2013 – 2014 T HE Y EAR IN R EVIEW C AMBRIDGE T HEOLOGICAL F EDERATION Contents Foreword from the Bishop of Ely 3 Theological Conversations 31 Principal’s Welcome 4 Anecdote to Evidence 31 Highlights of the Year 8 • Serving in a multi-parish benefice: Karin voth Harman 32 The Year in Pictures 8 • Priest as animator: Michael Womack 33 Ashes to Ashes cricket tournament 9 • Belonging before Believing: Stephen Edwards 35 Lyn’s House 10 Serving in the North of England 12 Ethical Finance 37 • ‘Not my will, but yours’: First year in curacy: 14 Antony MacRow-Wood 37 • Elizabeth Burke 14 • Building alternatives to exploitative lenders: • Alison Green 15 Philip Krinks 39 • Mike Kirby 16 Researching Practice in Ministry 40 Missions, Placements, Exchanges 17 New Developments 43 • USA Exchanges 17 Building the Future 43 • Yale Divinity School 17 • Sewanee: The University of the South 18 Westcott Foundation 2014-15 45 • New York 21 Obituaries and Appreciations 47 • Bungoma, Kenya 22 Remembering Westcott House 52 • Solomon Islands 23 • Hong Kong 25 Ember List 2014 53 • South Africa 26 • Canterbury 28 Staff contacts 54 • Walsingham 29 Members of the Governing Council 2013 – 2014 55 • HSBC, London 30 Editor Heather Kilpatrick, Communications Officer 2013 – 2014 THE YEAR IN REVIEW Foreword from the Bishop of Ely This time last year, I began by looking forward to taking up the “Chair of the Council of Westcott House. Now, a full year’s cycle has been completed and once more the sheer energy of Westcott, its staff and students, commands admiration. The central work of forming ordinands for future ministry produces candidates of high calibre and provides many of the parishes of the Diocese of Ely with able placement students during the training period. The Westcott Foundation has delivered a stimulating and varied programme of study days and residential courses. It has drawn on experts from Cambridge and beyond to offer serving clergy and lay ministers the opportunity to go more deeply into theology, preaching and interdisciplinary exploration than the normal course of ministry allows. The potential rewards are not only for the individual – The Rt Revd Stephen Conway, Bishop of Ely and these people are taking rich material and new vigour back to the contexts in Chair of Westcott Council which they work. The Principal has written about staff changes. I would like to add my personal appreciation of the work achieved by Andrew Davison and Tiffany Conlin as Tutors in Doctrine and Pastoral Studies respectively. Andrew is not lost to Cambridge entirely and we wish him well in his new post of Starbridge Lecturer in Theology and Natural Sciences in the Faculty of Divinity. Alison Gray and Eeva Johns who join the staff will bring new contributions to the academic and community life of Westcott and the Cambridge Theological Federation. The past year has been a time of active preparation for the transition to Common Awards. This new system for validating theological education and training comes into operation in the 2014/15 academic year and will make demands on academic and administrative staff alike. Fortunately the high standards of teaching and assessment already established at Westcott have put the College in an excellent position to make adaptations to current practice and course structure where these have been required. Existing students and new entrants can look forward to living in a rigorous and lively intellectual, spiritual and formational environment. Some of the highlights of this first year in the Chair have been presiding at the College Eucharist on two occasions and confirming current students. Joining in this central part of Westcott’s life renews my thankfulness for its part in my own pathway towards priesthood and reassures me that it is continuing, in an ever-changing climate, to carry out this mission in a faithful and visionary way .” 3 2013 – 2014 THE YEAR IN REVIEW Principal’s Welcome Welcome to the 2013-14 edition of the Year lay leaders, to enabling Christians to live their in Review, reporting on a year when Westcott baptismal calling, and to research for the good has been renewed once again as a community of the Church. All of this is to invigorate the of extraordinarily gifted ordinands, students Church’s mission and ministry. We are and staff. The ordinands come from sixteen therefore very grateful that the Westcott countries and half are under 32 years old. Foundation has gone from strength to strength I continue to thank God for the vitality, this year, providing a range of programmes for wisdom and fun of the Westcott community, ministerial development. Early in the year we and for the hope they offer the Church. You undertook a survey of alumni to identify will read in this Review some of their particular strands of activity that they would reflections on their own experiences, for most value. Top of the list was leadership instance on placements in this country and training. With the skilful guidance of the Revd overseas, and hear from alumni called to Dr Michael Fass, we have been developing an witness to Christ’s transforming love in our approach that reflects the distinctive charisms Church and world. of Westcott, and the first courses are happening this year. We held our first silent clergy retreat HRH Prince Edward this summer, wonderfully led by Bishop Gordon Mursell. We are continuing to develop The Revd Canon Martin Seeley Principal At the start of the year we were honoured and programmes based around theological delighted that HRH Prince Edward agreed to reflection, preaching and liturgy. Our urban be patron of our building development campaign. The Prince visited Westcott in ministry project, under the direction of Prof January and met students and staff. He saw the Philip Sheldrake, has drawn increasing numbers plans and the location of the proposed building of clergy and lay leaders. We are also currently – which involved a slightly damp procession to exploring possibilities to support chaplaincy the car park and bike sheds! Prince Edward was ministries and theological educators, work an undergraduate at Jesus College, across the which is being led by the Revd Brett Gray. road. His support has made a huge difference to our campaign and we are expecting that in Growth the coming year we will start to see the fruits. We continue to pray for God’s gift of growth It is a huge effort and I am enormously grateful for the Church, and for wisdom in our planting to the great number of people involved. and watering. We have been challenged by the This is all for the renewal of the Church. The report From Anecdote to Evidence to be intentional resources we have within Westcott, and that we for this growth, which crucially is about are able to access through the Federation and numbers, but must also be about growth in our relationships in Cambridge and beyond, are faith, wisdom and courage – and, dare I say, in considerable, and we want to be able to apply being an effective presence in our communities. these resources to residential, part-residential We know of course that all this demands we and context-based ordination training, and also take risks. Seeds can fall on stony ground, or be to the continuing development of clergy and choked by weeds. We know too that we often 4 5 2013 – 2014 THE YEAR IN REVIEW cannot see what God is bringing into being. So we live by faith, effect on our community, just as the earlier negative vote was drawing on our heritage, taking risks and thanking God who is received painfully. The liberation is not on the part of episcopally- making all things new. aspiring women ordinands – though I look forward to the day when that vocation will be affirmed for some of them – but for many in You will find in this Review some reflections from alumni in multi- the community, women and men, who see this as a further step in parish benefices, an increasingly common context that From the Church bearing witness to the reality of the Incarnation living Anecdote to Evidence identifies as particularly challenging. into its incarnational calling. Community Farewells and Arrivals Christian communities in prayer and worship are the heart of Christian life, and so of our flourishing and renewal. We have We welcome Mr David Ball to Westcott Council. David is added some new community dimensions to Westcott this year. Chairman of David Ball Group, a construction material Lyn’s House, ten minutes from Westcott, is where a community of manufacturer, based in Cambridge. As well as his business interests four – two ordinands (Heather Leppard and Matt Harbage) and two David is also Chairman of Chaplaincy to People at Work in university students – offer hospitality to people with learning Cambridge and the surrounding area. The Revd Dr Jeremy Morris, disabilities, with the assistance of several Westcott ordinands and alumnus and former Vice-Principal, is moving from being Dean of families. This first year has been a wonderful experience for us to King’s to be Master of Trinity Hall. We congratulate him on this build on, and we are grateful to David and Debbie Ford and James appointment, though it does mean he has stepped down as a and Judith Gardom whose vision, inspired by Jean Vanier and the member of our Council. L’Arche movement, brought this project into being. This has been a year of staff changes at Westcott. The Revd Secondly we are welcoming the Franciscans back to Cambridge and Lindsay Yates stepped down as chaplain after seven years at the end a community of two are living in Westcott.