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Next Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham is announced… on a bus

29 June 2009

 

A University of Nottingham graduate and a ‘children’s advocate’ has been appointed to the top Church of England job in Nottinghamshire today (Monday 29th June 2009). The new Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham is to be the Rt Revd Paul Butler (53) who is currently the Bishop of Southampton – a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Winchester.

The new bishop designate will be the first bishop to be enthroned under the new title of the Diocese, following the retirement of the Rt Revd George Cassidy, next month. Bishop Paul has strong Nottingham connections – he was based in the city for three years, after graduating with a combined English and History degree from the University of Nottingham in 1977. He traces his call to ordination back to his years in Nottingham, when he attended Christ Church, Chilwell. He has been actively involved in ministry to children throughout his life and in 2005, the Archbishop of Canterbury invited him to become an ‘advocate for children’ on behalf of the Church of England’s bishops – a role he will continue in the new diocesan post.

He said: “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. 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. I am returning to a county I grew to love in my previous years living here. I will seek to be out and about across the county and city learning what is happening in both church and community amongst every section of the community. The good news of Jesus Christ is transforming for both individuals and communities; I long to share in the task of making this good news known to people of all ages and backgrounds.”

The bishop enjoyed a special bus tour of the Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham, after arriving in Nottingham’s Market Square in an old Nottinghamshire bus on Monday 29th June, where he met clergy colleagues and the city’s Lord Mayor. He went on to complete a tour of the county, including a visit to the Vine Centre in Hyson Green, where he met members of the local community, followed by lunch with children at St Peter’s First School in Mansfield. He then called in on a farming family in East Markham and ended his day with a visit to Nottinghamshire’s ancient cathedral – Southwell Minster.

The Right Reverend Paul Butler was commissioned as the Bishop of Southampton in June 2004. After being brought up in Chessington in Surrey, he attended Kingston Grammar School and went on to gain a BA in History and English at the University of Nottingham. After graduating in 1977 he stayed in Nottingham working for a while as a social work assistant, when he spent time with the elderly, families and individuals in several areas including some of the county’s former coalfield communities.

He then began working for the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF), for two years when he travelled across the Midlands, the north of England and northern Ireland supporting the organisation’s work among students. It was during this time that he began to explore his calling to ordination and went on to train for the ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford from 1980-1983. He served his curacy between 1983 and 1987 at All Saints with Holy Trinity in Wandsworth, in the Diocese of Southwark. He then moved to become Inner London Evangelist for the Scripture Union, where he helped churches of all denominations developing outreach work with children, young people and families. His work included time on a range of inner London estates and working with the Black majority churches. He was then appointed deputy head of Mission at the Scripture Union in 1992 and was also a non-stipendiary minister at East Ham St Paul, in the Diocese of Chelmsford. In 1994 he went back into parish work full-time as Priest-in-Charge of Walthamstow, St Mary with St Stephen, and of Walthamstow St Luke; becoming Team Rector of Walthamstow in 1997 until 2004. He said the biggest joy in his time in the parish was seeing people come to and grow in Christian faith, and developing lay involvement on a wide level, with the greatest challenge being how to live a distinctively Christian life in a multi-faith setting. He was also Area Dean of Waltham Forest between 2000 and 2004.

As Bishop of Southampton, Paul has been responsible for the Southern area of Winchester Diocese. His area covers city, market town, suburbs and villages. He has been out and about in parish and community a great deal, including a regular programme of parish visits and an annual Prayer Walk through one of the Deaneries. He loves preaching and teaching and has led an annual teaching series in Lent and an annual Quiet Day. On a Diocesan wide basis he led a Mission Audit process; has worked on youth and children’s ministry and urban issues. He has played a key role in the Diocesan partnership with Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

Bishop Paul has always been passionate about being part of the world church, with a particular interest in and commitment to Rwanda and Uganda. He served on the Council of the Rwanda Mission/Mid Africa Ministry from 1988-99 and 2000-1. In 2001 he became a Trustee of CMS and was appointed as an Honorary Canon of Byumba, Rwanda. He has been out to visit Rwanda, Uganda & Burundi almost every year since 1997, a connection which started from a friendship with a Ugandan at theological college. His work with children has spanned the whole of his ministry and he ran (until 2004) an annual Scripture Union camp for children each year in Kent, which he said was instrumental in helping his own children and many others establish their faith.

Bishop Paul is an author; he has published a number of booklets and three books: 'Reaching Children' (1992), 'Reaching Families' (1995) (both Scripture Union); Temptation & Testing (SPCK 2007) and is a contributor to 'Through the Eyes of a Child' (Church House 2009). He has been a Trustee of CMS (Church Mission Society) since 2000, and Chair since 2008.

He is married to Rosemary, who is currently an Art technician, volunteer in a local Christian bookshop, and a care-assistant. She is a nurse and midwife by training. They have four children; Caroline (23) who is soon to commence a Masters in Professional Archaeology at Oxford. She graduated from Nottingham University in Archaeology in 2007 and has since worked as an archaeologist; David (22), who is about to study for a Masters in Environmental Studies having just completed a psychology degree at the University of York; Andrew (20), who is studying English Language and Sports and Coaching Studies at Oxford Brookes and Sarah (15) who is currently at school studying for her GCSEs. His interests include reading, writing, travel, gardening and music – he enjoys Coldplay, Elbow, Genesis and Eric Clapton alongside some classical favourites like Handel, Bach and Beethoven. He has played cricket for his current Diocese in the last few years and wonders if there might be a team in Southwell & Nottingham in the future. He enjoys watching most sports when he has the time and is engaged in social networking through the internet with his own Facebook page!