New Bishop of Tewkesbury announced
THE new Bishop of Tewkesbury, in the diocese of Gloucester, will be the Archdeacon of Cheltenham, the Ven. Robert Springett, the Government has confirmed. Archdeacon Springett is due be ordained and consecrated at Canterbury Cathedral by the Archbishop of Canterbury on 30 November. He was ordained priest in 1990, and was previously the Rector of Wanstead, in east London; Area Dean of Redbridge; and an Honorary Canon of Chelmsford Cathedral. He has been the Archdeacon responsible for Cheltenham, Tewkesbury & Winchcombe, Cirencester and the Cotswolds since April 2010.
Peterborough Cathedral in ‘cash-flow crisis’
PETERBOROUGH Cathedral is going through a “cash-flow crisis” and is struggling to pay bills and staff wages on time, the Bishop of Peterborough, the Rt Revd Donald Allister, has said. Bishop Allister told Peterborough Today that he is to make a Bishop’s Visitation to the cathedral to address the issue. “This gives me the power to bring in outside experts to report and advise,” he said. “I am asking suitable people to investigate and report to me on the financial management, and the overall governance of the cathedral.” The Dean of Peterborough, the Very Revd Charles Taylor, who is due to retire later this year, said: “With direction and temporary financial support from the Church Commissioners, new structures and strategies are being put in place to meet short-, medium-, and long-term sustainability.” A spokeswoman from the cathedral said: “The cathedral had a cash-flow problem that is being dealt with. The staff and bills are being paid and we look forward to the Bishop’s Visitation in due course.”
United Society changes its name . . . again
THE Anglican mission agency United Society (Us.) is to revert to a previous abbreviation, USPG, which was used between 1956 and 2012 to indicate its full title, United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. But USPG will now stand for United Society Partners in the Gospel. The chief executive, Janette O’Neill, said that partners were saddened that the Us. title did not refer to the gospel. The new name and accompanying logo will be launched at the Christian arts festival Greenbelt on 26 August.
Bishop of Sodor & Man to retire
THE Bishop of Sodor & Man, the Rt Revd Robert Paterson, has announced his retirement. Bishop Paterson has served the diocese — the smallest in the Church of England — since 2008. He will step down on 16 November. Bishop Paterson was previously the principal officer of the Church in Wales Council for Mission and Ministry, and chaplain to the Archbishop of York, Dr Sentamu. The Archbishop offered his “heartfelt thanks” for his service.
PBS collates prayers familiar to soldiers of the Somme
THE Prayer Book Society has released a book of prayers from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer that would have been “familiar to troops” in both World Wars. Prayers for use at Remembrance-tide was published to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the Battle of the Somme on 18 November. A trustee of the Prayer Book Society, the Revd Richard Hoyal, who compiled the selection, said: “Some of these prayers — particularly those used frequently by Army padres — would have been familiar to large numbers of troops. Matins and evensong were widely attended at the time of both World Wars.” To obtain a copy, email pbs.admin@pbs.org.uk, or phone 0118 984 2582.