Our Bishop
Often described as a quiet, humble and reserved man, Bishop John is deeply intentional about pastoral care, and at the same time, passionate about loving accountability. His style of leadership is to blend life experiences with knowledge, understanding and his love of God.
He was called to ministry at age 25 and now, more than 30 years later, is the spiritual leader of the Anglican Diocese of Central Newfoundland.
Resources by Bishop John
Bishop John grew up in various parts of the country, and has a diverse life experience . He is a former Mechanic, and calls Glenwood Newfoundland home, where he now lives with his wife, Karen. Bishop John loves motorcycles, painting, and has a passion for guitar. he is also an intentional lifelong learner and teacher.
In times of great change in the Church, our Bishop is leading the diocese to consider the balance needed between sustainability and missional thinking. He challenges our people to re evaluate our buildings, finances and spiritual inventories to se if we are truly serving the Mission of God.
Our Bishop has a deep love for Holy Scripture, and desires for our people to actually take time to be immersed not only in the text, but in the meaning for the time in which it was written, and the eternal truths intended for us today.
He also challenges all people to be faithful to scripture through devoted study of text, culture and context. “Scripture,” says the Bishop, “should always be allowed to speak for itself, unencumbered by our boundaries, impositions and prejudices.
More About Bishop John ...
John came from a broken home, and at age 13, lived alone on the streets of St. John’s. In 1969, he moved to Glenwood and finished high school there before moving to Ontario. He was married and working as a journeyman mechanic when, at age 25, his life turned in a whole different direction. With four children, John found himself back home, at Queen’s College, where he studied theology and entered the priesthood.
During his earlier life, Rev John had experienced a lot of woundedness and hurt. But as a Christian, he found that his relationship with other Christians and the whole spiritual experience afforded him a great sense of healing. An experience he felt compelled to share with others ~
and that’s the reason he answered God’s call to ministry!
John became a deacon in Lewisporte and then was ordained as a priest in Grand Bank in 1990. The Parish of Fortune-Lamaline became the first parish in which he would serve. When Rev John moved to St. Martin’s in Gander, he took that church from its lowest point, to being one of the fastest growing churches in Atlantic Canada. Rev John lead St. Martin’s from being a congregation, to being a community – a very welcoming community.
After being in Gander seven and a half years, John was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in his tongue, throat and lymph nodes. To cope with his illness, and to keep people informed, Rev John wrote a blog about his cancer journey. His philosophy was,
“If you’re going to be true to your church, and say,
“We’re going to be a community, not a congregation”,
as a leader, I had to be open to people”…
The Rt. Rev. John Watton
He wanted to present a positive message to others with this disease and it had to be an honest message. If he was having a bad day, people knew about it. If he was scared, they knew, and if he was angry, he told them that too. Parishes across the province were presenting his message to cancer sufferers who didn’t have access to the Internet so they could know that they were not alone.
The Cancer Treatments were HARD
If he’d had surgery, Rev John would have lost the ability to speak, so he began treatments …and they were HARD. The treatments had to be aggressive in order to avoid surgery. He also had chemo and radiation in St. John’s. It almost took his life.
But God Is Good – and the treatments worked!!
The chemo reduced the tumour enough so that the radiation was able to kill the cancer. However, it came at a cost – Rev John had to learn to talk all over again. But Thanks Be To God, He did just that!! And friends, this is the man who now stands before you as your new Bishop-Elect.
Rev John Watton is a man of truth, a man of determination, a man of deep humility, a man of Great Faith. Remember the words from Philippians 4:13
“We can do all things through Him who gives us strength”.
(Rev. John finished the cancer treatments in October 2014)
Twitter Article by Anglican Journal
“Meet the Bishop”
Morning Prayer
It is a joy Lord in the morning to be held by your Spirit
to be listened to…
to be given the encouragement and direction for the day.
By your Grace, may the outward flow of our energy be transformed by Love, into love.
Amen
The Rt. Rev. John Watton
Friends of the Bishop Appeal
an appeal to contribute to causes that will make a difference to others.
It is intended for clergy, secular persons and business.
Contact
Anglican Diocese of Central Newfoundland
- 34 Fraser Rd., Gander, NL A1V 2E8
- (709) 256-2372
- fax (709) 256-2396
