Read Bishop Colin's Presidential address

The Acting Bishop of Oxford, Rt Revd Colin Fletcher It is now over 18 months since I became the Acting Bishop of Oxford. In three weeks' time on 6 July, Bishop Steven will have his election confirmed and at that point he becomes our Bishop. However, at that stage he will still be in Sheffield, saying his farewells, so he will promptly delegate back to me sufficient powers to enable the Diocese to continue to run smoothly. What all that does mean is that this is my last chance to address this Synod in this capacity and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for all your support, prayers and encouragement since Bishop John left. A special thank you goes to the Bishop's Staff who are a wonderful group of people to work with - and to them I would add the staff who work at Church House Oxford. The latter have been nothing short of heroic in the way they have planned for, and tackled, the move to the new offices which took place just after Easter. Thanks to a large extent to their willingness to embrace change, and to prepare thoroughly for it, the latter has gone very smoothly indeed. Personally I am enjoying open-plan working, and the increase in cross-departmental conversations is of enormous benefit to all concerned. We have yet to see all the advantages that will flow from this move but they will be very significant indeed in the years to come. My hope was always that we would be properly bedded in to welcome the arrival of a new bishop and, thanks to Rosemary and her team, that has happened. Likewise, we have appointed to and restructured a number of the teams that work there. Most notably, after a difficult period, the DDO team is now at full strength so that we can confidently manage the challenges we will be hearing about to increase the number of vocations to ordained ministry by 50 per cent under the Renewal and Reform Agenda . But the centre of the Diocese, as I have said on many occasions, does not lie in Church House Oxford, nor in our colleagues who work there. It lies in the parishes, benefices and teams of our four Archdeaconries. With the latter I spend far more time talking about strategies for growth than for managing decline. Of course, we must not fall into the trap of thinking that the future is rosy. Again as we will be reminded later, there are major challenges ahead whether we consider clergy and congregational numbers, their age profile, or our finances. However, just at present, I firmly believe that we are being given some wonderful opportunities to serve our communities in ways that were not present even a few years ago. I think, for instance, of our schools.

With the meltdown of many LEAs someone has to step into the breach to provide the services they need and it is great to see us doing just that both for church and community schools. There is a fresh opportunity to demonstrate the difference the Christian faith can make in people's lives and we are doing just that. I would add that, to do this effectively is also going to be costly so watch this space. Or again I have done a great deal of partnership working over the past 15 years. The difference now is that local authorities are seeing this not as a little wanted extra but as an integral part of community life. We cannot hope to replace all that is being lost through austerity but we can be a key part of the glue that holds together and enhances the whole of society, whether in relation to the care of the elderly, or through food banks, or in the provision for children and young people. The list could go on but I am reminded of that lovely verse in the Book of Revelation that speaks of the God who opens doors which no one can shut. Relationally we still hold, through the parish system, a unique position in the Thames Valley and it presents us with a wonderful open door. To take advantage of it will require service and sacrifice at considerable cost but it is there to be walked through. By building relationships we can share the Good News of Christ. I was reminded of that having lunch the other day with a dozen clergy and lay workers planting churches all over Oxfordshire and particularly in its areas of new housing. Churches are growing in them, lives are being transformed, and we are the only organisation consistently putting people on the ground to live amongst, and serve, the people that inhabit them. There are open doors. These are God-given opportunities.

And I look forward over the next few years to seeing this diocese continue to seize them. Bishop Colin, 18 June 2016