2010 – 2011 Th E Year in Review
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2010 – 2011 T HE Y EAR IN R EVIEW C AMBRIDGE THEOLOGICAL F EDERATION Contents Page Foreword from the Bishop of Leicester 3 Principal’s Welcome 4 Bishop Peter Walker 8 Highlights of the Year Apologetics Conference 13 Midsummer Garden Party 14 Newmarket Open Door Project 15 Marking Twenty years of the Manchester Project 16 Missions, Placements and Exchanges 19 Easter missions and pilgrimages 2011 19 Study leave in Japan 20 Church of the Holy Apostles, New York 22 Yale Exchange 23 Westcott House Conferences 2012 23 Theological Conversations ‘Rev’ actor and creator visit Westcott 24 Women in Priesthood 26 Dean of St Edmundsbury 26 Theology lived out – Rosalind Lane 27 Debating Fresh Expressions 29 Templeton Prizewinners 31 New Developments Westcott’s Key Priorities 33 Remembering Westcott 35 Westcott House Gifts and Mementos 36 Ember List 2011 37 Staff Contacts 38 Members of the Governing Council 2010 - 2011 39 2010 – 2011 THE YEAR IN REVIEW Foreword from the Bishop of Leicester It remains a great privilege to be associated with Westcott House“ as the Chair of the Council. The challenges facing higher education generally and training for ordained ministry in the Church of England in particular are complex. And yet Westcott House has remained an adventurous, courageous, innovative and ambitious institution continually seeking out new opportunities to face the changes of each passing year while continuing to be outward looking. At the heart of the life of Westcott remains a deep commitment to disciplines of prayer and the Eucharistic life which has shaped the House from the beginning. Centred on these unchanging essentials, The Rt Revd Tim Stevens is Bishop of Leicester and has been the whole community is set free to explore difference, diversity Chair of the Council of Westcott House since 2007 and indeed Anglican identity in a global setting. Increasingly Westcott House has become the focus for conferences and conversations about church and society as well as for explorations of some of the most challenging theological questions. But above all to experience Westcott is to know something of the joy and the liberation of the gospel. Westcott House appears to have discovered how to set people free to become the very best of themselves. As you read this year’s Review I hope you will catch a flavour of what that means for so many people who share the life of this rich and varied community.” 3 2010 – 2011 THE YEAR IN REVIEW Principal’s Welcome Each year the Westcott community is different, and has had a number of books published this year, this past one has been influenced both by the new including the controversial and acclaimed ordinands and the large number of new staff. For the Parish. With Dave Male on the staff as our Ordinand year groups seem to develop a character Tutor in Pioneer Ministry, we have had another of their own, and this past year’s intake of thirty- opportunity to engage with differences! Of course, three men and women has engaged in the life of the we discover that they agree more than they House from the start, with new initiatives in the disagree, and you can see some fruits of their realms of sport, social celebrations, and community engagement in this Review. service emerging as part of our community life. Victoria Espley, who started as Finance and The community also seems to have been even more Operations Manager (now Bursar) in October 2010, diverse than ever this year, challenging us to engage has immediately made an impact both on the creatively with differences, and to learn and grow financial management of the House and the together. organisation of the administrative operations. The Revd Canon Martin Seeley Heather Kilpatrick has served for a year already as Principal New Directions College Administrator, Communications Officer A number of staff changes have resulted in fresh and my PA. She has reshaped our internal ideas and new directions. Will Lamb, the Vice- communications, and many aspects of our external Principal and Tutor in New Testament, immediately communications, including our new e-Newsletter. made a huge difference to the life of the House, in If you are not currently on the mailing list for this particular through his teaching and organisational and would like to be, contact Heather on expertise, and a calm wisdom that is very welcome. [email protected]. Andy Griffiths took up a new Andrew Davison, the new Tutor in Doctrine and post as Chef at Gretton School in Girton and Assistant Director of Studies, has made a great Adrian Savin has been promoted to Chef Manager. contribution to teaching in the Federation, and also I am enormously grateful to all the staff, new and in-house, where he has teamed up with Jeff Phillips continuing, for their devotion and commitment to for an introductory course in philosophy. Andrew the work and mission of the House. On 29 April the House celebrated the royal wedding, starting with a champagne breakfast and the chance to watch the ceremony on a big screen, followed by Pimm’s, cream teas, croquet and an evening barbecue 4 2010 – 2011 THE YEAR IN REVIEW Wittenberg Loss of Friends expect to need an additional £1,500 per ordinand each year. I have been very grateful that some Cambridge colleges have agreed to Alongside the good news and exciting developments, this year has direct historic funds for ordination training to provide bursaries for also been marked by sadness. Bishop Peter Walker, Principal from some of these ordinands, but we need to find more sources of 1962 to 1972, died in December aged 91. In this issue of the funding. We admit about five ordinands a year on Tripos, and Review we celebrate Bishop Peter – husband and family man, about ten on the BTh. This year, as last, half of those taking Tripos scholar, priest – through the reflections of four of the Westcottians gained firsts, including one starred first. It is quite clear that the whose lives he touched. You will also find here pressure is on for Westcott, for which the address given by the Archdeacon of the relationship with the University of Cambridge at his funeral. We hold Jean in our Cambridge is foundational, to secure a prayers. Then in April Frances Mant, who range of resources to continue to joined us as a tutor in September, died within provide the very high quality of a few short weeks of being diagnosed with theological learning that is central to cancer, and just before her 50th birthday. She what we offer the Church. There is had quickly earned the trust and affection of information about ways to help this ordinands and staff, and her death was a effort in this Review. profound shock to the community. We continue to hold Frances’ husband Jonathan and children William and Alice in our prayers. Celebrations Mick Ellis and Gillian Trinder in Wittenberg There has of course been much to Fee Funding Challenge celebrate during the year. In October it was announced that Donna Lazenby, a final year ordinand and now curate in the The year has also been dominated by the dramatic changes facing Diocese of Southwark, and Ben King, an alumnus and now higher education, and in particular the increase in university fees Assistant Professor of Church History at the University of the taking effect in 2012. We are delighted that the Bishop of South, Tennessee had both been awarded Templeton Foundation Sheffield’s report on the future of funding for theological education Awards for Theological Promise. Donna organised a highly recognises the continuing importance for a number of ordinands to successful Apologetics Conference at Westcott in December, a study on university taught Theology degrees, including the review of which is included in this publication. Ben King has been Theological and Religious Studies Tripos (Cambridge BA) and the instrumental in building connections between Westcott and the part-university taught BTh. However, central church funds cannot School of Theology at the University of the South (Sewanee). support the whole cost, and we need to raise additional funds to One result of that is a preaching conference to be held 2-5 July enable access to these important and demanding routes for 2012 at Westcott in partnership with Bill Brosend, Professor of candidates who will most benefit from them. For the Tripos, Homiletics at Sewanee, and Program Director of the Episcopal Church funding will pay for half the £9,000 fee, with us needing to Preaching Foundation. We have also started another new find the other £4,500 per student per year. For the BTh we will 5 2010 – 2011 THE YEAR IN REVIEW Bishop Stephen at Westcott Ascension Day 2011 international connection with the Predigerseminar at Wittenberg; from strength to strength, giving Westcott ordinands a vital and my family and I visited in February and a group of Westcott rich immersion in urban parish life. Much of the current success is ordinands also visited in June. Their model of theological training down to the skill and commitment of Simon Gatenby, rector of has some interesting possibilities for us to explore, especially in Brunswick Church and the Westcott tutor in Manchester. We are terms of continuing ministerial development. delighted that a number of married ordinands, alongside the single ordinands who have been in the past, are taking advantage of this Among our many and varied guests this past year we welcomed the formational opportunity. Rt Revd Stephen Conway as the new Bishop of Ely, and witnessed the consecration of Nick Holtam as the new Bishop of Salisbury. Both have made, and are continuing to make, significant contributions to the life and future of the House and we are very grateful.