More about the New Suffragan Bishop

The Bishop of the Diocese has said:

I am delighted that David Hamid has accepted the invitation to be my suffragan bishop, sharing ministry as bishops serving the Diocese in Europe. I know that he will bring to this new ministry considerable gifts of spirituality and pastoral care, ecumenical and international awareness, and care and clarity in administration. I have been impressed in what I have seen of his work where we have collaborated in various international ecumenical settings. I am sure that his warm personality, humour and Christian commitment will soon come to be appreciated across the wide extent of our unique diocese.

According to the CONSTITUTION of the Diocese (1995), the appointment has been made by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of London and the Bishop of the Diocese, acting jointly, after a wide-ranging consultation in and beyond the Diocese.

The Bishop has asked that the following PRAYER should be made widely available in chaplaincies so that together we can pray for David Hamid as he prepares for ordination to the ministry of a bishop in the Church of God.

Lord our God, you have chosen your servant DAVID to be a shepherd of your flock in the tradition of your apostles. As he prepares for ordination as a bishop give him a spirit of courage and true faith, of humility and true love for you: so that when he comes to lead and guide those entrusted to his care he may build your Church as a sign of salvation for the whole world.
We ask this for the glory of your Name, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Arrangements for Canon Hamid's EPISCOPAL ORDINATION (consecration) on 17October in central London - which will be the present Archbishop George Carey's last - will be announced in due course. But the Bishop hopes that clergy and chaplaincies consider carefully whether they wish to travel to London for the event, to support our new suffragan bishop.

Canon Hamid's first duty as suffragan bishop will be as the celebrant of the Eucharist attended by the Friends of the Diocese in Europe that happens in London each year on the eve of the October meeting of the Bishop's Council:23 October.

COMMENTS FROM CHURCH LEADERS
The Most Revd Dr George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury:

The announcement that Canon David Hamid is to be the next suffragan bishop in Europe will be eagerly welcomed both by the Diocese in Europe and by our ecumenical partners in and beyond the Continent. David Hamid's experience of the developing diversity of the Anglican Communion, coupled with his personal energy, will be a great asset to the Church of England's Continental chaplaincies, in which a wide cross-section of Anglicans and other Christians is always found.

He will be an encouragement to all who care about Anglican worship and witness in mainland Europe, as well as those who value the world-wide Church's impact on the life of the Church of England. David and his wife Colleen can be assured of my prayers and best wishes for their new ministry.

The Rt Revd Richard Chartres, Bishop of London:

David brings a rich experience of international and ecumenical affairs to his new post. I am delighted that he has accepted the invitation to serve the Diocese in Europe as suffragan bishop.

The Most Revd Michael Peers, Archbishop and Primate, Anglican Church of Canada:

On behalf of the Anglican Church of Canada, and especially of former colleagues at Church House where David Hamid served nine years as Latin America and Caribbean co-ordinator, I congratulate the Church of England on their choice of the suffragan bishop of the Diocese in Europe. David brings great personal gifts of spirituality, quickness of mind and capacity for friendship - not to mention familiarity with air travel! He has a remarkable talent for languages, and even more important, a capacity to translate across cultural as well as linguistic frontiers. I know that the Diocese and the whole Church of England will also hold Colleen, Jonathan and Michael in their prayers. For myself - pride, delight and affection are mingled in this greeting.

The Revd Dr Ishmael Noko, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation:

David has an impressive ecumenical knowledge and his facility with languages is a great advantage. His in-depth awareness of the life and canon law of the Anglican Communion, and his ability to preach with substance, are just two examples of gifts that will be assets to his new episcopal ministry. The Lutheran World Federation has found in David a friend and rewarding colleague, with whom we look forward to working more closely on the opportunities that face us in Europe. I congratulate David on his new ministry, and the diocesan Bishop for his choice.

Dr Mary Tanner, distinguished ecumenist and teacher (former Moderator of the World Council of Churches and General Secretary of the CofE's Council for Christian Unity):

David has been an outstanding ecumenical secretary for the Anglican Communion for the last six years and in that role he will be greatly missed by Anglicans throughout the Communion as well as by our ecumenical partners. His insights will be of immense value in his new role in Europe: insights that he will bring with the natural gifts of a pastor.

The Revd Canon John L Peterson, Secretary General of the Anglican Consultative Council:

For the last six years the Revd Canon David Hamid has served the Anglican Communion with distinction as the Director of Ecumenical Relations and Studies. In this unique ecumenical position David has seen first hand what Archbishop Desmond Tutu lovingly calls the "rainbow people of God". In his new position as the suffragan bishop of the Diocese in Europe, David will bring to this ministry a breadth of experience as he works in the most culturally and ethically diverse diocese in the Anglican Communion. I am thrilled for David and for the Diocese in Europe.

Statement by The Revd Canon David Hamid, suffragan bishop-elect of the Diocese in Europe:

It is an honour to be appointed the suffragan bishop of the Diocese in Europe. The diocese is a great and distinctive family within our Anglican Communion, and I anticipate many enriching times ahead as I get to know her clergy and people.

Most of her chaplains and many members of the congregations come from outside Continental Europe. I pray that my own family's experience of moving across the Atlantic, as well as my past responsibilities in supporting those ministering in cross-cultural and sometimes isolating situations in Latin America and the Caribbean, may serve me well as I seek to provide pastoral encouragement to the chaplaincies.

One particular joy in accepting this appointment is knowing that I will be working alongside the diocesan Bishop, Dr Geoffrey Rowell. Bishop Geoffrey is someone I have known for a number of years now, and we have collaborated on several aspects of ecumenical work. It will be a privilege to work with such a wise and scholarly bishop of the Church.

The diocese holds a unique place in the Communion since within the continent she covers can be found the seat of many of the ancient Churches and national Churches with which Anglicans have long-standing relations. I believe that the diocese functions as the "front-door" or "shop-window" of Anglicanism to our partners from other Churches. One of the great gifts of the diocese to the rest of the Communion is the role her chaplains and people play in nurturing and developing warm ecumenical relations.

My own ecumenical work at the level of the Communion has already given me the opportunity to get to know and to work with some of the key leaders in other Christian traditions in Europe, among them Old Catholic, Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed and Baptist. I look forward to opportunities to translate the more formal and theological aspects of ecumenical dialogue into rich and fruitful relations among Christians in local situations.

I am aware that Europe is becoming an ever more complex region of the world and that this touches on our vocation as Christians. On the one hand, there seems to be a growing sense of identity as a region. At the same time there is a plurality of cultures, languages and peoples, and in places concern about the presence of outsiders.

The Church, as an agent of reconciliation, can play an important part in witnessing to the unity of all families, languages, peoples and nations in the reconciling love of Christ. I look forward with joy to sharing in this vocation and ministry in Europe.

I am grateful for prayers as I prepare for the consecration and subsequently take up the new responsibilities. Pray also for my family as we approach this time of transition.

David Hamid

18 July 2002