THE BISHOP of Gloucester, the Rt Rev'd David Bentley, has made a call for new hope to spring out of the rural crisis in his Easter message.

The Bishop, who recently visited Tutshill and Tidenham, told farmers and others in the rural community that he hoped good would come out of their present troubles.

The Bishop's

message

"The last couple of months have been a terrible time for our rural communities in this country because of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

Those farms which have become infected have had to cope with the slaughter and disposal of their livestock and the prospect of a long wait before normal life can resume. Farmers outside the infected areas have been living with the fear and anxiety that the disease might come their way.

We have seen, too, how other businesses have been blighted – agricultural suppliers, tourist attractions, hotels and guest houses.

For all those people it must sometimes seem that the future is bleak, that there is no hope of recovery, and that nothing good can come out of all this misery and despair.

This Eastertime I want to do all I can to assure those who are suffering so much that, with the support and prayers of the rest of us, there can be a new start and that good can come out of evil.

The Easter message is, in fact, just that – new beginnings, good out of evil.

The first disciples of Jesus were absolutely desperate after his crucifixion. They had given their lives to this man – and now he was dead. There was nothing left, no reason to go on, no hope, no future.

But somehow, they regained their faith – against all the odds. They became convinced that Jesus was alive again. They weren't making it up – something happened to change them from frightened, broken men and women. Something gave them the confidence to go on. New life and hope replaced despair. They did have a future.

That is the sort of transformation which we hope and pray for in our rural communities this Easter. It will not be easy. Many will face a long, hard journey to recovery.

But it can be done and I would say to every farming family, to every business affected by this crisis: You are not on your own. You have the support and the prayers of the rest of the community – in the towns and cities as well as the countryside.

Good can come out of this crisis. Lessons have already been learned – often the hard way. Many questions remain to be answered, but may have to wait a while. But if we come out at the other side with a more constructive and sustainable way of looking after the countryside, or caring for livestock, of respecting God's creation, then it will not all have been in vain.

Easter comes in the springtime. Out of the bare earth, new life is showing green. I pray that signs of new life and hope will soon be visible for our rural communities.

A very Happy Easter to you."

The Rt Rev'd David Bentley.