ALUMNI
PROFILE
The Bishop of Durham The Right Reverend Paul Butler, Bishop of Durham (OK 1974), was involved in many aspects of life at KGS life, but his time was most prominently influenced by his role within, and presidency of, the Christian Union (CU), and the friends and memories made there. Having come to faith as a teenager, Paul feels passionately about giving children the opportunity to discover faith, and to make up their own minds about what and whether they believe. Statistics show that about 80% of people who come to Christianity do so before the age of 18, making Paul’s work very relevant with the young people he works with. Paul’s love of camping and the outdoors was also fostered by CU camps at KGS, and this has informed his work since, which has involved work with the Christian charity Scripture Union, running faith-focused vacations, usually camping in the UK, for children who may not otherwise get a holiday. He is now President of Scripture Union, as well as Patron of the Scargill Movement, both multi-national, inter-denominational evangelical non-profit Christian organisations. On leaving KGS, Paul completed a degree in English and History at the University of Nottingham, and then took a role as a social work assistant, working with elderly and vulnerable people, as well as students and young people – this would, had Christian Ministry not worked out, have been Paul’s ideal alternative career. However, the call to pursue Anglican ordination was strong and, by 1980, Paul had begun his training at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He continued to work with Scripture Union and remained up to date about the issues which affect young people, informing his later roles as a children’s advocate within the Church of England. As well as working within the UK with Scripture Union, Paul helped the development of links with Uganda, Rwanda and Russia as churches opened across these countries in the late 20th century and spent time developing with them a strategy for working with vulnerable and young people.
KINGSTONIAN 2022/23