Church confirms newest bishop
FORMER CIVIL SERVANT SET FOR POSITION IN JARROW
A FORMER career civil servant is to be the new Bishop of Jarrow.
It has been confirmed that the next Bishop of Jarrow Designate is the Venerable Canon Sarah Clark, 53, who is currently Archdeacon of Southwell and Nottingham.
Prior to training for ordination in 1998, she was a career civil servant in the Department for Employment, having been through its graduate training programme in the West Midlands, where she went on to hold a range of management roles.
Sarah is from an ex-mining community in South Wales, something that she hopes gives her an affinity for the people and places in the Diocese of Durham.
“I grew up in South Wales in the ’70s and early ’80s, and I was the first generation to go to university,” she said. “My grandfathers were miners and so was my father in his 20s until he went to work for ICI.
“I was taught the importance of giving to your community and looking out for those who were struggling.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know the different communities and churches across such a diverse diocese full of character and with such a rich spiritual heritage.
“As part of my preparation for being interviewed I spoke with a colleague in Durham who advised me that if I wasn’t coming to join in fanning the flames of hope and life in the diocese, not to bother coming at all.”
The Rt Revd Paul Butler, Bishop of Durham, said: “I am delighted that the Queen has confirmed the appointment of Sarah as the next Bishop of Jarrow Designate.
“I had the pleasure of working with Sarah while I was Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and I know she will be a great advocate for the communities of our diocese, bring with her a tremendous set of skills and experiences that will help us in our ambitions.
“She will bring a deep commitment to our three priorities of children and young people, tackling poverty together and growing the church in depth.”
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu said: “We warmly welcome Sarah to the North East.”
Sarah will be formally consecrated as Bishop by the Archbishop of York on February 27, 2019, at York Minster. She will then be formally welcomed into the diocese at a service in Durham Cathedral on April 7.