New Bishop of Dover spends St George's day in Deal
The new Bishop of Dover, the Right Reverend Trevor Willmott spent St George's day meeting people in the Deal area. During the day the Bishop ate breakfast on the pier, discussed ethics with year eleven students at Castle Community College, visited a farm and was grilled by local people during the evening 'Any Questions' event.
Bishop Trevor, who became Bishop of Dover in February, spent the day in the Deal area as part of a regional tour of the Diocese of Canterbury with the aim of familiarizing himself with the people and places in this part of Kent.
Bishop Trevor's day started with breakfast on the pier with the vicar of Walmer, Revd Seth Cooper and Sandwich Deanery Lay Chair Mrs Jean Winn. The Bishop, who was greeted by restaurant manager Mr Jasin Kaplan, described the view from the pier as 'one of the most beautiful in Kent'.
At Castle Community School the Bishop met Head Teacher Mrs Christine Chapman and enjoyed a tour of the school before calling into a Religious Studies class of year eleven students where Bishop Trevor spent twenty minutes talking to the young people about the ethics of euthanasia.
Describing the visit to the school, Bishop Trevor said: "The school is doing marvelous work raising standards for young people and it is clear from talking to pupils at this school that they are valued and happy." The Bishop continued: "I enjoyed immensely my discussions with the year eleven students and I was impressed by their maturity and their sense of responsibility for society."
After a service in Kingsdown Church, the Bishop met local clergy and church leaders over lunch at Kitty's Tearoom in Kingsdown village.
In the afternoon, Bishop Trevor, who whilst in his role as Bishop of Basingstoke published a book about rural ministry, visited Old Selson farm where the farmer Mr John Bradley spoke to the Bishop about issues facing local farms and rural communities.
A special St George's Day Eucharist was celebrated by the Bishop at Northbourne Church in the evening attended by many people from across the Sandwich Deanery area.
The final part of Bishop Trevor's Day was the 'Any Questions' event which was hosted at Northbourne Village Hall. Around 70 people from the Deal/Sandwich area attended, many of whom asked the Bishop questions which ranged from how Bishops are chosen, how churches can help people explore faith and what systems the Church of England has in place for developing churches.
Mrs Rose Osborne a member of the congregation from Woodnesborough asked the Bishop whether church communities should prioritise fundraising for their buildings or ministry to the community.
Bishop Trevor replied: "Our buildings are the focal identity in our communities but a building is lifeless without a living ministry in it. I am grateful for the time and energy people invest in keeping our historic churches in good condition, and this is valuable work, but we do need to remember that our primary focus is to witness to faith."
The Bishop concluded his visit by thanking everyone for their kindness.
Ends
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Further information from:
Emily Shepherd, Director of Communication 01227 459 401, 07876 210 446
Notes for Editors Bishop Trevor Willmott was installed as Bishop of Dover on February 6th 2010. Bishop Trevor has designated oversight of the Church of England Canterbury Diocese on behalf of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Diocese stretches from Maidstone to the East coast and includes over 280 parishes. The Bishop lives with his wife Margaret, a school finance officer, in Canterbury. Re-Shaping Rural Ministry - A Theological and Practical Handbook, is edited by the Rt Revd Trevor Willmott, James Bell and Jill Hopkinson and was published in February by The Canterbury Press Norwich