CMS chair takes driver’s seat in Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham
It’s not every day the chair of CMS trustees charters a personal bus – but today was a very special day for Bishop Paul Butler.
For as he arrived in Nottingham’s market square on board a vintage bus, Downing Street and Buckingham Palace had just announced he was to be the next Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham.
The bus then took Bishop Paul, currently Bishop of Southampton, on a tour of his new diocese – from Nottingham’s market square to Southwell Minster, via visits to a community centre, school and farming family.
Bishop Paul chose to emphasise his commitment to mission and to work with children and young people, an area in which his expertise is widely recognised.
“Seeking to help children and young people discover who God has made them to be, and how much he loves them, has been a key part of my whole Christian life since I came to a personal living faith in Jesus Christ as a teenager,” said Bishop Paul today.
“I long that every child can grow up fulfilling their God given potential. In being given the enormous honour of becoming the next Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham I greatly look forward to working with both church and community to see this happening.”
This commitment to the next generations was recognised in 2005 when the Archbishop of Canterbury asked him to become ‘advocate for children’ among the Church of England’s bishops.
Bishop Paul has been a CMS trustee since 2001 and before that was a member of the council of Mid-Africa Ministry from 1988–99 and 2000–1. He became chair of CMS trustees in 2008, and today he spoke of his passionate belief that sharing Jesus changes lives.
“The good news of Jesus Christ is transforming for both individuals and communities,” he said; “I long to share in the task of making this good news known to people of all ages and backgrounds.”
Canon Tim Dakin, general secretary of CMS, warmly welcomed the news: “All members of the CMS community will, I am sure, want to join me in wishing Bishop Paul all the very best for his new appointment.
“CMS benefits immensely from Bishop Paul’s spiritual integrity and practical leadership and the people of Southwell and Nottingham can look forward to having a bishop with a profound commitment to sharing Jesus locally and with deep connections to the worldwide church.”
Bishop Paul was made Bishop of Southampton in 2004 after many years of ministry in east London. His new role in Nottingham takes him back to the city where he was a student, and where he first felt called to ordination, as a member of Christ Church, Chilwell.
Bishop Paul is also an honorary canon of Byumba cathedral in Rwanda, a country which he visits regularly, along with Burundi and Uganda.
He takes up his new appointment early next year, replacing the Rt Rev George Cassidy, who retires in July.