News from Ridley - Autumn 2013

Autumn 2013

NEWS from

www.ridley.cam.ac.uk

In this issue: MUSINGS OF AN ACTING PRINCIPAL The Easter term in review p 2

THE ‘VICAR OF BAGHDAD’ AT RIDLEY Andrew White inspires the College community with testimony of his life and ministry p 3

PERSONAL VOCATION A Russian and a South African student arriving at Ridley this term tell how they discerned their call to ministry p 4

PRAYER CENTREFOLD PULL-OUT The 2013 Ember List p 7

SUDANESE VIEWPOINT ON RIDLEY Bishop Anthony Poggo talks to Jason Ingalls about his sabbatical at Ridley p 10

h me Getting theWord Out New publications from students and staff p 15

HOME AT LAST! The Centre for Pioneer Learning launches HOME, its community of pioneers p 11

NEW TUTOR IN CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE Rob McDonald, who trained at Ridley, is ‘thrilled to be back’ in a new capacity p 12

Musings of an Acting Principal During the year, most of the Ridley teaching staff have been actively involved in devising module descriptions and participating in discussions with those responsible for the new Common Awards validated by the University of Durham.

With the CofE’s other theological colleges, Ridley plans to offer the new curriculum, beginning in 2014; for us it will eventually replace the Anglia Ruskin University Foundation Degree. We are delighted that Ministry Division has given our existing pathways with the University of Cambridge (the Tripos degree and the BTh) an exemption status, so we also will continue to offer them as paths of formation.

With Andrew Norman away on a well-earned sabbatical study leave, I began my fourth stint as Ridley’s Acting Principal in early April. Once again, God proved ever faithful.

In the first week of our Easter term College devoted a full day to the issue of Women and the Episcopacy.

A team of male and female students with varying views on the subject had carefully planned the day which featured six articulate speakers addressing the full community. A highlight was the joint presentation by the authors of The Gender Agenda, Lis Goddard and Clare Hendry, evangelical women who hold opposing views but model a relationship of friendship and dialogue. Our goal was to learn more about how to thrive and build up the Church, given its diversity, as it continues to move towards the consecration of women bishops.

As the term went on, we were delighted to have two Ridleians back to share their wisdom. The former Bishop of St Albans John Taylor encouraged us with a College Lecture on preaching the Old Testament.

John was as clear and compelling as ever. Andrew White, the ‘Vicar of Baghdad’ also addressed us all, inspiring us with his testimony and stories of God’s goodness (see opposite).

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Our Moule Day this year once again brought together many old friends and featured our first Moule lecture by a female scholar, Dr Ruth Padilla DeBorst (see Philip Jenson’s article opposite). The next day proved to be a marathon for me; I led morning prayer on ‘G’ staircase, chaired the Leavers’ Hall Meeting, preached at the Once again we Leavers’ final service, served tables at the Leavwere impressed and ers’ dinner, gave the Prinheartened by the cipal’s speech at the same, quality of the cohort of and ended the evening by our students leaving to playing in the band at the be ordained dance that followed!

We have so much for which to give thanks. Once again we were impressed and heartened by the quality of the cohort of our students leaving to be ordained. We’ve spent the summer strengthening our Development programme, welcoming our new Doctrine Tutor Rob McDonald, and preparing for the new intake of ordinands. Our Bursar has arranged for many improvements, including not least new lighting and wi-fi networking in the College.

But most of all I’m glad to have Andrew Norman back in the Principal’s chair!

Mike Thompson, Vice-Principal

Learning from the two-thirds world This year’s June Moule Day was attested by many witnesses as one of the most enjoyable we have had.

It helped that it didn’t rain, so there was plenty of space for alumni, current students and staff to mingle and chat. Such an event needs the full involvement of students, whose enthusiasm at the end of a busy term made all the difference. The programme was also lively and varied. We began with an outstanding address from our main speaker (on which more below). After lunch the alumni were able to attend a seminar led by the tutorial staff on one of their favourite topics. Following a cup of tea the day ended with a whirlwind session chaired by Paul Weston and Dave Male (who in another life might have been a comedy duo). Beginning with The liberating gospel an interview with our was expounded with speaker, students and vivid language, careful other staff then shared analysis, personal a little of what God had storytelling, and a been doing in Ridley and the wider church heartfelt passion over the previous year.

There is little doubt, however, that the highlight of the day was the Moule lecture, ‘What can the TwoThirds World teach the West theologically?’ given by Dr Ruth Padilla DeBorst. While Ruth is little known in the English speaking world, she has spoken and

Dr Ruth Padilla DeBorst

lived in several countries in South America, and plays a crucial role in leadership development and theological education. The liberating gospel was expounded with vivid language, careful analysis, personal storytelling, and a heartfelt passion in a way that differed significantly from the expositions of better-known Roman Catholic liberation theologians. We were left with fresh perspectives on how the church in the West might in turn be liberated to follow the example of Jesus Christ.

Philip Jenson, Lecturer in Old Testament

Moule Day: June 11th 2014

We are delighted to be welcoming back to Ridley the Revd Professor Jeremy Begbie as our Moule Memorial Lecturer for 2014.

Jeremy taught doctrine here for 23 years and his combination of wisdom, quick wit and engaging multimedia style of presentation will be eagerly anticipated by many alumni.

Andrew White at Ridley

The Ridley Community was delighted to have a return visit from the Revd Canon Andrew White (‘the Vicar of Baghdad’) and members of his team in late May during the Easter Term.

In our packed Lecture Hall, Andrew spoke to us all movingly for two hours giving his testimony about God’s grace at work in his life and ministry at St George’s, the only Anglican church in Iraq.

In the process, he inspired hope and confidence in the God who never ceases to surprise us. It was a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis that contributed to Andrew’s decision to risk his life in ministry in Iraq. He says that in recent years, regular treatments there using his own stem cells have helped to minimize the debilitating symptoms of his condition.

Andrew also shared some memories of life at Ridley during his days as an ordinand here and emphasized (without any prodding from our staff!) that in his opinion, Ridley was the best place to train. He has written a number of books; his latest is Father, Forgive.

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Personal vocation Once again Ridley is full to capacity with incoming students this academic year. We are encouraged and excited at the breadth of personal experience that they bring to the community. The diversity is reflected in the figures: 56% male and 44% female, Ridley’s new members come from a total of 23 dioceses.

We asked two of the people behind the statistics to give us an insight into their own story of personal vocation which brought them to Ridley Hall.

I grew up in Moscow, the Russian capital, amid the spiritual, political and economic chaos following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

I remember it as a turbulent but hopeful time, seething with haunting tales of rescue and renewal after many decades of decline and death. Years later I felt grasped by a passion for God’s mission of redemption and reconciliation, when the stories of rescue and renewal from my childhood encountered the powerful and bracing vision of the Kingdom of God in the Bible.

It was while trying to make sense of all this against the backdrop of my own experiences of Christian discipleship in the only Anglican church in Moscow that I first sensed a call to ordained ministry.

Although the discernment process afforded excellent opportunities for expanding my knowledge of Christian faith and ordained ministry, its real value for me has been in the challenge to make connections between

Return from sabbatical Three major milestones marked my sabbatical in Michaelmas last year: the 40th anniversary of my ordination as a deacon, my 40th wedding anniversary and the 5th anniversary of the launch of the Simeon Centre.

In retrospect, I can see that they became the drivers for my thinking and writing over the summer and autumn.

Our celebration of 40 years of marriage took us up the Nile from Aswan to Luxor exactly one year 4

theory and practice, between the Bible stories and the human stories, between the local and the global, between the vision for pastoral ministry and the joys and sorrows of real parish life. But rather than provide all the answers, the discernment process has succeeded only in sketching out the long journey of formation and education lying ahead – a journey I am thrilled to embark on because of Ridley Hall.

Olga Fabrikantova

Growing up in South Africa until I was 18, I enjoyed life and Church until an armed robbery at my home forced me and the family to move to the UK. I first had a sense of call to ordination when I joined the staff at Christ Church Abingdon after a long time of the Vicar convincing me it was a good idea.

After much thought and prayer I resigned as a local primary school teacher and started my role as a parish assistant at Christchurch. Another sense of call was at a midnight communion service on Christmas Eve 2010, where I had a sense of the Lord’s call to administer the sacraments. After a conversation with the clergy at Christchurch and a trusted few friends I began the discernment process. After a challenging three years seeing one Vocations Adviser, two DDOs and the Bishop, I found myself at a BAP which I enjoyed although it was terrifying. I am really looking forward to starting at Ridley in September, and just getting stuck in with the studies and the life at College.

Matt Beer

before the resurgence of political violence in Egypt.

We were there during Ramadan; our Muslim guide took us out each day, in temperatures approaching 50˚C while fasting both from food and water. Never bad tempered, he was a generous liberal Muslim who reminded us constantly that there is another side to Egypt. In Aswan, we visited the new Coptic Cathedral on a Friday evening. It was swarming with children in ‘Sunday school’, while next door at the mosque, Friday prayers carried on as usual. No security guards, no danger, just cheerful co-existence.

That experience will long remain with us as a challenge to find ways of faithful living without anger and violence in a complex and confusing world.

One of the Simeon Centre’s primary aims provided me with another focus for my study. This is to address

Fabric, fellowship and future Ridley Hall’s annual fund was created in 2011 to help meet the growing costs of maintaining a centre of excellence for theological training. Higher education funding has changed, and all the theological colleges face challenges as a result.

A gap is growing between what it costs to prepare Christian leaders for the next generation and the amount we receive from ‘normal’ sources of income.

The annual fund makes a real difference by allowing us to aggregate a large number of regular donations to create a pool of unrestricted funds that can be used to meet the College’s immediate needs.

In its first three years the fund has raised over £220,000 for the College, supporting a number of important projects such as the annual prayer weekend, the upgrading and re-launch of the website and the maintenance and refurbishment of the College’s Victorian buildings. This year, the annual fund campaign has three main themes:

In its first three years the fund has raised over £220,000 for the College

key theological and ethical issues from the perspective of spirituality and discipleship. Partly because I am aging, but also because two members of our village church now suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, I spent some of my time preparing a paper on ‘Who am I?’, a paper which I first delivered to missiologists at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, but then fed into plans for the day on Spirituality and Dementia last June. I continue to muse on the obvious fact – which came upon me as a bit of a surprise – that I was human long before I knew myself, as a baby. The subtitle of John Swinton’s new book on dementia [Living in the Memories of God] has given me another insight for the often painful conversations and work around this subject.

The final trip of the year took us back to South Africa. I return each year in November as External Examiner for the College at which we worked from

Ridley Fabric focuses on our historic buildings and grounds. It support projects like replacing and improving the College’s lighting, upgrading our windows, and adding some part-time professional help to our volunteer gardeners’ work.

Ridley Fellowship supports the ongoing life of the community. It helps pay for the annual Prayer Weekend, the Common Room space, and we hope it might even provide a table tennis table this year!

Ridley Future equips the College with modern technology, such as our new website (unveiled January 2013), wireless internet installation which will make wi-fi available across the college, and the extension and enhancement of audio-visual capabilities in seminar rooms and the chapel.

In giving to the annual fund you are affirming your belief in Ridley’s vision for Christian ministry teaching. Your gift, no matter how small, is an investment in future Christian leadership. Your support means a lot to us.

Jason Ingalls, Development Assistant

1999–2005, and as Commissary for the Diocese of Christ the King. Instead of the usual five-day whistlestop tour, we went for a month, reconnecting both with friends and with South African politics, culture and spirituality. Though much of the time was holiday, I am aware that my regular returns to that wonderful though troubled country enable me to ‘own’ another part of the world, to inhabit its joys and sorrows, to let it affect my prayer, my teaching, my theology and my understanding of the Kingdom of God. For all these countries, for the insights of the sabbatical, the refreshment, the learning and the celebration, I am grateful to God and thankful to Ridley Hall for setting me free!

Adrian Chatfield is Tutor in Christian Life and Thought and Director of the Simeon Centre for Prayer and the Spiritual Life. He is also Tutor for the Centre for Pioneer Learning, and serves as Director of Studies for sabbatical guests at Ridley.

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Hope through the grief of childlessness

Foundations for ministry

Three Ridley ordinands and their wives last term set up a blog about their experiences of childlessness and the ongoing process of finding hope

Having just completed my first year as a deacon and now ordained priest it has been good to look back on this year in ministry and more pertinently how God prepared me for ministry during my time at Ridley.

through grief. You are welcome to visit the blog, which it is hoped may in due course be developed into a wider resource for churches, at: saltwaterandhoney.org

A taste of how we desire Church to be My three years at Ridley were a genuine pleasure. I gained deeply from the quality of the study, the life and support of the community and the pattern of prayer integral to the Ridley day. Some of this time was incredibly tough going and if there had not been the care and provision for my family that Ridley as a community provides, I am sure that we would not have made it through as well as we did.

Ridley functions as an organic body where everyone plays their part. On Thursdays, families of all shapes and sizes are welcomed in throughout the day. There is a team of people during evening chapel who provide fun games and teaching for babies through to tweenagers. It was a real privilege to be part of a team of ordinands and staff who were deeply committed to creating an all age community where all are welcome and catered for – a taste of how we desire Church to be.

On our final year at Ridley we had our four-year-old boy in Ridley Kidz and our eight-month-old in the Ridley creche. They both left every week incredibly happy and full of their experiences. I am grateful that I will always have a place to return to in Ridley and will be welcomed in the same way.

Jon Phillips

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I firmly believe that God used my time at Ridley to lay a foundation for my future ministry. The community showed me the value of Christian fellowship, the need for a life of prayer which is constant yet not necessarily unchanging, which continues in good times and bad but isn’t ignorant of who we are, how we feel.

The mixture of challenging teaching and practical experience allowed me to start to deal with the complex issues that ministry can bring in a thoughtful, prayerful way in communion with those around me. The worship and prayer within the community reminded me time and time again that however comIt is these patterns, plex life and ministry get the simple truth is that Jethese experiences, sus is Lord – and that minthese truths which have istry can only happen, and formed the foundation happens naturally, from for my ministry this truth.

Through all these things, and many, many conversations over coffee in the common room, I discovered more about the mission of God in this world and the gifts given to the Church as we aim to serve in that mission. It is these patterns, these experiences, these truths which have formed the foundation for my ministry.

At the start of this year in ministry I didn’t realise just how much Ridley had prepared me but, as situations have arisen, I have found myself able to apply things I learned there and can look back with hindsight to see how formational my time at Ridley was. In this way I anticipate that at the end of however many years God gives me in ministry I’ll look back with thankfulness and be able to see the foundations that were laid at Ridley weaving their way throughout my ministry.

Graham Wilkins

With this pull-out centrefold we invite you to pray for this year’s leavers as they embark on their future ministry, whether it be in the world of work, in parish ministry, or in youth and children’s ministry.

Ember list 2013 Greg Bannister (formerly apprentice at All

Souls Church, Langham Place) Parish: St Andrew the Great Church, Cambridge It has been a privilege to study theology fulltime and to do so as part of a gracious and kind community of faith. I look forward to putting all that I have learned at Ridley into practice as I work with young professionals in Cambridge next year.

John Barker (formerly Agricultural Attaché in the EU Delegation in Armenia) Parish: Christ Church Vienna, with particular responsibility for Yerevan

I enjoyed every second of my time at Ridley. It has inspired me enormously for my curacy challenge of re-establishing the Anglican presence in Armenia after a gap of over ten years. Being part of the caring and sharing community of staff and fellow ordinands, all friends, is something which I will never forget and will forever cherish.

Phil Brooks (formerly youth worker)

Parish: St Mary’s Oxted & St Peter’s Tandridge I have found my time at Ridley enjoyable as well as challenging – these are not mutually exclusive – and most importantly I feel as ready as I’ll ever be for the step into my curacy. It’s been a great place to grow in faith and learn more as I have done so.

Jenny Dawkins

(formerly campaigner and project manager) Parish: All Saints Peckham God has used Ridley’s ‘motley and glorious people’, quiet hours in Newnham gardens and musical hours at Gospel Choir and elsewhere, B Bar, communions and morning prayers, escapes to cafes and homes, croquet tournaments, essays and lectures to shape me for ministry in ways I didn’t know how to expect Organised bysee.

TheToCentre Pioneer and still probably don’t fully him be for every glory.

Learning and the Cambridge Centre for Ministry BenYouth Doolan (formerly church worker) Parish: St Michael le Belfrey, York

God really has used Ridley and all its people to shape me for ministry. It has been a fantastic two years and I shall really miss the place. I leave knowing that I have made friendships for life and with huge confidence in the good news of Jesus Christ. I am really looking forward to serving God’s transformation of the North!

Rebecca Fardell (formerly museum curator) Parish: Itchen Valley Parish (Winchester)

It has been an enormous privilege and real joy to spend the past two years at Ridley. I am grateful to have been part of such a special community and for the opportunity to be a student again. As I head south to serve my curacy in rural Hampshire, I am excited about what God has in store.

Daniel Newman (formerly medical student)

Parish: St John’s, Weymouth (the Parish of Radipole and Melcombe Regis) I’ve really valued the opportunity to help others at Ridley engage with the missional wearing of jackets and cravats over the past three years. Brooke and I will miss the friends we’ve made during our time in Cambridge, but I accepted a curacy in a seaside parish in the hope that some of you will come and see us!

Laura Pasterfield (formerly graphic designer, youth and children’s worker) Parish: All Saints Parish, Liverpool

My three years at Ridley have set me in good stead for my future ministry. I leave confident in the knowledge that I am now doctrinally sound, academically enlightened, qualified to play croquet at a semiprofessional level, and much, much more.

Jonathan Phillips

(formerly youth and drama worker, All Saints Hoole and evangelist, The Light Project) Parish: St Mark’s, Saltney, Chester (Pioneer Curate) Cyd, myself and our two boys James and Edmund, have had an amazing time at Ridley and are hugely grateful for the love and support we have received from staff and fellow ordinands. We are now full of anticipation of what God is going to do as we step back into the world of full-time ministry and church planting!

Jokey Poyntz

(formerly English teacher) Parish: St Margaret’s Stanford-le-Hope, Essex I’m thankful for the privilege of studying full time at Ridley despite being (allegedly) a ‘mature’ student!

I’ll miss the conversations in staircase kitchens and B Bar; having lots of people to do ‘therapeutic baking’ for; my prayer triplet and the Gospel Choir; the lovely Ridley staff; and the chance to wrestle with and hone my theology amongst such a varied bunch of people!

Kina Robertshaw

(formerly and currently retail business owner) The three years I have been at Ridley I have seen God’s greatness and faithfulness. It’s been a place of good challenge and of divine connection. I look forward to continuing my entrepreneurial ventures and case studies on Christian entrepreneurs.

Thomas Robson (formerly youthworker) Parish: St Margaret’s Church, Angmering

As we leave Ridley, Emily, Martha and I are really looking forward to heading back to the south coast in anticipation of the newest member of our family’s arrival in July, and a great church family to become a part of.

Johannes Roth

(formerly senior IT security consultant) Parish: Emmanuel Northwood God has touched our lives in many ways through Ridley: I am looking forward to how He is going to use the seeds of times of fellowship and stillness, lectures, seminars and essays in ministry. I leave Ridley with many fond memories and real friendships, some which I know will last a lifetime. To Him be all praise and glory.

David Short (formerly Physics teacher)

Parish: Christ Church, Chorleywood (St Albans) Thank you for your prayers! Catherine and I have been blessed by our time at Ridley. Arriving as a couple, we leave with two wonderful daughters, Hannah & Bethan. We are sorry to be leaving such a wonderful place, but we are even more excited about the next stage of our journey together with God.

Beverley Sproats (formerly petrophysicist,

housewife and stay-at-home-mum) Parish: St John the Evangelist, Yeadon (Bradford) I have really enjoyed being part of the worshipping and learning community at Ridley and as a family we have loved being in Cambridge. We are looking forward to returning to West Yorkshire and are excited about all that God has in store for us in Yeadon. Please pray for our move and for my ministry at St John’s.

Toby Tate (formerly deputy headteacher)

Parish: St Matthew’s with All Saints and Triangle, Ipswich Two years is too short to experience all that Ridley has to offer. It has been a great privilege to study and worship and play table football as part of the community here. God is great and I look forward to exciting new ministry opportunities serving Him in the future.

Mark Thomas (formerly missionary teacher to Burmese refugees in Thailand)

In my fourth and final year at Ridley I was kindly funded to do some research into what British society believes about fatherhood and to explore Christianity’s dynamite resources for responding to that confusion and despair. I’m looking forward to developing this research into some ministry resources when Kylie and I go to serve in a lay capacity at St Mark’s, Battersea Rise.

Richard Thomas (formerly associate minister and diocesan youth and children’s work advisor) Parish: St Paul’s, Ealing

Team Thomas have loved our two years here at Ridley. We feel honoured to have been able to study in such an inspiring place with such inspiring people, staff and students alike. We’ve also been grateful for the extra time we’ve been able to have together as a family.

We are very much looking forward to moving to Ealing and a new season serving alongside the good people of St Paul’s.

Ben Thorpe (formerly youth worker) Parish: St George’s, Deal (Canterbury)

We are sad to leave good friends, but Esther and I are excited about where God is taking us and what he will continuing to teach us about his faithfulness. I am still amazed at the way God chooses to use us to draw others towards him. Bring it on.

Simon Tomkins (formerly church men’s worker) Parish: All Saints, Little Shelford

Nikki and I are looking forward to heading to Little Shelford with James to serve the Lord Jesus there, with much gratitude for the experiences we’ve had here over the last three years.

Owen Williams

(formerly legal & compliance officer) Parish: Benefice of Uppingham and Belton (Rutland) I have greatly benefited from my three years of training at Ridley and feel excited to move on to parish ministry. My experience has been that the Ridley lecturers and the tutors at the Cambridge University Divinity Faculty are leaders in their fields, and this gives Ridley a level of academic excellence which is second to none in theological education.

Sarah Yetman (formerly ministry assistant) Parish: St Peter’s, Yateley (Winchester)

After three years at Ridley and lots of cake I’m excited about moving out into the world of ministry to start my curacy in Yateley. I’ve learned lots since I’ve been here about the power and work of God and made some good friends in the process.

The Institute for Children, Youth and Mission Please pray for students at the Cambridge Institute for Children, Youth and Mission who have just completed their final year at Ridley.

Their training placements have been varied, from church and community-based youth projects to national youth organisations. Some will continue in these posts after graduation, others will be going into new posts in an equally diverse range of roles.

LEAVERS 2013: Hinga Amara

Jenny Lyon

Kyle Armstrong

Emma Nicholson

Alice Baird

Matthew Rogers

Alex Boyd

Chrissy Stoodley

Caitlin Coates

Rachel Weaver

Feiolim Gatley

Rebecca Willett

Craig Hutton

Matthew Williamson

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On Sabbatical from Sudanese ministry Anthony Poggo, Bishop of the South Sudanese Diocese of Kajo-Keji, joined us on sabbatical in the Lent Term of this year. He sat down with our Development Assistant Jason Ingalls to talk about his stay and about what he might take home with him.

JI: Thank you so much for joining us this term. I know the whole community has got a lot out of your time here. I’d like to ask a few questions around the three things that Ridley really focuses on: our community, our collaboration with the other theological institutions in the Cambridge Theological Federation, and our connecting ministry with the Anglican Communion.

What did you think of Ridley’s community?

It was good to be a part of this community. I actually like the mix – those who are residents and those who are not. Those who are not are also out there. They are part of a different community. Hopefully they are able to be light and salt in that community. It is so important during formation to be a part of other communities.

Also, life on the staircases with the students was very good. I’m already thinking of ways to contextualise that in our theological college. In particular, having a member of staff in each staircase was very good. It was a very good thing that I have found here.

I might say, once in a while it might be good to cook more African food in the Dining Hall! Maybe even just once a month, or just half a meal. Andy and Claire Tufnell [a student and his wife] invited me and Emily Onyango [a Visiting Scholar from Kenya] to their house for an African meal. It could be that it was the first that Emily had since she had been here!

But, the community was very good. In my staircase, there were always so many volunteers to help with tea, or anything. And the singing! I thought there were some tremendous people among the students.

One of the staircase meetings, we had the Morning Prayer in rap! We really enjoyed it. It was amazing.

In my country, we talk about sheep-stealing. It is harder to steal sheep from a colleague. The only competition we need to have is to compete over those who are in the world. Compete with the Evil One, so to speak!

Ridley is becoming a global hub for theological education. What has your experience been of your time with us, in terms of the whole Anglican Communion?

This is an area you should really work to improve.

There are so many benefits for you at Ridley and for the global Church. Having people here makes the conversations in classes more lively. Encouraging students to write on African topics or to use the Africa Biblical Commentary would open things up, encourage people to think globally. A sabbatical in particular is very good for both sides. It enhances the ministry of those who stay here and allows us to get to know people here. On the other hand, even having some teaching staff spend a month at a theological college in Africa would help widen their horizons.

I have had the opportunity to rest, to be refreshed here. Also, I am hoping that the kind of written project I am working on [on Nehemiah] will help the Church. When I go back to my theological college, we will have to scrutinise some things. We might need to make some events ‘capital events,’ like some seminars and daily worship. I will take Capital Letter Events home with me. It was also good to see lectionary preaching here. That is something I have been trying to encourage among my clergy. They tend to focus only on those things they are comfortable with!

It was so good to connect with people here. Having my weekends free meant I could connect with a lot of people. I would love to come back in 7–10 years!

The Ridley Chapel in Uganda

How was your experience of the Cambridge Theological Federation?

Very good. I attended Federation worship and lectures at Wesley. To see the colleges working together was very important. The Federation makes Ridley stronger. It is so important to link to other denominations. Out there, it is important to work together. We aren’t working in competition; we’re working in collaboration.

A new booklet has been produced telling the story of the Ridley Chapel built by Ridleians in Uganda in the 1930s. Download the publication for free at: www.ridley.cam.ac.uk/resources/archives

Ridleian ministry through the decades Meeting recently with a number of people who have served in ministry through the decades since their training at Ridley gave Vice-Principal Mike Thompson snapshot insights into the variety of places and capacities in which Ridleians have made a difference.

Mike met first with the Revd Canon William Norman and his wife Beryl at their home in south London. Beryl studied classics at Girton College and Bill trained at Ridley, leaving in 1952. After his curacy Bill served on the Revd Canon William staff of Buwalasi TheoNorman and his wife Beryl logical College (now Bishop Usher-Wilson College) in Uganda for ten years from 1955–65. There Beryl taught Greek to a young ordinand named Janani Luwum; Janani went on to become Bishop of Uganda and was martyred at the hands of Idi Amin. After their time in Africa, Bill and Beryl returned to the UK, where Bill served for 26 years in three churches. He has continued to preach for many years, and they are faithful supporters of Ridley Hall.

Another visit took Mike to the home in Knowle of the Revd Canon John Wheatley Price and his wife

Jean. John trained at Ridley from 1954–56 and served his curacy before meeting Jean while they both were preparing for missionary work with CMS. After a whirlwind eight-week Revd Canon John Wheatley romance they were marPrice and his wife Jean ried and headed to Uganda.

They served in Africa for many years; when they returned to the UK John helped a church in Clevedon move to a new level of stewardship. When John and Jean celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary they asked their friends to give to Ridley, raising over £2,500 for the College’s Annual Fund.

A trip to the east coast of England took Mike to Cley, where he met The Revd John Earp (Ry 1942–43). After graduating, John went on to be a Tutor at Ridley from 1946–48, the Chaplain from 1948–51 and Revd John Earp Vice-Principal from 1951–56.

The two Vice-Principals had an excellent afternoon swapping stories, telling jokes and encouraging one another. John retired from full-time ministry in 1988 but came back to Ridley for Moule Day celebrations in 2008 and 2010.

Home at last!

Home is the Centre for Pioneer Learning’s community of pioneers, providing pioneers with: • the stability of a home, a family and mutual support

at the heart of the Centre for Pioneer Learning For more information and how to join contact us:

meeting to celebrate supporting each other investing in the Centre

T 01223 746590 E ac588@cam.ac.uk W www.centreforpioneerlearning.org.uk

• the discipline of a measured rhythm of life

• boundaries that set us free for radical living

• joyful commitment to a simple shared rule As a community we meet annually, attend the community retreat, give our time, skills and resources to support each other, and pray for one another.

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Summer 2013 Ministry Placements Every ordinand at Ridley spends a minimum of four weeks’ block placement in full-time ministry in an Anglican parish. The contexts in which they serve their summer placements – as this collage of photographs from this past Summer show – vary considerably!

The Revd Dr Rob McDonald New Tutor in Christian Doctrine Rob McDonald was born in Northern Ireland, grew up in New Zealand, then lived and worked in London before being called to train for ordination. Rob and Anna McDonald and their family moved this summer from ministry in Shropshire, but it has been more like a homecoming – Rob was at Ridley for six years during his BA, MPhil, and doctoral studies. Rob gave his

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The Revd Rob McDonald with two of his children and his wife Anna

broadest Kiwi grin as he said, “We are thrilled to be back.”

“Ridley prepared me well for parish ministry in a whole variety of ways,” Rob continued as he talked about his pastoral experience. He spoke with warmth about Ridley as a nurturing community, the manner in which he had been taught the basics, but even more, the thoughtful Anglican evangelicalism at the heart of Ridley’s ethos.

Rob had nothing but praise for his predecessor as Tutor in Christian Doctrine, Professor Jeremy Begbie, now of Duke Divinity School in the USA. Both as a teacher and a theologian, Rob believes Jeremy set the bar high, providing him with an enormous challenge.

We welcome Rob and Anna, together with their children Sandy, Kitty, and Wilfrid, to what we pray will be many fruitful years at Ridley. They are likely to play a significant role in shaping the college’s future.

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Books Down Day This year, Ridley students have increasingly encouraged one another to stop working.

But this has been warmly welcomed, as Books Down Day has become an established part of Ridley’s termly rhythm. This initiative, new last year, gives students opportunity and encouragement to engage in missional activities outside Ridley’s walls.

The idea was dreamed up by Martha Simpson, archdeacon for a term, as a refreshing and life-giving invitation for Ridleans to look up from books to bring and to be good news to our neighbours.

Ridleians have responded with creativity and enthusiasm, as well as a sense of experiment! Books Down Day activities have included evangelistic punting (!), a passion play in the market square, and Besom projects, practically supporting someone in need through house-painting or gardening. Others have tried street preaching, ‘treasure-hunting’ or prophetic evangelism, or have given domestic and catering staff a Christmas coffee break.

It has been good to see a variety of gifts exercised to God’s glory. A group including gifted photographers, evangelists and wordsmiths created a thought-provoking community art project, asking Cambridge residents where they look for hope, and photographing the result for a blog, pointing to the hope that lies in the gospel of Jesus: photographyofhope.wordpress.com

Jenny Dawkins, graduated summer 2013

Just Giving...

News from Grove One of Ridley Hall’s best kept secrets is that since 1995 it has been the home of Grove Books Ltd, the non-profit Christian publishing company known for its hundreds of informative, short booklets on a wide range of topics.

Most of the Ridley teaching staff serve on editorial groups for different Grove series and have written between them more than a dozen Grove books.

Grove continues to go from strength to strength, despite big changes in the book trade in the UK. In recent years they have launched two new series in partnership with other organisations. The Leadership series, launched with CPAS, addresses a vital area for the contemporary church. The Education series, launched in partnership with the Association of Diocesan Directors of Education, equips people for the opportunities in church schools highlighted by the 2001 Dearing report.

This year saw a fresh look to the book covers and a shift to readers mostly buying online, although it’s still possible to buy via subscription, bookstores or onsite at Ridley. Many people get information about titles from the monthly emailing – which also distributes some of the best jokes and sermon illustrations to be found! You can sign up through the Grove website (www.grovebooks.co.uk).

Ridley exists to train Christian leaders. They are talented people, called to minister in various places in new and creative ways. We are committed to raising money to sponsor these gifted future ministers in ways that are equally new and creative. That’s why in July Ridley started using JustGiving.com, the world’s leading platform in charity giving. Since their launch in 2001, they’ve enabled over 21 million people to raise £1.5 billion for over 13,000 charities and causes in radically new ways.

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Over the summer ordinand Dennis Woodward and his wife Aniek raised over £800 for Ridley in sponsorship as they undertook a 10-day pilgrimage from Porto in Portugal to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. You can donate or set up your own fundraising page today at www.justgiving.com/ridleyhall

On the Road

Getting theWord out

Members of Ridley’s teaching staff have a strong commitment to contributing their skills locally in church group contexts, as well as taking their academic and ministerial insights to churches, universities and conferences across the UK and beyond. Below is a snapshot of some of their recent speaking engagements.

New publications from Ridley staff and students

Adrian Chatfield spoke at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies on ‘Who Am I? Some Missiological Implications of Theological Anthropology’. He also delivered a talk at the first CPL Retreat for Pioneers on ‘The Wisdom of God for the People of God’, and spoke at a PCC event in Cambridgeshire on ‘Divine Strategy’.

Richard Higginson delivered the Tyndale House Ethics and Social Theology Lecture in July on the topic of ‘Work, Money and Success: The Place of Ecclesiastes in a Christian Theology of Work’.

Philip Jenson spoke on ‘What’s the Bible all About’ at a Coton School of Theology evening, and also contributed a day on the Psalms to Crescendo, an Ely diocesan course for training in the use of music in worship.

Jane Keiller spoke at a local parish weekend at Launde Abbey, and with Adrian Chatfield contributed a day on Spiritual Formation at an Ely Diocese training course in the Spring.

Dave Male spoke with Paul Weston at Spring Harvest Minehead and Skegness on their recent publication The Word’s Out (see right for details). He was active in Centre for Pioneer Learning events, including the Three Conversations pioneer events held in Cambridge, Birmingham and Sheffield. Dave also spoke at ‘Going for Growth’, a day event in the diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. In June he addressed the Methodist National Leaders’ conference on the theme of evangelism.

Andrew Norman delivered a keynote address to the Derby Clergy Conference on the topic of ‘Jubilee and the Church’.

Mike Thompson was the 2013 A. S. Peake Memorial Lecturer, held near Manchester in July. His topic was ‘Paul’s Pastoral Strategy in 1 Corinthians’.

Ridleians write, edit and contribute to a wide range of publications, including books, book chapters and journal articles. We have selected some recently released and in the publishing pipeline.

Old Testament How to Read Leviticus by Philip Jenson (Cambridge: Grove Books, 2013)

‘Temple’ by Philip Jenson in Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets (Downers Grove, IL: IVP), pp. 767-75 ‘Filming the Bible: Crossing the Red Sea’ by Philip Jenson in Conversations at the Edges of Things (Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2012), pp. 154-61

Theology

The Trinitarian Theology of Stanley J. Grenz by Jason Sexton (London: T&T Clark, 2013)

‘As from the Father, so from the Son: The Procession of the Spirit in the Fourth Gospel’ by Daniel Newman in Churchman vol. 127, forthcoming

Theology and the Arts

‘Conversations with Wilfrid Owen: The Pity is in the Poetry’ by Adrian Chatfield in Anvil Journal 28/3 (2013)

Church History

Instant Expert: Martin Luther by Adrian Chatfield (Oxford: Lion Books, 2014), forthcoming

Business and Ethics

‘Work and Money in Ecclesiastes’ by Richard Higginson in Faith and Business Quarterly 15/4, pp. 13-19

‘Learning to put Faith into Business’

by Ranjeet Guptara in Faith and Business Quarterly 15/2: 13-14

Mission

The Word’s Out: Speaking the Gospel Today by Dave Male and Paul Weston (Abingdon: BRF, 2013) 15

Contributors: Eve Poole David Parish Richard Higginson Christopher Stephens

Pioneer School A unique school for pioneers in ministry

November 2013 to June 2014

Pioneer School is designed for pioneers who want both input and support for their ministries.

A Day Seminar at Ridley Hall Sat 2nd Nov 10am–4pm Details and booking at: www.faith-in-business.org

£65 per person (includes

refreshments and buffet lunch)

Six day sessions spread from October to June will provide you with theological and practical resources from key speakers on the important issues you encounter, and dedicated space to meet other pioneers and benefit from mutual support and encouragement.

To book your place visit www.centreforpioneerlearning.org.uk

TheYouDay of the Lord shall eat in plenty and be satisfied Saturday November 23rd, 2013 10am– 4pm at Ridley Hall, Cambridge CB 3 9HG

Book your place at: www.simeoncentre.co.uk Or call Rosemary Kew on 01223 746593 Registration Fee: £20 (Please bring a packed lunch with you; drinks will be provided.)