TWO North Yorkshire bishops are set to visit projects and rural communities in South Africa.
The Bishop of Whitby, the Rt Revd Paul Ferguson and the Bishop of Selby, the Rt Revd Dr John Thomson, will visit clergy and churches in South Africa from Friday (September 26) to October 4.
The Diocese of York has a long relationship with the church in South Africa, and is twinned with the Dioceses of False Bay, Saldanha Bay, and Cape Town.
Bishop Paul will be visiting the Diocese of False Bay, with the diocese’s lay training advisor the Revd Canon Angela Bailey, and the Revd Pauline Percy, curate at Kirklevington and Crathorne. Their trip will include a visit to the prison where Nelson Mandela spent his last months in captivity, and they will take part in an ordination service and lead a lay training day and two clergy training seminars.
Bishop Paul said: “This will be my first visit to Cleveland’s link diocese of False Bay, returning the visit of Bishop Margaret Vertue who was here a few months ago.
"I look forward to joining the ranks of people from the Diocese of York who have been inspired and learned much from being with our partners in South Africa.”
Both bishops hope to Tweet about their experiences in South Africa.
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