The Bishop of Lincoln speaks in the House of Lords: 2 -3 February 2026
On Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 February, the Bishop of Lincoln spoke in the House of Lords. Find out what he was taking part in.
Read the storyA community united in the call to love
There was a great gathering of people responding to Jesus’s call to ‘Love your neighbour’ at the annual Racial Justice Service at Lincoln Cathedral on Sunday 8 February 2026.
The service, now in its fifth year, is organised by the Global Majority Heritage church leaders in the Diocese of Lincoln. It brought together voices from differing ages, locations, languages, denominations and faith traditions in celebration of our diversity and our unified commitment to each other and to racial justice.
Prayers for justice and compassion
The Bishop of Grantham, The Rt Revd Nicholas Chamberlain, led prayers that recognised the need for turning back from oppression and dehumanisation.
It was a time to seek God’s forgiveness for a lack of love and care for each other – choosing to be mindful of how we can care for one another as diverse children of God.
Younger voices leading the way
Younger voices took the lead with the bible readings, reminding us of the biblical roots of this central commandment. Children from the Year 6 class at Scunthorpe CofE Primary School brought a dramatised reading of the Parable of the Good Samaritan with confidence and pride.
Along with the choir, it was significant to have younger voices fully involved in the service to mark this important day in our church calendar.
Sharing attention, sharing friendship
A pivotal part of the service was the conversation between Sudharshan Sarvananthan and Lois Delong, as they explored the question: What does it mean today to ‘Love your Neighbour’?
As a community connector in Lincoln, Lois spoke with conviction of the importance for each us to be part of a network of connection, being generous with both our attention to others and a willingness to share our relationships with others, especially those new to our communities.
A moment of prayer, lament and hope
A moment of stillness and silence fell as Revd Yuce Kabacki sang the Lord’s Prayer in his mother tongue, Turkish. The cadences carried lament and emotion as his single voice filled St Hugh’s choir.
The congregation responded with full voice both joining in the hymns with delight and pledging with The Bishop of Lincoln, The Rt Revd Stephen Conway, to pursue all things and ways that lead to full racial justice.
“And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter… I’ll be there…”
Sharing food and fellowship
After the service, delicious Afro Caribbean food by Tashady was appreciated by all, and take-home reflection materials contained prayers written by children from St Nicholas’ school in Boston. There was a delightful display dedicated to racial justice for people to enjoy.
A copy of the service and the devotional materials is available on the Diocesan Digital Learning Platform, Learn-Grow-Share.
Pictures from the racial justice display
