I have been asked to introduce myself briefly, having been appointed as the first chair of the newly formed Scargill Movement.

My wife, Susan, and I have been Scargill partners for over 25 years, and most of my ministry has been as a parish priest, or Diocesan Missioner, working in three different Dioceses in the North of England, including from 1992-2002, being Vicar of St.Peter's Shipley in the Diocese of Bradford.

Community has been at the heart of our journey of faith and ministry, including twice forming and living in household communities, and then from September 2002 until April this year, I was Warden of the Lee Abbey Community and Conference Centre, in North Devon. (I had previously served on their Council for seven years as well.)

I am a published author in the fields of leadership, mission and community, including co-editing 'Celebrating Community - God's gift for today's world' (DLT 2006), with a fellow Lee Abbey chaplain, Emma Ineson.

April 2008 saw us moving back to the north of England again, following my appointment as Bishop of Bolton - a suffragan bishopric within the Diocese of Manchester.

Like many people, I was saddened to hear in early summer that Scargill was closing, but it seems that this wasn't to be the end of the story! The last few months have seen a small group of people working and praying hard to see if something new can be born there, appropriate for the 21st century. I would like to pay tribute to this steering group, some of whom will also be serving as Trustees on the newly constituted Council.

I feel honoured to have been asked to take on this responsibility; I bring to the task a passionate commitment to the local church, along with considerable experience of the power of community as a place and means of growth, welcome and healing.

Please pray for me and my fellow Council members as we seek to take things forward under the Lord's guidance, that we may be able to discern His will and purposes, understand his timing, and be open to His surprises! As the Carpenters song (that dates me!) put it, 'We've only just begun'.

Rt.Revd. Chris Edmondson
Bishop of Bolton.