New Bishop of Grantham appointed
THE Queen has approved the nomination of Dr Nicholas Alan Chamberlain to be the next Bishop of Grantham, in the diocese of Lincoln. Dr Chamberlain, aged 51, has been Vicar of St George and St Hilda, Jesmond, in the diocese of Newcastle, for nine years. He was ordained deacon in Durham Cathedral in 1991, serving his title at the parish of St Mary’s, Cockerton, in the diocese, and was ordained priest in 1992. The Archbishop of Canterbury will consecrate Dr Chamberlain as bishop in London on 19 November.
Charities support reform of fund-raising methods
SAVE the Children and the Royal British Legion are among several charities to have pledged their support for new rules preventing aggressive fundraising techniques that target the vulnerable and elderly. The letter, signed by leaders of 17 charities, was published in The Sunday Times last week, and comes after the suicide of Olive Cooke, a pensioner, who was said to have been harassed by hundreds of charities asking for donations (News, 22 May). The letter, co-ordinated by the Institute of Fundraising, states the “need to change” the way charities seek the support of the public.
The EU ‘not as godless as you think’, says Bishop
THE Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe, the Rt Revd Robert Innes, declared written that the European Union is “not as godless as you think”, on the blog Reimagining Europe, last Friday. Bishop Innes wrote that historical events, such as the task of rebuilding Europe after the Second World War, brought “re-creation of trust, economic prosperity, and new institutional structures”, although this wavered in the present day. He commended the EU’s “liberal values”, however, which, he said, were “highly consistent with Christian faith”. Bishop Innes is also the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Representative to the EU.
Church holds Pilgrimage2Paris competition
A CHURCH of England pilgrimage to the Paris climate summit in November is being opened up to the winners of an online competition. Potential pilgrims can send in a short film explaining their own environmental interests and why they want to join the Pilgrimage2Paris; the best two will be welcomed on to the pilgrimage, their costs paid. Applications should be sent to james.buchanan@churchofengland.org by 18 September.
I have Parkinson’s, says Bishop Gledhill
THE Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt Revd Jonathan Gledhill, who is preparing to retire at the end of this month, has disclosed that he has Parkinson’s disease. Bishop Gledhill, aged 66, announced his retirement in March, but told the BBC last week that he was diagnosed as having the disease in 2014. “So far it hasn’t prevented me from doing most of what I need to do.”
Vicar wins funeral celebrant award
A VICAR has been named funeral celebrant of the year at the industry’s annual awards. The Revd Juliet Stephenson, Vicar of the Holy Nativity, Chapel House, Newcastle, and the only Church of England priest on the shortlist, won the award on Wednesday. She said she only did what every priest does: “I listen, I help them celebrate, and I help them cry.”