The Anglican church of St. Mary's the Virgin in Warwick will host a very special guest as it celebrates its 375th birthday with a weeklong series of services starting this Sunday.

Bishop John Sentamu, the Ugandan-born bishop of Stepney will deliver the sermon at the commemorative services throughout the week.

"He's a very charismatic preacher, one of the few black bishops in the Church of England and he's a rising star," said Rev. Andrew Doughty when asked why Bishop Sentamu had been invited to preach at the anniversary services.

The self described "agitator" is also an activist working hard to improve the condition of humanity at every opportunity.

When contacted by The Royal Gazette, Bishop Sentamu had just completed an open letter to US president George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

"I'll tell you about it when I get there," he promised.

Bishop Sentamu, a former judge of Uganda's High Court, was arrested by Idi Amin after he "passed some judgements" on the dictator's regime. He left Uganda for the UK soon after to study theology at Cambridge University where he later received his doctorate.

Outside the church, the Bishop is extremely active on a number of public bodies and has served as adviser to the Judicial Inquiry into the circumstances, and investigation of the racially motivated 1993 murder of Stephen Lawrence.

"I must confess they are being taken very seriously," he said of the Inquiry's 70 recommendations.

"So in another three years it will be a very, very different Police force."

His activism is part and parcel of his faith. "The faith for me is not simply believing in doctrines," said the Bishop.

"My engaging in issues of justice and fairness is not to have a platform but because I really have no choice. I genuinely believe this world is going to become what heaven is going to be like - where there will be peace and justice, no more suffering and no more pain. Everybody must be engaged in it because we are the ones who are creating it."

St. Mary's celebratory week begins tomorrow with the Holy Eucharist at 8:00 a.m., to be followed by a commemorative service at 10:30 a.m. and an evening of songs of praise.

Evening Services will take place throughout the week with a common theme of renewal. And Bishop Sentamu will preach at each service.

Next Saturday morning, October 13, Bro. Anselm, the vicar of St. Benedicts and Minister Provincial of the Society of St. Francis, the Anglican Church's monastic order, will lead a prayer breakfast. Bro Anselm will also join Bishop Ewen Ratteray for the Parish confirmation next Sunday.

"It's a renewal of our faith, a renewal of our worship and of our service," said Rev. Doughty. "We're hoping that all Anglicans and lapsed Anglicans will experience an uplift in their faith. And perhaps we hope to encourage those Anglicans who have stopped coming to church to try again."

St. Mary's is among Bermuda's oldest churches, having been built - originally as a small cedar church - in October 1626 by a group of Warwick farmers. Rev. Doughty touts the diversity of his congregation as one of its successes.