The Rev’d Canon Dr John Ashley Null has been consecrated a bishop and will serve as the second Bishop of North Africa.
The service, led by Archbishop Samy, took place within the Diocese at St George’s Church on May 11th. In his sermon the archbishop charged bishop Ashley to follow the example of the Good Shepherd in caring for the sheep, seeking the lost and living sacrificially; remembering always that the actual Good Shepherd is Christ himself. 
Bishop Ashley also gave an address in which he referred to the valley of dry bones vision in Ezekiel 37. Highlighting the fact that his new crozier had been made with repurposed wood, gathered from within the Diocese, he asked “Can God repurpose an old academic from Kansas?” He extended the metaphor to include the Diocese the region and the whole Church, recollecting the archaeological remains in evidence throughout the region, dry bones of a kind. They pointed to the enormous contribution that historically North Africa had made to western understandings of Christianity and were now just ruins. Ezekiel’s answer was that God knows, but Bishop Ashley had confidence based on Paul’s words in Philippians, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” He invited members of the Diocese to join him in Christian endeavour.
The congregation included sixty-six invited international guests, reflecting the new bishop’s spheres of activity. Apart from his academic interests, Bishop Ashley has had a pastoral ministry to elite athletes, (including having visited six different Olympic villages during his time), and some athletes were present at the service. There were also people there from his native Kansas, representatives of a wide variety of Churches, including the Roman Catholic Archbishop, and a number of GAFCON aligned bishops, as well as other bishops from within the Province. The Global South was represented by the Archbishop of Uganda. A three day programme of events and visits had been arranged by the local church for the guests which allowed them to immerse themselves in local culture and history. A leading part was played by the Wittenburg Centre for Reformation Studies, originally formed by Dr Noll and with which he has an ongoing relationship, who related ancient sites visited by the group to Christian history and understanding, and who contributed two lectures on Reformation themes.
These were well represented in the service itself, both in the liturgy and in the style of dress of the new bishop, which reflected what the well-dressed prelate would have worn in 1550! One suspects that If Bishop Ashley, like the new Pope, had to choose a Regnal Name reflecting an admired figure from the past, that name would be Thomas, following Thomas Cranmer. The service was a skilful combination of musical styles and included a beautiful solo rendition of Veni Creator Spiritus in Latin (sung by Dr Morag Atchison), and a new congregational musical setting of Cranmer’s Comfortable Words by the Musical Director, Andy Piercy.
There was a general air of good natured enthusiasm as the Province and Diocese look forward to a new chapter in their life.