The Archbishop of Canterbury comes to Portsmouth diocese and celebrates Cowplain church's centenary, visits a Gosport family church and is interviewed by Debbie Thrower in Petersfield

Archbishop Justin Welby sings during ‘The Four’ alongside the team vicar the Rev Ray Driscoll at Christ Church, Gosport, on October 15, 2023. Picture by Neil Turner for Lambeth Palace

The Archbishop of Canterbury joined three very different church congregations for worship on the final leg of his three-day visit to Portsmouth diocese.

He helped worshippers at St Wilfrid’s Church, Cowplain, to celebrate their centenary in the morning, enjoyed an innovative family service at Christ Church, Gosport, in the afternoon, and was interviewed as part of Evensong at St Peter’s, Petersfield in the evening.

Day one had involved meeting more than 2,000 schoolchildren on the Isle of Wight and answering their questions. Day two included meeting inmates, chaplains and staff in HMP Isle of Wight and community leaders in the centre of Portsmouth. He also helped to celebrate the sixth birthday of St Margaret’s Church in Southsea, and met naval ratings and officers aboard HMS Victory.

The Most Rev Justin Welby said: “The Diocese of Portsmouth is doing superbly. I’m impressed by the depth of its spiritual life and the call for others to be part of that, the sense of focus without being bossy and the love shown without being cloying. There’s also the wisdom in appointments so that wonderful people are doing the key jobs, which makes my heart sing. We should be filled with hope about the future of the Church of England in this diocese.”

The vicar the Rev Chris Spencer, Archbishop Justin Welby, and previous vicar Bishop Peter Hancock lead the service at St Wilfrid’s Church, Cowplain to mark its centenary. Picture by Neil Turner for Lambeth Palace

The Archbishop began his final day in the diocese with a celebration of 100 years since the creation of St Wilfrid’s Church, Cowplain. Former vicars Bishop Peter Hancock, the Ven Paul Moore and the Rev Ian Snares returned to take part in the service, during which congregation members shared memories and the Archbishop celebrated Communion.

Among the congregation was Valerie German, now 83, who was a missionary in Kenya in 1974 when a young Justin Welby arrived as part of a cohort of young people spending a gap year working there. He had ended up sleeping on Valerie’s floor. It was in Kenya where he first started reading the Bible, which led to his commitment to Christianity in Cambridge in 1975. Valerie is a regular at St Wilfrid’s, and the Archbishop made a point of seeking her out to offer her Communion.

The Archbishop was given the chance to experience the high-energy fun at Christ Church, Gosport, where they host a service called ‘The Four’ on a Sunday afternoon. Families queue up outside the church before the doors open at 4pm and walk in through a stream of bubbles and a blast of music. They then get the chance to dance and sing high-energy worship songs, enjoy craft and play games before they sit down for a meal together.

The Archbishop completed his three-day visit to our diocese with Evensong at St Peter’s Church, Petersfield. He met dozens of Anna Chaplains, who offer ministry to the elderly in care homes and their communities.

Archbishop Justin Welby with (back, l to r) churchwarden Steve Day, former vicars the Ven Paul Moore and the Rev Ian Snares and churchwarden Jan Smith; (front, l to r): Bishop Jonathan Frost, the current vicar the Rev Chris Spencer and former vicar Bishop Peter Hancock; at St Wilfrid's Church in Cowplain on October 15, 2023

A specially-formed choir including worshippers from St Peter’s and All Saints, Botley, sang Evensong, and Anna Chaplaincy founder Debbie Thrower interviewed the Archbishop. They talked about the role of Anna Chaplains and the Archbishop's Commission on Reimagining Care, which drew on Christian theology and tradition to re-examine our care system.