2.  NIV Popular Burgundy Bible (new edition). Hodder £16.99

3.  The Helmsley Chronicles by David Wilbourne.  Darton, Longman and Todd £12.99

4.  The Theology of the Gospel of Matthew by Ulrich Luz. Cambridge University Press £18.99

5.  Finding Your Leadership Style by Keith Lamdin. SPCK £9.99

6.  Matthew: a Shorter Commentary by W.D. Davies. T&T Clark £34.99

7.  The Preaching Workbook by David Day. SPCK £9.99

8.  Woodbine Willie: an Unsung hero of World War One by Bob Holman. Lion Books £9.99

9.  Pocket Prayers: the Classic Collection by Christopher Herbert. Church House Publishing £5.99

10. Falling Upward by Richard Rohr. SPCK £10.99

Who is Justin Welby and what sort of Archbishop will he be?  This little book offers a readable account of his life thus far.  It is not really a biography, but more a combination of an expanded commentary on his CV and a letter of recommendation by an evangelical scholar who teaches history and doctrine at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.

The book is well-documented, drawing on interviews, archives, articles from parish magazines and even audio recordings of seminars given at New Wine.  The references are all footnoted, but hard to follow-up in the absence of a list of abbreviations or a bibliography.  This gives the book a gossipy flavour in places that readers will either find entertaining or exasperating.  For example we are told that Justin was a honeymoon baby but that his parents soon divorced and his father became engaged to be married to Vanessa Redgrave, ‘a 23 year old budding actress less than half his age’.

The early chapters contain quite a bit of padding, such as the statistics of Enterprise Oil’s production between 1984 and 1989, and the chapter on Welby’s curacy and first incumbency in Coventry Diocese is unremarkable, describing the work of a capable evangelical minister.  In contrast, the chapter on his time at Coventry Cathedral is more nuanced.  It shows him using his gifts to engage in a costly ministry of reconciliation, particularly in Nigeria, complete with the ‘Six R’s’ of reconcilation.  It is notable that he has less success in reconciling groups of Christians in Coventry, than in Nigeria.  The recurrent themes of Welby’s time in Liverpool and Durham are mission and evangelism, with godly money management. Salisbury readers will be pleased to note his close links with the Benedictine monks now living in the Close.

Overall, the picture emerges of a likeable leader with a genuine desire to follow Christ.  I valued learning a little more about the new Archbishop’s experience and priorities.  These do not necessarily indicate the way he might take in the future, as his obedience to Christ has taken him in some unexpected directions thus far.

Reviewed by David Holgate, Principal of STETS.

Published by Darton, Longman and Todd, ‘Archbishop Justin Welby’ is normally priced at £7.99.  Mention the Website to order a copy at the special price of £7.49 and POST FREE FROM Sarum College Bookshop until  May 31^st  2013. 

Two years ago Ness Whiffin, a student on the Southern Theological Training and Education Scheme (STETS) approached Sarum College Principal Keith Lamdin to ask whether their group might have the green bold patterned curtains in the dining room, given the refurbishment planned for December 2011.

Not long after, Ness wrote to say the curtains were “now laundered and ready for creating into something amazing!”

The group used the material to make a variety of items, including stoles, waistcoats, Bible covers and bookmarks to sell at clerical clothing fairs.

Thanks to the generosity of the 37-10 STETS group, Sarum College has benefited from the proceeds – we received cheques totalling £1420 in 2013. A huge thank you to the 37-10 group for their creative endeavours!

We welcome any other fundraising ideas out there. For more information on how you might be able to support Sarum College visit our dedicated page or get in touch with us.

Email development@sarum.ac.uk or telephone 01722 424812

The awards are open to: ‘all clergy in Anglican Christian faiths and aim to provide financial support to members of the clergy for sabbatical breaks and projects undertaken in 2014’.

Ecclesiastical traditionally supports a wide range of projects from studies into modern religious practices to pilgrimages, retreats and quiet time for reflection. The awards for 2014 are now open for applications until 30th September 2013. Judging of the applications will take place in November and awards will be made during December 2013.

To find out more about the Ministry Bursary Awards, eligibility criteria and to download an application form, visit the Ecclesiastical website.

For further information about sabbaticals and study breaks at Sarum College visit our dedicated page or contact our hospitality team.

hospitality@sarum.ac.uk  |  01722 424800

2.  Finding Your Leadership Style by Keith Lamdin.  SPCK £9.99

3.  Supporting New Ministers in Local Church by Keith Lamdin . SPCK £14.99

4.  Leaving the Reason Torn by Alison Goodlad.  Shoving Leopard £12.95

5.  Archbishop Justin Welby: the Road to Canterbury by Andrew Atherstone Darton, Longman & Todd £7.99

6.  The Resurrection of Peace by Mary Grey SPCK £7.99

7.  How to Live by Stephen Cottrell Church House Publishing, £9.99

8.  Christ in the Wilderness:  Reflecting on the Paintings by Stanley Spencer.  SPCK, £9.99

9.  The Art of Worship by Nicholas Holtam.   Yale University Press, £12.99

10. The Heart’s Time by Janet Morley.  SPCK £9.99

I was immediately attracted to the cover of this book; a painting of the stone houses, church and bridge over the river which I recognised to be the attractive town of Helmsley in North Yorkshire.

Author David Wilbourne was vicar of Helmsley before becoming Assistant Bishop of Llandaff, and the book consists of diary entries from 1997 to 1998, his first year in the Parish. Some of you may recall his regular diary column in the Church Times on which the book is based.

The book is written in a gentle style, and deals with life in rural North Yorkshire, with the same kinds of characters to be found in the writings of James Herriot and Gervase Phinn. While Herriot drove around in an old car, Wilbourne seemed to spend a lot of time bicycling from Helmsley to his parishioners and to his other lonely churches, often in bad weather and at speed as he desperately tries to get to his appointment on time after phone calls and visitors at the vicarage inevitably mean a late start.

The diaries don’t only deal with everyday life; some of the big issues as also touched on briefly. 1997 was after all the year Princess Diana died. It was also the year a gay wedding in the US made the TV news.

But mainly the diaries show a compassionate vicar trying his best to be accepted and make a difference in his parish, just as many are doing a decade later. Even in an idyllic part of the country, there are problems of vandalism. He speaks of “the intercessions book, thrown on the floor by the thief, containing the heartfelt pleas of folk carrying so much tragedy”. It is the mixture of tragedy and humour which makes this book so enjoyable.

Reviewed by Jenny Monds, Director of Learning Resources, Sarum College.

Published by Darton, Longman and Todd, ‘The Helmsley Chronicles’ is normally priced at £12.99. Mention the Sarum College Website to order a copy at the special price of £11.99 and POST FREE from Sarum College Bookshop until April 30th 2013.

Ancient and Modern: Hymns and songs for refreshing worship is a brand new edition of the world’s best known hymn book designed for contemporary patterns of worship. The hymn book has has undergone a complete revision and now offers the broadest ever range of traditional hymns with the best from today’s composers and hymn/song writers.

150 years since its first publication and after sales of 170 million copies, this brand new edition contains 847 items, ranging from psalm settings to John Bell, Bernadette Farrell, Stuart Townend and others.

New features include added provision for all the seasons of the Church year, new items for carol services and other popular occasions where the repertoire is in need of refreshing, more choices for all-age worship, fresh translations of some ancient hymnody, beautiful new tunes, short songs and chants – kyries, alleluias, blessings – and music from the world church.

Come and hear some of the newly included music sung by members of the Royal School of Church Music as you enjoy a glass of wine. If you have been thinking of changing your hymn book, this is an ideal chance to find out more about the new Ancient & Modern.

There is an introductory offer of 35% discount on 20 or more copies until 30 June available through Sarum College Bookshop.

Free entry, all welcome

For more information or to RSVP email bookshop@sarum.ac.uk or telephone
01722 326899