1st January 2026

Bishop Philip's call to live 'All for Jesus' as we celebrate our Diocesan centenary

Rt Rev. Philip North has issued a powerful New Year video message in which he urges people to live ‘All for Jesus’ – which is also the theme for the centenary of The Church of England in Lancashire (Blackburn Diocese) in 2026.

The message is embedded above to watch or you can click for the video on YouTube. It is on other Diocesan social channels too, including Facebook/BlackburnDiocese. 

Download text versions for sharing with people not online or placing on noticeboards here in Word format and also PDF format

It arrives just ahead of the launch (on Sunday, January 4 and all next week) of a year of celebrations for the centenary in parishes and schools, including two huge Zoom broadcasts led by Bishop Philip and coordinated by the Diocesan Board of Education (DBE).

The DBE anticipates many thousands of schoolchildren will take part in those.

In his message as the Diocese enters a milestone year, the Bishop of Blackburn reflects on words from St Paul’s letter to the Colossians in the Bible: ‘Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him’.

In doing so, Bishop Philip challenges everyone to consider what truly motivates their lives.

“For the Christian,” he says, “there is only one motivation … everything – our work, our leisure, our family life – everything is done in the name of Jesus. Everything is for him.”

This year marks the centenary of the Diocese of Blackburn, celebrating 100 years of parishes, chaplaincies and schools. It’s also the centenary of Blackburn Cathedral; founded at the same time as the Diocese.

Exciting events are planned across the year, culminating in a centenary celebration at the Cathedral on November 12, the actual date the Diocese and Cathedral were founded.

This page on the Diocesan website collates everything in one place about what’s happening.

The year kicks off officially this Sunday (January 4) and all next week when parishes and church schools are being encouraged to hold special services and events to launch the year and to post about what’s happening locally on their socials; tagging the Diocesan social channels, using #cofelancs100.

Special liturgical resources and a pre-recorded video sermon from Bishop Philip to support the launch have been circulated; with everything also available for download on the webpage above.

There will also be a media launch to coincide with January 4. Bishop Philip is appearing just after 8am that day on BBC Radio Lancashire to talk to presenter Joe Wilson about his new year message and the centenary year ahead.

Then, in the following week, the DBE will hold their two Zoom broadcasts to launch the centenary in schools, led by the Bishop. The first is on January 7 at 9am and the second is on January 9 at 2.45pm.

In his new year message, Bishop Philip also reminds us why the Diocese exists: “Quite simply, we exist in the name of Jesus. We are for him. So the best way – in fact the only way – to celebrate a centenary is to dedicate our lives to him anew.”

The Bishop highlights three ways to do this … 

• Serve in the name of Jesus “A world terrorised by big egos and raw demonstrations of military power needs humble servants. Let 2026 be a year of service as you care for the weak, the vulnerable and the struggling.”
• Proclaim the name of Jesus “Many are seeking answers to their questions, and Jesus is the answer to every question. Share your faith and invite others.”
• Trust in the name of Jesus “In Jesus, God has come to share our life. Because he shares in our life, we share in his life. Jesus is our hope, our future, our glory.”

And the Bishop concludes saying: "Our centenary year has such a bold and simple title. All for Jesus. That’s why we exist, that’s what our motivates our words and deeds, that’s who we are. So I hope that 2026 is a good year. And I pray that you will live it all for Jesus." 

Bishop Philip’s new year video message is available on the Diocesan website news section (with an embedded version of the video and downloadable Word/PDF format too) as well as via our Facebook, YouTube and X/Twitter accounts.

And keep watching our website and social channels for all the latest updates on the centenary including a ‘Big Day Out’ for families on May 16 in Blackpool; a mission weekend involving every parish in the County from September 11-13; the centenary service on November 12 and much more.

Ronnie Semley, January 1, 2025