One of Ruddington’s best known community figures has revealed he’ll soon be off to pastures new.
In July 2014, at the age of just 22, Sam Hackett become the youngest ordained Baptist Minister in England and Wales. He was inducted as the Minister of Ruddington Baptist Church on September 13th 2014. Now, almost nine years later, Sam has decided it’s time for a fresh challenge.
“It’s with a mixture of sadness, joy and excitement that I announce that I will be leaving Ruddington Baptist Church this summer to take on the role of Chaplain at the University of Bristol” says Sam. “I am sad to leave because Ruddington has become my home and I am joyful because of all the amazing memories that I have created and shared with my church family and with many other people in the local community. It has been a privilege to live in a village in which people genuinely care for each other and where there is such a strong sense of unity and togetherness.”
Sam confirms Ruddington will always be a place close to his heart: “I will cherish my personal memories of starting a family here. I have particularly appreciated the close working relationships I have had with the leaders of our other local churches (Rev Andrew Buchanan, Rev Simon Rose and Rev Nichola Jones) and one of my personal highlights has been connecting with our primary schools through assemblies, lunchtime groups and hockey coaching. I will miss popping into our local shops, cafes and pubs and want to thank everyone for many friendly conversations and for your enthusiasm in getting involved with some of my more wacky initiatives!”
These have included dressing up Ruddington businesspeople as nativity characters during his 2021 Christmas video (above). Sam began to utilise modern technology more widely during the COVID-19 ‘lockdown’ by taking his sermons ‘online’ to keep our local community connected and updated.
“Ruddington is blessed to have three incredible local churches who do so much in the community” continues Sam. “Ruddington Baptist Church, Ruddington Methodist Church and St Peter’s Church provide groups for children and young families and support for those who are lonely, isolated and struggling with their mental and emotional wellbeing as well as providing places of worship and community for every kind of significant occasion.”
He adds: “As minister of Ruddington Baptist Church I have always been keen to serve this community, to encourage others and to share the good news of God’s love with everyone I meet. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers as I make this move with my family to Bristol and take on new and exciting opportunities in a very different role. I’m not leaving until July, so please don’t hesitate to say hello and have a chat!”
As we say “Goodbye Sam” this summer we’ll wait to hear who’ll replace him. Odds are still quite long on the possibility we’ll be saying “Hello Samantha” in due course… but you never know!?
