At the first of the autumn meetings of the Stewartry U3A held on 26 September, Gordon Mursell spoke on his life and his memories as a Bishop in the Church of England.
He grew up in Sussex, although both his parents came from Ayrshire, and while he initially studied music in Rome he went on to read history and theology at Oxford University. Following training for the Ministry he was ordained in 1973 and started work as a Curate in inner city Liverpool which exposed him to the issues of poverty and unemployment. His next position was as a Vicar in Peckham, South London after which in 1987 he went to teach at the Church of England training college attached to Salisbury Cathedral. While there he met his wife Anne and they were married in Salisbury Cathedral with both Church of England and Roman Catholic ceremonies.
His varied career then included being team Rector at Stafford and Dean of the cathedral at Birmingham before taking up the position of Bishop of Stafford from which position he retired early.
Throughout his talk Gordon told many anecdotes of his experiences, some amusing and others serious, as well as highlighting the challenges he faced within the Church. The position of Bishop was particularly lonely with considerable responsibilities but with opportunity to reward others.
He referred to his visits to other countries, in some of which Christianity is flourishing, and said that he felt that there was a need to inject spiritual dynamism here in the UK.