T
his past weekend Bishop Stephen made his first official visit to the Channel Islands since the island deaneries were joined to the Diocese of Salisbury in mid-November.
Bishop Stephen said: “Jersey was the first of the Bailiwicks to come into this new relationship so it felt right to come here, and also because of the time of year that we're in, it's advent, it's a new Christian year, it's preparing for Christmas, so that is a moment of renewal.”
After arriving in Jersey, the Bishop met with Sir Timothy Le Cocq, the Bailiff of the Channel Islands and the civic head of the Bailiwick of Jersey.
Bishop Stephen then made his way to St Paul’s Church to attend its popular Christmas photo booth, a nativity-themed activity, where attendees dress in costume and become part of the nativity.
Next, Bishop Stephen watched the joyful Les Amis Carol Service, which is led by people with learning disabilitiest. The service was followed by a short talk on learning disabilities before he blessed all those in attendance.
As the day came to a close, the Bishops brief 24-hour trip to Jersey was almost over – but not before a meeting with Dean Mike, the Vice Deans, and their spouses to further strengthen relationships.
On the importance of making these visits, Bishop Stephen said: “This is all about relationship. Everything that we believe about the gospels is Jesus in relationship with real people, and so making that real is something that I want to do.”
The visit was a resounding success, and goes a long way to prove that there is always room for more in our welcoming and love-filled Diocese.