St John's Barlaston Bishop

Latest News Jane has been installed as an Honorary Prebendary of Lichfield Cathedral	Rt Revd Geoff Annas Bishop of Stafford Geoff Annas was a senior social worker before attending Salisbury and Wells Theological College. Upon leaving theological college, he was ordained in 1983 and became a curate at Holy Trinity with St Matthew, Southwark until 1987. Geoff Annas then served as a Team Vicar at St Christopher's Church, Walworth and Warden of the Pembroke College Mission before moving to Southampton in 1994 to be Vicar of St Christopher's Church, Thornhill. He also acted as Theatre Chaplain to The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton from July 1996 to July 2010. In 2007, he additionally became Assistant Area Dean of Southampton and an Honorary Canon of Winchester Cathedral. He is also known within the local area for helping to set up the Street Pastor Scheme in Southampton, as well as being a Street Pastor himself. As was announced on 2 June 2010, Annas was to move to the Diocese of Lichfield as suffragan Bishop of Stafford in late September 2010, in succession to Gordon Mursell, who retired early on grounds of ill health. Bishop Geoff was consecrated on 21 September at St Paul's Cathedral and installed on 26 September 2010. Bishop Geoff and his wife Ann Archbishop of Canterbury's New Year Message Quite a lot of the images we're likely to remember from the footage of the riots in the summer will be of young people out of control in the streets, walking off with looted property from shops, noisily confronting police and so on. It all feeds into the national habit of being suspicious and hostile when we see groups of youngsters on street comers or outside shops and bus shelters. We walk a bit more quickly and hope we can pass without some sort of confrontation. The events of the summer were certainly horrific. They showed us a face of our society we don't like to think about - angry, destructive, lawless. But it's crucial to remember that what we saw on the streets in August was just one facet of a bigger and much more heartbreaking problem. The youngsters out on the streets may have looked like a big crowd, but they are a minority of their generation - the minority whose way of dealing with their frustrations was by way of random destructiveness and irresponsibility. Most people of their own age strongly shared the general feeling of dismay at this behaviour. We have to ask, what kind of society is it that lets down so many of its young people? That doesn't provide enough good role models and drives youngsters further into unhappiness and anxiety by only showing them suspicion and negativity. When you see the gifts they can offer, The energy that can be released when they feel safe and loved, you see what a tragedy we so often allow to happen. Look at the work done by groups like the Children's Society or by the astonishing network of Kids Company here in London, and you see what can be done to wake up that energy and let it flourish for everyone's good. One of the unique things in the Christian faith, one of its great contributions to our moral vision, is the way it has spoken about children and young people. Whether it's Jesus blessing children, or St Paul encouraging a young church leader, saying, 'Don't let people look down on you because you're young', or St Benedict in his rule for monks saying that you need to pay attention to the youngest as well as the oldest - Christian faith has underlined the essential importance of giving young people the respect they deserve. Of course they're not infallible; of course they have a lot to learn. So do we all. But being grown-up doesn't mean forgetting about the young. And a good New Year's Resolution might be to think what you can do locally to support facilities for young people, to support opportunities for counselling and learning and enjoyment in a safe environment. And above all, perhaps we should just be asking how we make friends with our younger fellow citizens - for the sake of our happiness as well as theirs. A very happy and blessed New Year to you all.
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Geoff Annas was a senior social worker before attending Salisbury and Wells Theological College. Upon leaving theological college, he was ordained in 1983 and became a curate at Holy Trinity with St Matthew, Southwark until 1987. Geoff Annas then served as a Team Vicar at St Christopher's Church, Walworth and Warden of the Pembroke College Mission before moving to Southampton in 1994 to be Vicar of St Christopher's Church, Thornhill. He also acted as Theatre Chaplain to The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton from July 1996 to July 2010. In 2007, he additionally became Assistant Area Dean of Southampton and an Honorary Canon of Winchester Cathedral. He is also known within the local area for helping to set up the Street Pastor Scheme in Southampton, as well as being a Street Pastor himself.

As was announced on 2 June 2010, Annas was to move to the Diocese of Lichfield as suffragan Bishop of Stafford in late September 2010, in succession to Gordon Mursell, who retired early on grounds of ill health. Bishop Geoff was consecrated on 21 September at St Paul's Cathedral and installed on 26 September 2010.

Bishop Geoff and his wife Ann

Archbishop of Canterbury's New Year Message

Quite a lot of the images we're likely to remember from the footage of the riots in the summer will be of young people out of control in the streets, walking off with looted property from shops, noisily confronting police and so on. It all feeds into the national habit of being suspicious and hostile when we see groups of youngsters on street comers or outside shops and bus shelters. We walk a bit more quickly and hope we can pass without some sort of confrontation.
The events of the summer were certainly horrific. They showed us a face of our society we don't like to think about - angry, destructive, lawless. But it's crucial to remember that what we saw on the streets in August was just one facet of a bigger and much more heartbreaking problem. The youngsters out on the streets may have looked like a big crowd, but they are a minority of their generation - the minority whose way of dealing with their frustrations was by way of random destructiveness and irresponsibility. Most people of their own age strongly shared the general feeling of dismay at this behaviour. We have to ask, what kind of society is it that lets down so many of its young people? That doesn't provide enough good role models and drives youngsters further into unhappiness and anxiety by only showing them suspicion and negativity. When you see the gifts they can offer, The energy that can be released when they feel safe and loved, you see what a tragedy we so often allow to happen. Look at the work done by groups like the Children's Society or by the astonishing network of Kids Company here in London, and you see what can be done to wake up that energy and let it flourish for everyone's good.

One of the unique things in the Christian faith, one of its great contributions to our moral vision, is the way it has spoken about children and young people. Whether it's Jesus blessing children, or St Paul encouraging a young church leader, saying, 'Don't let people look down on you because you're young', or St Benedict in his rule for monks saying that you need to pay attention to the youngest as well as the oldest - Christian faith has underlined the essential importance of giving young people the respect they deserve. Of course they're not infallible; of course they have a lot to learn. So do we all. But being grown-up doesn't mean forgetting about the young. And a good New Year's Resolution might be to think what you can do locally to support facilities for young people, to support opportunities for counselling and learning and enjoyment in a safe environment. And above all, perhaps we should just be asking how we make friends with our younger fellow citizens - for the sake of our happiness as well as theirs. A very happy and blessed New Year to you all.

The Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Barlaston

Latest News

Rt Revd Geoff Annas

Bishop of Stafford

Bishop Geoff and his wife Ann

Archbishop of Canterbury's New Year Message

The Churches Stained Glass Window Above The Alter

Stained Glass Panel

"St John the Baptist"