Farewell to Bishop John

for 1 hour
Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral, WR1 2LA

Bishop John was enthroned as the 113th Bishop of Worcester on 1 March 2008, coming here from the Diocese of Ely where he was Bishop of Huntingdon. As Bishop of Worcester, he has been the Chief Pastor for parishes across Worcestershire and Dudley as well as serving in the House of Lords since 2012 and as Lord High Almoner to HM The Queen and then HM The King from 2013. Bishop John will withdraw from ministry in mid-September with a farewell service in the Cathedral at 4pm on Sunday 29 September, to which all are welcome. His retirement will then formally come into effect on 9 October.

He said: “Being Bishop of Worcester has been an enormous privilege. By the time I leave I shall have been here nearly 17 years, the longest I have lived anywhere in my life. I have lived through the best of times and the worst of times in my personal life during those years and am more grateful than I can say for all the love and support I have received. I am not anxious to retire – I am deeply attached to Worcestershire and Dudley and love being Bishop here! However, I shall be 70 in February and feel, under God, that now is the right time to leave.”

Following Bishop John’s announcement, the process will begin to find the next Bishop of Worcester. This will be led by a small group of people from across the Diocese as well as from the national church and will involve wide consultation with those in our parishes. During the vacancy, the Bishop of Dudley, Martin Gorick will become Acting Diocesan Bishop. Further information on the process for selecting the next Bishop of Worcester will be available shortly.

Bishop John will be retiring to Wiltshire with his wife H-J Colston-Inge.

Holy Trinity

You and your family and friends are most welcome to join us for any of the services and events listed on these pages.  We look forward to getting to know you. 

We are a liberal catholic congregation within the Church of England, here to serve all the people of Amblecote - those who are already Christians, those of other faiths, and those of none.   Our church building was originally erected for the local glassmaking community.   Nowadays a number of our members come from other church backgrounds and/or other parts of the town, but we are drawn together by our love of the Lord Jesus and a desire to do things well, to the glory of God.    Our worship style is recognisably "high church," enhanced by colour, movement, candlelight, music and often incense, with an emphasis on the Sacraments.   As the hymnwriter says:

    "O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness,
    bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
    with gold of obedience and incense of lowliness,
    kneel and adore him - the Lord is his name."

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Fr Alan Williams tssf scp

The Vicarage
4 The Holloway
Amblecote
Stourbridge

DY8 4DL
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01384 394057

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Farewell to Bishop John

for 1 hour
Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral, WR1 2LA

Bishop John was enthroned as the 113th Bishop of Worcester on 1 March 2008, coming here from the Diocese of Ely where he was Bishop of Huntingdon. As Bishop of Worcester, he has been the Chief Pastor for parishes across Worcestershire and Dudley as well as serving in the House of Lords since 2012 and as Lord High Almoner to HM The Queen and then HM The King from 2013. Bishop John will withdraw from ministry in mid-September with a farewell service in the Cathedral at 4pm on Sunday 29 September, to which all are welcome. His retirement will then formally come into effect on 9 October.

He said: “Being Bishop of Worcester has been an enormous privilege. By the time I leave I shall have been here nearly 17 years, the longest I have lived anywhere in my life. I have lived through the best of times and the worst of times in my personal life during those years and am more grateful than I can say for all the love and support I have received. I am not anxious to retire – I am deeply attached to Worcestershire and Dudley and love being Bishop here! However, I shall be 70 in February and feel, under God, that now is the right time to leave.”

Following Bishop John’s announcement, the process will begin to find the next Bishop of Worcester. This will be led by a small group of people from across the Diocese as well as from the national church and will involve wide consultation with those in our parishes. During the vacancy, the Bishop of Dudley, Martin Gorick will become Acting Diocesan Bishop. Further information on the process for selecting the next Bishop of Worcester will be available shortly.

Bishop John will be retiring to Wiltshire with his wife H-J Colston-Inge.

Safeguarding

Our parish of Amblecote is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults from harm. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO). Our Diocese of Worcester’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor who advises our PSO, together with other relevant phone numbers - click the 'Read more' button below for more information.

If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact our PSO (Elizabeth Walker – 01384 831469) or the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor (Hilary Higton – 07495 060869).

If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and the local authority’s children or adult social care services.

Read more