St Albans tenth Bishop greets the Diocese in person and on You Tube
The tenth Bishop of St Albans is to be the Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith, the Bishop of Shrewsbury, Downing Street has announced this morning. The Church of England’s first bishop to be appointed in 2009, Bishop Alan is also the first Church of England bishop to announce his appointment through a three minute You Tube video. Bishop Alan came to St Albans Cathedral this morning for the announcement.
The You Tube video will tell both the Church and the wider community something about their new bishop’s passions and experiences and help them to meet him in a 21st century way, pending his inauguration service which will take place in a few months time.
In the video, Bishop Alan says “I feel excited and daunted by what lies ahead.” He adds “I have heard so much about your diocese and I’m aware of the outstanding mission and ministry that has been exercised across it over many generations.” He goes on to speak about a key challenge for the Church as it engages with the world. He calls on it not just to be more outgoing, but at the same time to go “deeper into God.” He describes this as involving “going deeper in prayer, grappling with the Scriptures, being open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, generously giving more and serving the communities in which we live.”
The video also carries pictures of Bishop Alan’s “seven very happy years in Shropshire,” as Bishop of Shrewsbury and of him meeting Pope Benedict. He describes himself as having caught the ‘ecumenical bug” picked up living in a Christian Community and which he has “never quite shaken off.”
Bishop Alan also describes in the video a breadth of experience of Britain and life. He grew up in rural Wiltshire, has worked the urban areas of Bradford, Walsall and Stoke-on-Trent where he was “challenged and enriched” by people of other faiths. Although brought up with “the glories of traditional Anglican worship” he also recognises the value of encouraging Fresh Expressions and church planting as the Church seeks to draw in a new generation.
On hearing news of the appointment, The Rt Revd Christopher Foster, Bishop of Hertford said:
“Bishop Alan’s appointment is great news for the Diocese of St Albans. He will bring proven leadership in parish ministry, and as a Missioner, as Archdeacon, and Bishop in varied settings. His commitment to reaching out with the gospel will inspire us in creative service and he is well known for his support of clergy and lay people. I’m confident his appointment will give fresh impetus and heart to us all.”
The Rt Revd Richard Inwood, Bishop of Bedford said:
“I am absolutely delighted that Bishop Alan is to be the next Bishop of St. Albans. I have known him for a number of years, and I am sure he will bring a vision for God’s mission and a real dynamism to the Diocese. His experience in rural, urban, and multicultural ministry make him an excellent ‘fit’ for us here, and I look forward enormously to working with him.”
Following the announcement at St Albans Cathedral, Bishop Alan travelled out to meet members of the community. He visited Chapel Farm, Chalton, in Bedfordshire, a Church in Luton where he met the Chair of the Luton Council of Faiths and to St Mary’s Secondary School Cheshunt, a Church of England secondary school.
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Notes
Dr Alan Smith (aged 51) was educated at Birmingham University and the University of Wales. He trained for the ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He served his curacy in the Diocese of Bradford at Pudsey St Lawrence from 1981 to 1984. From 1984 to 1990 he was Chaplain of the Lee Abbey Community. From 1990 to 1997 he was Team Vicar at St Matthew’s Walsall, Lichfield Diocese, and also Diocesan Missioner. From 1997 to 2001 he was Archdeacon of Stoke-upon-Trent and Honorary Canon of Lichfield Cathedral. Since 2001 he has been Area Bishop of Shrewsbury.
He served as a member of the General Synod from 1999 to 2001. Since 2006 he has been a member of the Rural Bishops’ Panel and he chairs the group which is planning the celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of the Archbishops’ Commission on Rural Areas. He is chair of the Local Strategic Partnership for Shropshire. He has contributed chapters to “Changing Rural Life” (2004) and “Celebrating Community: God’s Gift for Today ‘s World” (2006). He has written “Growing up in Multifaith Britain: Explorations in Youth, Ethnicity and Religion” (2007) and “God-Shaped Mission: A Perspective from the Rural Church” (2007).
He is single. His interests include environmental and green issues including the work of the World Development Movement. He enjoys skiing, travelling, gardening and both playing and listening to music. He is a member of Amnesty International.
Transcript of You Tube video
Hello. I’m Alan Smith and today it’s been announced that I’m going to be the next Bishop of St Albans.
I feel excited and daunted by what lies ahead, although sad to be leaving the people of Shropshire where I’ve had seven very happy years.
As we seek to engage with the world, one of the most profound challenges facing us is whether we are willing to go deeper into God.
That adventure of faith isn’t without its cost. It means going deeper in prayer and worship; it means grappling with the Scriptures; being open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit; generously giving more and of course serving the communities in which we live.
I’ve tried to work that out in my own life over recent years, in a variety of different contexts.
Coming from a rural background in Wiltshire, I’m passionate about the countryside; about treasuring the environment; supporting the agricultural industry and strengthening out rural parishes
But I’ve also worked for many years in urban areas. I’ve rubbed shoulders with people of other faiths and I’ve been enriched and challenged by them.
For a number of years I was a member of a lay religious community, Lee Abbey, where I learnt a great deal about how Christians live together even where they’ve got differences. It was there I caught the ecumenical bug. Which I’ve never been able to shake off since
I was nurtured in the glories of traditional Anglican worship but I’ve also encouraged Fresh Expressions and Church Planting as we seek to engage with a fresh generation. That’s one of the areas where our Church schools have such an important role to play.
Then there’s the question of how we relate our faith to our work, especially in times like these when many people are anxious about the future.
When I take up my new role in a few months time as Bishop of St Albans, my first priority will be to listen. To listen of course to those who are already working in the diocese, and who know it so much better than I do.
But I will also want to listen to those community leaders of faith or of no faith who are as passionate as I am about the communities we serve. I’ll also want to listen to those who for whatever reason, feel their voices are not heard.
Above all when I come I will want to seek God’s guidance. So that together as the people of the dioceses of St Albans we can move together into the future to which he has called us. God is faithful and he will do it.