Lancelot Andrewes Medal: Revd. Liz Newman & Rick Newman

Revd. Liz Newman

Being invited by Bishop Christopher to accept the Lancelot Andrewes medal showed me that my default position is still self-doubt. And avoidance of the limelight. Really? Me? But then I noticed the words ‘for services to Charlton’ and I began to feel a bit different. Actually began to feel very moved. Because Charlton is a place that’s played a really significant part in my life.

I first pitched up here as a newly qualified Social Worker in 1981, working for Greenwich Social Services. I didn’t know much about the place – except that it would soon be home to the Thames Barrier which my father, an oceanographer, did a lot of work demonstrating the need for.

I can’t remember how long it took me to find a church. But I do remember why I was looking for one. I was feeling quite lonely, not sure I’d made the right move and struggling with the challenges of working residential hours in a mental health unit. To be fair, it was also time for me to give church another go. I’d acquired a lot of academic knowledge via the theology degree I studied for straight from school. But I was a long way from integrating what I’d learned with everyday life. I knew deep down that I wanted a living and relevant faith. I just didn’t want to get disappointed by churches again.

At some point, my hope of finding a place to grow in a parish church took me to St Luke’s, in the heart of Charlton Village. The Rector, Tony Crowe, was so unlike the staid and conservative vicars I’d grown up with. Justice for Palestine, blessing of same-sex relationships, championing the rights of divorcees to remarry in church, fighting for the ordination of women. Wow! Since the 1970s these were the causes St Luke’s had been embracing. For the first time in my life I’d found a church I felt proud to be a member of.

Long story short, husband and 3 children later. Still at St Luke’s and being nudged by encouraging people to notice if I was being called into some sort of ministry, that’s the path God led me down. I was a Reader first. Ordination followed. But I never left Charlton because I trained on the ordained local ministry course. And I never left Charlton because I didn’t want to. The opportunity to serve here always excited me. A few months from retirement it still does. ‘Charlton’ in church terms had now become bigger – the neighbouring parish of St Thomas joined with St Luke’s in 2002 to form a united benefice. So I fell in love with another Charlton church and congregation too.

My ministry has had a few incarnations :….

Reader; Self supporting priest; Chaplain to Blackheath Bluecoat School in the last 3 years of its life; Co-ordinating Chaplain at Queen Elizabeth Hospital; and since 2017 Rector of Charlton. Every one of them, though, within the Benefice of Charlton.

I’m retiring at the end of October. And if I’m honest I don’t quite know what life without Charlton will feel like. Which doesn’t mean that I won’t embrace slowing down and discovering what God’s calling me to next. But serving Charlton has been what God’s asked me to spend most of my life doing. It’s been the greatest privilege of my life. And if I ever forget that, I now have a medal to remind me!

Rick Newman

It’s a huge honour to receive the Lancelot Andrewes Medal. I was happy to accept on behalf of many who give and do so much to keep churches going – churchwardens, PCC members and deanery synod reps, charity trustees, cleaners, brass polishers, welcomers, readers, minute takers, collection counters, intercessors, sides people, bin-emptiers, litter pickers, gardeners, refreshment servers, the flower arrangers, those who represent the church on local organisations, musicians and singers, child carers and whoever it is that replaces lightbulbs and decorates the church at Christmas. What little I know about Lancelot Andewes is that he was a capable team leader who assembled a strong team to do what was asked of him by God and King James.

I first encountered St Luke’s in Charlton Village in 1982. At first I didn’t immediately appreciate that not all Anglican churches were as inclusive and forward thinking as St Luke’s. It was both welcoming and holy. Somewhere others have described as a ‘thin place’. Liz and I married there the next year. Over the next decade our three children were christened there. As Liz began to train for ministry, I took on various roles and responsibilities a pattern that continued for the next thirty years or so.

I’m also happy to accept the medal on behalf of all the other “other-halfs”. It’s been a privilege to have supported Liz in her journey from pew to pulpit in Charlton and beyond. Pressure on clergy is immense and ever-growing. Practical support and encouragement from lay people has never been more needed. We need strong teams and team players.

The medal came in a presentation box with the words “presented by The Bishop of Southwark in recognition of Zeal for the Gospel and Godly Service”. The words sparked acute imposter syndrome and disbelief that I deserved it. Since then I’ve since reflected on the various forms zeal can take. The key words for me are not so much those repeated on the medal but those on the case – “presented by the Bishop of Southwark”. I am grateful for the honour. And all the more honoured that it’s been given by Bishop Christopher, a man who truly embodies zeal for the Gospel and Godly Service.