Diocesan Secretary and Chief Officer of Liverpool Cathedral, Mike Eastwood has announced he will step down from those roles in December. This follows the appointment of his wife, Nikki, to a new parish near York in the autumn. This will enable them to be nearer where 2 of their children and all 3 current grandchildren are.
Mike said “I know now is not the time for goodbyes – I’ll be around and fully engaged until the end of the year. But just to say at this stage that it has been a massive personal and professional pleasure to have been able to do a unique job in the Church of England and, more particularly, to have worked with such brilliant people as we have in the cathedral and in St James House. It has been a privilege to have served with our outstanding clergy and inspiring laity – we are so fortunate to have that quality of clergy and lay people in our diocese. It will be a massive wrench to leave. We’re only moving over to Yorkshire for the most positive of reasons. I’m really confident about the future of both the diocese and cathedral.
We have the very best team of people in place at each and talented and committed people across the diocese. This will carry the cathedral and diocese forward brilliantly. I envy the next person who has the privilege of doing this job and working with you. They’ll have a blast – as I have had.”
Bishop John commented “I would like to wish Mike and Nikki all the best as he shares their news. I pray for Nikki as she is called to a new season of ministry in York diocese and for Mike as he prepares for a future away from our diocese.
That is for the future. For now, I am glad that Mike has offered to stay to December which gives us time to organise ourselves in the best possible way. Thanks to the work of Mike, Directors and Archdeacons we are in a confident place for the future. We have had strong, positive conversations with the national team with regard to our financial position. We are developing a clear plan and proposal for discussion with Diocesan Synod and SMMIB which Mike will steer through and the team will pick up to deliver.
I will be talking to Dean Sue and the LDBF Chair, Maggie Swinson, about how we recruit for a replacement.
Mike has offered faithful leadership to our diocese for several years and was invaluable to me as I started as Bishop of Liverpool. So we will miss him however thanks to the teams he has built and your efforts we can move forward with confidence under God”.
Dean Sue added “The prayers of the whole cathedral community go with Mike and Nikki as they share their news. This is a really important time for them as they plan the next phase of their lives with their grandchildren and as Nikki settles into a different parish.
The really good news is that we are in a strong position. I won’t pretend it will not be hard and we will have our challenges. Mike has been very clear about how we can build on what they have achieved here. We are in a strong financial position, our visitor numbers are growing, we have an excellent cultural programme and our music and worship continues to grow in strength. So we have a great platform to go into 2025 with. We will have time to say goodbye properly in due course and I know that Mike will not want the fuss. However, do join me in praying for Mike and Nikki, as they do all they need to do in this time of transition”.