Bishop Ellie appointed Suffragan Bishop of Hull
Dear family in Christ
It is with deep sadness that I have the task of announcing to you all that our Assistant Bishop, Bishop Eleanor has been appointed to the position of Suffragan Bishop of Hull in the Diocese of York, UK.
Those who know these things tell me that Hull has a special connection to Aotearoa New Zealand, in that it was the home of William Wilberforce, who is greatest known as a key figure in the abolition of the slave trade in the UK, and was also a founding member of the Clapham Sect and the Church Missionary Society, whose own transformative missional discipleship brought the gospel to Aotearoa all those years ago.
The Diocese itself is one of contrasts. Whilst the Diocese includes areas of outstanding natural beauty, the City of Hull itself has suffered from economic decline and the endemic effects of poverty over a number of decades. The Sandersons will be living at Hessle, a town on the outskirts of Hull and nestled under the mighty Humber Bridge.
+Ellie has sent us this message to share: “We live as a Diocesan family who seek to encourage and support each other to be people who will go anywhere and do anything for Jesus. God is clearly inviting our family to live into that calling of obedience and trust in a very real way. The grief of impending goodbyes is very painful because we have lived such a rich and full life of God’s love together. Wellington will always be our home and will never stop being in our heart and prayers. I am so thankful for the privilege of serving you as bishop alongside Bishop Justin and bearing witness to God’s transforming power amongst us. “
We will all feel the loss of Bishop Ellie keenly. Her wisdom, prophetic insight, remarkable way with words, and zeal for missional discipleship has been so important to me over her episcopacy. She has served the Diocese of Wellington in many capacities for over 20 years. We have seen the way +Ellie has wrestled with periods of injury and recovery yet still been faithful through this to listen to what God would like her to share with us as a result. We have witnessed with joy the whole Sanderson crew living as family on mission in the crazy adventure of the Community of Transfiguration. Our common life is so much richer because of +Ellie’s faithfulness to God’s call here.
Archbishop Philip writes, “Bishop Eleanor’s appointment to the See of Hull is an occasion of both real sadness and deep rejoicing. Bishop Eleanor has made an extraordinary contribution to the life of our church over many years and most recently as a bishop in the Diocese of Wellington. She has brought her unique gifts to bear in a period of significant transformation in the focus of mission within that diocese. She has become a respected and highly valued member of the House of Bishops in this church. As such, we will be extremely sad to see her go but we genuinely rejoice in the discernment that God is calling her to serve within the Diocese of York as Bishop of Hull.
“This is a very significant call and responsibility which Bishop Eleanor is well equipped to meet. We know that our church will remain close to her heart as she will remain in ours. We wish her, the clergy and people of the East Riding every blessing in this new time of episcopal leadership.”
We know that God has wonderful plans in store for all of the Sandersons, but it is so hard to say goodbye to our friends. +Ellie will be back at the end of August so that we can celebrate (and commiserate!) together, including services of thanksgiving. We will release those dates in due course. +Ellie’s installation into her new role will be in mid-late September.
As the year progresses, Diocesan Council and Senior Leadership Team will review our own mission as Anglican Movement and spend time prayerfully discerning how best to structure our Diocesan senior team.
Please join me in praying deeply for +Ellie, Tim, Zac and Joe over this time, and the family and ministries they will leave behind. Times of transition are full of excitement, but also natural anxiety, and we pray the mantle of God’s peace over the whole family, and God’s presence in the myriad of little details which need to be sorted.
In Christ,
+Justin