The Household of Cornelius and the Conversion of Peter

Bishop Steven delivers his sermon at the clergy conference 2025diocese of oxford

The Household of Cornelius and the Conversion of Peter In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian cohort as it was called. So begins the third in this sequence of stories of conversion. Again the Holy Spirit is at work beyond and outside the Christian community. Again the Holy Spirit […]

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The IF campaign and meeting with Nick Clegg

It was very good to meet with Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister this morning, who is also my own Member of Parliament.  I met with Mr. Clegg at the request of Christian Aid and as part of the IF campaign.  I was joined by to other local…

The Risen Christ and the City of Steel

Happy Easter!  The Lord is risen! We have major building works in Sheffield Cathedral at the moment.  The Cathedral remains open for daily and normal Sunday worship but we don't have the space for larger services.  So this morning we moved…

Leading in difficult times

Today was the Legal Service for South Yorkshire in Doncaster Minster.  The Legal Service here marks the end of the year of office for the High Sheriff (Julie Kenny this year).  The Service is a gathering of judges, lawyers and others from…

Nurturing our Vision of the Church

Today was our Diocesan Synod in Sheffield and this is the text of my Presidential Address on the theme of nurturing our vision as a Church.  Like many other dioceses, we face a number of challenges in the present moment.  The way through them…

Women and Men in Scripture – a new book and study guide

Women and Men in Scripture and the Church A Guide to the Key Issues Edited by Steven Croft and Paula Gooder Canterbury Press, March 2013 As most readers of this blog will know, on 20th November, the Measure to enable women to become bishops…

The Sheffield Fairness Commission

Over the last year, I've been a member of the 23 person Fairness Commission in Sheffield looking at inequalities across the city.  Our report was published this week.  Being part of the Commission has been a fascinating and moving experience…

Grace and Responsibility

We held a consultation on parish share for people across the Diocese this morning.  Parish share is the financial contribution each parish makes to the Diocese to finance ministry costs and central expenses.  We're in the middle of a review…

A tragic death

I was at St. Saviour's Church, High Green in Sheffield this morning.  Alan Greaves, the organist and Reader at St. Saviour's was attacked on Christmas Eve just a few hundred yards from the church as he walked to church to play the organ at…

A Sermon for Christmas

Happy Christmas everyone.  This is my Christmas sermon from 2012, from the Midnight Eucharist at Sheffield Cathedral. Christmas Sermon 2012 24th December, 2012 in Sheffield Cathedral Isaiah 9.2-7 and Luke 2.1-14 Some powerful words from…