Books published by Sacristy Press

Pastoral care is central to Christian ministry, and it can take ministers to the edges of human life. Chaplains often work on the edge of institutions, and frequently on the edge of society. In this thoughtful and practical book, Rosie Deedes draws on her experience as a chaplain in prisons and hospices and reflects on the nature of pastoral care and the contribution chaplaincy can make to the life and ministry of the Church. Focusing particularly on the taboo subject of death and dying, she shows how ministers such as clergy and chaplains are called to go 'into the depths' of human life to share the love and compassion of God. Reflecting on a number of pastoral encounters, the book invites ministers to confront the depths of human life and to develop resilience that enables them to engage in depth with all they encounter.

Churches are intended to be inclusive communities of love, yet the reality is often different, and leaders find themselves needing to resolve conflict and ease tensions within the community, as they are attempting to facilitate change. David Robert Tomlinson draws on systems thinking and conflict resolution techniques originating in the Anabaptist tradition as well as on his extensive experience in ordained ministry and offers practical guidance and a vision for constructive church leadership that can indeed facilitate churches that are rooted and grounded in love and can embrace change with confidence and resilience."An immediately usable and understandable text that will enable many others to benefit from David's leadership insights."The Revd Canon Dr Roger Matthews, Dean of Mission and Ministry, Diocese of Chelmsford"This is both a wise and a practical book, calling us to bear hopeful witness as God's people in the world today."Liz Griffiths, Director of Training, Bridge Builders

This is a thoughtful and engaging companion for all who experience times of spiritual crisis.Having come to faith as a young adult, Sarah Parkinson had always had a strong sense of the presence and loving care of God in her life. Following a family bereavement, she found herself searching for a God who no longer seemed to be there. Movingly expressed in reflective prose, and poems written at the time, she describes how this experience led her to a more profound and mature relationship with God. The author tells her own story and in doing so enables others to search for and find transformation in their life of faith.

The Council of Jerusalem in 49 AD and recorded in the Acts of the Apostles is the beginning of the Church's mission to the Gentiles. In a close reading of the biblical texts about the Council, the author, a Roman Catholic Biblical Theologian, explores how the Council's hard-won decision to move from nationalism to universalism is not only the most important event in the history of the early Church but remains a constant challenge for the Church today if it wants to remain credible in the contemporary world and to its own members.

Call to the North was a unique initiative of Evangelism in the North East of England in the early 1970s. Against the background of increasing secularization of society and the gradual breaking down of historical barriers between denominations, it was of its time but also ahead of its time. Written by the Secretary to the group, this book is an important contribution to the study of the history of Christianity in England.

In Love in Thin Places, David Grieve, a chaplain at Durham Cathedral, invites us to join him as he walks around the greatest of the Northern cathedrals. In this building that has offered sanctuary, silence and space for prayer to many over the centuries, we meet not only saints like Cuthbert, Bede and Godric but are also confronted with the questions and concerns of today's pilgrims and visitors and not least the chaplain himself.The poems have been written over a period of thirty years, in some cases as a direct result of personal experiences or impressions received while at the Cathedral. The Cathedral is a Thin Place, where the distance between the close presence of God and the realities of life on earth seems to shorten. This is building with its many functions as a house of worship, music, art and other exhibitions, university graduations and all manner of events is itself a medium through which we can draw closer to God, speaking as it does of him.

“An intelligent and fresh exposition of what the Christian faith is.” — John GoldingayKingdom Come makes essential theological topics relevant and readable without diluting the Gospel message, drawing on the work of thinkers such as Augustine, John Calvin, George MacDonald, Karl Barth, C. S. Lewis, J. I. Packer and N. T. Wright.This book is essential reading for anyone in, or training for, church leadership: clergy, pastors, students, ordinands, preachers, and teachers.

This haunting and deeply personal collection of poems springs from the search for God in the pain and vulnerability of life, in the beauty of Creation, in the joy and sacredness of relationship and the pathos of loss, and in all the ordinary and challenging aspects of life. Lyn McCrave's poems, although personal, reflect our common longing for meaning in life, and our desire for union, for relationship.The poems provide a glimpse into the inner heart and sacred space of the writer, revealing in a raw honesty her vulnerability and openness, and the peace that comes from trust and self abandonment. There is compassion and empathy with the suffering of others when sometimes all that can be done is to stand by them. But there is also hope in seeing life beyond this life, an eternal purpose.

Prayer is a strange thing. Simple yet profound. How does it work? We don't know. But God hears and loves us to talk to Him and to sit in His presence. Even in the darkness of night, when all the world seems to rest but you, there is a cry from the heart to a listening and understanding Father.GASP! is a fervent and arresting response to a fast-changing world, the joy of creation and connection, and the goodness found in people. The poems ask pertinent and hard questions about life, relationships, suffering and inequality. Some of these questions are answered, while others remain mysterious, complex and concerning...

Does the Christian Bible seem somehow remote, inaccessible, or difficult to penetrate? This unusual book offers a way in to the Bible which has probably never been attempted before...It introduces the first six books of the Bible through a combination of poetry, conversation and commentary. The poems are written in a variety of styles, from sonnet to Haiku, reflecting the variety of writing in the Bible, and simply to enjoy the art of poetry as one of God's gifts to humankind.Sometimes humorous, often challenging, and always accessible, this is a book for anyone who doesn't know where to start with the Old Testament.

These radical prayers break the mould of the “collect” prayers that are so familiar to millions of Christians worldwide. They are the result of the author’s struggle with the blandness and predictability of so many of the church’s traditional prayers.Useful for both personal and liturgical devotion, these prayers will both challenge and nourish.Many churches use a traditional collect in their Sunday service. Some of the familiar collects stand out in our minds as we remember their helpful phrases and expressions. But many seem to pass us by as they appear safe or predictable.Graham Turner provides us with an exciting and challenging set of alternative collects. They adopt the direct and gritty style and language often found amongst the Psalms and prophets of the Old Testament, and are honest about the discomfort we often experience as we seek to live lives following Jesus Christ whilst also acknowledging the audacious grace of God towards us.

"a classic of biblical interpretation" - ROWAN WILLIAMSGod B.C. is a clear and profound introduction to the spiritual world of the Old Testament, providing a highly readable introduction to the nature of the God whom Jesus called "Father". It charts the relationship between God and God's people Before Christ, and how that relationship informs our understanding of grace.This revised and much expanded work revisits the subject in the light of recent scholarship, enabling us to see how the whole Bible reveals the character of our humanity as well as that of God's divinity.

“a book that needs to be taken very seriously” — Philip North“challenging lessons for the modern church” — Michael TurnbullThis is a radical and controversial challenge to the top-down leadership models that are so widespread in the church, instead making the case for a new model of people-driven servant leadership, guided by the Holy Spirit towards kingdom growth rather than church growth.Using the example of two Loreto Sisters working alongside one of the most socially-deprived communities in North East England, we see how they listened to and affirmed people who felt forgotten and had lost hope. As servant leaders, the Sisters were gradually able to empower the residents of Port Clarence on the River Tees to confront the many injustices heaped upon them, and to take action in improving their lives.Mission From Below is an inspiring example of how a seriously neglected community can bring about its own transformation without any fads or initiatives imposed from on high by the church.

Hope in Dark Places explores the depths of depression through the poetry of David Grieve. You will be moved to tears and laugh unexpectedly. You will feel the raw reality of suffering and feel Christ’s presence in its midst.

Britain is under attack on two fronts. The IRA is mounting a bombing campaign on the mainland, and agents of the German Secret Service are collecting vital information to help them if war breaks out.Investigative journalist Roger Martin unearths a link between the IRA and Nazi Germany and, with the help of two teenage boys and Scotland Yard’s Special Branch, uncovers two plots which threaten Britain’s preparations for war.Meanwhile, Roger discovers that the Gestapo are blackmailing a young Jewish girl who has come to England through the Kinder Transport and is working in the service of a senior Foreign Office Diplomat. A daring operation is mounted to rescue her parents from under the noses of the Gestapo in Berlin.The Summer of ’39 is a tale of spies, terrorists and blossoming young love—an epic adventure set in the final months of peace before WWII.

There is a universal assumption that associates darkness with fear and evil. Why is it that light has come to be exalted, venerated-worshipped even-whilst darkness has become demonised and feared? As a devoted lover of the dark, Catherine Bird seeks to ask how we can use the experience of darkness to lift our spirits, challenge our hearts and minds, and draw us closer into the heart of God. Drawing on material not only from Biblical and religious studies, but also from anthropology, biology, sociology and the creative arts, The Divine Heart of Darkness offers a new way of understanding darkness and invites you to enter a new realm in which light and darkness co-exist and complement each other, both with beautiful and life-affirming qualities, and both with challenging and negative qualities-not reflecting a dichotomy of good and evil, but rather a balanced universe in which God's nature is revealed in all things which are healing and affirming of life.

During his City days as a junior executive, John Davey became a Special Constable attached to Bow Street Police Station.Having felt a calling since his early teens, the priesthood beckoned, and in 1966 he started training at theological college. As part of his pastoral training, John made regular visits to Ford Open Prison, and, as a curate in Eastbourne, trained as a voluntary probation officer. His final full-time ministerial post was as Chaplain and Director of Studies at the National Police Staff College, Bramshill, a training establishment for senior police officers.During forty years of full-time ministry, John has served as a pastor and mentor to people from all walks of life, and was, for a time, Chaplain and Minor Canon of St George's Chapel, Windsor.John is now retired and lives with his wife Mary in Nottingham.

The Gharsias hold a secret which means they can never be safe.1530: Hernando Gharsia flees Spain with Luis, the traumatised grandson he is determined to raise within the traditions and faith of his ancestors. As he grows up, Luis must learn to navigate French and English society, politics and commerce with utmost discretion. In an historical saga spanning several tumultuous decades, the loyalty of friends is the only refuge from Europe’s religious and political turmoil.From the vineyards of south-west France to the bustling port of Bridgwater, England, the remarkable story of Luis Gharsia unfolds as one of love, betrayal, resilience, and sacrifice.

The Paradise Tree is a beautiful devotional companion about the experience of God and giving expression to our inner spirituality.A creative mixture of poetry, prose and scripture, this book will challenge preconceptions about the nature of God, heaven, hell, intercessory prayer, and the relevance of human existence within the vastness of an unfathomable universe.This book is about personal discipleship and giving witness to the presence of God to the world around us. It is about finding within our inner being the meaning of life itself and about our future destiny. To do this we need to reflect upon the life and witness of a man who lived two thousand years ago and who, by his life of personal sacrifice to the needs of others in the name of love, gave visible expression to the reality and being of God, in the everyday life of humankind.

This book reflects upon the Stations of the Cross and hopes to process the events that took place on Good Friday.

Cathedrals today face a paradox: on the one hand they represent one of the biggest success stories and mission opportunities of the present-day church; on the other they face seemingly insurmountable financial difficulties, and are largely left by the church and government to fend for themselves.Many--both within and outside the church--argue that cathedrals are an irrelevance. But cathedrals are one area of the church's life where increasingly the unchurched and the half-believer encounter God, and where the institutions of our society instinctively engage with the Christian gospel, making them truly missional in their occupation of a spiritually liminal space.Holy Ground digs deep into the life of England's cathedrals, and discusses such diverse topics as finance, growth, heritage, liturgy, development, music and art.

The Bible is full of instructions for how we ought to behave if we want to be a follower of Jesus, but these often seem to belong to a by-gone age, far removed from our busy twenty-first century lives. Follow Me helps us uncover how Jesus’ words are still relevant, and distils the essence of the Gospel message for today, providing practical steps that all of us can take to live the sayings of Jesus.Using true stories to bring us closer to scripture, Ian Black draws connections between what Jesus said and how we live today in all its messiness and complexity. Based on Jesus’ words “follow me”, he reflects on acts of loving service, the commandment to love, prayer, money, forgiveness, self-sacrifice, mission, and the Eucharist (Communion).