New Bishop for Barking

The appointment of the Church of England's new Bishop of Barking was announced by Downing Street today. Canon David Hawkins, currently Rector of St George's Church in Leeds will be consecrated in Southwark Cathedral in October this year and will begin his public ministry as a Bishop within the Church of England's second largest diocese, early next year. A father of three, Canon Hawkins has led the congregation of St. George's Church and St. George's Crypt charity through extensive refurbishment and restructured. He initiated a city-wide ecumenical Festival of Faith, and pioneered Leeds Faith in Schools.to the Church of England's second largest diocese by the Archbishop of Canterbury on October and Executive Trustee of the St George's Crypt social care project. The Bishop of Chelmsford, The Right Reverend John Perry said the diocese was delighted to welcome the new Bishop of Barking, a man he described as being well equipped "for the tasks ahead". For his part the Bishop in waiting said he would come to London to "listen, learn and lead". "The work I have done with the powerful and the powerless in Leeds has been some preparation for the challenge of mission and ministry in the rapid regeneration of East London and Essex," he added.