If Bishop Mark Tanner thought the questions asked of him during his selection to be the next Bishop of Chester were tough, then he was in for quite a surprise when he met with a number of young people from the diocese recently.
On 23 June, there were two online 'Youth gatherings' in which people from the Diocese of Chester could meet, chat and put their questions to Mark Tanner, Bishop-elect of Chester.
Each session included conversation and some games, but it was the questions that gave us a real insight into Mark's plans and who he is as a person. Those present were determined to know who the person behind the title really is and what he is made of. "Do you sometimes struggle to be a Christian?" asked one.
Bishop Mark not only answered the questions, but he was keen to bat the questions back on some occasions and the responses he heard were equally engaging.
The two sessions were viewed live on Facebook and can be seen below
Session 1 Young people from years 9,10, and 11
Session 2 Young people from years 12 and 13
Some of the comments on Facebook can be seen below:
Julie Withers: Big Church BBQ sounds like a plan! Great idea!
Sas McConville: Love that idea Rose, keep services going online!
Malcolm Evans: ·How inspiring! Great questions and deeply thought out opinions and a fantastic vision of our new Bishop and his ethos of being all in it together.
Karen Phillips: What an inspiring bunch of young people