Who’s Who ‘S’

Saunders, Cicely Dame OM DBE FRCS FRCP FRCN Founder of the modern British and overseas Hospice Movement 1918-2005 Educated Roedean School and St Anne’s College Oxford. Trained as a nurse during the war at St Thomas’s (Nightingale School of Nursing). She later trained as Doctor, qualifying in 1957. She specialised in palliative care, became an active Christian in the 1940s and following the death of her first husband Ela Majer “David” Tasma, a Polish-Jewish refugee who survived the Warsaw Ghetto she inherited £500 from him to found a hospice. Following the death of a second Pole whom she married, she founded St. Christopher’s Hospice in 1967. The pillars of St Christopher’s are clinical research, teaching, holistic care of the dying in the hospice or at home, palliative care and pain control (including the concept of total pain- physical, mental, emotional and spiritual), spiritual and in particular Christian support. St Christopher’s became a beacon of a national and international hospice movement for adults and children. Aged 61 Saunders married for a third time another Pole, the artist Bohusz- Szysko whose art hangs in St Christopher’s. Saunders herself died at St Christopher’s. She was awarded the Order of St Gregory from the pope. 

Sentamu John, Archbishop of York 1949– Born in Kampala Educated at Makerere University in Law LLB 1971. He was briefly imprisoned in Uganda for speaking out against Idi Amin before fleeing to Britain in 1974. He studied theology at Selwyn College Cambridge BA76 MPhil 79 and trained for Anglican ministry at Ridley Hall. Ordained 79. Vicar Holy Trinity Tulse Hill ‘83-96. Bishop of Stepney 96-02, Bishop of Birmingham 02-05 and Archbishop of York 05-2020. Sentamu was the first black Diocesan Bishop and Archbishop. On Race Relations, he was an adviser to the Stephen Lawrence Enquiry. He chaired the Damilola Taylor Review 2002. Personally, he has been stopped by police eight times, once as the Bishop of Stepney. Equally, he was a vocal opponent of President Mugabe of Zimbabwe for his corrupt and unjust policies. Alongside his forthright proclamation of the Gospel, Sentamu has spoken out on the issue of poverty: calling for a living wage, and drawing attention to malnutrition in the north of England. On sexual ethics he would not condemn cohabitation or same sex civil partnerships, but would not sanction the redrawing of marriage to include same sex relationships.  In all he was an energising force for mission in the Northern Province of York.    

Shaftesbury Lord, 7th Earl, family name Ashley-Cooper, Evangelical Social reformer 1801-1885. Educated at Harrow and Christ Church. Entered Parliament aged 25. His main concern was social reform, alleviating poverty, and reforming exploitation by legislation.  He enabled the Factory Act of 1847 restricting hours of work by women and minors to 10 hours, likewise the Factory Act of 1874, the Sweeps Act 1864 – banning children under 21ys, The Mines Act 1842- banning women, girls and minors under 10 working in the pits. He supported education eg the Ragged School provision. He was President of the British and Foreign Bible Society, the London City Mission, the Church Pastoral Aid Society, CMS and YMCA. He advised Lord Palmerston on church appointments.  A strong Evangelical with fervent expectation of the imminence of the Second Coming.  

Shepherd David, Bishop and former Test Cricketer 1929-2005 Educated at Sherborne School and Trinity Hall Cambridge where he began to play First Class Cricket. While at Cambridge he made his Test debut against the West Indes in 1950. By 1952 he hit a golden patch, topping the English batting averages and making a century against India. Whilst at Cambridge he became a Christian, trained at Ridley Hall and continued to play Test cricket   sporadically until 1963. He was a curate at St Mary’s Islington from 1955 and then Warden of the Mayflower Centre, Canning town from 1958. In 1969 he was a made Bishop of Woolwich. he actively put into practice in the East End the newly proposed combination from the Keele conference the proclamation of the Gospel alongside compassionate service. This too was proposed in Shepherd’s books Built as a City (1974) and Bias to the Poor (1983). In 1975 he was made Bishop of Liverpool – where he stayed for 22 years-, succeeding Stuart Blanch who was made Archbishop of York. Shepherd began a close working relationship with the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Liverpool Derek Worlock. A critic of the Thatcher government, he sought urban renewal after the Toxteth Riots of 1982 and justice for victims of Heysel Stadium Disaster in 1985 and the Hillsborough Disaster of 1989. His successor Bishop James Jones carried forward the work of the Hillsborough Enquiry to the satisfaction of the victims, exonerating their behaviour. Shepherd was made a life peer in 1998.        

Simeon, Charles Clergyman and Leader of the Evangelical Revival 1759-1836, Educated Eton College and Kings College, Cambridge where he became a Fellow in 1783. In 1783 also ordained and became Vicar of Holy Trinity Cambridge. A close friend of Henry Venn and the Clapham Sect. His pastoral and preaching ministry in an Anglican parish became a model for ministry among his brethren and in training younger men. A founder of the CMS in 1799 and an adviser to the East India Company on Chaplains, his influence was very considerable. He founded the Simeon Trust to buy and administer advowsons (rights of patronage) in the Church of England. 

Spurgeon Charles Haddon, Baptist preacher 1834-1892, a descendent of several generations of Independent Ministers. He came t faith through the preaching of a Primitive Methodist in Colchester.  He became a Baptist in 1850 and appointed minister of Waterbeach in 1852. In 1854 he began preaching in London, drawing large crowds. Soon the Metropolitan Tabernacle was built in 1861 at the Elephant and Castle to accommodate his large congregations of thousands. He opposed ritualism and the idea of baptismal regeneration in the Church of England. He was a friend of James Hudson Taylor and George Muller. He founded an orphanage and a pastor’s college, later known as Spurgeon’s College near Crystal Palace. His style of preaching was Biblical, direct   memorable . He published numerous volumes of sermons.

Stott, John R.W. Reverend CBE Rector Emeritus All Souls, Langham Place 1921-2011 Educated Rugby School, Trinity College and Ridley Hall getting double firsts in Modern Languages and Theology. He came to faith in Christ whilst at Rugby through the work of Eric Nash (Bash). He was ordained in 1945 and began a Curacy at All Souls succeeding the Rector in 1950- 1975. He pioneered a new form of Evangelical parish ministry integrating profound but accessible preaching, with personal growth in discipleship and effective outreach to the parish. Several very talented curates were trained at All Souls including Michael Harper the founder of Fountains Trust and SOMA and JTCB Collins a pioneer in parochial charismatic ministry, later Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton. By the 1970s Stott was actively defining Evangelicalism in the modern world with Billy Graham. He was a principal author of the Lausanne Covenant. He led several National Evangelical Anglican Conferences firstly at Keele in 1967 in which he led Evangelicals out of a pietist ghetto to engage with the social needs of the day. He stood for evangelical proclamation of Christ and compassionate action in the community.  It was a turning point. After stepping down from being Rector of All Souls, and becoming Emeritus , he founded the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity and the Langham Partnership. He had a deep commitment to training Christian leaders in the developing world. A prolific author. He wrote many lucid commentaries. His most important books are probably The Cross of Christ and Issues Facing Christians Today.                   

Studdert Kennedy, Geoffrey “Woodbine Willie”, MC First World War Army Chaplain 1883-1929, born in Leeds the seventh of nine children. Educated at Leeds Grammar School and Trinity College Dublin. He became of St Paul’s Worcester and Chaplain to the Forces (1916-1919) . His infectious faith, complete sincerity, poetic descriptions of Christ’s Life and courage endeared him to the forces. He was affectionately called Woodbine Willie because he gave cigarettes to the troops.   He was awarded a MC for carrying a wounded soldier from no man’s land to a dressing centre.  He wrote poems and had four publications. Following the WWI, he worked with the Christian Industrial Mission and was Rector of St Edmund, King and Martyr, Lombard Street.  Sumner Mary, Founder of the Mothers Union 1828-1921, born Mary Elizabeth Heywood in Swinton, Lancashire. Educated at home, she learnt three languages. She travelled to Rome and met her husband George Sumner, son of the Bishop of Winchester. George was ordained and served as Rector of Old Alresford. Around 1876 Mary organised the first meeting of mothers in the parish for mutual support. The idea spread and in 1892 there were 60,000 members across 28 Dioceses. In 1897 Queen Victoria became its Patron and the organisation spread throughout the Anglican Communion.