Year in Review 2008-09 - Westcott House - University of Cambridge

C A M B R I D G E T H E O L O G I C A L F E D E R AT I O N

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Contents

Foreword, by The Rt Revd Tim Stevens 3

Principal’s Welcome 4

Highlights of the Year

A Particular Place 8

Cairo Exchange 9

Alumni and Friends Garden Party 11

Sabbatical Reflections:

The Venerable Basil H. J. Matthews,

Archdeacon of George, South Africa 12

Mr Joseph Nam, Principal of St Joseph’sPrimary School, Hong Kong 13

Mission to Bradford 14

Ordinands Near and Far 15

Theological Conversations

The Revd Angela Tilby on The Seven Deadly Sins 17

A Conversation with Jean Vanier 18

The Story of the Westcott Icon, by John Armson 21

New Developments

Preaching Course 24

Weekly Hour of Silent Prayer 25

Heating in All Saints’ 26

Refurbishment of D Staircase 26

Children’s Play Area 26

Organ Installed in Chapel 27

Westcott House gifts and mementos 28

Ember List 2009 29

Staff Contacts 30

Members of Governing Council 2008-2009 31

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Foreword

“During my ten years as Bishop of

Leicester, I have sensed that the

demands and challenges facing those

of us who minister in the

Church of England are

changing rapidly.

We cannot predict with any

precision what will be asked

of those preparing for

ordination or other forms of

ministry in the next ten or

fifteen years. But I and many

others celebrate what is being done

at Westcott in so evidently releasing

the gifts, the character and the

passion for the Gospel in so many

men and women. The more I see of

them the more confident I become in

God’s purposes for his church.”

The Rt Revd Tim Stevens is Bishop ofLeicester and has been Chair of theCouncil of Westcott House since 2007

2008 – 2009 THE YEAR IN REVIEW

We have been a full House again this past year with

some 75 Church of England ordinands, and with

Yale Divinity School exchange students,

independent and sabbatical students, including four

from Hong Kong and South Africa, we had a

student body of about 85. Once again, half the

ordinands were under 30 years old, and the mixture

of backgrounds and nationalities as well as age

made for what I have come to expect to be a

spiritually and intellectually energising community!

The diversity of academic pathways now available

through the Cambridge Theological Federation

and the University Divinity Faculty means that

ordinands can prepare theologically and pastorally

for public ministry in ways that will challenge

them to learn and grow whatever their background.

About two-thirds of the community were on

Cambridge University awards, including the

Bachelor of Theology for Ministry, Tripos, M.Phil.,

PhD and the Certificate in Theology for Ministry,

and one third on programmes provided by the

Federation, including the BA and MA in Pastoral

Theology, accredited by Anglia Ruskin University.

We had some outstanding results, including firsts

in all the undergraduate awards and a starred first

in Tripos.

Best outcome…butThe battle continued to keep the undergraduate

awards affordable following the government’s

decision to cut the HEFCE subsidy of about £3000

for “equivalent or lower qualifications” (ELQs – it

affects those who have a degree and then study for

a second first degree). We negotiated an

arrangement whereby Tripos and the BTh are

“co-funded”, which means HEFCE pay half the

subsidy and the Church the other half, and the

Federation BA has been turned into a Foundation

Degree leading to a BA, and Foundation Degrees

are exempt from the subsidy cut. This is really the

best possible outcome given the government was

not willing to grant an exemption to training for

ministry despite their expectations that clergy

exercise a leading community role. Of course we

are not out of the woods at all, and the very serious

danger is what happens when the government,

whoever wins the next election, raises or removes

the cap on fees. My greatest disappointment in

what has been an immense exercise has been the

hostile views of many in the Church who simply

do not see the need for a mixed learning ecology

where ordinands are trained theologically to the

best of their ability – for the sake of Church’s

ministry in the world.

Yale LinkAt the beginning of the year, in October, I was able

to visit Yale Divinity School, reciprocating the visit

Dean Harry Attridge made to Westcott the year

earlier in 2008. I had a terrific week, not least

because it was alumni week and therefore included

a succession of feasts, but also because I was able to

see our Westcott students in situ and catch a sense

of what is clearly an immensely valuable experience.

Each year we exchange three or four of our

ordinands for a similar number from Yale in the

Michaelmas Term, and it is a much sought after

opportunity. I am immensely grateful to Dean

Principal’s Welcome

The Revd Canon Martin Seeley


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Attridge and the Associate Dean of Admissions, Anna

Ramirez, for making my visit so worthwhile and for the

great care they take of our ordinands. The trip allowed

me to visit my alma mater, Union Theological Seminary in

New York, and there I was able to meet their new

President, Professor Serene Williams, herself formerly of

Yale Divinity School.

Community of DifferencesFor me, there were two particular recurring themes in our

community life in Westcott last year. The first was

Westcott as a “community of differences” and the second

was the call to be a priestly Church.

The understanding of Westcott as a community of

differences is not new at all – BK Cunningham, principal

1919-43, described the House as a “fellowship of

differences”. This year, though, thanks to our first year

ordinands, we renewed our engagement with what this

means. The first years wanted an opportunity to explore

and learn from the differences they held among themselves,

so they set up a series of informal evening gatherings, each

one with a theme. Two or more ordinands with different

views were asked to prepare a short introduction about how

they came to their perspective, and why it was important to

them. The themes were liturgical and theological. The

evenings were extraordinary, characterised by a remarkable

quality of attentive listening. This was not an occasion to

argue or score points, but to attend to one another. The

result has been a quality of valuing of differences within the

community that is new, and a recognition that it is better to

ask a person why they act or think in a particular way than

speculate and judge why they might!

Of course, this must extend far

beyond the walls of Westcott, and

does so for ordinands within the life

of the Federation. But we need this

sort of disposition of valuing and

attending to the other, welcoming

differences, in the life of the Church

and for the sake of the world. Not to

be so seems to me to reveal a very

narrow doctrine of the Holy Spirit. I fear this is evident in

the Church of England whenever we seek to marginalise or

exclude those with whom we disagree – it is another form

of fundamentalism.

The series of evening gatherings for the first years in some

way helped all of us prepare for what for me was one of the

most remarkable Westcott experiences in my short time

here. In March we welcomed two women students from Al

Azhar University in Cairo in an exchange sponsored by the

Foreign Office. Bonnie Evans-Hills from Westcott went to

Cairo as part of the exchange, and you can read her and

one of the Egyptian students’ accounts of their experience

in this Review. Sonia and Fatma’s presence among us was a

remarkable experience of attention and reflection, and of

having assumptions delightfully demolished! The three

week exchange reminded me of my relationship with the

Muslim community when I was vicar of the Isle of Dogs,

and the profound sense that I was more truly a Christian

and we were more truly the

Church because we were in

such a relationship. I hope we

may find a way to sustain this

exchange, although it does

rather depend on having Arabic

speaking ordinands!


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Yale students Chris McKee, Chantee Parris and Ryan Fleenor

Hong Kong students Evelyn and Jennifer Wong

A Priestly ChurchProfessor Stanley Hauerwas, in his address at the Westcott

House conference, “A Particular Place,” in September,

developed Archbishop Rowan’s idea of the church as

‘undefended territory’, “a place where the desperate anxiety

to please God means nothing; a place where the admission

of failure is not the end but the beginning; a place from

which no one is excluded in advance.” (Sam Wells and

Sarah Coakley, Praying for England, Continuum 2008,

p.175). This is a place where Jesus’ priesthood is exercised,

it is “the place that Jesus is.” Hauerwas took this idea of

‘undefended territory’ and applied it to the local church. I

suspect those of us who are, or have been, parish clergy will

find this a compelling insight, and immediately recognize

in its richness both aspiration and hazard! (The text and

video of Stanley Hauerwas’ address is available on the

Westcott website, along with the texts of the other keynote

addresses at the “A Particular Place” conference).

This phrase has brought together some of the challenging

and indeed troubling dimensions of church life that have

become more evident for me over this past year. We hold

up at Westcott the primary understanding that all ministry

is Christ’s ministry, and looking to Scripture and in

particular the Gospels helps us to become those who share

in that ministry. The particular ministry of priesthood is

focused on Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem, on the Cross and

the empty tomb – priests in their being and actions are

public witnesses to Christ’s death and resurrection. But

priests “hold” that ministry for a Church whose ministry is,

as “the place that Jesus is”, itself priestly. The phrase

‘undefended territory’ reminds us

as priests and as Christ’s priestly

Church that we are called to a

ministry of hospitality, sacrifice,

and prophecy.

What I have found challenging

and troubling, more this year than

I can remember, is a sense that the

Church has lost touch with this

aspect of her calling, and that

clergy are themselves being drawn into forms of ministry

that marginalize the priestly. For some time we have been

preoccupied with the language of service, and being the

“servant church.” That is Christ’s diaconal ministry, and so

ours too. But separated from the unconditional, self-

emptying and transforming love of the cross and the empty

tomb, service becomes the endless and exhausting activity

of trying to respond to obvious human need, whether

social, personal, spiritual or even global. God the Self-

Giving Lover becomes God the Service-Provider, and so

too the Church. And a Church preoccupied with such a

ministry is a church preoccupied with resources, limits and

boundaries. It is a Church that exhaustedly or aggressively

says “No” to God’s “Yes.”

A Resounding ThemeI hope Westcott is a place where, whatever particular

ministry God is calling each member to, all are prepared to

minister in a Church that is priestly as well as diaconal. The

theme seemed to resound through

the year through our visiting

speakers and preachers.

The Bishop of Leicester, chair of

Westcott Council, on one of his

regular visits to the House,

preached precisely on this. Bishop

Michael Doe, General Secretary of

USPG challenged us to make the

sacrifice of giving ourselves to

mission in unfamiliar contexts.


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The Rev’d Louise Coddington-Marshall with Bishop Michael Doe

Canon Andrew White, Chaplain of St George’s, Baghdad withCatriona Laing, ordinand and former member of his congregation


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As part of Westcott’s participation in the University of

Cambridge's 800th Anniversary celebrations, we hosted

visits by Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche Community,

and Andrew White, “vicar of Baghdad”. Jean Vanier called

us to the transforming life of embracing those who seem

very different from ourselves. Andrew White, who has

given his life to ministry that involves daily personal risk,

also speaking to the Westcott community, challenged us to

follow wherever God leads, whatever the cost. Canon Lucy

Winkett, preaching in chapel, called us to prophetic

ministry in the light of Pentecost.

At the beginning of the year John Armson, chaplain and

then vice-principal from 1973-1982, marvellously and

movingly told us the story of the Westcott icon, a story

reproduced in this Review. That indeed is a priestly story

of trust and sacrifice.

Death of FriendsWe were saddened by the death of two people who have

played a significant part in the life of the House. Jeremy

Marshall, who over many years had supported the House

and been involved in its development, died suddenly in

January. Our prayers and condolences go to his widow

Juliette and his family.

Then in July the Revd John Sweet, member of the House

and chair of the Council for many years until 1992, died

after a remarkable and long battle with cancer. John never

seemed to change through his illness, except in some

extraordinary way to become more himself. A huge

number of ordinands and theological students in the

University have benefited from his wisdom, graciousness

and care, and that was evident at his funeral and memorial

service. Our prayers and condolences go to Mary and all

the family.

Council and Staff ChangesWe welcomed two new Council members this year. Denise

Thorpe, head of Human Resources for Anglia Ruskin

University, has enthusiastically brought a particular and

needed expertise to Council and the Finance Committee.

David Gill, newly the director of the St John’s Innovation

Centre in Cambridge, brings long involvement with parish

life (he served as church warden of St James’ Sussex

Gardens) combined with evident business acumen. After a

considerable number of years as Treasurer, Tony Wilson,

formerly chief executive of Cambridge University Press,

retired and David Gill has been elected in his place. We

thank Tony for the huge commitment of time and energy

he has given the House, and David for taking up the role so

soon after joining Council!

At the beginning of the year Anna Rowlands, director of

pastoral studies, took up the same post in the Margaret

Beaufort Institute in the Cambridge Theological Federation.

This is the first “internal” staff move in the Federation, and,

as a Roman Catholic, a coming home for Anna. We have

currently distributed the post’s areas of responsibility

between three people. Westcott alumna Revd Dr Tiffany

Conlin, three-quarters time chaplain of Fitzwilliam College,

has taken on teaching and supervision of ordinands;

Dr Beth Philips has taken on management of placements

and attachments, and placement supervision, and Mr Jeff

Philips has taken over further placement supervision.

In the Summer it became clear that Dr Andrew Mein, Old

Testament Tutor and on leave in India, was going to remain

long term in India on account of his wife’s work there. But

I am very pleased that he has agreed to spend Michaelmas

term at Westcott, teaching in the Federation and Westcott,

on a regular basis. We and our ordinands are delighted that

we will not be losing his immense teaching gifts and

commitment to the House!

I continue to be grateful to all the staff and volunteers who

give richly of their talents and time, to enable us, on a

shoestring it has to be said, to do the extraordinary things

Westcott does, for its members and for the wider Church.

Westcott House exists by the grace of God, and all that we

are and do is centred on the Eucharist and the life of prayer

of the House. I ask you to keep us in your prayers, as we

seek to make the difference God wants of us.

The Revd Dr Timothy Jenkins is

Assistant Director of Research in

the Study of Religion, University

of Cambridge and Dean of Chapel,

Jesus College. Here he offers his

reflections on the conference.

Westcott House hosted a

conference between 16 and 18

September 2009 on ‘A Particular

Place: Theology for the Future of

Parish Ministry.’ There were four

main speakers. Sarah Coakley,

Norris Hulse Professor of Divinity in the University of Cambridge,

linked theology, formation, establishment and environment

through a reflection upon the power of contemplative prayer.

Grace Davie, Professor in the Sociology of Religion at the

University of Exeter, outlined various trends in the present state of

society that have to been taken into account when considering the

parish, in particular the role of vicarious religion. Stanley

Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke

University, analyzed the effects of modernity and argued that the

local is not only a source of resistance challenging false universals,

but that the local church, as “the place where Jesus is”, has a vital

prophetic task for the world today. And Edmund Newey, Vicar of

St. Andrew’s, Handsworth in Birmingham Diocese, cleverly

reversed the polarity between the traditional and the modern by

suggesting that, rather than seeing the parish as a reality that is

being lost, we should see the role of the parish priest as an ideal

the reality of which remains to be made fully operational.

These presentations were received by an audience of 120

practitioners, commented upon by a series of respondents, and

pursued in small group discussions. The nub of these discussions

concerned practicalities: how to realize a priestly ministry in a

place if the place, for example, includes five PCCs and seven

church buildings; the appropriate models of ministry and of lay

participation; the roles and contributions of other forms of

ministry, other denominations and other faiths; and so forth. These

discussions were given a forward-oriented

focus in the final session by John Inge,

Bishop of Worcester, and Dave Male,

Tutor in Pioneer Ministries in Westcott

and Ridley.

This conference was the first serious

discussion that many participants could

recall of the oft-assumed merits of parish

ministry in its handed-down form. It

resulted in an unambiguous affirmation of

the benefits of parish ministry, an

affirmation which saw a theology of place

as crucial for the development of new forms of Christian expression

in this country. The conference did not provide all the answers

needed, but created a good deal of useful and hopeful material.

Participation in the conference was both amiable and inclusive,

with excellent food and a good ambiance, for which Westcott

House and Wesley Church were jointly responsible. The bonus was

a memorable session with Stanley Hauerwas on the first evening,

when he read from his forthcoming memoirs, Hannah’s Child, linking

his early experiences of place, class solidarities and work with his

later theological vocation.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR

Highlights of the YearA Particular Place: Theology for the Future of Parish Ministry,16-18 September 2009

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Sarah Coakley, Stanley Hauerwas, Grace Davie,Edmund Newey and Tim Jenkins

Stanley Hauerwas

The addresses from the conference are nowavailable on the Westcott House website:

www.westcott.cam.ac.uk

In a prestigious exchange programme funded by the Foreign

Office and supported by Lambeth Palace, Sonia Lotfy and Fatma

Mohammad, of the al-Azhar University, Cairo, visited Westcott

House for three weeks and Westcott ordinand, Bonnie Evans-Hills,

went to al-Azhar. Sonia and Fatma took part in a wide range of

lectures and seminars, as well as visiting Lambeth Palace and the

St. Philip’s multi-faith centre in Leicester. The life of Westcott was

deeply enriched by their visit. We are grateful to Clare Amos for

making this possible. Here, Sonia and Bonnie reflect on this

exchange.

Sonia Lotfy

It was a beneficial experience for me to spend three weeks in

Westcott House. Everything was amazing: the place, people and

the way of living. People in Westcott House are hard-working and

never waste time, which I admire. They also pray often and

regularly. I attended prayers in Westcott House and in churches in

Cambridge and Ely.

I noticed that they pray to one God, not three as I thought they

would, and they submit, recite verses from the Holy Gospel and

perform some physical acts exactly like Muslims in their prayers.

This helped me to ask about their belief in God and about the

Trinity, which helped me to correct some misconceptions.

Unfortunately I found that people there do not have enough

information about Islam and Muslims. There are not only

similarities between the two religions but also people need to be

exposed to accurate versions of both sides. I was lucky enough to

meet the Archbishop of Canterbury in Lambeth Palace. It was very

kind of him to meet us. I was also happy to meet the Revd Canon

Guy Wilkinson, who works to acknowledge the relationships

between the Anglican Communion and al-Azhar al-Sharif. It was

also good to visit Ely Cathedral.

The Bishop of the Cathedral prayed for me and permitted me to

perform my prayer. It was an excellent experience to visit

Cambridge and spend time with the people in Westcott House.

Thank you.


Students Participate in Cairo Exchange

Sonia and Fatma at Lambeth Palace with Rowan Williams, Archbishop ofCanterbury and Westcott House ordinand, Suzanne Cooke

Martin Seeley gives parting gifts to Sonia and Fatma

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Bonnie Evans-Hills

I was hosted in Cairo by two postgraduate students, who were

imparted with the unenviable task of finding classes for me to

attend and lecturers to meet. I say unenviable because they were

questioned about our presence, especially in the men’s campus.

That being said, once we got to where we needed to go, we were

always treated with the utmost graciousness and respect. They even

reassured me I should feel comfortable wearing what I liked and

not worry about a head-covering, except in the mosque of course.

We had good conversations around how Muslims are perceived in

the West, in Britain in particular. They were concerned that people

not perceive them as being oppressed because they chose to dress

modestly and cover their heads.

While I was there, the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband

visited the al-Azhar Centre at the central Cairo campus, where the

British Council sponsors a centre for learning English. The centre

began with 100 of the top male students being chosen to study

English and British culture. Later, 25 women were also added to the

programme – and it was from these the exchange students that my

hosts were chosen.

I stayed at the Anglican cathedral guesthouse in central Cairo, a

real home away from home, and from there travelled several times

a week to one of three campuses of the university, where I met

lecturers and attended classes. One of the pleasures of getting to all

of these campuses was the chance to chat with ordinary Cairenes

in the form of taxi drivers. I learned really to enjoy little chats with

them about why I was in Cairo and what I loved about it. I believe

my exchange was as much about meeting these people as it was in

going to al-Azhar.

I was able to worship at the Anglican cathedral, attending services

not only in English but in Arabic and Ethiopian Amharit as well.

I wandered into services in Coptic Cairo and went out to the ‘Cave

Church’ in what is loosely called ‘Garbage City’ – a huge complex

just above the area where the rubbish collectors of Cairo live and

sort through tons of garbage for recycling. I visited a Christian

hospital and school in Manouf, also the site of a new church, all

sponsored by the Anglican diocese in Egypt. I found that while

there is much effort at higher levels between religious leaders –

indeed the Anglican Bishop of Egypt, Bishop Mouneer, as well as

Coptic religious leaders, work hard at building good relationships –

misconceptions and prejudice continue in both communities in the

wider society.


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Exchanges like this are valuable for this reasonalone – the potential to banish fear and foster

loving relationships.

Bonnie with her hosts in Cairo The Cave Church

Alumni and Friends Garden Party

On 16th June, a glorious summer’s day, we welcomed morethan fifty alumni and friends to a Garden Party hosted byordinands and staff. The afternoon’s activities began witha thought provoking talk by Professor Janet Soskice onthemes in her book, The Kindness of God (OUP 2007). Thiswas followed by tea on the terrace, and then choral

evensong in chapel. A glass of wine preceded a splendidbuffet dinner which we enjoyed eating in First Court.Alumni included several marking their fortieth and fiftiethanniversaries of ordination. A number of guests stayedovernight. We are planning this to be an annual event andthe next one is scheduled for 15th June 2010.

SAVE THE DATE • GARDEN PARTY • 15 JUNE 2010

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Reflections from Sabbatical Guests

Westcott House has long-standing links with the Church inSouth Africa and in Hong Kong, and we receive regularsabbatical visitors from these two locations. This year wewere delighted to have Jennifer and Evelyn Wong fromHong Kong in the Michaelmas Term, and Basil Matthewsfrom South Africa and Joseph Nam from Hong Kong in theLent Term. Here are Basil’s and Joseph’s reflections on theirsabbaticals at Westcott House.

The Venerable Basil H. J. Matthews,Archdeacon of George, South Africa

I was looking forward to the Sabbatical at Westcott House,especially looking forward to spending some time awayfrom the demands of parish life for the better part of threemonths. It was with great anticipation and also uncertaintythat I arrived, but these feelings quickly disappeared afterthe warm welcome I received. I slotted into the Westcottpattern easily with the help of Douglas Machiridza whointroduced me around the College and the city ofCambridge.

My time spent at Westcott was very valuable as it affordedme the opportunity to reflect on my own ministry throughthe Life and Service course, which is a practical way ofpreparing the ordinands for ministry. During the exchangesin class I could relate my own experiences; though ourcontexts may differ the experiences are the same. I foundthe intensive courses at the beginning of January veryhelpful and interesting, and there was a wide variety oftopics. I also attended classes and seminars at otherinstitutions like Westminster College and the Faculty ofDivinity of the University of Cambridge. A high standardof teaching and debates was evident. I gained valuableinsights into the path I want to follow with my ownpost-graduate studies.

I was fully part of the Westcott House community duringmy three month stay and participated in my Tutor Group’sactivities such as leading worship and reading in chapel,preparing breakfast on one Wednesday and assisting withcooking on a Thursday during community Eucharist. I foundthe times spent in the Tutor Groups very helpful, listeningto the experiences of the rest of the group. The opportunitygiven to me to preach and celebrate at the main Eucharistservice on a Thursday Evening was something that I willalways treasure. The worship at Westcott is of a highstandard, especially the music, and I felt deeply in touchwith my faith during the services. The meditation andMorning and Evening Prayer together with the dailyEucharist services reminded me of my calling as a priest,especially to pray and to preside at the Lord’s Altar.

I will always look back with fondness at this experience as itgave me an opportunity to make new friends, reflect on myministry, share experiences and learn from Christians inother parts of the world, and especially use the time to restso that I can be revitalized for my ministry back home.

Martin Seeley gives Joseph Nam and Basil Matthews gifts from Westcott House

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Mr Joseph Nam, Principal of St Joseph’s PrimarySchool, Hong Kong

Life at Westcott House is simple, but the simplest life veryoften carries the richest meanings. At Westcott House, theChapel is the centre of life. Every weekday, Westcott Housestudents meet frequently in the Chapel for Meditations,Morning Prayer, Eucharist, Evening Prayer and Compline. Inmy eleven weeks at Westcott House, these routine servicestogether with the Federation worship services and TutorGroup prayers, not only provided me with occasions to havecloser contact with God, but with opportunities to buildcloser relationships with the people there.

The Tutor Group is another crucial part of Westcott life.Group members meet once every week and plan togetherand work cooperatively for sacristy duties and charity soup,which are taken in turns. Through serving God, we built upour human relationships in the tutor group. Reverend BasilMatthews mentioned in his sermon that the cross JesusChrist carried symbolized the relationship between “I” andGod (the vertical part of the cross) and the relationshipbetween “I” and “You” (the horizontal part of the cross).Only when we have built up good relationships with God aswell as with people all around us, will the meaning of thecross be complete.

I was told twice by Bishop Peter Walker that I should notregard myself as a guest or a visitor of Westcott House,

because my presence at Westcott House reminded thestudents to have a global perspective and to take the wholeworld into consideration. I do not know how much mypresence really served this purpose, but my time at WestcottHouse did inspire me to think more of the world as a whole.When I was on the plane back to Hong Kong, I suddenlyhad the feeling that Westcott House was just a place not faraway from Hong Kong. It had been a strange place andpeople there had been strangers to me. But our distance wasonly a thirteen-hour flight. Thirteen hours after I had leftHong Kong, I spent eleven weeks at Westcott House, andthe strangers there became my brothers and sisters. It is onlythirteen hours’ distance. How short thirteen hours are whencompared with our whole life. Thus, people all over theworld are seemingly living next to each other. We all areneighbours, and we are taught by Jesus Christ to love ourneighbours as ourselves.

Thus, life at Westcott House gave me the chance toexperience the fulfilment of the meaning of the cross and italso gave me the inspiration of a global mind. This time notonly provided me with new knowledge and informationwhich help me better understand Christianity and PastoralTheology, but also helped me to fulfil better my role as aPrincipal of a Church school. Cambridge has given mepleasant memories of beautiful scenery and wonderfulchoirs, and Westcott House has given me the preciousexperience of college life and learning community.

Michael Beasley reflects on the experiences he andseveral Westcott House ordinands shared on theirmission to Bradford in June 2009.

Westcott’s 2009 Mission saw us engage in a setting quiteunlike those of other missions that we’ve undertaken inrecent years. For ten days immediately after the end of thesummer term, a team from Westcott went on mission toBradford Cathedral. The needs of the Cathedral were verydifferent from the parishes in which we’ve workedpreviously. Rather than helping lead a variety of evangelisticevents as we’ve done before, the Cathedral asked us insteadto spend time and energy thinking and reflecting with

members ofBradford’sChapter, City,Congregationand Councilabout what itsmissionshould be inthe context ofits City andDiocese.

The Cathedral’s ministry occurs in the face of a number ofdifficulties – a city that has been hard hit by the financialcrisis and a planning disaster that has obliterated the urbanlandscape immediately before the Cathedral’s doors. In sucha context, we decided that to ask the question “what needsto be solved?” would almost certainly only result in anenergy-sapping list of woes and troubles. Led by CanonFrankie Ward of Bradford’s Chapter, we decided instead touse an approach called “Appreciative Inquiry” – a methodthat invites respondents to identify achievements that canbe built upon and strengths that can be used to addresschallenges.

So during the week we asked the following questions ofmany different people, “What do you like about Bradford?”

and “What is good about Bradford’s Cathedral?” Ourinquiries took us onto the streets, into schools, intoconversation with a mosque, to local rotary clubs, touniformed organisations and to meetings with localbusinesses, bishops and churches. We also asked ourquestions of the city’s “movers and shakers” – its mayor, MP,vice chancellor and representatives of its local council,chamber of commerce, newspaper, mosques, courts and civilsociety organisations. We summarised the responses we’dheard about the cathedral during the week as follows:

1. The Cathedral gives leadership through partnership with others;

2. People love the Cathedral;3. The Cathedral is open and inclusive;4. The Cathedral is outward-looking and engaged;5. The Cathedral offers space and hospitality;6. The Cathedral is both visible and invisible.

Our time in Bradford enabled the Cathedral to think moreabout what its future mission should be; a holy space, activein promoting hope and a vision for the city, a safe space forreflection and debate. Our final action before leavingBradford was to present our findings to members of theCathedral’s Council – its governing body. These were botha source of great encouragement and the source of livelydebate as members sought to articulate how they thoughtthe Cathedral should seek to participate in God’s missionto the world. The discussion was positive, engaged andpassionate – an excellent reflection of the approach ofappreciative inquiry that we’d used.

As a mission team we left Bradford enormously gratefulfor all that we had been able to learn while there – of whatit means to think about mission in a multi-faith, multi-ethniccity and of how a cathedral can engage in that work. Wewere privileged to have spent ten days alongside theCathedral’s Dean, Chapter and congregation and to learnof all that they do to minister in that place – our time inBradford was an experience we shall never forget.


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Mission to BradfordYou’ve got to Accentuate the Positive

Westcott House ordinand Sam Dennis reads the Gospel in Bradford Cathedral

Ordinands Near and Far -Ordinands reflect on their travels


Tantur Ecumenical Institute,Jerusalem – Tom Lilley

In July I spent three weeks in Israel with around

thirty people, ordained, lay and in training. Our

time was spent in lectures, visting key holy sites and

meeting people with a variety of perspectives on

Israel. I expected it to be a very spiritual experience

and in many ways it was, but my resounding

memory is of the very gritty physicality of life in

the Holy Land. Walls tearing communities apart,

gun wielding teenage soliders, a crucible of polity,

creed and ideology. And it was out of this mess

that the reality of the incarnation took on a far

deeper meaning for me as I realised that it was in

the exact same brokenness that Christ chose to be

born in order to bring reconciliation. I hope those

memories will stay with me for a very long time.

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Iona – Suzanne Cooke

I had a memorable Holy Week this year. Memorable for the never-

endingly uncomfortable journey to live and worship with the Iona

Community; memorable for cooking, cleaning, eating, sleeping,

worshipping and laughing with friends old and new; memorable for

amazing, innovative and creative acts of worship my friends and I

helped put together; memorable for wet feet from boggy walks,

wet hair from singing and praying in pouring rain, blue skin from

the cold, cold sea; memorable for crashing seas, white sands and

the smell of whisky.

I remember God in this place … and who he might want me to be.

St Cyprian’s, Sharpeville, South Africa –Catherine Shelley

Under apartheid Sharpeville was a black township, providing

workers for Johannesburg’s mines and steelworks. Apartheid no

longer exists, but whilst ‘blacks’ have moved to former ‘white’ areas,

few non-blacks venture into townships. It’s a shame – the welcome

is amazing.

Parish worship is a wonderful blend of Anglo-Catholic procession,

incense, singing, prayer and dance. Services start at 9.30 (after

Bible study at 8.30) and finish 3-4 hours later; never has time

passed so quickly. Saturdays are spent at the cemetery for funerals

or tomb unveilings – it can take decades to save the money for a

tombstone. The parish is also involved in drugs education, schools,

HIV work, the community centre and Sharpeville Care of the

Aged. Trips around Sharpeville, Soweto and Sofiatown with Father

David provided amazing insights into South African history. South

Africa is freer than it was but the violence of Apartheid still needs

healing. In that spirit white and black clergy are making a donkey

drive from the Diocese of Christ the King to Cape Town, raising

funds for church community centres. Prayers for them and South

Africa would be appreciated.

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Catherine Shelley in South Africa

Suzanne Cooke and Anthony Searle on their way to Iona

THEOLOGICAL CONVERSATIONS

Theological ConversationsThe Revd Angela Tilby writes about her new book,The Seven Deadly Sins

For the last five years of my time asa tutor at Westcott House I wastrying to write a book about sin.This had its origins in a series ofsermons I was invited to preach inLent 2002 in Westminster Abbey. Ihad taken the theme ‘Deadly Sinsand Easy Virtues’ and was trying toapply the medieval notion ofcardinal sins and virtues to

contemporary spiritual life. In preparing thesermons I came across the shadowy figureof Evagrius of Pontus, the 4th centuryascetic, most of whose writings areconcerned with Eight Thoughts, which, ifindulged can lead to spiritual catastrophe.

He was the first to codify this list ofdestructive human tendencies, the source ofwhat later became the Seven Deadly Sins.Evagrius’ ‘thoughts’ are, Gluttony, Lust,Avarice, Anger, Sadness, Sloth, Vaingloryand Pride. It was strange to beginresearching and writing this book in thecontext of a theological college. Myconversations with ordinands were usually about study,pastoral issues, relationships with others, the wider church,past and future parishes. All this was meant to contribute totheir formation as ministers of the gospel. But we almostnever talked about sin. In a sense this was because a placelike Westcott House inevitably absorbs the ethos ofcontemporary adult education. The idea is to build on thestudent’s experience, to consolidate and affirm as the basisfor growth in understanding. What was less often asked waswhat might need to be left behind, what habits of mind and heartprevented the kind of growth which would enable andsustain ministerial life.

The more I delved into the thought of Evagrius, the moreimportant this question became to me. I had experience inmy own life of the importance of leaving things behind, thatthere are necessary sacrifices which are part of obeyingGod’s call. These often involve material sacrifices – anaspect many of those coming to Westcott were familiar with– but it also involved spiritual sacrifices, the giving up ofhabits of mind and body which might bring advantage insecular life, but can also keep us in immature and unlovingrelationships with others and the world. Evagrius had an

uncanny insight into the roots of these badhabits, he saw them arising from basic fearsand anxieties that drive much of what wemight call our unthinking responses.Evagrius would say these are notunthinking responses, but the products ofthe logismoi, the ‘evil thoughts’ whichripple out from what Andrew Louthdescribes as ‘cracks in the heart.’ Insight,prayer, discretion and self-awareness are theroute to healing. Over time the WesternChurch lost touch with this diagnosticapproach to sin and came to see sin as aproduct of a proud and rebellious will,more a crime against God than a sickness.

Westcott students often seemed very aware of theirvulnerabilities, and quite a number of them wisely soughtcounselling or psychotherapy while they were in training.Yet, while the therapeutic world has little time for ‘sin’, theChurch is stuck with an understanding of sin which does notreally meet contemporary experience. I was drawn toEvagrius because I believe his teachings enable us tounderstand afresh the complexities of the human heart andwhy it makes sense to sing at the Paschal Vigil, ‘O happyfault, that merited such and so great a Redeemer.’

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13

One of the privileges of being at Westcott House ismeeting and learning from the extraordinary peoplewho visit us. In October we were privileged to receivea visit from Jean Vanier, founder of L’Arche, aninternational organisation made up of 135 communitieswith and for people with disabilities. Jean came toCambridge to participate in the University’s 800thAnniversary series, ‘A World to Believe In’, whichWestcott House has helped organise. He started hisvisit with an informal meeting with ordinands in theWestcott Common Room, where he spoke about thelife-changing experience of living in community withthose who are often unwanted and frightened, and theway in which we are healed by those we reject. Intelling the stories of a number of those he had livedwith he reflected on our calling to be vulnerable withthe vulnerable and the fragility of God. The followingare excerpts from what he shared with us.

What I find strange and amazing is that recently we had agroup of ordinands who spent a month at various of ourcommunities and they asked to come and see me. I said“I am not terriblyinterested in speakingto you, but I aminterested in who youare and what you arelooking for. Why areyou all ordinands?What have you learnedby spending a month inour community?”Everyone pretty wellsaid, “I feeltransformed.” I said,“Do you realise whatyou are saying? You areall future priests andyou say that living for amonth with people thatare crazy hastransformed you!”

I hear the same thing with people who are working in Pariswith prostitutes: I hear people saying that once you havelistened to their stories you will never be the same.And the same thing from people who work in palliative care:“I feel transformed when I listen to people who are dying.”So, why are you here, and what do you want me to talkabout?

I have learned that to live life is to fool around, not to betoo serious. I have been living for 45 years now with peoplewho are pretty crazy, and we have a great time together.We learn to sing and dance, and to laugh and fight! So I amalways interested in people like you who are serious andengaged in studies!

A few years ago we welcomed a young man who was blindand deaf and couldn’t walk. I think I have never seen ayoung person with so much anguish. He has a story aboutbeing abandoned: his mother didn’t quite know what to dowith him. She put him in the local hospital, which

transferred him tothe psychiatrichospital. She wentonce to the hospitaland was so horrifiedshe never went back.Where is his pain?His pain is that hefelt he wasn’t loved,a sense of not beingwanted.

Jean Vanier was warmly welcomed by Westcott House staff and students

A Conversation with Jean Vanier

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We welcomed him. This is not about generosity but aboutthe communion of hearts. Generosity is when someone is inneed and you do things for them. It is about being in aposition of power. But generosity should lead to communion– tell me your pain, tell me your name – then we meet.

Something happens when we meet and you tell me yourname and I tell you my name. I’m not in aposition of power. I’m no more than you andI’m no less than you. We’re human beings, allof us vulnerable. We’ve been hurt; we’ve hurt.We have our violence in us, we have our pain.So how do we move from generosity to acommunion of hearts where I see you preciousjust as you are?

The Gospel message is centred on this – thatGod has chosen what is the weakest of ourworld. God has chosen the foolish, God haschosen the most despised. When St Paul saysthat the people who are least presentable andthe weakest are indispensable to the Church,how many people believe that? I have neverseen a book on ecclesiology starting with that.How many people will come and live with themarginalised? Are they really indispensable tothe Church? To find priests who are interested to come andto live the Good News – that is pretty rare. The Kingdomof God is like a wedding feast – but everybody is too busyto come. The only people who do eventually come arethose who are poor, the lame, the blind, the disabled.They come because it’s fun, it’s good to be together, it’sgood to celebrate our lives.

The question is how to create community where you bringtogether belonging and freedom. The reality of our worldtoday is a lot of people are caught up in the world ofcompetition and success, but also in a lot of anguish anddepression. So how do you help people discover that they

are called to be free? Free from fear – from the fear of notbeing loved, from the fear of rejection, from the fear offailure. Can we help people belong to one another, beloved by one another, so they can be free?

A little disabled boy was making his first communion. Afterthe Eucharist there was a family meeting, and the uncle who

was the godfather went up to the mother and said, “Wasn’tthe liturgy so beautiful? The only thing that’s sad is that heunderstood nothing.” The little boy heard and with tears inhis eyes, he said, “Mummy – Jesus loves me as I am. I don’thave to be what my uncle wants.”

Maybe you have to be disabled to say that – and to havelived with the experience of being loved. I don’t have to bewhat other people want me to be.

Jean Vanier signs a book for Anne Howson

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The Story of the Westcott Icon by John Armson

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In November 2008, John Armson, who served as WestcottHouse Chaplain from 1973 to 1976, and Vice-Principal1976-1982, returned and shared with us the story of howthe icon of Christ in the Westcott House Chapel came into being.

It is lovely to be back in this chapel. So many people haveprayed here, at such a formative time in their lives. And it isstriking for me to reflect that when I first came here, in1973, the chapel was only half as old as it is now. (Which makes it very young).

I first came in response to an invitation from Mark Santer,Principal at the time. People speak grandly of vocation, butin my case God worked like this: One day in 1973, at thecorner of Emmanuel Street, Mark Santer invited me, fromhis bike, to be chaplain at Westcott. I was then chaplain atDowning and had staying with me a contemporary fromMirfield where we had both trained. We came round to sussout the place. As we came in the chapel, David, a bluntYorkshire man, said, “You can’t come here!” And my ownheart said much the same.

At that time, the chapel was heavy and crowded. The altarwas more sideboard than board, surrounded by curtainsslung from riddle posts. The place was full of thatquintessentially Anglican smell of devotion: polish. Twostudents, doomed to become Cathedral deans, had paintedthe walls brick red. Thank Goodness for that watchdog, theCathedrals’ Fabric Advisory Body.

But I did come, and for half a term endured. But peoplewere ready for change. There had just been a competitionamongst the ordinands to introduce a cross on the east wall.Three entries had been received. They were still in what wasthen the bike shed. (Now the library stack, I think). Onewas made of huge black railway sleepers, and nearly broughtthe east wall down. One was made of rope and wasingenious but not to scale. The third was wonderfullyimaginative: two gracefully carved pieces of differentinterlocking woods. Full of energy – but it gave people baddreams. Some saw in it bull’s horns. For others it produced

distracting sexual fantasies. It would not do. Its maker wasdeeply hurt, and did not get ordained – but we are still goodfriends, I am glad to say. He is a creative man.

But as I said, people were ready for change. Times change –as the people of God change (we hope). So, to continue thestory: during the first half-term break, when most peoplewere away, four of us hired scaffolding, and took saws, axesand hammers. We felled the riddle posts1, rolled up thecurtains and priceless Persian carpet, sawed the hollow altarin two, like a lady in a box, and, to open the place up,pushed the pews to the sides. (You can still see the originalstone ambulatories each side of the chapel). The brick-redwalls became white. The chapel became basically what yousee today. When people came back after the break, therewas an audible intake of breath – of delight, it has to besaid. It was only later, when they had got their breath back,people said, accusingly, “By what authority did you do thesethings?” But it was too late then. We’d done them.

The newly ordered chapel was no longer an old-fashioneddining room. It was more ‘Habitat’. Simple, open, clean-lined – not to say empty. But like nature, church peopleabhor a vacuum. And, in due course, ‘things’ started toaccumulate. One of them was the Westcott icon. And I’mhere today because the Principal kindly took up my pointthat the story of the icon – part of your story now – ought tobe told and retold in this chapel. So here I am. I feel likesaying, ‘Once upon a time ...’ because it’s that kind ofmagical story.

After the great clear-out of that first half term, the chapelwas left rather austere, even by Habitat standards. Thegreat temptation now was to fill the space. (I’m so glad youstill haven’t succumbed. For emptiness can speak of God asmuch as things). Initially we introduced a reproduction icon,stuck on block board covered with Christmas wrappingpaper, placed tastefully off-centre. (I was once told, goodtaste is the downfall of the Church of England).

But then – I think from that Russian aficionado, DonaldAllchin – we heard about Marianna Fourtunatto, anOrthodox Russian emigré who painted icons. I went to see

1 I think the base of the present pricket stand is made of part of one of them.

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her in her home in Notting Hill – which coincidentally hadbeen my training parish. Her husband, a lovely churchmusician, was busy restoring church music in post-Communist Russia, where Marianna herself has had a part inteaching icon painting. Yes, she would paint us an icon.“What of?” she said.” “The Lord,” I said. “Which Lord?” shesaid. We settled on Christ, the Word of God. “How muchwill it cost?” I asked. “Whatever you choose to give me,” shesaid. “When can you do it?” I asked. “I’ll let you know,” shesaid. I left her: an outwardly slight, but very impressive,woman.

Time went by. A year passed. Nonews. I knew that Russian timewas not the same as Westerntime, so held my peace. Anotheryear passed. I went to see her.She had been ill, was still ill, anddid not know when she wouldnot be ill. More time passed.Here at Westcott, we werebeginning to doubt. But I senther a card to wish her a happyEaster (taking care to rememberto get the Orthodox date right!).I thought the odd jog now andthen might kick-start the project.And this time it must have done. Because one day shortlyafter (our) Easter, the phone went. It was Marianna. “Youricon is nearly ready,” she said. As I hadn’t heard a squeak forages, this came as something of a shock. But nothingcompared to the googly she then bowled. “What text” – Irecall her words precisely – “What text does yourcommunity want?”

Now this icon was going to be central for the House’sdevotion – not least because the chapel was so plain. So itwas crucial that it did not become in any way divisive. Hadshe asked what text I wanted, life would have been relativelyeasy. But the community … House Meetings on Mondayevenings were not always sweetness and light, but nowunanimity was of the essence. Mark was on Sabbatical atthe English College in Rome. So I was in charge, and Idecided to invite anyone who wished to submit to me theirsuggestion for a text – anonymously or not, but to do itwithout consultation with others.

I forget how many envelopes I received – but a good few.Without exception, they all suggested texts from St John’sgospel. And all but one came from the final discourses. Andof those, all but one were of the same verse. And I believethere had been no consultation. Rather than post the resultor phone it, I took it to Marianna in London. The all-but-finished icon was propped up on the sofa in her flat. It wasthe first time I had seen it, and it was rather odd havinglunch with the Lord looking at me.

When we started to speak about it – Him – the first thingshe said to me was, “He’s not angry, is He?” I tried to

reassure her He was not. “Ah, good,” shesaid, “I was so frightened He would be.I’ve been so conscious of all the evil in theworld while I was painting your icon, myown anger might have passed into it.” Butin fact she had remained loyal to herRussian tradition and had painted –as I hope you agree – an icon whichshows a compassionate, if sorrowful, Lord.Had she been Greek it might have beenotherwise, of course: their tradition ismuch sterner. (Some of their icons makethe Dies Irae seem as mild as a Ruttercarol).

We had lunch, watched by the Lord, propped up on hiscouch, holding his empty book. As we ate, I told her of theturmoil raised by her question about the icon’s text. Andthen I told her our answer. “Ye have not chosen me, I havechosen you.” To my surprise and embarrassment, Mariannawept. “It is indeed the text of this icon,” she said. “Whenyou asked me to paint an icon of the Lord, I felt it wasbeyond me. To represent a saint to a community is hardenough – but the Lord himself … But I had to do it, for youhad asked, and the Lord had given me my vocation. I didnot choose it: he chose me. And it has reduced me todespair at times.” And I realised, this had been part of theillness that had crippled her for so long. And I reflected onthe part we had played in that – uncomplaining though shewas. I left her, to paint in the words, and returned toCambridge a chastened man.


Now the days went by and we heard no more, and preparedfor another long wait. But no: one day, just before AscensionDay in1979, the phone went. “Your icon is ready. I ambringing it to Cambridge tomorrow.” We hurriedlyassembled as many of the House as we could, here inchapel, and she brought in the icon she had painted at suchcost. I invited her to say a little about it – but perhapsunderstandably she spoke about icons generally rather thanabout this one. Then she got up and, without a backwardglance, walked out of the chapel, leaving it – Him – with us.

Later I said to her, “It must have been painful for you toleave a thing of suchsignificance to you?” “No,” shesaid, “It is yours now. My partis over.” And I thought of awoman giving birth to a newlife, her own, yet not her own.And, “He must increase, I mustdecrease.”

So, my dear friends, in areligion, and in a college,which is full to overflowingwith words, you have heresomething of great silence, acostly gift, which has beengiven to you out of greatsacrifice. Here, the Word madeflesh is not made word again.

On the Sunday after thatremarkable arrival, Keith

Walker, then a canon at Winchester, spoke on the Radio 4Sunday programme about the icons in the Cathedral there.He remarked that, with icons, the mouth is small, the earsinsignificant, but the eyes, ah the eyes!

But He looks at you, undemanding in his demands,uncompromising in His truthfulness. As non-negotiable asthe desert where He was forged. ‘I have chosen you’. But wedo not have to return His gaze. I often used to sit and lookat Him, though, as He looked at me. We became – dare Isay it? – friends, though I have been unfaithful. But,

the saying is sure: … ‘If we are faithless, He remains faithful – for He cannot deny himself.2 ‘

And, sure enough, (as Isaiah says) Morning by morning he wakens, he wakens my ear,3

saying, Ye did not choose me: I chose you.4 Wake up. Get up. Bear fruit. Blame me.

But He also says, with great affection andsupport:

Christ doth call One and all:Ye who follow shall not fall.5

For, as the Westcott bell tells you so often,

2 Tim 2.13

3Isa 50.4

4John 15.16

5R Bridges, after J Neander

6I Thess 5.24


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In our commitment to improve theteaching of preaching, this year wedevoted the whole of Lent term’s‘Life and Service’ course to thesubject. Each week the ordinandsspent two hours in class studyingand discussing homiletics and onehour preaching their sermons forone another. Westcott ordinand GillBarrow shares her thoughts on thisnew course.

Those in the first year of Life & Service this year spenta lot of the Lent term preaching; every other week in fact.In a ‘new and improved’ homiletics course inspired by oneavailable at Yale Divinity School, we had lectures onpreaching, insights and tips on different ways to speakthe Good News in a non-church setting, and mostimportantly, the opportunity to try out our new homileticskills on one another.

Each week there was a morning with lectures or formalinsights into the discipline and art of preaching fromdifferent Westcott staff that covered some of the obvioustopics like ‘what makes a good sermon?’alongside a discussion of how to structure asermon, or how one might use the genre ofstorytelling rather than the traditional sermon.We had the opportunity to read and dissectwell-crafted sermons to analyse how they wereworking, and the helpful ability to watch videofootage of Barbara Brown Taylor (a frequentname in the lists of the best preachers today)and to discuss the linguistic devices and bodylanguage that she often employs to get hermessage across. Additionally, we greatlybenefited from the contributions of Westcott’sadjunct lecturer Dr Robert Beckford, who gaveinsight from his work in religious documentary,and the very helpful and practical

demonstrations from the Revd Angela Tilby, who engaged uswith her experiences from ‘Thought for the Day’ on the‘Today’ programme and left us with the most helpfulinstruction to "Edit, edit, edit"!

But I think that the most moving and educational experienceof this course was the insightful meditations that fellowstudents offered to one another. Organised into smallgroups, we were encouraged to reflect on what is actuallyhappening as we preach, and how we begin to embody thesermon that we deliver. We would gather to preach to oneanother each week – giving us a safe place to try out newstyles or structures, or just the opportunity to get moreexperience and to receive honest and critically helpfulfeedback. Whilst a Westcott tutor would join us for part ofthe session to hear a sermon or two and to give feedback,the vital and most helpful part of this process was how we asstudents learnt to give and receive the feedback ourselves,and how as a result our preaching developed, changed anddramatically improved.

We began to find a style for ourselves, to find an appropriatevoice, and to communicate God’s message more effectivelyand with more integrity than we had ever done before.

There is a fear that a course likethis might create ‘sermon clones’and that we might learnpredictable techniques. On thecontrary, I found that my ownindividual ‘quirks’ remained, andthe style that I would use naturallywas crafted, honed and improved.I think that this course will be, onreflection, one of the most helpfuland enjoyable courses that I havetaken at Westcott. Not onlybecause it helped me develop myown voice, but because it has givenme the skills and methods tosustain a lifetime of preaching.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

New DevelopmentsWestcott House Preaching Course

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Yale student, Chris McKee, preaching in chapel

Gill Barrow

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

This year a group began gathering in the Chapel on Tuesdayafternoons for an hour of silent prayer, led by ProfessorSarah Coakley. Here one of the participating ordinands,Catriona Laing, reflects on the experience.

One of the highlights of my life at Westcott last year waspraying in silence with a group of people on a Tuesdayafternoon in the Chapel. Five to ten of us have beenmeeting every week for 50 minutes of silent prayer beforeChapel on Tuesday evenings. When I sat down to write ashort piece about the experience I realised how difficult it isto describe a practice which is so simple. Partly, because asone might expect with a silent prayer group, there is verylittle exchange, relatively little sharing of experiences and

not much in the way ofevents or action todescribe. And yet, it hasenriched and transformedmy prayer life quitesignificantly.

When she arrived to takeup the Norris-Hulse chairin the Faculty of Divinity,Professor Sarah Coakleywas looking for a place tocontinue a practice ofgroup silent prayer she hadstarted whilst at Harvard

Divinity School. Westcott Chapel seemed like the obviousplace so she came to address a group of us and talked aboutthe practice of praying in silence. Although it is a perfectlystraightforward exercise it was helpful to have some pointersfrom Professor Coakley about how to deal with thedistractions that creep in the moment one sits still and stops

talking, how to make the most of the time and how wemight reflect on the experience individually as well as agroup.

We read some reflections and traditions of spiritualguidance, amongst them Dom John Chapman. One thingDom John Chapman said which stayed with me particularlywas ‘pray as you can, not as you can’t’. Praying in silencebecame for me a liberating experience of learning to let goof everything else and just pray, or rather allow the spirit topray through me. In his letter to the Romans, St Paulreminds us that we need the help of the Holy Spirit to pray.Praying is not as easy as we tend to expect it to be, butpraying in silence has become a way for me to allow theSpirit to help me pray. Silence leaves room for the prayers ofGod to be heard and to echo in our hearts. Silence takes usaway from the constant noise, the ‘shopping list’ prayers thatwe rattle off in ten minutes making sure we get all ourrequests in before our prayer time is up, and it leads us to aplace of encounter with the living God.

None of this is to say that I do not fall asleep or getdistracted during fifty minutes of silence. Much of that timeis taken up with worrying about the next piece of work thatis due in, the person I forgot to call or what I am going toeat for my next meal – one thing our group has establishedis that we all have those distractions, we have all heard theperson next to us nod off or woken ourselves up with asudden jerk! Nevertheless, one thing I’ve learnt through thisexperience of silent prayer is that if you set aside enoughtime, there is time for the distractions to come and go. I’vealso learnt that prayer is a practice which takes practice. Themore you do it, the easier it gets until you find that you arebeginning to descend into a deeper silence which leads youto a sense of being drawn deeper into the presence of God.

A Weekly Hour of Silent Prayer

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NEW DEVEPOPMENTS

Heating in All Saints’

Over the summer heating has been installed in AllSaint’s Church, designed to maintain a ‘conservationlevel’ temperature through the winter months. Thisnow means that we can use the church year round, andit is quite a shock to walk in and find it warm! It alsomeans that the damp and musty smell has gone. Theheating was made possible by a substantial grant fromWREN, funds from the Churches’ Conservation Trust,and donations from The Friends.

Refurbishment of D Staircase

As we seek to make the college more accessible, wehave refurbished the ground floor of D staircase toprovide a fully accessible room and bathroom for aperson using a wheelchair. The work was carried outto a very high standard and the result is attractive andpractical accommodation for people with limitedmobility. Thank you to the alumni whose donationsenabled this work to happen!

Children’s Play Area

The Children and Families’ Representative, AdrianCooke, erected a new climbing frame for ordinands’children in New Court in May 2009.

Refurbishment Programme

New Climbing FrameHeating being installed over the summer

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NEW DEVELOPMENTS

Organ installed in chapel

Westcott chapel, despite the imposing gallery, has neverhad an organ, so we were delighted when Norman Halland Sons, who were restoring the organ in All Saints’,suggested they might have the perfect instrument for us. It has indeed turned out to be so. The one manual pipeorgan, no longer needed by Swaffham Prior Zion BaptistChurch since its closure in 2006, was installed by NormanHall with the help of a valiant band of ordinands, over theChristmas vacation, and it would now be hard to imagineworship without it. We were most grateful for ananonymous donation we received. With an electronickeyboard also in the gallery, and the annually changingvariety of instruments that ordinands offer to play, we cannow play a much wider range of liturgical music.

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Ordinands in the snow in February

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

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Westcott House Gifts and Mementos

We are very pleased to offer an assortment of Westcott House gift and memento items.

To order any of these items please write to the Development Office, Westcott House,Jesus Lane, Cambridge CB5 8BP or email [email protected]

Westcott House Cuff Links

With either chain link(as pictured) for£20 or swivelfitting £18+£2.50 p&p

Westcott House Photo Postcards

Postcards featuring photos of Westcott House,All Saints’ Church, The WestcottIcon, and Hort30p eachor a set of allfour for £1

+50p p&pfor up to4 cards

Westcott House Greeting Cards

Large greeting card (15x21cm) with whiteenvelope, blankinside for yourmessage.

£1.50 each+50p p&p,or 5 for £6+£2 p&p

The WestcottHouse Icon

A 14x19cm printof the icon on2mm thick card.£3.50

+£1.50 p&p forup to 3+£2.00 p&p for 4-5

Ember List 2009Deacons Diocese

M. Christine Barrow Ely

Nest W. Bateman Lichfield

David Baverstock St Albans

Rebekah L. Cannon ordination tba

Lara Dose Manchester

Jonathan Elcock Llandaff

Bonnie J. Evans-Hills Leicester

Dawn A. Glen Derby

Ruth C. Goatly St Albans

Sarah C. Gower Ely

Brutus Z. Green London

Paula W. L. Griffiths Chelmsford

Timothy D.M. Hayward Ely

Christopher G. Holden Blackburn

Anne M. Howson Chelmsford

Christyan E. James Canterbury

Tasha (Natalia) Kharitonova London

Stuart Labran Coventry

Karen I. Mitchell St Albans

Imogen Nay Southwark

Michael M. Rose Lincoln

Anne R. Shorter Peterborough

Stephen F. Stavrou London

Alex(ander) W. Summers Chelmsford

Jennifer C. Totney Salisbury

Christine L. Turpin Worcester

Ellen L. Wakeham Lincoln

Priests

Richard M. Bastable London

Alison S. Booker Leicester

Adam C. Boulter Southwark

Elizabeth A.M.G. Brown Guildford

Sarah E. Bryant Salisbury

Joseph C. Cant Derby

Louise A.J. Codrington-Marshall Southwark

Paul J.L. Cody Lichfield

Nicholas D. Davies Southwark

Margaret A. Davis St Albans

Paul A. Dominiak York

Mark F. Eminson Chichester

A. Maria Flipse Llandaff

Ian M. Gallagher Liverpool

David A. Gardiner Gloucester

Rachel E. Greene Salisbury

Julia R. Hicks Bath and Wells

Robert B. Hicks Bath and Wells

Sally J. Horner Southwark

Alison C. Letschka Chichester

Sally M. Lynch Chelmsford

Julius T. Makoni London

Simon J. Tibbs Edinburgh

Guy M. Treweek London

Julius Makoni has been elected and consecrated Bishop of Manicaland, Zimbabwe

29

Staff Contacts

Martin SeeleyPrincipalDirect Line: 01223 741 010Email: [email protected]

Michael BeasleyVice Principal, Tutor in MissionDirect Line: 01223 741 012Email: [email protected]

Jeff BaileyTutor in TheologyDirect Line: 01223 741 007Email: [email protected]

Victoria RaymerDirector of Studies, Tutor in LiturgyDirect Line: 01223 741 011Email: [email protected]

Margie TolstoyTutor in EthicsDirect Line: 01223 740 952Email: [email protected]

Dave MaleTutor in Pioneer MinistryDirect Line: 01223 741 102Email: [email protected]

Lindsay YatesChaplainDirect Line: 01223 741 014Email: [email protected]

Margaret WinterbournePA to the PrincipalDirect Line: 01223 741 005Email: [email protected]

Liz GordonHouse and Conference ManagerDirect Line: 01223 741 004Email: [email protected]

Marie BullTutorial SecretaryDirect Line: 01223 741 001Email: [email protected]

Simon GatenbyTutor at ManchesterDirect Line: 0161 273 2470Email: [email protected]

Andrew MeinTutor in Old TestamentEmail: [email protected]

Tiffany ConlinActing Director of Pastoral StudiesEmail: [email protected]

Elizabeth PhillipsTutor in Theology and EthicsDirect Line: 01223 741 013Email: [email protected]

Jeff PhillipsTutor in Theology and PhilosophyDirect Line: 01223 741 013Email: [email protected]

Doreen AlbistonFinance AssistantDirect Line: 01223 741 000Email: [email protected]

30

Members of the Governing Council 2008-2009

The Rt Revd Tim Stevens, Chair

The Revd Canon Martin Seeley, Principal

The Revd Dr Michael Beasley, Vice Principal

Mr Tony Wilson, Hon. Treasurer

The Revd Dr Anthony Russell

The Revd Canon Dr Fraser Watts

The Revd Dr Jeremy Morris

The Revd Dr Philip Luscombe

Mrs Denise Thorpe

The Revd Dr Victoria Raymer

Dr Anna Rowlands

Mr Michael Womack

The Rt Revd Christopher Foster

Professor David McClean

The Revd Canon Vanessa Herrick

Miss Elizabeth Foy

Mr David Gill

The Revd Canon Alma Servant

The Revd Duncan Dormor

Observers:

Mrs Jane Richardson

The Revd Simon Gatenby

Mr William McVey, Bursar

31

EMAIL: [email protected]

www.westcott.cam.ac.uk

All Saints’ Church by moonlight

MEMBER OF THE CAMBRIDGE THEOLOGICAL FEDERATION

REGISTERED CHARITY NO: 311445

JESUS LANE • CAMBRIDGE

CB5 8BPUNITED KINGDOM

TEL: +44 (0)1223 741000FAX: +44 (0)1223 741002

Documents

Year in Review 2008-09 - Westcott House - University of Cambridge