MISSION PARTNERS’ FELLOWSHIP Tributes January 2021 Margaret Beaver died October 2020 Elizabeth Deeks sends the following tributes: Margaret was born on 5 March 1927 to Margaret (aka Peggy) and Frederick (aka Freddy) at Sellons Avenue, Harlesden. She was joined in 1931 by brother Christopher Martin (known to family as Martin) and in 1941 by sister Hilary. By the time Hilary came along, Margaret was a responsible 15-year-old who often had to help by taking her baby sister out for walks in her pram. It was often recalled that Margaret was somewhat embarrassed lest people might think Hilary was her daughter, rather than her baby sister! Margaret was educated in her infant years we think at a local private school in Kingsbury, with an all-female staff, where she passed her 11 plus and the entrance exam for all girls Henrietta Barnett School in the Hampstead Garden Suburb. At 18, Margaret went to teacher training college. Margaret then went into teaching for a couple of years before her “calling”, then commenced her vocation with CMS, starting with training at Foxbury women’s CMS training centre in Chislehurst, Kent. Her life as a missionary then took her out to north India, where she served from 1952 to 1971 teaching RE and English in three all-girls’ schools. She wrote regularly to family back home, giving news of her busy life teaching and translating and various other duties, and also wanting to know all about what was going on here in the UK, in particular what her niece/nephew/godchildren were doing and how they were getting on at school. She often wrote back with “Shabash!” – meaning “well done!” By this time Margaret had become fluent in a few of the local languages. Airmail letters from this time make it evident she worked very hard, you could say “beavering” away, in some very difficult conditions. She also endured malaria and filaria during these years. She returned home from India in 1971, giving the reason that she was returning to look after her aged parents, who were by then about 70 and 67. But they didn’t think they were ready yet to be “fussed over” by Margaret! After a well-deserved break, Margaret moved to St Albans, within easy commute of London where her work now took her. She continued her work with CMS, where from 1973 to 1981 she held the position of CMS candidates’ secretary before becoming their personnel secretary from 1981 until her official retirement in 1986. During her time in St Albans Margaret was also the interfaith advisor for St Albans Diocesan Post. Margaret’s work with CMS also had links to Crowther Hall in the Selly Oak area of Birmingham (an Anglican college created in 1969 by CMS), and this often brought her to Birmingham. Time allowing, she often tied this in with visiting her brother Martin and his family. A photo found among Margaret’s paperwork of a beautiful colourful tree (thought to be a maple) had a note in her handwriting on the back saying, “CROWTHER HALL SELLY OAK – tree planted by MHB in the early 1980s”. 1 Margaret’s retirement was followed by five years living in Bedford, where the job of involving Christians throughout Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire with people of other faiths, bringing different faiths together, led to her being quoted in an article as saying, “This was the most interesting job of all.” On fully retiring in 1991, Margaret moved to Findon Valley to share her life with childhood friend Elizabeth Sifleet (from Henrietta Barnett schooldays). They enjoyed a healthy active life for about 25 happy years before their health deteriorated and they were unable to look after each other. They both moved into Clapham Lodge just before Christmas 2016, where they continued to enjoy their life together but now among new friends. Margaret’s interests in retirement included travel, reading, music, gardening and playing bridge with friends. She and Elizabeth were very involved with All Saints church and made many new friends. They had some lovely foreign holidays together, including to New Zealand, Canada, Madeira and many trips back to their favourite place in southern Spain, Nerja on the Costa del Sol. Margaret’s friends –many from CMS days – all remembered her with great affection and admiration, being thankful to have known her and to have had her friendship. One CMS colleague has said of his “boss” Margaret, “She was great fun as a boss, valued as a boss and was an amazing person.” She was a very much loved and respected family member to many (as aunt, great aunt, great-great aunt, godmother, cousin and sister-in-law) and a friend to many. Throughout her life she continued to take an interest in all family accomplishments. She inspired many people throughout her life. Lauren, who met Margaret in the care home, commented: “I consider myself extremely fortunate to have met Margaret. She changed the course of my life by introducing me to the church and supporting me in my decision to further my education. I met Margaret at the care home where she spent her last years, and although in her 90s, she became a source of inspiration to us all. “When Margaret arrived at the home, she gave us the ‘no-nonsense’ impression, but that quickly faded and soon Margaret’s room became a peaceful sanctuary to us all. All the girls would congregate her room to be with Margaret, to tell her their news, happy and sad. The walls within that room have seen tears of joy and sadness, the most beautiful smiles, and the loudest of laughs. There was certainly a mutual love between us and her. “Nothing shocked Margaret, and she never judged. She was always so invested and interested in our lives, she cared deeply and gave the best advice. She would often invite us to pray with her, and we’d all join hands while she prayed. Coming from Margaret this was such a calming and reassuring experience, and she always laughed when we said she was almost running a counselling service from her room… I truly believe she had a very effective and lively ministry throughout her life, and certainly in the care home.” Members of All Saints church commented: “I remember Margaret, the missionary who never failed to welcome and encourage the young people in church.” “One of the things I remember about Margaret… was that I was always aware that she was listening intently (albeit with difficulty) to what was being said, and often had a pertinent, but unfailingly courteous, comment afterwards. So despite her frailty in recent years, I suppose the thing I remember most about her was her lively and enquiring mind.” 2 John Lawson Whitlock died November 2020 Mr Peter Lawson Whitlock (son) writes: John Lawson Whitlock first served with Ruanda Mission from 1957 to 1961 on Bwama Leprosy Island, Lake Bunyoni. From 1963 to 1965 he served at Kaloleni Hospital, near Mombasa, as hospital manager. In 1966, in an emergency, he was transferred to Mengo Hospital, Namirembe, Kampala, as acting hospital manager. He had two further tours of duty there, implementing the X-ray department, modernising the pharmacy, working in other Protestant Hospitals in Uganda, Ruanda and Burundi and as treasurer to the Protestant Missionary Bureau. In March 1973 his position in Uganda became untenable with Amin’s secret police and, on the advice of the Church Missionary Society representative and British High Commissioner, he left the country along with his wife, Shirley, and daughter, Rachel. Peter and Daniel were at King Edward’s School, Witley in Surrey. Back in the UK, John continued to work in retail pharmacy in Norwich, Norfolk. His wife Shirley June Madeline Whitlock died in January 2017 aged 86. He is survived by three children Peter, Daniel and Rachel (the boys born in Uganda and Rachel in Kenya), nine grandchildren and one great grandson due to be born 30 December 2020. He always counted it a privilege to serve in East Africa and it remains a big part of our family life. Rt Rev Patrick Harris died December 2020 Rt Rev Nick Drayson, bishop of Northern Argentina, writes: Bishop Patrick Harris, former bishop of Northern Argentina and of Southwell and Nottingham, and one-time secretary of Partnership for World Mission for the Church of England, died peacefully at the age of 86 on 26 December in Cheltenham General Hospital. Pat was well known to the CMS family, having served as a SAMS missionary from 1963–1980 and subsequently been heavily involved in many aspects of promoting world mission, including helping draft the well-known “Five Marks of Mission” and offering invaluable help in the setting up of the merger between CMS and SAMS. He will be remembered as an outstanding and much-loved leader in the church, but above all as a friend and mentor to many, many other leaders around the world. His family writes: “Patrick was a man of deep faith, with strong convictions as a Christian since his Army days as a young officer. From there he went to Oxford to study law, and after attending theological college, he was a curate at St Ebbe’s, Oxford, from 1960–63. “From 1963, he spent 17 years in Northern Argentina among the Wichi people. One key role he had was to prepare the first indigenous clergy for ordination, of which there have now been many. This led to the ordination of the first Wichi and Toba bishops. “He was consecrated as bishop of Northern Argentina in May 1974. He was strategic in developing multifaceted mission work in Argentina among both rural and urban churches.