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Ready to ride into the sunset
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| LONG SERVICE: the Rev Phillip Bishop at St Nicholas' Church, Guisborough |
A VICAR who once rode a horse up Roseberry Topping is retiring from the ministry after 40 years.
The Rev Phillip Bishop, rector of St Nicholas' Church in Guisborough, is hanging up his dog collar after a career that has taken him from factory floors to the pulpit at York Minster.
Mr Bishop, originally from London, trained at the capital's King's College before being appointed an assistant curate near Wolverhampton.
He then took up posts in Middlesbrough and Stepney, in London's East End, before joining the industrial mission in Sheffield.
With the backing of management and the trade unions, he provided spiritual advice in factories and offices for nine years.
He was then a vicar at Great Ayton between 1982 and 1989 before moving to Guisborough, where he has been rector for the past 18 years.
He learned to ride while at Great Ayton, and rode his horse, Mayday, to the top of Roseberry Topping while raising £500 for the church coffers.
Other highlights during his 40-year career include preaching in front of a 1,000-strong congregation at York Minster and being ordained a deacon, curate and priest.
He set up a children's holiday club for more than 100 youngsters, organised an exchange visit to East Germany and led two parish excursions to the Holy Land.
His final service will be held at St Nicholas' on Sunday, May 18, at 10.30am, followed by a farewell lunch.
Mr Bishop will move to Hartburn, near Stockton, with his wife Julie, a retired teacher, and plans to spend his time walking, reading, doing woodwork and enjoying visits from sons Nicholas, Andrew and Tim.
7:52am Friday 2nd May 2008
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CommentPosted by: sue shone on 10:13am Sun 4 May 08
How lovely to see this article about a 'blast from the past' - we were at St. Martin's Youth Group, Lower Morden, Surrey with 'Pip' Bishop and are still in touch with a crowd from the Youth Club, enjoying an annual get together. As teenagers we would all foregather at each other's homes after Evensong for coffee on a Sunday evening and enjoyed Parish Rambles at Bank Holidays. Strangely I have only recently bumped into Brian Kennett, a Youth Leader at St. Martin's all those years ago in the '60's, who is a member of the local church in Surrey where I take my Grandson to a Mum's & Toddlers Session each week. Good luck and a long and happy retirement to Pip and his family.
How lovely to see this article about a 'blast from the past' - we were at St. Martin's Youth Group, Lower Morden, Surrey with 'Pip' Bishop and are still in touch with a crowd from the Youth Club, enjoying an annual get together. As teenagers we would all foregather at each other's homes after Evensong for coffee on a Sunday evening and enjoyed Parish Rambles at Bank Holidays. Strangely I have only recently bumped into Brian Kennett, a Youth Leader at St. Martin's all those years ago in the '60's, who is a member of the local church in Surrey where I take my Grandson to a Mum's & Toddlers Session each week. Good luck and a long and happy retirement to Pip and his family.
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