The Last Days - Part 3

But Sunday wasn’t the end of it. There was still Monday to go.

Thanks to my new colleagues at Ridley Hall, I was able to contact a Cambridge local (Fr. Mark Scarlata – another US transplant, by the way) who is also a member of the team at St. Milletus College in London.

Morning session opens at St. Milletus

St Mellitus College is an English theological college established in 2007 by the Diocese of London and the Diocese of Chelmsford of the Church of England. St. Mellitus College remains a non-residential college that has pioneered context-based training within the Church of England by integrating academic theological study with ministry placements throughout the course of study. It was one of the models I came to study as part of my sabbatical inquiry.

The college was formed as a merger between North Thames Ministerial Training Course, which was based in the dioceses of London and Chelmsford, and St Paul’s Theological Center and has grown significantly since. It has moved into its own premises at St Jude's Church, Kensington (2012), a building renovated specifically for this purpose that houses a range of teaching space, rooms for pastoral care, academic and administrative offices, a growing academic library, space for hospitality and college worship.

While in many ways, St. Milletus mirrors our experience with the Stevenson School for Ministry in the diocese of Central Pennsylvania and the diocese of Bethlehem and beyond, there are significant differences not only in structure, but also in the way they can respond to the Church’s needs because of the polity of the Church of England. We are organized very differently in The Episcopal Church, and the processes involved in raising up people for lay and ordained leadership can have profound differences. However, there are many things that are the same whether we are Anglicans in American or in the UK. These are the things I came to study.

Experiences like my immersion in the work of Ridley Hall and my visits to places like Westminster College (Cambridge) and St. Milletus (London) have given me a great deal to think about. Along with my colleagues at the Stevenson School for Ministry, we continue to face many challenges for the development of church leadership for the Church of the twenty-first century.

I’ve gathered a great deal of data. In fact, my brain is swimming in it. As some time passes, some of it will settle – much like the rich silted soil in a river delta. My hope is that from this richness there will emerge some new thinking that will help us all to discover what God has in store for us in the days and years to come.

By the end of the day it was time to return to my temporary "home away from home" - Ridley Hall. Road weary and tired - oh and by the way, weary of the heat (it's been a whopping 85 deg F here!) - I showered, read a bit, had my evening tea and collapsed into bed for a rest. The next few days may prove just as challenging!