Looking back: Francis on his time as Vicar of St Andrew's.

St Andrew’s Church, Starbeck said its final farewells to Revd. Canon Francis Wainaina last month in his last service before his retirement. I caught up with him as he reflected on his 15 years in Starbeck and contemplated what the future might hold for him, the church and the community.

Revd. Canon Francis Wainaina, 65, and his wife, Elaine, joined St Andrew’s Church in the year 2000, after leaving St. Michael le Belfrey in York. Since then the Kenyan-born vicar has made quite an impression on the Starbeck community. Likewise, the community has made a huge impact on Francis.

When first meeting Francis it is hard for anyone to forget his big smile, vibrant laugh and his heart-warming catchphrase, ‘bless you’.

Francis showed off his unforgettable smile when he talked about the first time he came to St Andrew’s and God’s path for him.

He said: “We were very well settled at St Michael’s but obviously here [in Starbeck] there was something coming up, you can only put it down to that God knowing more than I did

“A friend rang me and told me there was a job going in Harrogate and he said he thought it had my name written on it.”

After visiting the church for the first time, Francis was keen to meet members of the local community. He first visited the local Post Office, where he was greeted by the owner, who was a Muslim man. Francis recited a story about when he asked the shop owner what he thought of the church. Francis laughed as he explained how puzzled the shop owner was with the question and said he had never been because of his faith. Two years after their first visit, the same shop owner greeted Francis by name and let him know that he had visited the church on his recommendation and complimented the baptism service he attended at St Andrew’s.

When talking about his first thoughts of the community, Francis said he noticed that: “It needed to discover the joy of just accepting each other and celebrate what we had.”

Another story that Francis reflected on was when the Starbeck population started to recognise and talk to him. He said: “I remember when I arrived I always wore a dog collar because you needed to until you were established.

“I stopped wearing it two years in because one night even when I had my hood up, I heard someone from behind say ‘hello vicar’. Obviously I thought people knew me well enough then.”

Francis also said: “Something I will really miss is being able to walk out of my house and walk down the road and know that I’ll be able to meet all sorts of people.”

Francis’ wife, Elaine, is often left wondering where he is when he is meeting different people!

He recalled: “I will never forget one particular summer when we had been away, we came back and I told Elaine I’ll just go down to the shop to buy some potatoes.

“An hour and a half later I hadn’t come back and she ask me where I went and I said walked into the Co-op and there were all sorts of people that I knew so I stood there and talked to all sorts of people for the next hour.

“Elaine finds it very difficult to go shopping with me now because if we go to the supermarket, I will stop and speak to someone on every aisle; even the people on the counters know me.”

Throughout Francis’s time in Starbeck, he has noticed a big change in attitude in the parish.

He said: “I’ve found in Starbeck a community that is relaxed and forgiving enough that if you made an error they won’t turn around and be disgruntled with you. There is that feeling of ‘that’s okay.’ There is a generosity within community, which I think is fantastic.

“I guess that is something that I have invested in. For example, when I arrived, the community watch group would always be talking about what Starbeck didn’t do and I told them to be more positive and I’ve seen it.

“I’ve seen it become more and more positive. And I pray it will become more so. Not just the church community but the wider community.”

These examples show that Francis has not only influenced his own church community but also the wider society.

One particular highlight that Francis will continue to celebrate is watching children grow up in his parish.

Francis said: “I think one of the greatest highlights is actually seeing children being born into the community, baptised and growing in the church community. I look at that and I think ‘wow.’”

He spoke about his memories of 12-year-old Anna, who he baptised as a baby and how she held her arms out like a superhero as he splashed her with the water from the font. When he sees her now, as she is about to turn into a teenager, he always thinks of the moment he christened her.

He said: “That is one thing I’ll miss the most, getting involved with the community that I have known, I have loved and a community that is part of me. Having to say goodbye is going to be the most difficult part.”

He feels after all his hard work and contribution that now is the right time for him to retire.

Francis said: “I started work at 16 so I’ve worked for over 49 years and I think the time has come for me to say I’ve done enough in terms of really waking up in the morning and going to work.

“It doesn’t mean I won’t be doing other things. I will be doing all sorts of things but at this point I really believe that St. Andrew’s needs a younger person with a younger family.”

On the topic of age, he has noticed that the leadership team within St Andrew’s has matured with him.

He said: “If you look at the leadership of St. Andrew’s, you can tell they’re all of a similar age and they’ve all grown with me. “And the leadership reflects the community that it leads therefore in St. Andrew’s there are not as many young families as there used to be because they have grown up. So it’s time for someone else to come and develop the church but I believe I am too old for that.”

It will take a year to decide who will replace the 65-year-old and Francis hopes for a younger vicar, who puts the community first.

He said: “I hope who ever is appointed will be a family man or woman and they will seek to bring the best out of Starbeck, whether it is the church or the community, because I think it is ready.

“I hope it is someone who wants to create a passionate community. I crave for Starbeck that they may have someone passionate and therefore when someone is suffering we stand with them, when it is a celebration we are all there waving banners and so on.”

After leaving, Francis has lots of exciting adventures planned for the future.

He said: “My plans for the future is firstly, cycling. Elaine and I are intending to cycle around Europe and it’s going to be a lot of fun.

“We want to do a lot of travelling. We’re going to visit New Zealand within the next 3 or 4 years and if we need another major cycle ride we will go Rome to home.”

He said: “We have a tandem; we bought it three years ago and it has been an incredible blessing to us.”

Many people know Francis for being an avid cycling fan and will be able to remember him for his sponsored bike ride across the UK in 2014.

He said: “We did Land’s End to John o’Groats. We cycled on two bicycles but never spoke unless on we had a rest break or in the evening. We raised £15,000 for church funds.”

He recognised the momentous bike ride as one of his biggest achievements within the community.

He said: “When you think about it, we had never done anything major like that. We’d never done 1000 miles.

“The church was very busy. The community caught our vision. The number of people who actually spoke to us and wrote various comments on our website was incredible. I think that was one of our greatest achievements together.

“It makes me feel very proud of the Starbeck community. It’s still the kind of community where you walk the streets and feel at home.”

Francis’ last service was on Sunday 14th February at St Andrew’s church.

He joked: “Yeah, Valentine’s Day. I tell people I love you so much that I’m leaving!”

But that will not be the case. For Francis, he felt it's a good time for the community to have someone new.

He said: “I think that I have to go if not, then that community will grow old with me. The community needs new blood and it needs to discover itself again.”

The Starbeck and wider Harrogate community is sure to miss Francis as much as he will miss them. Goodbye and bless you, Francis.