South East London. The church is a fabulous example of English Baroque. Whilst it once fitted well into its neighbourhood, this is not so now, in a down market High Street and a tense urban environment. The parish's income, crime, housing, employment and health statistics are among the country's worst. There is a large BME population: many are from Africa (some are undocumented migrants). There is also a significant Chinese community. The white working class community is now a minority.

Being church in Deptford is challenging but rewarding. I greatly value my assemblies in two community primary schools and my visits to a centre for “down and outs” – drug addiction and alcoholism are very prevalent. The Parish Mass congregation contains people from all over the world. Bringing people to faith through preaching and teaching is wonderful. I sense that Jesus is with us in our church community.

The world of draft Measures and Standing Orders feels a long way away. That world is important, as there must be a body for the clergy and faithful to express their views. For me however there is now a profound sense of fulfilment in working as a priest at the front line of mission.

The Revd. Brian McHenry