06-10-2005, 01:56 PM
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| The flying bishop
From Reuters Quote: Flying bishop a jetset pastor for distant Anglicans
By Iza Kaminska
WORTH, England (Reuters) - Toothbrush? Check. Sunblock? Check. Laptop? Check. Collapsible miter? Check. Telescopic ecclesiastical staff? Uh, Check?
Once his kit is packed, the Right Reverend Geoffrey Rowell is ready for the commute to a day in the office that might take him to the mountains of the Caucasus or the cafes of Casablanca.
That's because Rowell, as the Church of England's Bishop of Europe, has been given the task of ministering to a congregation of the distant and the disparate in need of spiritual guidance from their church at home.
"My mandate is a sixth of the world's land surface." Rowell said. "My ministry is knitting. I strive to link chaplaincies."
Rowell is the only bishop of his type on the Church of England Synod and his job is unique because he represents the church directly in Europe, Asia and parts of North Africa.
Anglican worshipers have been popping up across Europe and elsewhere since England's King Henry VIII broke with Catholic Rome and created the Church of England in the 16th century. Most of the more than 77 million Anglicans around the world today are served by regional bishops.
Four years into his job and Rowell says he has "not even come close" to visiting all of his flock. His mandate keeps growing and at the moment he is contemplating the needs of British oil workers in Azerbaijan.
"Although their day to day needs are provided for, you'll find their religious needs are overlooked," he said.
Ministering to his far-flung congregation is a challenge that requires someone who is not tied down, does not get tired of flying and is not wedded to routine.
"The bishop must be prepared to travel and preferably should enjoy traveling, so yes, tick for both of those in my case," Rowell said.
The life of a flying bishop is not all glamour and godly gadgets however. Rowell has not married or had time to raise a family and must live near one of the world's busiest airports.
SHIFTING CONGREGATION
The Bishop works out of secluded headquarters in the commuter town of Worth, just a stone's throw from London's Gatwick airport. The headquarters was moved there from Gibraltar to make travel by plane more practical.
Alongside the sacrifices and dedicated service that go with such a heavy travel schedule, there are also perks.
Stacks of mementos from across the world fill a room at the lodge. The former professor of theology and church history at Oxford has been able to satisfy a penchant for collecting Russian orthodox icons, Georgian triptychs and Catholic artworks. He even has a nifty array of exotic miters.
He also has a bird's eye view of religious demographics in action, simply by tracking the demand for his services.
Anglican worship has been building in traditional Catholic areas of France and Spain where Britons have relocated, in Russia where British businesses have ventured and in some rather less predictable spots.
"I am hearing about the fledgling beginnings of a congregation in Mongolia where I have longed to go all my life," he said. "An official visit might be heading that way some time soon."
Rowell's theological training and pastoral care over such a vast area has led him to see his role as part parish priest and part ambassador of faith seeking to make the world better.
"Bishops and diplomats have a lot in common because we are both interpreters, listeners and are concerned with many of the same issues like peace and justice," he said.
Such diplomatic skills may have eased his transition from one culture to the next, but Rowell still occasionally gets hassled by security for his unusual hand luggage just like the average traveler.
"At Ashford (in England) going on the Eurostar, they asked me what was in my case, I said it was a bishop's staff and, of course, they wanted to see it, even though I was wearing all my regalia."
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