News from Simon and Katie

Immediately after finishing my Bachelor's degree in theology in 2008, and just entering our second year of marriage, Katie and I moved to Nottingham, where I was planning to begin studies at the University of Nottingham towards an MA in Philosophical Theology. The plan was for me to study part-time over two years, and for the two of us to find jobs alongside that. This was easier said than done, however, given that (without really realising the implications) we chose to move to a new city just as the 2008 financial crisis was really beginning to bite. Jobs were therefore rather scarce. I was able to begin my studies in September, but it took around six months after that for either one of us to find a regular and steady job. Thankfully, Katie was able at this point to find a job at Debenhams in Nottingham city centre, working as a 'Food Services Adviser'. It then took around six months more for me to find employment that would fit round my studies, but I eventually found a job as an 'Academic Support Assistant' at the University, although this was primarily limited to term-time.

As all this might suggest, we were operating under rather tight financial constraints during this period. It was nevertheless continually remarkable to us to see how we were materially provided for in many diverse ways. The generosity and kindness of people at WBCC was a huge and very humbling part of this provision, for which we will always be thankful. It is worth noting that despite the constraints, during our entire time in Nottingham, we never missed a rent payment, were never unable to pay a bill, and never went without the essentials of living. We were able to pay my university fees promptly, and in early 2010, when we had to pay for Katie's application to the Home Office for full residency clearance (she is American), a rather costly endeavour, this was settled smoothly as well. In addition to this, and perhaps even more remarkably, we were able to afford several trips back to the United States so that Katie could visit her family.

Looking back on that period, although there were frequent difficulties, we learnt a very great deal about the strange ways in which life sometimes plays itself out, and the always surprising ways in which God's faithfulness, love and wisdom are revealed within and through that playing out.

Of course, as I said above, our main reason for being in Nottingham was for me to do a Master's degree. Funnily enough, this was probably the most problem-free part of the whole period. The Department of Theology & Religious Studies at the University of Nottingham was a great place to study, giving me the opportunity to take classes with numerous leading theological and philosophical thinkers, and to reflect on diverse areas of academic thought. This was an enormous privilege and was incredibly fruitful for me.

At the beginning of my second year we began to consider our future plans. Given the relative success I was having in my studies and that I hadn't reached any limit with regard to my interest in them (far from it, the more I studied the more I desired to continue and go deeper), the idea of a PhD came up. Both I and numerous others, including Katie, had been feeling for some time that an academic career – with the opportunities it affords for writing and publishing, and for influencing the world of both ideas and practice – might be a route available to me. The next step on this journey would indeed be to do a PhD. This gave rise to a problem, however, regarding how such an enterprise might be funded. Katie and I certainly didn't want to repeat our 'Nottingham model' of part-time work / part-time study, which did not, for one thing, seem conducive to the kind of intense reflection needed for advanced, doctoral level research. The only possibility was therefore for me to get some kind of research scholarship. To cut a long story short, after examining the possible options I chose to apply to the Universities of Nottingham and Cambridge, to begin a PhD immediately after finishing my MA in September 2010. This I did, and after a rather stressful few months waiting for responses, I found myself in the enviable, not to mention surprising, position of having to choose between offers of fully-funded PhD places at both universities. After much deliberation, Katie and I decided the best option would be to accept the offer from Cambridge.

Katie and I have now been living in Cambridge for just over four months. I am in the middle of my second term of PhD research at the University, in the Faculty of Divinity, working with numerous very talented people. My research is focussed on the life's work of the radical Catholic social and political theorist Ivan Illich, who died in 2002 (see Wikipedia for more information). I am particularly interested in the relationship between theology, political philosophy, social theory and economics, and hope that my project will eventually make a constructive and practical contribution to these fields. I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to study here, and am grateful that organisations such as the Arts & Humanities Research Council (my funding body) exist to facilitate this kind of work.

Furthermore, the Cambridge economy has evidently survived the recession far better than most other parts of the country (including Nottingham), and within just two months Katie was able to find a part-time job at Boots in the city centre, where she is working as a skincare/beauty consultant, a role she is enjoying. In a general sense, we have settled in very well for this next chapter of our lives here. Cambridge is a beautiful city and one with a rich spiritual as well as academic heritage. On that point, we are involved with a congregation in Histon (a village just outside the city) called New Life Church, where we have some old friends, and are also taking advantage of the many opportunities to engage in more traditional, liturgical forms of worship at the various college chapels around Cambridge.

Katie and I are excited to see where this next chapter will lead. We are thankful for God's provision in the past and the present, and continue to trust for the future. We are also deeply thankful for the continued support and kindnesses we receive from WBCC, from whom we never feel very far away.

Best regards,

Simon 

You can read of the impact of WBCC upon Simon's life, and how the Lord led him to study at the Bible College of Wales for his BA degree, at Christian Training.