Spring 2008

NEWS from

Ridley grateful for many years of service

In the twelve years since John MacLean started work at Rid-ley in Spring 1996 he has seen the College transformed, and indeed, he him-

self has done much to transform it.

There were three good reasons why John was given his job here, against some quite stiff competi-tion. First, like Jesus he is a joiner and carpenter; second, when asked why he was so keen to take the post, he said “it’s those buildings Cont’d inside...

Also in this issue:COMING UP: JUNE 2008

Bishop Tom Wright to give inaugural C.F.D. Moule Memorial lecture

RESOUNDING TRUTHJeremy Begbie’s latest book, “charged with energy and insight – and not just for musicians

and theologians”

“THE AIR I BREATHE...”Janice Moore, a member of Ridley’s domestic team, talks about prayer

THINKING ABOUT STEWARDSHIP? New Development Director Richard Kew offers advice from a wealth of experience

COMING UP: JUNE 2008

REJeremy Begbie’s latest

THINKING ABOUT STEWARDSHIP?

STOP PRESS: As we go to press, it has been an-nounced that Christopher Cocksworth is to be the next Bishop of Coventry. We congratulate the Principal on his new appointment, and we pray for him, Char-lotte, and their family as they move from leadership in theological education to the challenge of leading the Diocese of Coventry. Further details enclosed

Eugene Peterson to be Simeon Conference keynote speaker

It is helpful to get an early warning – and this is one! Ridley’s newly-es-tablished Simeon Centre for Prayer and the Spiritual Life will be hold-ing its fi rst International Confer-ence from September 3–6, 2009.

While the conference is still being planned, we are delighted to an-nounce that Eugene Peterson will be the keynote speaker.

Eugene Peterson hails from Montana and is probably best known to-day for The Message, a contemporary free translation of the Bible that has made the truths of scripture accessible to an unchurched generation. Dr Peterson’s writing and speaking is wide-ranging and has been edifying lay and ordained Christians for more than thirty years. At present he is working on a fi ve volume series focused on the breadth and depth of biblical spiritual theology.

The theme of the conference will be Restoring Prayer, and will seek to respond to Jeremiah’s words: Ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will fi nd rest for your souls (6:16). It will be based at Ridley Hall and will make use of Selwyn, our neighbouring college, and the nearby Lady Mitchell Hall.

In addition to three keynote addresses there will be other speak-ers coupled with a wide range of workshops dealing with prayer in the life of the local church, and the spiritual disciplines. These workshops will provide both teaching and practice in prayer.

Planning is in the early stages and we expect a high level of in-terest from home and overseas. We are producing a pre-booking form for those who want to keep in touch, so please keep your eye on our website: www.ridley.cam.ac.uk/scnews.html

Eugene Peterson

John MacLean

Thinking about Stewardship?

“I believe that giving is just about the greatest privilege God gives to us,” says the Revd Rich-ard Kew, Ridley’s new Development Director, “And as much fun as giving is walking beside Christians as they are

making discover-ies of this kind.”

You might expect a Development Director to say such things, but Richard speaks from a lifetime of experience on both

sides of the Atlantic that has included the leadership and funding of several parishes, the launch and gestation of the South American Mission-ary Society in the USA, and ten years spent as the fi rst Di-rector of the American branch of SPCK. These experiences have convinced him how im-portant is the stewardship of time, talents, and especially treasure for healthy Christian living and the advance of the Kingdom.

Having been trained and or-dained in England, the Revd Richard Kew joined the staff at Ridley in September 2007. He is eager to share experience and expertise in biblical stew-ardship with groups, deaner-ies, or parishes. Events can be tailored to suit the needs and challenges of your setting. To fi nd out more call the Development Offi ce at Ridley (01223 741069 or 741079) or email rk383@cam.ac.uk

(...cont’d) – they need so much doing”; and third, we would be getting the added benefi t of his own power tools! And there was a bonus – being a Steward at his local Methodist Church, John is the sort of person who applies a real sense of method and stewardship to everything he does.

Touring the College buildings, John could point out his handiwork all around, but since it blends in so well you would never know. He is a stickler for sound work, and woe betide anyone, whether individual, specialist trade or builder that falls short of his own high standards. Long before the term 24/7 came into use John was perpetually on call to deal with any emergency. I remember the occasion when sev-eral rooms were fl ooded out. Typical of his dedication, John hastily fetched his own industrial vacuum from home to suck up the gallons of water.

John will be 70 in August next year. We thank him profoundly for his dedicated work at Ridley which marks the peak of his involvement in a long line of distinguished Cambridge buildings. We wish both John and Diane every happiness in the future. Janine Stewart, College Administrator

Resounding Truth – a musical offering

“Very few new books in theology or religious studies show this level of freshness and imagination.”

So says Archbishop Rowan Williams of the latest book written by Rid-ley’s Associate Principal and Lecturer in Doctrine, Jeremy Begbie. And very few, it might be added, cover so much ground with both clarity and insight. Part 1, ‘Music in Action’, asks the deceptively simple ques-tion of what music is – spotlighting many of our own contemporary assumptions on the way – and goes on to survey music in biblical times.

Part 2 takes us on a fascinating tour of ‘Encounters’ with musicians and thinkers ranging from St Au-gustine to Luther to Bach and Scottish composer James MacMillan, drawing on a rich history of mutual engagement between music and theology.

The fi nal part sets out a Christian ‘ecology’ – a framework of beliefs which shape our view of the world – and asks what it might mean for our sing-ing, playing and listening to understand music as a gift with distinctive powers we are called to dis-cover, respect, develop – and enjoy. “Joy”, we read,

“is the air the Christian breathes as he or she pursues a vocation.”

The subtitle says it all: ‘Christian wisdom in the world of music’....

Jeremy Begbie’s book, Resounding Truth (416pp), is published by Baker Academic/SPCK (2007) and available for £12.99 from Amazon

Part 2 takes us on a fascinating tour of ‘Encounters’ with musicians and thinkers ranging from St Au-gustine to Luther to Bach and Scottish composer James MacMillan, drawing on a rich history of mutual engagement between music and theology.

The fi nal part sets out a Christian ‘ecology’ – a framework of beliefs which shape our view of the world – and asks what it might mean for our sing-ing, playing and listening to understand music as a gift with distinctive powers we are called to dis-cover, respect, develop – and

“The air I breathe...”

Our College relies on a multitude of people behind the scenes, and recently I met up with one of them – Janice Moore, who joined the Ridley domestic team in April 2001.

Having previously worked for the National Health Service for 22 years she has a habit of sticking around jobs for a long time, so we confi -dently expect her to be here for many years to come!

Janice has always lived in the Cambridge area. She grew up in nearby Cottenham, moving to Cambridge in 1979 – it proved a good move, for this is where she met her husband Brian, who she married two years later! Following a chronic muscular condition, the Lord took Brian in October 2000. “He was strong in his gentleness and lived his faith” says Janice, speaking fondly of her years with Brian. She spoke also of similarly infl uential people in her life – in particular her grandfather, a great example of sacrifi cial living. When Janice talks about her faith, Grandad Victor in particular features as a strong inspiration. His death left a big gap in Janice’s life, but as she tried to live without him, she gradually realised that someone else had been with her all along: this was Jesus. “I had to make a choice to follow him” Janice told me. At the age of 24 she was baptised.

Last year she completed a lay ministry course and is now a pastoral assistant. Not satisfi ed with this, she will soon begin a Cruise Training Course – getting involved with their helpline service, coffee mornings and visiting people at home. She hopes also to serve others by working in bereavement care, drawing on her own life experience and the grace of God to enable people to see the love of God, even at such times when faith can be challenged so much.

Prayer is “just like the air I breathe” Janice told me. Working with wonderful people is not the only advantage for those on Ridley’s pay-roll: Janice learned a lot from a College course on Prayer Counselling! She expressed gratitude to those who have prayed with her, and it’s clear as she speaks that working in an environment where people pray and live out their faith is vital to her. Prayer, she says with her characteristic quiet humility, is one thing she can and does do for people. “If you can pray togeth-er, all kinds of things happen...You realise you are not alone.” To Janice, God is ever merciful, ever eager to wash our feet, to break bread with us, to give us his Spirit and his Son.

Gita Bond, Ridley Student

Janice’s favourite biblical passage: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;great is your faithfulness;‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’The Lord is good to those who wait for him,To the soul that seeks him.It is good that one should wait quietly For the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:22–26

Courses for Readers& Local Lay Ministers

At Ridley Hall we take lay leadership very seriously. Re-source & Refresh, a training programme for Readers and Local Lay Ministers, draws on the imagination, skill and ex-pertise of our own staff and that of other theological col-leges and universities around the country. The conferences are designed to spur on Read-ers in their own ministry intellectually, practically and personally.

Coming up....

15–17 April 2008

The Resonant Voice of Old Testament Narrative

with Penny Frank, author of The Lion Story Bible

Transforming Worship

with Peter Craig-Wild, author of Tools for Transformation: Making Worship Work

2–4 September 2008

The Gospel of Mark

with John Proctor, author of the People’s Bible Commentary on Matthew

Stepping into God’s glory: Mediating God’s presence in ministry

with Ron Jackson, chaplain and tutor at Trinity College, Bristol

Return the slip overleaf for more information, or call 01223 741079 to book your place now.

www.ridley.cam.ac.uk/readers.html

“The whole experience was a joy”

Janice Moore

Old Testament Narrative

The Gospel of Mark

Find out more....

For further details on events featured in this newsletter, return the form below to:The Development Offi ce, Ridley Hall, Cambridge CB3 9HG (or use the enclosed envelope)

q I/We wish to send a gift for the support of Ridley’s ministry

q Please fi nd enclosed a cheque for £ __________

(payable to ‘Ridley Hall’)

q I/We qualify for Gift Aid – please Gift Aid this donation

Please send me further information on the following:

q Simeon Conference 2009

q Moule Memorial Lecture

q Resource & Refresh

q Simeon Programme 2008

q Stewardship events

q Studying at Ridley

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Address: ________________

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Your Email address (to receive regular emailings with news updates from Ridley):

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First annual

C.F.D. MOULE

MEMORIAL LECTURE

Thursday, June 5th 2008

5pm at Ridley Hall

The Rt Revd N.T. Wright,

Bishop of Durham

For more details contact:

The Development Offi ce, Ridley Hall

Tel: 01223 741079 Email: development@ridley.cam.ac.uk

or visit:

www.ridley.cam.ac.uk

The Rt Revd N.T. Wright,

Bishop of Durham

Tel: 01223 741079 Email: development@ridley.cam.ac.uk

or visit:

www.ridley.cam.ac.ukTelephone: ______________

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Welcome....

....to Trevor Bossley, our new Premises Manager who joined us in March. Trevor comes to us from St Bede’s Inter-Church School, where he was Site Offi cer. He is married to Maria and they have two sons and a daugh-ter. Trevor’s interests include gardening, fi shing, play-ing the guitar and listening to jazz. Trevor Bossley