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June 2021
BISHOP’S LETTER

Taking the Long View

I love it that probably the oldest known
image of Christ anywhere in the world is
from the Diocese of Salisbury and the floor
of a Roman villa at Hinton St Mary in
Dorset and is now in the British Museum.
The saints of Saxon Wessex are remembered around the Diocese in the names of
places like St Aldhelm’s Head as well as in some of our ancient churches. On the
ordination retreat at the end of June the candidates go in alternate years on a
little pilgrimage to Old Sarum, the site of the Norman cathedral, and to the little
church at Bemerton where George Herbert was briefly Rector for three years until
his death in 1633. It helps to see the long view of this wonderful and ancient
Diocese especially when times are tough, as they are now. We can be confident
in God’s faithful and providential care. We do not lose heart. We believe in the
resurrection.
We do not yet know how we will come out of the pandemic. There are
opportunities as well as challenges to do things different. To help us face the
future as a Diocese, we have agreed a Mission and Pastoral Plan and are taking
steps to manage the finances in relation to ministry and mission over the next four
years. How this works out will depend on the success of the Generous Giving
campaign which is planned for September. The pandemic has shown us the
importance of Church. If we believe Church matters enough the finance will
follow our faith. Those of us who can, will want to give because we believe the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, all the more so in a difficult time such as this.
By the time I finish as Bishop of Salisbury at Cathedral Evensong on 3rd July I hope
we will be free from the restrictions that have limited us for so long. With the rising
concern about new variants, that cannot be guaranteed. We will have to see
how the Government’s ‘road map’ unfolds. What we can be sure of is that God’s
small miracle of the Diocese of Salisbury will continue to be a lively Christian
witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is much to give thanks for and much to
pray for.
As the 78th Bishop of Salisbury it has been a privilege to serve with you for what in
the long view of the Diocese is a relatively brief ten years. Thank you for the
shared ministry of our life in Christ. In that lovely simple prayer of Dag
Hammarskjöld: ‘For all that has been, Thanks. To all that will be, Yes.’ Amen,
Amen, Amen.

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