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December 16th, 2006

The Church of England and the 2012 Olympics

The Church Times ran this advert yesterday from the Bishop of Barking announcing that he will soon be placing a job advert:

Job Title: Bishops’ Olympic Executive Co-ordinator

Job description: We give notice of a forthcoming senior strategic appointment to co-ordinate the Church of England’s response to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games across London. This appointment is a joint initiative of the Dioceses of London and Chelmsford. Advertisement will be made in January.

Expressions of interest may be submitted to: The Bishop of Barking

020 8509 7377
Bishop’s Offfice, Verulam Avenue Walthamstow, London E17 8ES
bishopdavid at chelmsford.anglican.org

I have started to put some ideas together for the churches response to the Olympics whcih should help the good Bishop:

olympics church of england response to

I am aware that I have pictured pole vaulting, not the high jump. It made the joke work better.

I did think briefly of applying, but that would mean that the Church of England response to the Olympics would be mainly centred around blogging and drawing little pictures.

Instead I think our response should be a bit more wide ranging. I think for instance that if we asked around the local parishes it might be possible to get a team together to do all of the catering.

Also there should be special races for bishops, clergy and laity.

Anyway, if you have any ideas for the Church of England’s response to the Olympics which would help things along post them here or you could if you wanted send them directly to the Bishop of Barking.

9 Comments »



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9 Responses to “The Church of England and the 2012 Olympics”


  1. ash says:

    we should canonise all gold medal winners, making them saints. Or, if it’s just catholics that are allowed to do that, then we should give them all honorary ordinations in the following ranks:
    bronze: curate
    silver: deacon
    gold: vicar (with freehold)
    two golds: archdeacon
    three golds, or 2 golds and a silver: bishop
    4 medals including 2 or more gold: archbishop of York
    5 golds (Yahzee): Canterbury

    December 16th, 2006 at 6:10 pm
  2. ash says:

    edit to the above: this way we could maybe get homosexual and femal bishops in via the back door, so to speak.

    December 16th, 2006 at 6:12 pm
  3. Mary says:

    I think, with all the schisms in the church at the moment, the hurdles and the relay would prove interesting events…

    You could also have water polo where instead of scoring goals, you have to baptise a member of the opposition (full immersion, naturally!)

    December 16th, 2006 at 9:15 pm
  4. David Keen says:

    Relay eucharist: consecrated bread passed from
    Bishop (one you’re in communion with) to
    vicar to
    home communion visitor to
    communicant

    December 16th, 2006 at 10:15 pm
  5. Lorna says:

    fun :)

    December 17th, 2006 at 11:36 am
  6. yay says:

    heh there’s a bishop of Barking! That makes me laugh.

    December 17th, 2006 at 12:19 pm
  7. Mary says:

    And you could have the High Church jump! LOL

    December 17th, 2006 at 12:28 pm
  8. Nefertiki says:

    As much as I’d like to communicate with the Bishop of Barking, if only for conversation value (“As I wrote in my e-mail to the Bishop ….”), I will put that off until I have more ideas.

    While I love the idea of clerical sports, it might be more practical to hold a parallel event at the time of the 2012 XXX games, somewhat like the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, i.e., First International Anglican Fringe Olympics. Also this event would mean that the LOCOG would not also have to deal with such teams as Sunni Soccer, Shia Swimming, Hindu High Jumping, Jewish Judo, Catholic Canoe/Kayak, and Rastafarian Racing. Let them hold their own games if they wish.

    I’m sure co-religionists from all over the world would support the Anglican Olympics. Once established in the UK it could thereafter follow the games around the world.

    December 17th, 2006 at 5:48 pm
  9. Paul G says:

    The current bishop’s immediate predecessor was in the habit of introducing himself with the words “I’m Barking.” No comment.

    But to be serious there will be huge changes (some temporary, some as permanent as any change can be) in East London because of the Olympics and it’s good the two dioceses are trying to be strategic about it. (I don’t think I’m saying that just because one of them employs me.)

    December 18th, 2006 at 12:53 pm