Our new Bishop of Loughborough has been getting to the know diocese as he travels around listening to our worshipping communities as well as community and other faiths groups.
Among the many visits he has made included preaching at a Sunday service at one of our oldest parish churches, St Mary's and St Hardulph's at Breedon-on-the-Hill in rural Leicestershire, as well as meeting some of the other Christian and other faith groups in the city.
At Breedon-on-the-Hill Bishop Saju spoke around Isaiah chapter 55: v1-9; the invitation to come to God who says ‘to incline our ear, and come to me; listen so that you may live’, reminding us that God is more willing to speak than we are to listen, more willing to love us than we are to love God. Bishop Saju encouraged us to be open to all the ways God speaks; through pain, through the still small voice and chiefly through our beloved Saviour, Jesus.
Bishop Saju also chatted with Rachel, a Heritage Officer, who is part of the congregation there.
Visiting other faiths, coordinated by Tom Wilson, Director of the St Phillips Centre in Liecster, Bishop Saju spent some time meeting people at Shree Sanatan Mandir, and Guru Nanak Gurdwara. In the Mandir, Bishop Saju met with some of the congregation and shared something of his own childhood growing up in India. It was lovely to discover that the mother of the Mandir President is 82, just as Saju’s own mother is also 82 years old.
In the Gurdwara, Bishop Saju talked with members of the committee and again shared his own journey. In both places we heard of some amazing work in the community, caring for people’s physical, mental and spiritual needs.
He also took part in a service at Leicester's Ukrainian Church to support a vigil and pray with others for the millions of people impacted by the Russian war in Ukraine.
Photos below:
