Alumni Newsletter Summer 2026

At our leavers' service I preached on Genesis 49-50, where there are opportunities both to look back and to look forward. There is a look back with blessings and farewells at the end of Jacob's life. Then a look forward to what will happen to Joseph's brothers now their father is dead - a temptation to try to control outcomes, which Joseph turns into another look back, a lesson about God's sovereign provision even despite evil human intent. Then another look forward, to God's abundant provision through Joseph's actions in the midst of famine. And finally, a further look forward, when Joseph promises that after his death 'God will surely visit us'. This last promise meets its fulfilment when Zechariah sings in the Benedictus that God 'has visited and redeemed his people' and prophecies that 'the dawn from on high shall visit us'. Whatever beginnings or endings you face in this season, may the prospect of God's abundance and his visitation give you strength and hope.

I came to Cranmer not really wanting to be a full time student again in my 30s… But I’m SO glad I did! Aside from the fact I had enormous fun, I see what a gift three years of college was in rooting me for the rest of my ministry.

Since leaving in Summer 2023, I’ve been serving my curacy right in the heart of the Lake District, in 4 very rural parishes. The biggest community, at Hawkshead, has a resident population of about 600; the smallest has only 40. Our numbers are swelled over the summer months with visitors, which brings the added challenge that you never quite know who you’re preaching to! The Sunday after I was ordained priest, I presided at Communion for the first time, and was a little disconcerted by the holidaymaker in the front row wearing a clerical collar sighing theatrically…

This is also the land of Beatrix Potter - her home at Hill Top sits in one of our parishes. The absolute low-point of my curacy came when a rabbit hopped out in front of me as I was driving home one night, right outside of Hill Top. I’m sorry to say that I achieved what Mr McGregor could not.

Fortunately, the good experiences have far outweighed any real negatives. I’ve learned so much about the importance of incarnational ministry in communities like these; people want to know ‘their vicar’, even if they never come to church. It’s a privilege, too, to share more fleeting moments of encounter with holidaymakers, and I never cease to be astonished at the deeply personal things people will share in a one-off conversation.

Early on, I learned the hard way the importance of carrying my wellies and a big torch. I’ve only once had to preside in bare feet because I’d got so wet walking through the fields! My curacy is coming to an end over the summer, and I’m really looking forward to the next challenge as I become vicar of 6 churches elsewhere in the Lake District. If you’re in the Lakes, come and say hi!

After graduating from Cranmer Hall in 2022, I moved down to London where I’ve been working for the past 3 years as Worship & Discipleship Year Pastor at All Saints’ Woodford Wells, a charismatic evangelical Anglican church which is part of New Wine.

It’s an honour to lead a contemporary worship team of 50+ volunteers as we cultivate a culture of worshipping in Spirit and Truth, and facilitate encounter with God’s presence. Highlights include: mentoring worship leaders, writing worship songs, filming a theology of worship series.

I also have the privilege of discipling young adults from all over the world on the New Wine Discipleship Year programme. This year we have 15 students in our hub hailing from 9 different countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. It’s a joy not only to teach them theology and equip these future leaders, but also to witness the riches of the global church coming to bless the UK church.

Highlights include: joining CTBI’s Racial Justice Sunday writers’ group, podcast interviews (Serve Asia, ACross Culture). I’ve also connected with theological heroes, such as Harvey Kwiyani and Amos Yong, both of whom featured in my dissertation. (Speaking of which, it was nice to hear from a current student that my dissertation kindly received a shoutout in a Theologies of the Majority World module.)

I got married in October 2025 to the wonderful Esther, with the wedding happening in London and a second reception in Singapore. As a Singaporean Chinese missionary kid who grew up in Japan, but who has responded to a missionary call to the UK, I’m excited for what the future holds as I permanently settle and root myself here in this country, and continue to serve as a bridge between the East and the West.

My name is Andy Hood, I’m an Anglican ordinand, and I have loved my time here at Cranmer, as has my wife and our three young children (with a fourth born by the time you’re reading this). In fact, I’ve enjoyed Cranmer so much that, rather unusually, I’m planning on being here for 5 years in total! Having completed a BA through the university theology department, I’m coming to the end of the first of three years of PhD study, focusing on Augustine’s sermons and commentaries on the psalms, and looking at his understanding of the person of Christ in that work. Once that’s finished (hopefully!), the plan is to get ordained and begin a curacy in the Summer of 2028.

This past academic year my term-time placement has been working with Nick and others to restart the Cranmer Hall podcast “Talking Theology” – do subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube! My role has involved liaising with guests, and reading a wide range of books and articles from across the discipline of theology and beyond to help Nick and other members of Cranmer staff prepare the questions for each interview. Personal highlights of the year for me have included reading Rt Revd Graham Tomlin’s fascinating biography of Blaise Pascal in preparation for an equally fascinating conversation, and learning from an article by Dr Deborah Davies of Ridley Hall how Pentecostal approaches to truth can help the church in its mission and ministry in a post-truth era. For me, “Talking Theology” is a great example of one of Cranmer’s key strengths – the ability to connect top-tier academic theology with the opportunities and challenges that characterise ministry today.

This summer Canon Dr Sanjee Perera, our newest member the tutorial staff team, will launch her new book Church of the Empire: The Church of England and Race in Global Perspective published by SCM Press.

The book explores how the Church of England has been entangled with empire and how this continues to shape its oppressive practices. Church of the Empire gathers a diverse and distinguished range of contributors from within and beyond the Church of England including Canon Dr Sanjee Perera (Ed.), Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, Prof Anthony Reddie, Revd Dr Evie Vernon, Revd Dr Steven Horne, Revd Sue Butler, Revd Martin Burrell, Dr Harvey Kwiyani, Revd Dr Carla Roland Guzmán, Revd Lauren Banks, Audrey Quay, Revd David Ho Young, Revd Dr Phillip Tovey, Revd Dr Malcolm Brown, Revd Dr Keith Gruneberg and Professor Mike Higton. The book offers some rarely considered perspectives on its multifaceted inheritance from the intersections of empire, race and ethnicity. Chapters focus on Jamaica, Hong Kong, the so-called ‘scramble for Africa’, the USA and Southeast Asia as well as England. They address liturgy, missiology, civic engagement and theological education in considering both the Church’s own life and how it shaped and was shaped by wider society and culture. Together this offers rich theological and historical analysis as well as a focus on the contemporary Church of England and how it might be transformed.

Generational Theory and research surrounding it can make hackles rise in academic circles.

The broad-brush strokes that come out of generational theory can seem like Barnum statements, which seem to make generalised authoritative statements without any real weight behind them. Yet in ministry circles, particularly around youth ministry, generational language is regularly used to describe who we are working with, the values they hold, and therefore the work that is needed to do to make Christianity ‘relevant’ to them.

This was the context in which I decided to undertake empirical research to explore the attitudes of GenZ (born 1995-2012) to Christianity. This research was done a few years ago, before Gen Alpha (born 2012 onwards) were entering their teenage years, and so at the time was to identify how contemporary young people perceived Christianity.

How did I do it?

I used a semi-longitudinal approach to meet several focus groups multiple times over a six-month period to give rich data regarding their thoughts around Christianity.

What did they think of Christianity?

They were cynical of an institution that was making truth claims about the nature of reality, and felt that the church was only interested in them to prop up its own existence.

At the same time, they could see that Christianity gave meaning, purpose, and comfort to many people who believed, and thought that it generally made those people’s lives better.

What is the ongoing impact of the research?

In my own teaching and practice I use generational theory sparingly, but it has made me take the context that young people are growing up in seriously. For example, GenZ have grown up in a context shaped by austerity with a scarcity mindset about finances. How do we talk about a God’s generosity to these young people without them dismissing us as naïve believers of fairytales? Yet we can’t change what we believe to suit the context. Walking the tightrope of contextualisation is a core skill for anyone working with children and young people, and we need a firm grasp of both ministry context and theological foundation to do this well. This is one of the core things we seek to do through our Children’s and Youth pathway at Cranmer.

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