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The Bishop of Sheffield's Presidential Address - Diocesan Synod 16th February 2013

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Nurturing our Vision of the Church - Presidential Address to the Diocesan Synod

Last Updated on Tuesday, 05 March 2013 10:55

16 February, 2013

Dear Friends

I want to spend some time this morning in the midst of the detailed business of this Synod to refresh our vision of the Church. I hope these words will be something of a tonic and a source of joy and hope for the Synod as we meet and for churches across the Diocese and beyond at this present time as we grapple with the challenging issues of the day. The more problems we are called to face, the more we need a clear vision of our calling. The more challenging the questions, the more we need a crystal clear vision of what it means to be the people of God in the local community and in the world.

Cathedral Archer Project Carol Service - 14 December 2012

Woolly hat day.

Earlier this year I went on a visit to the Parson’s Cross area of Sheffield, to the north of the city centre. As part of the visit I was taken to see two remarkable pieces of street art or graffiti, painted by an artist called Ric Stott. They both have a Christmas theme. One is an angel painted on one wall of a derelict cinema which is due for demolition.

The other is a picture of the baby Jesus sprayed onto the wall of a disused garage. The garage is in the car park behind the Parson’s Cross Inn near Chaucer School. I liked it so much that with Ric’s permission I chose it for the front of my Christmas card this year. There are some spares on a table at the back if you would like to see it.

It was an interesting moment to stand on a cold autumn day in a pub car park looking at the wall of a garage in a corner of a cold city and see a picture of the baby Jesus.

The Bishop of Sheffield Presidential Address to the Diocesan Synod 24 November, 2012

Last Updated on Monday, 26 November 2012 09:11

Dear Friends

I am deeply saddened that the Measure to enable women to become bishops was not passed by the General Synod on Tuesday by a very narrow margin in the House of Laity.

However sincere the convictions of those who voted against the Measure, it is my honest view that the standing of the Church of England in our nation has been damaged, I hope temporarily, and that this decision will make it more difficult in the months to come to proclaim the gospel with joy and confidence which is our calling and responsibility before God. We have been in difficult places before. We are a Church who believes in hope and resurrection and that God is at work in every situation. However, on any understanding, these are serious matters.

I give heartfelt thanks to God this morning for the ministries of the women who are priests and deacons in the Diocese of Sheffield and more widely. I deeply value and cherish their ministries as do the parishes where they serve. Alongside their male colleagues, they serve sacrificially, wholeheartedly, with great skill and dedication. Many, I know, feel bruised by this decision not because they want to be bishops but because they feel their own ministries as priests and deacons are again called into question. To live a sacrificial life as a priest or deacon is hard but to do so knowing that part of your own church is questioning your ministry is a difficult calling indeed. I hope every person here will take time and trouble to affirm and celebrate and appreciate the ministry of our women clergy in the Diocese in the coming days and weeks.