THE Right Reverend David Stancliffe will be celebrating ten years as Bishop of Salisbury this weekend.

He was consecrated bishop on St Andrew's Day (November 30), 1993, in Westminster Abbey, by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, and was enthroned in Salisbury Cathedral nine days later, succeeding Bishop John Baker.

Bishop Stancliffe and his wife, Sarah, came to Salisbury from Portsmouth Cathedral, where he had been provost for ten years, overseeing the completion of the cathedral's building and re-ordering its interior.

The bishop's ten years in Salisbury have seen important developments in the life of the Church:

*Women have been ordained as priests.

*A scheme for ordained local ministry has been introduced, allowing local parishes to discern and support vocations to the ministry from amongst their congregations.

* 'Common worship' services have found their way into the pews.

* The diocesan link with the church in Sudan has gone from strength to

strength, with Bishop David cultivating a warm personal relationship with Archbishop Joseph and his fellow bishops.

The bishop will mark the anniversary by presiding at the Eucharist in the cathedral at 10am on Sunday, with family and friends joining him and his wife for lunch afterwards.

Immediately after the service, he will also launch his book, God's Pattern, published by SPCK. He describes it as "a book for restless spirits who want to explore what God is doing and how they can be part of it".

It draws extensively on his experiences of the past ten years.

The bishop said: "It has been very good to see important projects take root and bear fruit in the diocese.

"But what continues to excite me is the daily possibility that I will hear another account of God's transforming work in a human life, perhaps in a candidate for baptism or confirmation, or someone who believes themselves called to ordained ministry, people of increasingly diverse backgrounds and journeys.

"The past ten years have allowed me the privilege of hearing many such stories, and for that I am deeply grateful to the diocese."