Bishop of London preaches at Bray anniversary service

02/05/08

The Bishop of London presided at a service to commemorate the 350th anniversary of Thomas Bray, a truly remarkable if still little-known figure in history, who founded SPCK and USPG.

The Revd Dr Thomas Bray was a man of huge vision and energy. As parish priest, author, prison reformer, ecclesiastical commissary for the colony of Maryland, and initiator of many projects, he was a tireless promoter of the Christian faith. He had a deep concern for the poor and was passionate about the value of books and learning. He founded the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in 1698, and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (which later became the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel) in 1701. He can rightly be considered the founder of modern Anglican mission.

Thomas Bray was born in 1658 in a small village in Shropshire where his parents were farmers. He was educated at Oswestry School and at All Souls Oxford, where he proved an able scholar but family circumstances did not permit him to continue his studies beyond his BA (he gained his doctorate later after establishing himself as a writer). His love of learning combined with a lack of private means gave motivation to a major aspect of his life’s work – the continuing education of the clergy and provision of books for that purpose – which was instrumental in his founding of the two Societies.

After leaving university Bray was ordained in 1681 and after a curacy and domestic chaplaincy was appointed vicar of Over Whitacre and later rector of Sheldon in Warwickshire. Disturbed by the lack of knowledge amongst the rural poor, he wrote his Catechetical Lectures, setting out the principles of Christian faith in a clear and accessible way. This book proved very popular and brought him to the attention of the Bishop of London, Henry Compton, who appointed him as his commissary to the Church of England in the American colony of Maryland. He spent two months there in1700 and it inspired a lifelong interest in colonial missions, where clergy often lived isolated and impoverished lives with few books or resources for their work. His initial project to send thirty books to each chaplain developed into the establishment of parish libraries, in England as well as overseas, and proved a successful model which continues in an adapted form to this day.

Back in England, Bray actively pursued these and many other projects through his parish at Sheldon (and later at St Botolph’s, Aldgate in London) and through the Societies he founded. He was an energetic fundraiser for his various schemes, which embraced Christian education in its broadest sense. He was behind the foundation of several schools. He took an interest in the welfare and education of prisoners. He was a dedicated parish priest with a deep pastoral concern especially for the poor. He continued to study and to write, producing a major bibliographical treatise of which sadly only the first volume was completed before his death.

Bray’s actual date of birth is not recorded so the date of his baptism, Friday 2 May, has been chosen for the service of commemoration. It will take place at 12 noon at St Botolph's Church in Aldgate, where Bray was Rector from 1708 until his death in 1730 and where he is buried. One of Henry Compton’s successors as the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Richard Chartres, will preside and preach at the Eucharist, at which staff, trustees and supporters of the two Societies will give thanks for the vision of their founder and rededicate themselves to the mission work which he initiated.

SPCK continues his work today through its publishing programme, which produces a wide range of Christian books and resources across a broad spectrum, and its work overseas in the support of theological education and training, which includes the provision of a set of study guides to theological college libraries. A major success in recent years has been the Assemblies website, which helps to communicate the Christian faith to young people in primary and secondary schools all over the country. An initiative to provide reading materials for use in prisons is being developed, and further innovative work is in the pipeline to reach new audiences with the good news of the Gospel.

USPG: Anglicans in World Mission responds to the priorities of the Anglican church worldwide through the exchange of people (now called mission companions rather than missionaries), and through the provision of grants and scholarships. It has recently extended its name to "Anglicans in World Mission", reflecting its nature as a church-based agency with a holistic understanding of mission, building relationships and sharing resources with the rest of the Communion.