Rob Gillion

Alan Robert Gillion, commonly known as Rob Gillion, is a British Anglican bishop and former actor. From 2014 to 2018 he was the Bishop of Riverina in the Anglican Church of Australia. Since March 2019 he has served as an assistant bishop and interim priest-in-charge at St John the Baptist Church in Spalding in the Diocese of Lincoln.[6]

The Right Reverend

Rob Gillion
Bishop of Riverina
ChurchAnglican Church of Australia
DioceseDiocese of Riverina
Installed15 August 2014[1]
Term ended21 July 2018[2][3]
PredecessorDouglas Stevens
SuccessorDonald Kirk
Orders
Ordination1984[1]
Consecration15 August 2014[4]
by Glenn Davies
Personal details
Born1951/1952 (age 68–69)[5]
NationalityBritish
DenominationAnglican
SpouseJanine
Children2 sons
Alma materUniversity of London
Salisbury and Wells Theological College

Early life

Gillion was born in Norfolk to clergy parents[5] and was educated at Norwich School.[7] He trained in acting at the University of London and then worked as an actor and theatre director for 12 years, participating in a variety of stage shows including cabaret, repertory and Shakespeare productions,[8] prior to retraining for ministry at the age of 32.[9]

Ordained ministry

Gillion trained for ministry at Salisbury and Wells Theological College and was ordained priest in the Church of England in 1984.[1] His early ministry saw him serve in the Diocese of Southwark[1] and then the Diocese of Hong Kong and Macao, where, as parish priest at Discovery Bay he voluntarily spent a week incarcerated at Shek Pik Prison to better understand his ministry as chaplain to the prisoners.[10] He was also the Diocese's head of religious broadcasting.[5]

He returned to London in 1998,[5] where he served first as the Evangelism Officer for the Bishop of Kensington, then as Rector of Holy Trinity, Sloane Street and St Saviour, Upper Chelsea.[9] During his time in London Gillion was a regular contributor to the BBC's Pause for Thought program,[5][11] and also served as chaplain at Harrods.[12]

Episcopal ministry

In April 2014, Gillion was elected Bishop of Riverina in the Province of New South Wales in the Anglican Church of Australia after a representative of the Diocese saw him preach in St Paul's Cathedral, London (which was the only time he had ever preached there).[13] He was consecrated and enthroned on 15 August 2014 in St Alban's Cathedral, Griffith. In working in Australia, Gillion followed in the footsteps of his grandfather who had worked as a priest in Broome and Derby in Western Australia during the 1920s.

During his time as Bishop, Gillion performed a one-man stage show about faith to raise funds for a youth theatre project in the Diocese.[12] He also called on denominational churches to combine in disadvantaged rural areas to improve ministry resources.[8]

Gillion served as Bishop from 15 August 2014 until resigning effective 21 July 2018.

After his resignation Gillion returned to the United Kingdom, and in March 2019 he was appointed as assistant bishop and interim priest-in-charge at St John the Baptist Church in Spalding in the Diocese of Lincoln.[6]

Personal life

Gillion is married to Janine and has two sons, one of whom is the marketing manager for the Australian Grand Prix.[12]

References
  1. "The Revd Rob Gillion to be Diocesan Bishop of Riverina, Australia". Diocese of London. Church of England. 4 April 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  2. "Who We Are". Diocese of Riverina. Anglican Church of Australia. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  3. Dickins, Jacinta (23 July 2018). "Bishop Rob Gillion says farewell". The Area News (subscription required). Australian Community Media. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  4. "About Us – Our Bishop – The Right Reverend Rob Gillion". Diocese of Riverina. Anglican Church of Australia. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  5. Brown, Winston (22 March 2019). "Former actor who worked as a priest in Norfolk, Surrey, Hong Kong and Australia takes over at St John the Baptist Church, Spalding". Spalding Today. Iliffe Media Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  6. "Notification of appointment: The Rt Revd Robert Gillion". Diocese of Lincoln. Church of England. 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  7. "The Right Revd Rob Gillion". Diocese of Lincoln. Church of England. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  8. Lee, Tim (22 March 2016). "The theatrical Bishop caring for a far-flung flock in the outback". Landline. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  9. Powell, Russell (4 April 2014). "Former actor elected Bishop of Riverina". Sydney Anglicans. Anglican Diocese of Sydney. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  10. "Priest learns from his mission in cell". South China Morning Post. 16 April 1995. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  11. "BBC Radio 2 – Pause for Thought – Rob Gillion". 19 December 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  12. Hudson, Sarah (4 May 2016). "Riverina's new Bishop swaps the stage for the pulpit". The Weekly Times. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  13. Lee, Tim (21 March 2016). "Outback Bishop: Divine Stage". Landline. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
Anglican Communion titles
Preceded by
Douglas Stevens		 Bishop of Riverina
2014 to 2018		 Succeeded by
Donald Kirk
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