'Come and See' Diocesan Assembly

I joined almost five hundred people from across the Diocese of Leicester at the Samworth Enterprise Academy last Saturday for a very varied and very good day.

This was my first time in the Academy itself and I was struck by the quality of the building. The Academy is a Church of England school, in which the Diocese of Leicester has entered into partnership with David Samworth, Chairman of Samworth Brothers (better known for their Ginsters brand of savoury food). The entrance hall and restaurant area are a spectacular open space and the classrooms themselves are full of technology.

In the Sports Hall, the day began with Bishop Tim in a Big Brother diary room style interview. He was asked questions from the Diocesan Youth Council on a range of questions, including his personal tastes in music, his childhood and the way he found Christian faith.

A talented group performed highlights from the new pop-opera Luv Esther in an hour of bold and breathtaking re-telling of one of the Old Testament's most surprising stories.

We then went our separate ways into a range of more than twenty workshops. I led one on developing a vocational culture in the local church, which was well attended.

School dinner followed - a delicious curry and fruit crumble. The restaurant was packed and I found space on the table of the Luv Esther cast. They were great company and we swapped stories of Bristol where they live together as a Christian community and church.

In the afternoon more workshops followed, and then the senior staff of the diocese took part in a question-and-answer session. This wasn't particularly revealing and the questions were rather tame - it's a pity the advertised interview of Bishop Tim by Riazat Butt, Religious Correspondent of The Guardian newspaper, didn't materialise.

The Bishop spoke well at the closing eucharist, with a greater confidence than I have seen on other occasions. The parable of the rich fool who built his bigger barns and congratulated himself on his profits was chosen long before a week of huge instability in the financial world. It made for compelling connections.

The day was full of the kind of positive energy that gives real identity to the Diocese. I hope it won't be too long before we have another.