Archbishop pays tribute to Bishop John

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++Justin pays tribute to +John: (C) Keith Blundy / Aegies Associates The Archbishop of Canterbury paid tribute to Bishop John at the end of General Synod today.

Although Bishop John still has some months to go before his retirement, this is the last Synod he will attend. Archbishop Justin, who was his student at theological college, spoke of his hard work on the national stage, alongside his dedication to the Diocese where he is "much loved". Of his time as Bishop John's student, Archbishop Justin said, "All of us remember with warmth and affection, and a little amusement, John's style, the silences when he was waiting for you to say something - he could out-wait anyone in silence. "He also told the Synod that Bishop John's writing and teaching had been inspirational.

"I'm deeply grateful to him personally for his teaching on prayer," he said. His work chairing the Board of Education was "remarkable" said the Archbishop, and he had held his own during a time of extraordinarily rapid change in the field of education. He would be missed by the House of Bishops, he said, for his courtesy and patience.

His many friends now wished him a happy and well deserved retirement.

The Archbishop's words were greeted with a prolonged round of applause.

Bishop John and Wendy listen to the Archbishop's words: (C) Keith Blundy / Aegies Associates Read Archbishop Justin's tribute belowWell now.

John Pritchard.

It is very seldom in life that 22 years after someone was one's supervisor and director of pastoral studies

that one has the opportunity for an extended period of reflection on their ministry . But…with admirable foresight, much more than my own, I happen to be aware that one of his most remarkable family, one of his daughters, holds a very senior position at the hospital to which I have to go if anything ever goes wrong ; and if I am to avoid endless enemas every time I go in

for an ingrowing toenail, I expect I need to stick to my script. There are a number of mafias lurking in the Church of England.

I have to confess one of them is signified by those who wear Crosses of Nails; of course it's a very reconciling mafia, we make you offers you cannot refuse of reconciliation. But there is another one of those who were taught by John Pritchard, and that is one that we count ourselves privileged to be part of.

I'll come back to that in a minute.

Because when we say goodbye to bishops at General Synod we tend to think of their contribution on this platform or some of the national tasks.

But John has been distinguished not only - and I'll come back to that in a minute - with his remarkable work in education, but also in his demonstration that the core of a bishop's ministry is in his diocese. And it is quite clear, from all that we hear, that John has become a very much loved bishop within the Diocese of Oxford and will be greatly missed. And just for the avoidance of doubt, being Bishop of Oxford - speaking as someone who went to a place a little further east and then a lot further north - is a really difficult place to be.

They're funny folk in Oxford.

And to be a loved bishop and an effective bishop there shows skills that in any other diocese would qualify you for near immortality. It's a large diocese, as we know, with a well-worked area system, and it takes great skill to bring it together.

John's colleagues pay tribute to him for the way he has tied them together, but without shackling them.

How he's changed from his time at Cranmer . Time and again, all his colleagues talk of the 'Living Faith' programme that was instituted under his care.

It's a programme which emphasises the centrality of Jesus in individual lives, but also in the boards and councils of the diocese.

That passion for communicating the good news of Jesus Christ has not changed from his times at Cranmer or before. And in line with that, he established a Board of Mission and appointed a Director of Mission, and that has led to mission being the context for the activities of the diocese, from stewardship to vocations, which are numerous; from social responsibility to safeguarding, which is effective; from children's and youth imagining faith to days for the clergy and local lay ministers, and the grand day out for the whole diocese. Above all, John is a man of immense courtesy and grace and patience - qualities that were amply tested at the theological college, certainly by me, but never seemed to run out.

They're also qualities that have been demonstrated in his diocese and here, and in the Board of Education.

Although the diocese wish him and Wendy well, they make no secret that they will miss him greatly. John discovered his vocation reading law at Oxford University (do they do law at Oxford University?), and then went on to train at Ridley Hall in Cambridge: repentance .

Ordained deacon in 1972, he served his title at St Martin's, Birmingham, which had a lasting effect on his ministry, because I remember him talking about it a great deal, but also I have no doubt a lasting and beneficial effect on St Martin's.

And then he moved to the Diocese of Bath & Wells as Assistant Director of RE and Youth Chaplain, and then the parish of Wilton. After that, his academic abilities came to the fore as he went to be first Director of Pastoral Studies at Cranmer and then Warden, where he had a huge variety of people answering their call to serve God in ordained ministry.

At that time Cranmer was still a fascinating mix of the Wesley Study Centre for Methodist, as well as a theological college of an Evangelical tradition, but also the theological college of the north. And so there was a hugely diverse pattern of relationships to handle, and he did that extremely well.

Among those who you may know of, Martyn Percy was there at the time and Emma, his wife; Jo Wells, my chaplain; and Robert Innes, who will be consecrated next Sunday as Bishop before being installed as Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe. All of us remember with warmth and affection, and a little amusement, John's style, the silences when he was waiting for you to say something - he could out-wait anyone in silence; the just one hand up to the glasses and both hands extended to give you an invitation to play a more active part in the interview. He then spent six years as Archdeacon of Canterbury before becoming Suffragan Bishop of Jarrow in the Diocese of Durham, one that I knew very briefly, where he oversaw the vacancy between bishops - the previous one - and after that became Bishop of Oxford.

It is striking that, as with Mark Bryant now, John then was known across the diocese with extraordinary affection, as someone of endless hard work, great hospitality with Wendy, enormous warmth and great effect in his ministry. That doesn't touch on many of his other areas of ministry.

The Diocese of Oxford has many and varied overseas links, and John himself took pilgrimages to Israel and retains an abiding and passionate concern for the Holy Land. Well, by now you must be beginning to think we're talking about someone who can walk on water. In fact here is a picture of John developing a new policy for the National Board of Education, a new education policy for the Church of England.

He is, in fact, able to walk on fire.

He tested the theory that it's possible to walk on coals heated to 1200 degrees centigrade and proved that you can do it by doing it twice.

However, walking on hot coals was probably as nothing to being Chair of the Board of Education.

It's a very high profile post, as we know, which inevitably courts media headlines.

It's also probably one of the most significant roles in our public life. John had interesting things to say about admissions policies in schools, and indeed the whole emphasis on the Church of England serving the nation in its education.

He attracted endless criticism from secularists, but more than anything held his own during a time of extraordinarily rapid change in education, which required immense flexibility, and also in a transition from schools when he arrived which, in some dioceses definitely, were much more the sort of fashionable places to go in the more middle class areas, to by the time he left a sense of education being at the very sharp end of the mission of the Church of England.

And a conviction that good religious education was essential in all the curricular that is offered to our children, including the new Baccalaureate. He is a writer who has written many books of immense support and comfort and education.

His book on prayer is widely read and known.

He was a great teacher on prayer, one of those who has influenced me most, I am deeply grateful to him personally.

He's an accessible author, explaining the Christian faith clearly to enquirer and long-standing church member. I've already mentioned his courtesy and patience.

This can be tested.

He long remembers the time when on visiting Cape Town on one of the diocesan link visits he found himself being prayed for fervently by a woman, and her prayers became so fervent that she began to bang her Bible on John's head .

It is unusual that any of us can call ourselves the literal victim of a Bible basher , but even that is said not to have strained his courtesy. The House of Bishops and the Synod are going to miss his profound attention to details, his passion for what he does, his good humour, his kindness, his pastoral skills.

He is entering a richly deserved retirement and we hope that he and Wendy enjoy that to the full. John, thank you, and we bless you with all our hearts for what you have done for church and for us.

Thank you.

++Justin Cantuar15. 7. 14