News from Ridley - Winter 2014/15

Winter 2014/15

NEWS from

www.ridley.cam.ac.uk

In this issue: A YEAR IN GOD’S TIME Anders Litzell appointed prior of a new community at Lambeth Palace p 2

BUSINESS FOR THE KINGDOM Spring conference for all who long for business that embodies kingdom values p 3

SUPPORTING THE LOCAL FOODBANK A new initiative to help those who live on the poverty line in Cambridge p 3

KINGDOM STORIES Adrian Chatfield on the greatest treasures he brings back from South Africa p 4

NEWBIGIN CENTRE ANNOUNCED A new centre to be established at Ridley Hall to build on Newbigin’s legacy p 6 NEW DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR AND INTERN Ridley welcomes two new members to the Development team p 6 THE ANGLICAN CHURCH AND THE “GIRL EFFECT” Spotlight on one Ordinand’s research, looking at the impact of the Church on girls’ education in Africa p 7

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A Praying Church Every Michaelmas Term, we have two College lectures. This year, the first transported us across the seas to China in the run up to the Communist revolution and then on to Singapore in the 1970s.

Dr Michael Poon, one of our visiting scholars, introduced us to a Chinese priest confronting injustice and a Singaporean bishop revived by charismatic renewal. The second lecture took us down the road to Essex.

“What kind of Church is God calling us to become?” asked the Bishop of Chelmsford, Stephen Cottrell. “A praying church” was where his answer began.

As Anglicans, we are called to be a praying church whatever the context. Ministerial training must have prayer at its heart if it is to be true to this vision. “Ridley for me is a relaxed and praying community,” reflected Michael Poon at the end of his two month stay. “The stay has been most conducive to my writing... But I enjoyed the community most.”

At Ridley, prayer is fuelled by the work of our Simeon Centre for Prayer and the Spiritual Life and by our annual Prayer weekend. With this emphasis on prayer, it is heartening to see one of our recent leavers appointed Prior of the new community of prayer just launched by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Ministerial training must have prayer at its heart

Alumni Gathering 2015 Mark your calendar now for this year’s C F D Moule Lecture to be held on Wednesday June 10th 2015.

We are delighted to announce that our guest Lecturer will be the Revd Dr Christopher J H Wright. His topic will be “Declare his glory among the nations: Reading the Old Testament for Mission”.

Revd Dr Christopher J H Wright

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In England, our own context is markedly different from pre-communist China and post-Independence Singapore. We belong to a global Anglican family in an ever growing array of settings, as Archbishop Justin pointed out in his November address to General Synod. “Some of its churches sit in the middle of what are literally the richest parts of the globe... The vast majority are poor,” he noted, before refuting the idea that “issues around the Communion should not trouble us in the Church of England.” Without downplaying the difficulties, he told Synod members that “the potential of the Communion under God is beyond anything we can imagine or think about.”

This potential will only be realised if we embrace the challenge of being a praying church. It is hardly surprising that the renewal of prayer is one of the Archbishop’s top three priorities. We can give thanks when we see signs of the fruit of such prayer.

“The young lives Ridley is shaping are causes of rejoicing, and testify to the vibrancy of the church.”

Michael Poon observed encouragingly. Please pray for those training here, that their lives may lead to much rejoicing in the future contexts in which they will serve and that “He who began a good work... will carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1v6); that’s all part of what it means to belong to a praying church.

Andrew Norman Principal

A Ridleian himself, Dr Wright is the International Ministries Director of Langham Partnership International, a work first begun by John R W Stott.

An excellent communicator, Dr Wright took his PhD at Cambridge before going on to teach at Union Biblical Seminary in India and at All Nations Christian College in this country. He is a member of the ministry team at All Souls Church, Langham Place, and has written extensively about the Old Testament and its relevance for today.

In order to accommodate a larger audience, this year we will gather to hear the lecture in the nearby Lady Mitchell Hall on the University of Cambridge Sidgwick Site. Invitations will be sent in the Spring.

To listen to last year’s Moule Memorial Lecture by Jeremy Begbie browse our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/ridleyhallcambridge

A Year In God’s Time

Revd Anders Litzell, who arrived to train at Ridley from his home country of Sweden in 2010, has been appointed the first prior of a new community being formed by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace.

The Community of St Anselm will be housed in the former servants’ quarters in Lambeth Palace and will bring together for one year 16 young people aged between 20 and 35 to live together full-time and up to 40 non-residential members who Revd Anders Litzell (Ry 2010–12) live and work in London.

Photo: Lambeth Palace What does it mean to be a Prior of the Community?

“In practice,” says Anders “it means I will be taking the Archbishop’s vision for the community and, through God’s grace, turning it into a reality.”

Speaking to the Church Times, the Revd Dr Jo Wells, formerly Old Testament lecturer at Ridley and now the Archbishop’s Chaplain, said that the aim was for the community not to be a purely Anglican or British endeavour, but a global initiative. The full-time

members will be men and women, Anglicans and non-Anglicans who come from around the world, both north and south.

The Community will draw on three pillars of ancient spirituality – St Benedict, St Francis, and St Ignatius of Loyola. As Anders explains: “I like to think of it as a rebottling of three very fine vintage clarets. It’s absolutely new – and there is nothing new about it at all.”

During a panel discussion on ethics and finance at the 2014 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group in Washington, Archbishop Justin Welby spoke of his vision for a Community that will prepare the leaders of the future. “I hope it will set them in a way of thinking so in 20, 25, 30 years when they are leading countries, industries, armies, even churches, that this will be the thing that has shaped them internally to deal with the systemic issues.”

The Community will be a rolling programme, year by year, and applications to join in 2015 will be accepted from February. Members will be chosen by Easter, and will move into Lambeth Palace by September.

Find out more at: www.stanselm.org.uk

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BUSINESS FOR THE KINGDOM THE 2015 FAITH IN BUSINESS CONFERENCE: 27-29 MARCH at Ridley Hall In his teaching, Jesus used many striking workplace images – from a builder working out his estimates to a merchant buying a precious stone.

Business is a powerful metaphor for the kingdom of God. It is also a key area of life where God is seeking to extend his kingdom.

But for business to be a place where God reigns, a spirit of enterprise, dynamic and caring leadership, and a culture of integrity are all crucial factors. Our responsibility as God’s stewards also requires us to give special attention to sustainability.

The conference will bring together three strands: • New research on entrepreneurship • Christian business leaders telling their stories • Theological insight and ethical analysis It will be of interest to people from all business sectors and corporate structures, to all who either long for or are intrigued by business that embodies kingdom values.

Speakers include: Gary Grant – The Entertainer Andy Henley – Aberystwyth University John Revess – Rexam plc Eve Poole – Ashridge Business School Matthew Kimpton-Smith – Cygnet Group Peter Heslam – Transforming Business Cal Bailey – NG Bailey

For more details, pricing and to book your place visit:

www.faith-in-business.org

Supporting the Local Foodbank 13 million people live below the poverty line in the UK and it is true too for Cambridge. In what is perceived to be a wealthy city, people are living in poverty.

The reasons that people go hungry can vary from redundancy to receiving an unexpected bill on a low income. The Trussell Trust foodbanks provide a

Find out more about supporting your local foodbank at: www.trusselltrust.org/start-a-foodbank

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minimum of three days’ emergency food and support to people experiencing crisis in the UK. In 2013–14 foodbanks fed 913,138 people nationwide. Of those helped, 330,205 were children.

In a new initiative at Ridley Hall, there will now be a place for students and staff to donate food for the Cambridge City Foodbank. This new support will be alongside the current mission giving which already supports work around the world.

One of the reasons for the initiative was that as Ordinands we felt that we are in a privileged position of taking two or three years out to train here in Cambridge. Since we are supported by our families, Dioceses and the Church of England, this is one way in which we in turn can bless the community where God has placed us for a time.

Steve Johnson and Andrew Steer First Year Ordinands

The Revd Canon John Mockford

Celebrating 25 years

Ridley Hall salutes the life of the Revd Canon John Mockford, who died in January 2014 aged 85.

Faith in Business reaches a milestone

John was a student at Ridley from 1952 to 1954, and after a long distinguished career in parish ministry, culminating in a ten-year stint at St Mary’s Bushbury in Wolverhampton, served four years at Ridley as Director of Mission and Pastoral Studies from 1984 to 1988.

John was a colourful character who endeared himself to colleagues and students with his outspoken views, challenging style and impish sense of humour.

He did much to put inner city ministry on the agenda of Ridley ordinands, encouraging them to do placements and curacies in that setting.

He spent a further five years in parish ministry as Rector of St Margaret’s Ipswich from 1989 to 1993, before retiring to Suffolk for the rest of his life.

Kingdom Stories Ridley’s Tutor in Christian Life and Thought, Adrian Chatfield, writes about the Kingdom stories that are the greatest treasures he brings back from visits to South Africa.

Faith in Business celebrated 25 years of working alongside Christian businesspeople with a special reception at the Athenaeum Club, Pall Mall, on Wednesday 25th June.

75 people attended the event. David Urquhart, Bishop of Birmingham and Chair of Ridley College Council, kindly acted as host. He, Eve Poole (chair of Faith in Business) and Director Richard Higginson all spoke.

Richard thanked many people for their active participation, support and encouragement over the last quarter of a century and outlined Faith in Business’s exciting plans for the future, notably the Web Resources and Christian Entrepreneurship projects.

The Allchurches Trust has kindly agreed to give substantial funding for these two projects.

To watch a video which captures the flavour of the Athenaeum event in a memorable way go to: www.ridley.cam.ac.uk/news-events/899-fib-25

One such story is Huddleston Thonga’s. Last year Huddleston, one of my former ordinands, graduated with a BTh after three years of trying to pass his dissertation. On the third attempt he got it, and it makes me weep with joy to think of how far he has come. He started with a Certificate programme back in the 1990s as a fulltime clerk in some industry or the other. Every course he sweated over, sometimes repeating after failure.

I go to Johannesburg every year at around this time for two reasons.

While we were there, he completed The main one is to it and was ordained deacon, but the act as visiting academic for the ColDiploma seemed beyond him. Yet lege where my wife Jill and I taught he persevered, graduated and was for six years from 1999 to 2005. ordained priest, eventually convertThe secondary one is to catch up ing the Diploma into a degree in a with the Diocese of Christ the King, process that took about 15 years. which runs from the Southern part A faithful man, a godly man and deof Johannesburg through Sharpvoted husband, Huddleston is now eville, Vereeniging and Vanderbijl one of the diocese’s most reliable Park to the Vaal River. I am the Diand committed clergy.

Church of the African Martyrs, Evaton West ocesan Commissary in England for Bishop Peter Lee, a Ridleian.

So yes, I get in some warm weather, a bit of birding, a couple of runs in the bush, the One of the blessings each year is to see again those odd sighting of a giraffe, but it’s gloriously Kingdom whom we supported during our time in South Afwork of the kind that makes me want to keep on rica. It’s the little stories of Christian growth that I keeping on. We all have these stories, and we forget see over and over again, which bless me and remind them at our peril. me what Christian ministry is all about for me.

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Pioneer Centre’s Launch

The Gift of Prayer

The Centre for Pioneer Learning celebrated its official launch on September 12th in Cambridge at the Science Park.

The annual Ridley Prayer Weekend is a cross between a retreat and a parish weekend, for all First Year students and their spouses.

Over 80 guests came from across the country to celebrate and to hear more about the plans for the Centre.

The Bishop of Ely spoke about the Diocesan connections with the Centre and Phil Potter, the Archbishops’ Missioner for Fresh Expressions, spoke about the national scene and the Centre’s role within this.

It provides sessions on different aspects of prayer, with plenty of time for prayer and fellowship in between. As well as being fun and a good opportunity to get to know each other better, it also provides ideas for future use in a parish setting.

David Male, the Director of the Centre and staff member at Ridley talked about the Centre’s vision to send out, resource and support a generation of pioneers who will transform lives, shape their wider communities and help to renew the church. Various pioneers, including some who trained at Ridley, also talked about how the Centre has been supporting them through training and personal support.

The Centre for Pioneer Learning has been established over the last four years through the work of David Male with Ridley, Westcott House and the Diocese of Ely. Find out more at: www.centreforpioneerlearning.org.uk

Friends of the College who give to support the continuation of this invaluable part of our students’ training give a gift beyond its monetary value, as expressed in a recent reflection by Ridley Ordinand Richard Attew: For Ordinand and for spouse; this is a gift to share, yet shaped for the individual. All are welcome. Regardless of your course load, workload, shopping load – however heavy – this gift is for you. Choose to pursue the Spirit. Choose prayer beads. Choose to open the Bible. Choose to open yourself. Celebrate, contemplate, commiserate, anticipate. With God. With friends. With confidence. The choice is yours.

This gift is for you, as well as those around you.

Given by Ridley on behalf of God. A gift to be enjoyed. A gift that will endure. The gift of the annual Prayer Weekend.

The Ridley Prayer Weekend is one project that benefits from donations to the Annual Fund. If you would like to give in support of this important part of our students’ formational training, you can donate at bit.ly/124oMnJ or by using the enclosed gift form.

Photo left: Congratulations to the 2014 graduates from Ridley Hall’s Cambridge Institute for Children, Youth and Mission! We wish them a fruitful ongoing ministry.

“Cambridge CYM really offered me a place to find my faith...it gave me that know-how about how to question for myself, and that to question was ok.”

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Craig Hutton CYM graduate

Newbigin Centre Announced At a recent meeting the Ridley Council enthusiastically endorsed the development of a proposed “Newbigin Centre” under the auspices of the College and the leadership of Paul Weston.

Its initial aims are twofold: (1) to attract research students for MPhil and PhD work on the themes that Newbigin helped to open up with regard to engaging our contemporary culture with the gospel; (2) to develop resources for the wider church, both through occasional conferences and seminars as well as other projects.

Ahead of this news, a first Newbigin “Summer Institute” was held in Cambridge last July in partnership with the Newbigin House of Studies (San Francisco).

The format was simple in design. Its four days were organised around themes emerging from Lesslie Newbigin’s rich life and an exploration of their implications for contemporary missionary engagement.

Scot Sherman focused on Newbigin’s early missionary experience in India, Mike Goheen examined his thinking on the missionary church during his time with the WCC, and Paul Weston explored aspects of Newbigin’s “post-retirement” engagement with the post-Enlightenment culture of the West. Dave Male led a lively seminar on Fresh Expressions, and Jenny Taylor gave a richly stimulating lecture on the impact of Newbigin’s thinking upon her own development

Development Team We are delighted to welcome two new members of staff to the College’s Development team.

Karen Bevan is Ridley’s new Head of Development.

Karen was previously Fundraising Manager at Headway Cambridgeshire, the charity supporting people with a brain injury, where she led all fundraising activities. This included Karen Bevan the very successful Mind Your Head, a challenge to find new healthcare technologies for people with a brain injury, and

as a journalist amidst the secular media. On the final day Bishop Tom Wright joined us for discussion and debate and preached a memorable sermon from John 17 at the closing service on the theme of Unity and Mission.

Partly because of the international flavour of the conference (the 40 or so delegates who attended came from America, Britain, Europe, and Asia), the rich discussions touched significant ministries and

Some of the attendees of the Summer Institute 2014

lives. All of which bears witness to the profound and continuing impact of Newbigin’s work, and its ongoing challenge to engage our culture with the good news.

For details of next summer’s Institute and how to book a place, as well as for further news on the development of the Newbigin Centre, keep an eye on Ridley’s website.

which also raised awareness about the incidence of brain injury and how to better protect your head. It ran along the lines of BBC’s Apprentice meets the Dragons’ Den! We also welcome Robert Smith, Ridley’s Development intern.

Robert joined us in September this year, after completing an MPhil in Medieval History at Wolfson College, Cambridge. He will be with us for a year. Robert has settled into life at Ridley Robert Smith quickly, and has become a stalwart of the team.

Karen and Robert join the third member of the team, Development Officer Elaine Thornton, who has been at Ridley since 2007.

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Last Chance to book!

The Institute for Children, Youth and Mission’s new course starts on Jan 15th.

Programme Outline

Inspiring Change

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Continuing Professional Development Opportunity:

O FO N 01 R T 22 H 3 CO E JA 7465 U R N/ 83 SE FE B

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Work-Based Learning is a course for people who have a role tutoring, supervising or supporting students or workers undertaking work based learning.

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Thursday 15th January 2015: Effective supervision; models and tools; reflecting on your own practice; introduction to assessment Thursday 5th February 2015: Boundaries; learning styles; facilitating reflective practice Tuesday 24th February 2015: Supervision and distinguishing between similar roles; analysing practice and areas for development

Educating Girls The Role of the Anglican Church in the Education of Women in East Africa Final Year Ordinand Emma Jamieson tells us about her MPhil research topic.

The potential for girls to contribute significantly to ending poverty for themselves, their families, their communities, their countries, and the world is being widely recognised as “the girl effect”.

There has been a shift in the last decade or so to focus on girls in developing countries as a means to alleviate poverty. However, there appears to be a distinct voice lacking in the conversation, and that is the voice of the church, including the Anglican Church. The premise of “the girl effect” is essentially as follows: to educate girls will give them an opportunity to escape things such as prostitution, maternal mortality, sex trafficking, female genital mutilation, and other forms of injustice. Empowering women has the potential to change entire communities and even nations.

In the Anglican Church, discussions about the role of women are often limited to the ordination of women as priests, or conversations about women bishops.

I believe there is scope to broaden our perspective

© UNICEF/MLWB2005-00025/Pirozzi

substantially. I feel challenged to consider “the girl effect” from a theological viewpoint. In my thesis I am focusing particularly on the region of East Africa and considering the ways in which this notion of empowering women has impacted, if at all, women there. I will also examine the ways in which the Anglican Church adds to this, either positively or negatively; and whether the church contributes to the education of girls and the impact this has. My hope is to research into ways the historically patriarchal structure of the church, both in East Africa and in the West, has potentially impacted the way gender is understood in East Africa and the role the Western church has to play in the gender issue beyond its own parameters.