The Bishop of Colchester, The Right Reverend Christopher Morgan, has announced that he will retire at the end of July 2013.

Bishop Christopher has said:

“The last eleven years have been a rich and stimulating time for me. My work in the Colchester Episcopal Area across the Northern half of Essex has brought me into contact with so many creative people and vibrant communities: and I have been blessed in my colleagues in the Diocese of Chelmsford as a whole.  It will be hard to say goodbye but I am sure that this is now the right thing to do – and I will do so with much gratitude for my time here.”

The Bishop of Chelmsford, The Right Reverend Stephen Cottrell, added: “Christopher will be retiring as Bishop of Colchester at the end of July following eleven years of faithful ministry. He has been an outstanding Bishop of Colchester, a wise pastor to his Clergy and a faithful ambassador for Christ.

“We wish him and his wife, Anne a very happy retirement, assure them of our prayers, and pray that these last months of Episcopal ministry will be full of joy.”

Further details about a Farewell Service and other ways of marking Bishop Christopher’s retirement will be announced in due course.

 

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More information

About Bishop Christopher

• Christopher Heudebourck Morgan was consecrated Bishop of Colchester on 6 December 2001 and began his public ministry on 3 February 2002 at Chelmsford Cathedral.
• Bishop Christopher leads the Colchester Episcopal Area of the Diocese of Chelmsford (the Church of England in Essex and East London) where he has special responsibility for Clergy and Lay Ministry and is Chair of the Diocesan Environment Group.
• In the wider Church of England he is a member of the House of Bishops’ Europe Panel and is Co-Chair of the Anglican/French Protestant Steering Group.
• Bishop Christopher was born on 23 March 1947. He will be 66 at the time of his retirement.
• He was educated at the City of Bath Boys’ School, Kelham Theological College (1966), London University (Diploma in Theology, 1970), Lancaster University (BA, 1973) and Heythrop College London (MTh, 1991).
• Ordained Deacon in 1973 and Priest in 1974.
• A Curate at St James the Great, Birstall (1973-76), Assistant Chaplain in Brussels (1976-80), Priest-in-Charge  of St George's Redditch ((1980-81), Team Vicar of The Ridge in Redditch (1981-85), Vicar of Sonning (1985-1996), Principal of the Berkshire Christian Training Scheme ((1985-89), Director of Pastoral Studies of the St Albans and Oxford Ministry Course (1992-96), and the Diocesan Officer for Ministry and Diocesan Canon Residentiary at Gloucester Cathedral (concurrently from 1996 to 2001).
• Bishop Christopher is married to Anne and they have two grown-up children.

About the Colchester Episcopal Area

• The Colchester Episcopal Area stretches for 70 miles from West to East - from Great Chishill in Cambridgeshire to Clacton on the Essex coast.
• Besides Colchester itself, major locations in the Colchester Episcopal Area include London Stansted Airport, Harwich International Port and the University of Essex.
• The population of the Area is around 540,000 (2011 census) taking in all of the Braintree, Colchester and Tendering Local Authorities, most of Uttlesford and a small part of Maldon.  
• The Area comprises 206 parishes, 226 churches and eight Deaneries (Witham, Hinckford, Braintree, Colchester, Dunmow & Stansted, Harwich, Saffron Walden and St Osyth).
• There are 124 Clergy and 79 Licensed Readers (or Lay Ministers).
• About 14,000 people are adult members of the Church of England.
• There are 67 Church of England Schools.

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Any comments?

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