30 bishops to join the Archbishop of York in
‘Come and See’ Mission to the Diocese of York
Thirty bishops of the Church of England from across the North will flock to the Diocese of York between the 12th and 15th March 2020, to take part in a weekend of prayer, witness and welcome, at which the good news of God’s love and life in Jesus Christ will be shared.
‘Come and See’ is the eighth Northern Bishops’ Mission in the Church of England’s Province of York in the last five years.
Many visiting bishops will bring colleagues from their home dioceses to offer encouragement, ideas and energy to the 580 churches of the Diocese of York, spread between the Humber and Tees and from the A1 to the Yorkshire coast.
The four-day Mission will include a host of events in many parishes, offering hospitality and welcome in local communities alongside the opportunity to find out more about the Christian faith and the love of Jesus Christ.
Planned events include concerts, breakfasts with various speakers, ‘Spa’ events, ‘Forest Church’, a scarecrow trail, wine and cheese evenings, ‘Hymns, Beer and Pimms’, many school visits, ‘Cream Tea and Faith Stories’, Family Fun & Sporting Challenges, Children’s Games Evenings, ‘Messy Church’, ‘Songs of Praise’, All-Age worship and much more: many events are listed at https://comeandsee.uk/events.
The Mission begins formally with a service in York Minster at 1.30pm on Thursday 12th March to which everyone is welcome to attend. During the service those involved in the mission will be commissioned by Archbishop Sentamu and prayers will be said for the weekend.
The Archbishop has encouraged parishes to step out “with courage, with confidence, with excitement, but above all, full of expectation that God is going to visit us in the power of the Spirit!”
Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham Paul Williams is one of those who will be visiting. Speaking of the equivalent Mission in his own Diocese last year, Bishop Paul said, “We are in awe of what God has done through the encouragement that it gave to churches in their local mission, but above all in the stories of people who, as a result of the connections they made on that mission, have made the journey into faith.
“Don’t miss out on Come and See! Some events are about making connections with people outside the life of the church; other events give people the opportunity to hear the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ.”
Bishop of Whitby Paul Ferguson spoke of visiting a secondary school during a previous mission: “The students’ questions were so serious – things that really mattered to them – beginning of life questions – or what can we say about the environment? They were really engaged, really taking it seriously, and I hope that through ‘Come and See’ everyone will have the opportunity to engage in the same kind of way.”
- There will be an opportunity to talk to the Archbishop of York about the mission weekend after the Commissioning Service in York Minster at 3.00pm on Thursday 12th March. Other visiting bishops may be available as well.
- For a representative list of events taking place from Thursday 12th to Sunday 15th March see https://comeandsee.uk/events.
- A ‘Mission’ is an organised effort to spread the Christian faith, traditionally involving many of those taking part in travelling to the chosen location – seen here in the teams led by visiting bishops.
- Bishops visiting the Diocese of York for the ‘Come and See’ Mission (shown with the Deanery – or local group of parishes – they will visit) include the following:
Rt Revd Paul Bayes
Bishop of Liverpool
Rt Revd Paul Butler
Bishop of Durham
Rt Revd Sarah Clark
Bishop of Jarrow
Rt Revd Mark Davies
Bishop of Middleton
Rt Revd Jill Duff
Bishop of Lancaster
Rt Revd Peter Eagles
Bishop of Sodor & Man
Rt Revd Emma Ineson
Bishop of Penrith
Rt Revd Christine Hardman
Bishop of Newcastle
Rt Revd Julian Henderson
Bishop of Blackburn
Rt Revd Bev Mason
Bishop of Warrington
Rt Revd James Newcombe
Bishop of Carlisle
Rt Revd Philip North
Bishop of Burnley
Rt Revd Tony Porter
Bishop of Sherwood
Rt Revd Tony Robinson
Bishop of Wakefield
Rt Revd Mark Tanner
Bishop of Berwick
Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox
Bishop of Sheffield
Rt Revd David Williams
Bishop of Basingstoke
Rt Revd Paul Williams
Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham
- Together with Archbishop Sentamu, the four Suffragan Bishops of the Diocese of York will be active across the Diocese:
Rt Revd Paul Ferguson
Bishop of Whitby
Rt Revd Dr John Thomson
Bishop of Selby
Rt Revd Glyn Webster
Bishop of Beverley
Rt Revd Alison White
Bishop of Hull
- At least ten retired bishops are also expected to be taking part in the ‘Come and See’ Mission.
