It's a chance for us to commit ourselves to the process that will shape the future for our diocese.

Bishop Kenneth has invited each parish to the launch of ‘Kairos’ – the new name for the process started by his strategic review group.

It is a Greek word that suggests a watershed, an opportune moment, a decisive turning point or a season that God has given us to think afresh about all that we do. It echoes the bishop’s perception that sound financial management in the past has given us a brief breathing space in which to seize opportunities for growth before other pressures become evident.

The Kairos process will be launched at a special Candlemas Eucharist in Portsmouth Cathedral at 6pm on Sunday 1 February. That is the Sunday when we remember Jesus dedicating himself in the temple as a boy. Each parish has been invited to send two representatives to the service at which the whole diocese will dedicate itself to the Kairos process.

The service is likely to involve some Iona-style liturgy, the chance for worshippers to re-dedicate themselves using the cathedral baptistery, and a blessing outside the cathedral to emphasise the commitment of our parishes to each of their communities.

Bishop Kenneth has already written to all clergy, asking them to think about slimming down personal and parish diaries to fit in the work involved with the Kairos process over the next 18 months.

The four-stage process involves a roadshow visiting each deanery this Lent to outline the pressures and opportunities; a time of study and prayer in parishes and parish clusters between Easter and Pentecost; an audit of the needs of each of our communities between July and December; and the creation of deanery-wide, five-year plans during the first half of 2005.

Parishes and clusters of parishes will be accountable to Archdeaconry Kairos groups, each chaired by the relevant Archdeacon. A Kairos executive group will oversee the whole process, and major decisions will be taken by the bishop’s council or diocesan synod.

Full details will be outlined in a Kairos handbook, which will be made available during the Lent roadshows. Clergy will also be given some training in the management of change, to help them guide their own parishioners through the process.

In a letter read out in all churches last month, Bishop Kenneth emphasised God’s lordship over time and the way that Jesus spoke about his ‘time’ or his ‘hour’ – the moment of God’s salvation or ‘Kairos’.

"I believe that the year 2004 is a moment of Kairos for Portsmouth diocese," he said. "We have come to a point of challenge and opportunity, and we must act.

"The purpose of Kairos is to reflect on how the Church can grow and flourish now and in the years ahead. I know there is a great deal of good work and firm faith, which we must treasure and support. But there are areas where we could do more or do better. And this is bound to mean change, of one sort or another.

"Like most people, I often feel uncertain when faced with the possibility of change. There is a danger of losing good things from the past, or of making mistakes and poor decisions. But it is important that we do not allow a fear of change to leave us permanently stuck where we are.

"We must not let this God-given opportunity pass us by. Instead we will all work, think and pray to discern what God is calling us to do and be. It is a vital task and it is demanding. But we have no choice. The time has come."