Ruth Bushyager
Ruth Kathleen Frances Bushyager (née Twitchen; born 1977) is a British Anglican bishop. Since July 2020, she has served as Bishop of Horsham, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Chichester.
Ruth Bushyager | |
---|---|
Bishop of Horsham | |
Church | Church of England |
Province | Canterbury |
Diocese | Chichester |
Predecessor | Mark Sowerby |
Orders | |
Consecration | 15 July 2020 by Sarah Mullally |
Personal details | |
Born | Ruth Kathleen Frances Twitchen 1977 (age 45–46) |
Nationality | British |
Denomination | Anglican |
Ordained ministry
Bushyager was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 2005 and as a priest in 2006.[1] From 2014 to 2020, she was Vicar of St Paul's Church, Dorking in the Diocese of Guildford. She previously served in parish ministry in the Dioceses of Southwell and Nottingham and of Oxford, as a school chaplain, and as a missioner in the Diocese of London.[1]
Episcopal ministry
In April 2020, Bushyager was announced as the next Bishop of Horsham, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Chichester. She is the first woman to serve as a bishop in the diocese.[2][3][4][5] Her consecration as a bishop took place on the morning of 15 July 2020, in the Chapel of Lambeth Palace. The principal consecrator was Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, making her the first female bishop in the Church of England to be consecrated by a bishop who is female.[6]
Views
In 2023, following the news that the House of Bishop's of the Church of England was to introduce proposals for blessing same-sex relationships, she signed an open letter which stated:[7]
many Christians in the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, together with Christians from across the churches of world Christianity, continue to believe that marriage is given by God for the union of a man and woman and that it cannot be extended to those who are of the same sex. [...] Without seeking to diminish the value of many committed same-sex relationships, for which there is much to give thanks, we find ourselves constrained by what we sincerely believe the Scriptures teach which cannot be set aside.[7]
References
- "Ruth Kathleen Frances Bushyager (née Twitchen)". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- "Record Number of Serving Wycliffe-trained Bishops". Wycliffe Hall. University of Oxford. 29 April 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- "Suffragan See of Horsham: 29 April 2020". GOV.UK. Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. 29 April 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- "Downing Street announces new Bishops for Horsham and Lewes". Diocese of Chichester. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- Page, Sarah (29 April 2020). "New Bishop of Horsham announced by 10 Downing Street". Mid Sussex Times. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- Wilkinson, Paul (16 July 2020). "Archbishops delegate consecrations in line with Five Guiding Principles". Church Times. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- "LLF: a paper on the Doctrine of Marriage". Thinking Anglicans. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.