The long process of choosing the new Bishop of Bristol begins in May. This does not mean that Bishop Mike has left. He is here until September. His final service of celebration takes place in Bristol cathedral on Sept 17th.
Unusually, we are allowed to start the process of finding a new Bishop while the present Bishop is still in place. When it comes to a new vicar, the PCC has to wait until the incumbent is right out of the way until you so much as think about his successor. That is probably designed to give congregations the opportunity to recover from the last one.
The process begins in Bristol with the Vacancy in See committee and finishes months later in London with the Crown Appointments Commission which will include six representatives from our diocese. We want to pray for all those involved and especially for those who will have the onerous task of finding the right name at the end of it all. It is a process with prayer at the centre.