Bishop announces his retirement

THE Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd John Gladwin has today announced that he will retire on August 31, 2009 after almost six years of leading the Church of England in Essex and East London.

Bishop John, the ninth Bishop of Chelmsford, (and the sixth to have been called John) has been the head of the Church of England Diocese which covers Essex and the five London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest since 2003, when he moved to Chelmsford, having been Bishop of Guildford for nine years.

He recently retired from being Chair of Christian Aid. He and his wife, Lydia, will live in retirement in Hertfordshire.

Bishop John said: “I have become accustomed in various gatherings to speaking with great affection about the Church of England in Essex and East London in such glowing terms, and more recently to speak with no small pride of the 'Olympic Diocese of Chelmsford'. "I have really grown to love this great County of Essex, its wonderful people and tremendous diversity. The Five London boroughs add a tremendous richness to the mix to make Chelmsford a uniquely blessed diocese of the Church of England, which has left an indelible mark in my very being.

“There will be many opportunities for farewells, but there remains much to be done in the next nine months: we must face together the many different challenges in the world as the Church seeks to proclaim the Word of God into the many troubles which we in the world are facing at this time.”