Harvest festivals, an award-winning school garden and churchyard, bubble church, beach-nesting birds, restoring rivers, and a Christian message for the UN biodiversity conference – the Bishop of Norwich had a busy October across the diocese and beyond.
Some of the keenest young nature-lovers at Dereham Church of England Junior Academy have been busy helping to plant a huge hedge. Running along a boundary fence it will eventually both help screen school playing fields and become home to a host of wildlife.
The Bishop of Norwich was shown the ambitious project when he visited the school to present the Bishop of Norwich Environment Prize for Schools to children and staff for their Good Shepherd Garden.
And, supporting environmental education all the way through from young children to post-graduates, this October he also presented University of East Anglia student Adam Bourton with the Bishop of Norwich Prize for Ecology for his top-scoring dissertation on protecting ringed plovers.
October is a month of many harvest festivals and Bishop Graham joined the congregation at St George’s Hardingham for their harvest service. As well as preaching and presiding at communion he enjoyed an introduction to Hardingham’s family friendly bubble church.
There were fewer bubbles and more farmers at the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association harvest festival in Norwich Cathedral where Bishop Graham preached the sermon. Afterwards he said: “Amongst soil, produce, honey, fish and bread brought to the altar, it was the pair of boots ‘as a symbol of those who have lost their lives’ that moved me.”
Food and farming was also on the agenda when Bishop Graham visited Norwich Research Park, meeting scientists at the Sainsbury Laboratory, John Innes Centre, Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development, and the Earlham and Quadram Institutes. “There was much discussion about precision breeding, value chains, grasspea genetics, enhancing diet and good gut health – and poo!” he said.
On October 10 Bishop Graham presented the very first Norfolk Conservation Churchyard Award to All Saints Hemblington, at the Sacred Spaces conference, which focused on churchyard biodiversity, conservation and best practice.
The award, made jointly by the Diocese of Norwich, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, and Norfolk Churches Trust, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, to highlight the natural and spiritual heritage of Norfolk’s churchyards.
The conference was held at St Andrew’s, Holt, and Bishop Graham then spent time with members of the River Glaven Conservation Group, looking at the nearby chalk stream and discussing threats including pollution and invasive species.
The Bishop also took part in a video created by community action group Wensum Riverkin, which is calling for a new, science-led, community-driven approach to restore and protect the River Wensum.
This month Bishop Graham welcomed the Church of England’s newest nun at a service in Sheringham. He joined the congregation of the Coptic Orthodox Church near Norwich to celebrate the first anniversary of its new building and took services in churches around his diocese including Norwich Cathedral and Stiffkey parish church.
He toured the hugely popular Luxmuralis sound and light installation in Norwich Cathedral, visited Norwich Castle as a guest of the High Sheriff and toured Oyster Yachts in Wroxham.
near Norwich
Bishop Graham joined fellow bishops for a House of Bishops meeting in Northamptonshire.
His work as a bishop in the House of Lords included speaking of his deep concern about the rise of antisemitism, hate crime and violence and asking whether the Places of Worship Protection Scheme is enough given the current level of threat.
After scrutiny of the Armed Forces Bill in the House of Lords he was pleased that changes he had suggested, including extra protection for military police, were agreed by the Government.
Towards the end of October Bishop Graham led the Anglican Communion delegation to the UN biodiversity COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia.
En-route he stopped in Istanbul, representing the Archbishop of Canterbury at celebrations to mark the 35th anniversary of the election of His All-Holiness The Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew I. The Archbishop of Constantinople is regarded as the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church worldwide and known as the ‘Green Patriarch’ for his commitment to the environment.
Bishop Graham gave him a copy of the new teaching document ‘Hope for All Creation’ plus a wooden cup carved in English oak by Brian Wooden, from Kessingland, near Lowestoft. Brian previously made a bowl that Bishop Graham gave to Pope Francis.
In Armenia the bishop met environment, faith and political leaders, gave presentations and moderated discussions. The COP17 conference reviewed progress towards protecting 30% of the world’s land and sea by 2030.
The Church Times published an article written by Bishop Graham calling for protection for agriculture and oceans and headlined Nature loss is a threat to our national security.
The Anglican Communion’s ‘Lungs of the Earth’ initiative focused on oceans and invited churches to stand alongside coastal communities around the world. It emphasised the interdependence of ocean, forest and frozen landscapes. The Anglican delegation also led discussions about prairie restoration (part of the Communion Forest) and hosted a panel on the key to secure and sustainable farming.
At the end of ecumenical prayers in St Anna’s Church, Yerevan, Bishop Graham reflected on the work of COP17.
Bishop Graham also visited His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. The two faith leaders spoke of creation care and the bonds of affection within the Anglican Church.
