The next leader of the Methodist Church is set to make a piece of history at Blackburn Cathedral by becoming one of its first ecumenical canons.

President-Designate of the Conference the Rev Stephen Poxon, who is Chair of the North Lancashire District, will be one of the first three non-Anglican clergy to join the Cathedral Canons in January.

Mr Poxon will be joined by the Roman Catholic Dean of Blackburn with Darwen and parish priest of Pleasington Priory, the Very Rev Canon Kevin Kenny; and the Bishop of Braunschweig in the Evangelical Church of Germany. Bishop Friedrich Weber, Blackburn’s Anglicans and Braunschwieg’s Lurtherans have been linked for some years in a Christian partnership agreement.

Bishop of Blackburn the Rt. Rev Nicholas Reade,who will formally ‘collate’ the new canons at a service in the cathedral on 27 January 2007, has welcomed the growing unity between the Churches that has been signified by these appointments. He believes that the inclusion of Mr Poxon and the other new canons will allow the denominations to work better together. The bishop said: "These three particular friends of the Church of England in Lancashire are creating a moment of history in our diocese as they become our first ecumenical canons. Singly and together they will bring, new insights into the life and work of our cathedral and of the wider diocese, and they will also deepen our relationship with their Churches".

"By their presence they will remind us that talk of Christian unity can also be enacted, as people of different traditions work together in the common cause of making mission happen through faithful friendship".

The appointments were made possible through a piece of Church legislation, the Cathedrals Measure of 1998, which has also led to the appointment of lay canons at cathedrals.

The bishop added: "The College of Canons at Blackburn Cathedral would all agree that it has been greatly enriched by the inclusion of lay canons and recently our statutes were amended to include the appointment of up to four ecumenical canons".