
The Right Reverend John Rhodes
It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of our much loved Bishop John Rhodes.
Bishop John was loved and respected throughout our church and many other denominations. Formerly the Archbishop of the Anglican Independent Communion and, in recent years, Bishop of the North of England and Spiritual Advisor to the Ecumenical Community Church, Bishop John was respected and highly valued as a great leader in the independent churches of the United Kingdom.
Bishop John was the Founder of the Guild of Christian Healers and was an inspiring pioneer of Christian Healing and Prayer. He held nightly prayer vigils at his chapel, where he prayed for all the intentions that were sent to him. So many people have Bishop John to thank for his healing prayers on their behalf, with many miraculous healing results. A man of great faith, he led the way with Healing Prayer and taught and counselled others, nurturing and building the prayer ministry of the next generation.
A warm, gentle and compassionate man, he was always there to listen and help and was so generous with his time, prayers and resources. He was looked on by many in the church as a valued Elder Statesman, and was relied upon and sought out for his wise advise and spiritual guidance at all levels of the church.
Bishop John will be very sadly missed. We send our condolences to his wife, Elsie, and family and send our prayers with Bishop John on his journey.
Spiritual Adviser
Bishop John Rhodes was born in India to English missionary parents.
He came from a family of priests and missionaries who served in UK, India, Pakistan and Africa.
Bishop John was an engineer in his secular profession and spent several years as a Mechanical Engineering Manager in the Forestry Commission.
He trained as a Diocesan Reader in the Church of England before becoming ordained Priest into an independent ministry. He joined an Old-Anglican Communion, a break-away from the Church of England, where he was consecrated. He became it's Archbishop, before retiring from Church leadership in 2011.
Bishop John was a gentle and prayerful man who served those whom God sends, in a loving and dignified manner. He brought a wealth of experience and measure to the ECC+C as a committed and prayerful pastor. He built his own chapel in Northumberland and was the Founder and Past-President of the Guild of Christian Healers; a Ministry to which he had long held a deep interest. He returned to that Ministry to assist Bishop Rod Walton in prayerful support and take up again an active role in Divine Healing.