In a service held in Durham Cathedral, twenty five Bishops and their teams from the northern half of The Church of England have been commissioned by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu to ‘Go out and spread the word’ in communities across the Diocese of Durham.

The service marked the start of four days of mission and celebration called ‘Talking Jesus’ during which the Bishops and their teams will go out into communities in all corners of the Diocese – talking about Jesus at more than 450 community events.

The Rt Revd Paul Butler, Bishop of Durham welcomed the visiting Bishops and their teams to the Diocese at the commissioning service. He said: “We have unashamedly entitled the 4 days, 'Talking Jesus'. We want to make Jesus the topic of conversation and thought. We want to get people thinking about Jesus. We have opportunities galore to meet people face to face. Our focus throughout is to share Jesus.”

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu said: : “We’re in the Durham Diocese for a weekend of ‘Talking Jesus’. Jesus came to bring the very life of God as a gift to all of us. His resurrection makes it possible for us to live the life he lived. The heart of the Christian faith is  about having an encounter with Jesus – an encounter which transforms and brings hope and love.”

Bishop Paul added: ”In this Diocese, we’re all about blessing our communities in Jesus’ name for the transformation of us all. What greater blessing can we offer than an introduction to Jesus? What could be more transformative than coming to know him? Just imagine: one long weekend; twenty five Bishops; hundreds of events; thousands hearing about Jesus and having their lives transformed.”