HE reads teenage magazines, he listens to Boyzone in the car, and he's the youngest bishop in the Church of England.

Australian Lindsay Urwin, the Bishop of Horsham, does not fit the image most people would ordinarily associate with a figurehead of the Church.

But then the 43-year-old is no ordinary bishop.

Blessed with a natural gift for talking with youngsters he wants to transform the way young people look at the Church and blow away the cobwebs from an institution many of them believe has no relevance in their lives.

This autumn the bishop will be hosting four Aussie-style barbecues in nightclubs and other venues across Sussex.

He wants to meet young people, get them interested in the Church, and, of course, introduce them to the gastronomic delights of his home country.

He explained: "Young people are very anti-institutions and my challenge is to help them to see the church as an institution is not what they think it is.

"I want to show them the

Church is human, it listens and

it has something to offer them."

Originally from Melbourne he left Australia to travel the world at the age of 19 and ended up in England where he has stayed since.

Working as a barman in central London made him realise how the Church had lost touch with many ordinary people. He decided to become a priest and was ordained in 1980.

Spice Girls

For the next eight years he worked in London, first as a curate and then as a vicar, before moving to Sussex where he was appointed as the Bishop of Horsham in 1993 at the age of just 37 - the youngest bishop in the country.

He said: "I enjoy the challenge of dealing with young people and getting the message across to them. The secret is to be yourself and to listen.

"You cannot stand on ceremony but I always wear my cassock. I don't try to dress like a teenager - I don't apologise for who I am. "

To keep in touch the bishop buys teen magazines, watches Top Of The Pops and owns CDs by Billie and the Spice Girls.

Despite his interest in youth culture he insists he has traditional views and is keen to stress the seriousness of his mission.

He said: "The Church is often not aware of what young people are reading about and it needs to be. For example I was amazed to discover magazines aimed at 12-year-olds all about sex positions.

"We are twee with kids. It's no good condemning from outside and wagging a finger from an ivory tower. It's important to try to understand."

The vow of celibacy he took when he became a priest has also intrigued young people and he is happy to talk about the reasons for his decision.

He said: "I took the vow because I realised the kind of priest I wanted to be would not allow for having a family. Besides I was pretty bad at relationships."

It is typical of

the self-depreciating humour which the bishop uses to win over youngsters who are not expecting a bishop to be so approachable.

He explained: "What I like about working with young people is that they will give you a hearing. You can have some marvellous conversations once they realise they don't have to be polite.

"I love talking to teenagers and the challenge of making people listen to me. I don't mind if they don't agree with me as long as they listen."

The bishop came up with the idea of holding a series of barbecues in venues frequently attended by youngsters in order to create a relaxed, informal atmosphere.

Reputation

His approach is clearly popular among the youngsters themselves. Emily Moore, 16, is a member of Midhurst Churches Youth Group and has met the bishop at youth services on several occasions. She said: "He's really good fun and can get his message across to young people without dictating to us."

The bishop's novel ideas have also been welcomed by his boss - Dr Eric Kemp, the Bishop of Chichester, who at 84 is the oldest and longest-serving bishop in the Church of England.

Bishop Kemp said: "He has a reputation for being good with young people. He's just got that sort of personality."

The first barbecue takes place at The Island Nightclub in Hove on October 31 followed by The Observation Tower at Gatwick Airport on November 7, Illusions Nightclub in Worthing on November 14, and the Chichester College of Arts, Science, and Technology on November 21. The free events begin at 7.30pm. Over-14s only.

For more information, contact The Rev Mark Payne on 01273 421021.

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