Announcement of the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury
We welcome the announcement of Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, as the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Our bishops Paul Williams (Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham) and Andy Emerton (Bishop of Sherwood) invite all our churches to give thanks to God and join in praying for the Archbishop of Canterbury-designate. Bishop Paul said, “I am holding Bishop Sarah in my prayers as she takes on this new and significant responsibility within the Church of England and across the Anglican Communion. Please pray that she will be
Start the Month in October with Bishop Paul and Sarah (185) – 3rd October 2025
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26 In Start the Month for October, Bishop Paul and Sarah reflect on Psalm 73. Bishop Paul describes ‘four golden verses’ in which the psalmist is compelled to set aside self-interest to be set free by love for God. These verses remind us of the wonder of knowing Jesus, and the eternal hope that He holds out to us. Bishop
Start the Month in September with Bishop Paul and Sarah (184) – 5th September 2025
'There is a point where we need to decide to let ourselves be loved by God' In this special Start the Month for September, Bishop Paul and Sarah read from Psalm 45 and reflect on the difference it makes to daily life when we truly know how deeply we are loved by God. His love inspires confidence and brings courage, especially in new seasons of opportunity or challenge. Our prayer is that, as you watch this Start the Month, you
Start the Month in August with Bishop Paul and Sarah (183) – 1st August 2025
'Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.' Psalm 4:3 As we enter August, a month that often invites rest and refreshment, Bishop Paul and Sarah reflect on Psalm 4, reminding us of God’s joy and peace that is available to us whatever our circumstances. They share how in the Psalm, David draws confidence from the fact that God desires him and hears his cry for help. This can
Start the Month in July with Bishop Paul and Sarah (182) – 4th July 2025
'Blaze, Spirit blaze, set our hearts on fire' Do you feel the fire of God’s love burning brightly, or perhaps you feel like your faith is flickering? As they stand near the old fireplaces of Archbishop’s Palace, in Start the Month for July Bishop Paul and Sarah reflect on how God meets us where we are and can rekindle the fire in our hearts. Drawing on the book of Job, they share how despite the struggles and sufferings we may face, we have
Bishop Paul’s Sermon for the Service of Celebration of the King’s Official Birthday
Sunday 15th June, Southwell Minster My text for this sermon is 1 Peter 2:16: “Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil…Show proper respect to everyone…” There’s a little volume called ‘The All Better Book’ in which children try to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems, like what to do about global warming, how to stop wars and so on. And here’s one of the toughest questions they faced: ‘With billions of people in the world, someone
Bishop’s Address to Diocesan Synod – Isaiah 35
This is the transcript of Bishop Paul's address to Diocesan Synod on 10th May 2025. I want to speak this morning about spiritual revival. I want to do that because one of our tasks as a Synod, in our stewardship of the work of God in this diocese, is to pay attention to the time and season we are in. Augustine famously said, ‘Lord, you made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.’ Over the past
Bishop Paul speaking at the VE Commemoration Debate
As part of the VE Day events this week, Bishop Paul spoke in the House of Lords on Friday in the VE Day Commemoration debate. In his speech he paid tribute to the armed forces chaplains that served with great distinction, as well as the The Notts Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry who were one of the four regiments tasked to lead the British assault landings on the normandy beaches on D-Day. He reflected on the tragedy felt across Nottingham 84 years ago
Vision Update Video
In this update video, Bishop Paul and Bishop Andy share an update on the vision and mission across our diocese, a year on from our vision refresh. https://youtu.be/OkUcpyApfXY They focus particularly on two of our 7 areas of focus, 'Nurturing Prayer' and 'Enabling Commitment' and also introduce 3 new funds designed to support churches across the diocese. You can find out more about these here: https://southwell.anglican.org/church-growth Thank you for all that you do in the life of your parish and ministry, and we
Bishop Paul’s Easter Sermon in Southwell Minster
In Bishop Paul's Easter sermon in the cathedral, he said, “because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, there is always hope.” “With all that is happening in our world at the moment, and maybe in our lives too, we need the Easter story as much as ever. Here is the true story of hope over despair, light over darkness, and the power of love over hatred, because of Jesus.” "Our Easter faith is about the love of God