Inter-Varsity Press

Contents

Preface

Early years

1 The loving uncle, Caroline Bowerman

2 The wedding sermon, Michael Green

3 The compulsive worker, but a rare spelling mistake, John Eddison

4 The young defender of the faith, Oliver Barclay

5 ‘Please do not disturb unless urgent’, Myra Chave-Jones

6 ‘It takes just seven and a half minutes’, Timothy Dudley-Smith

7 Helpless with laughter at The Hookses, Dick Lucas

All Souls and the wider Church of England

8 ‘I would not wish to have had any other calling’, Frances Whitehead

9 A curate in need of restraint, Ted Schroder

10 ‘I have got my sins, you have got yours. Now let’s all get to bed.’, John Smith

11 ‘I want you to take over from me at All Souls’, Michael Baughen

12 ‘Nothing can go wrong; John Stott is here’, Richard Bewes

13 ‘Dragged screaming into the modern world’, David Turner

International influence

14 Reaching out to touch the ends of the earth for God, Marcus Loane

15 The prolific author and his midwife, Frank Entwistle

16 A double portion of language skills, Keith and Gladys Hunt

17 Mentor and model to emerging younger leaders, Ajith Fernando

18 On the road with John Stott, Samuel Escobar

19 ‘Jesus told us to wash one another’s feet; I can clean your shoes’, René Padilla

20 Breakfast by appointment at the Stottery, David Gitari

21 God’s bright-tied angel of protection, Michael Nazir-Ali

22 A modern-day church father, Peter Kuzmic

23 The founding of John Stott Ministries in the USA, Dee Dee Mclean

24 The boy with the disappearing eyes, David Jones

25 The Langham Partnership is born, Chris Wright

Wider interests

26 Birding before dawn around the world, Peter Harris

27 The call of the loon, Mark Hunt

28 Salt and light in the world of the arts and media, Nigel Goodwin

29 The London Institute – founded by ‘that funny man in the floppy hat’, Andrew Kirk

30 Welcoming a revolution in music, Noel Tredinnick

The study assistants

31 The sermon on a carpet, Mark Labberton

32 Ice cream and chocolate sauce, Toby Howarth

33 ‘Above all, cling to the cross’, Corey Widmer

34 ‘Watch out! I used to be a boxer!’, Matthew Smith

The final lap

35 ‘I have a living hope of a yet more glorious life beyond death’, John Wyatt

Epilogue, Chris Wright

Preface

It is often said that the Acts of the Apostles would be better entitled ‘Some Acts of Some Apostles’, since most of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ are not even mentioned in Acts, and of those who are mentioned, doubtless many more stories could be told. The same could be said of this book: John Stott: A Portrait by His Friends. This is a mere pen-line sketch of a man who overflows all attempts to describe him, offered by a tiny few of his many, many friends.

For one of the outstanding gifts that God gave to John Stott, observed by almost every contributor to this collection, was an incredible capacity for friendship. Never did the word ‘single’ seem less appropriate than for this lifelong bachelor. If all the stories were to be recorded of all the friends with something to tell of their encounters with John, we should have an encyclopaedia from every corner of the globe.

The limits of a single book imposed a painful selectivity, therefore, and I hasten to offer an apology to any who may feel they too could have laid claim to inclusion among the contributors. There are, of course, many more friends who could indeed have added their brush strokes to the portrait and enriched the book. But it was impossible to ask everybody even on the long list that was initially compiled when the idea was first thought of.

The idea was first conceived, in fact, by John Stott himself. It was in 2005, during a week while he was in residence at The Hookses (his writing cottage in Wales, much referred to in the pages below), along with Frances Whitehead, Matthew Smith, his study assistant, and myself. I am sure that the idea came to him from a book of the same sort written to com­memorate the life and ministry of E. J. H. Nash, popularly known as ‘Bash’. It was Bash who led John Stott to faith in Christ as a schoolboy, and John was one of the contributors to that portrait.1 John was enormously grateful for the two-volume authorized biography by Timothy Dudley-Smith (as he later was for the more popular-level biography by Roger Steer; both published by IVP). But he felt that a more personal picture could be painted by those who had known him more intimately over the years – and he insisted it should be a frank and honest portrait, ‘warts and all’, as he put it. He came up with an initial list of people who, he thought, would have some interesting perspectives on different phases of his life and ministry. He asked me if I might be willing to take on the task of inviting them to contribute, and then assume full responsibility for the selection and editing of whatever emerged. He insisted that he did not wish to read any of the contributions himself, in order that people should feel free to speak the truth as they saw it without embarrassment. He also intended that the book should be published posthumously, but he later agreed to the request of IVP, who happily accepted the proposal provided it could be published altern­atively for his ninetieth birthday, if he should reach that great milestone.

As contributions came in over the following years, it was hard to know how to organize such a collection. It felt like a living art gallery that could be arranged along various possible thematic lines. The structure finally chosen is approximately chronological, though of course some of the contributors are people whose friendship with John has spanned many decades.

It only remains for me to thank all those who sent me their recollections of John, both long and short. It has been a privilege to see our mutual friend through so many different pairs of eyes, and to share in the overwhelming gratitude we all feel to God for the gift of having known and loved this gentle giant, and to have been the objects of his gracious and generous affection.

Somehow it seems very fitting that I am writing this preface in the little room on the ground floor of 12 Weymouth Street that has been Frances Whitehead’s office for all the years she has worked for John Stott, with my back to the tiny apartment in Bridford Mews where John met innumerable friends over the years. What volumes of work have passed up and down the stairs between here and there! What quantities of manuscripts, files, sermons, lectures and correspondence were meticulously organized here by Frances! How many corners of the earth have received letters from John, typed here by Frances! How many visitors put their heads round this door to be greeted by Frances, on their way to a meeting with John! And how good of her to allow me the use of her office, while she is taking a short holiday, to complete the final editing of this portrait.

Frances, at the time I write, herself now in her mid-eighties, is still pleased to be known as ‘John Stott’s Secretary’, and has worked tirelessly for him for more than fifty years. There is no doubt whatsoever that, under God, no other human being has contributed more to the worldwide fruitfulness of the ministry of John Stott. Her ministry and gifts were indispensible to the fullest exercise of his. Without her, this portrait would have been very different. So with boundless affection, gratitude, and respect, I dedicate to her this portrait of the man whose life and ministry she so selflessly enhanced and enabled.

Chris Wright

September 2010