The church is active wherever the people are to be found, seeking in the power of God’s Spirit to bring to birth the signs of God’s kingdom launched decisively by Jesus in his death and resurrection. Some of our people are doing heroic work in areas that have been hit hard by industrial decline and urban blight. Others are forging ahead with new youth ministries and other ‘fresh expressions’ of what it means to be Christian. We have developed innovative training programmes for lay people as well as clergy, and many parishes have authorized ministerial teams taking forward the multiple ministries of God’s kingdom. We are trying to bring the worlds of the arts more directly into the forefront, believing that music, painting, poetry, drama and the other arts can often provide swift routes to the heart of the gospel. In education, we work closely with the various local authorities covered by the Diocese to deliver first-rate schooling. Underneath it all is the solid tradition of worship and prayer, scripture and sacrament through which the Holy Spirit continues to refresh, redirect and re-energise our corporate and individual lives as followers of the crucified and risen Jesus.

A blessing I have often used since coming to the Diocese can be turned into a prayer, and it’s one I pray for all who visit this site. May Almighty God make you faithful to his calling, cheerful in his service, and fruitful for his kingdom. And all in the name of Jesus.

Tom, Bishop of Durham