SPCK's AGM and Inaugural Annual Lecture

December 4, 2019

SPCK supporters ponder the mysteries of the Middle East with Terry Waite and Andrew White at SPCK’s inaugural Annual Event.

This sparking occasion began with SPCK’s Annual General Meeting, held in Westminster School’s stylish Manoukian Music Centre. Earlier in the day, SPCK’s supporters connected with friends old and new over tea and pastries, before browsing through the latest selection of SPCK’s Christmas and advent titles. The AGM, chaired by SPCK’s Chair of Trustees, James Catford, began at 4pm. Sam Richardson, SPCK’s CEO, delivered an encouraging presentation, highlighting the many awards that SPCK had won during the year. Patrick Litton’s explanation of SPCK’s financial position was hopeful but left no room for complacency. Sam spoke fervently about SPCK’s worldwide missional legacy, including the foundation of many of England’s church schools, which now number in the thousands. Mr Catford, who has pledged to remember SPCK in his own will, made a very personal plea to all present to consider the legacy that they could leave to ensure that SPCK can continue to make a lasting impact in the world and achieve our vision of a world where everyone can be transformed by Christian Knowledge. The meeting ended with the SPCK prayer.

Next, SPCK’s guests and friends gave thanks at Evensong sung by the school choir. The thought-provoking homily, on the theme of peace, given by The Rt Revd Michael Beasley, Bishop of Hertford, an SPCK trustee, was followed by a beautiful rendition of Pray that Jerusalem, by Charles Villiers Stanford. The service sheet, so carefully prepared by the school chaplain, Revd Gavin Williams, included on the cover an icon of Holy Wisdom throned in glory with Christ. “I chose the illustration because we will need divine wisdom if we are to be peace-makers,” said Revd Williams.

After evensong, SPCK guests were treated to drinks and canapes in the historic school hall, known as “School”, as this huge medieval hall was once all that constituted the school, with the boys sitting on forms, , in different parts of the hall, according to age and ability.

The inaugural annual lecture began at 7.15pm with a short presentation on SPCK’s vital Diffusion Programme, which helps prisoners improve their reading skills while thinking about life’s big questions. It has now been used in over 80% of prisons and over 15,000 free books have been distributed to prisoners, young offenders and people at risk of offending.

Mariam Tadros, a peacebuilding specialist at Tearfund and a trustee of embrace the Middle-East then very ably chaired a conversation between Terry Waite, the humanitarian and author and Andrew White, 'the Vicar of Baghdad', both SPCK authors, about the situation inthe Middle East and their own experiences there. Terry and Andrew compared notes about being in captivity, although Andrew admitted that his three days was, notwithstanding the moment when he realized the floor was littered with chopped-off fingers, was nothing like the extraordinary five years that Waite experienced. Both men spoke with wisdom and humour, but also brought a strong spiritual dimension to what they had to share, Revd White explaining how he lives by the motto given him by Donald Coggan, former archbishop of Canterbury, “don’t take care, take risks” and telling us that “when you take risks, God is there with you”, and Terry Waite saying that it is always worth trying to change things because transformation is at the heart of the Christian message.

After the discussion, Mariam, Andrew and Terry took questions from the floor and were then available for signing books. Over 150 people attended the talk and we hope to be seeing them all again at next year’s event, which will be announced in the new year.