This Saturday, the 6th of May, marks the Coronation of His Majesty The King Charles III. It has been almost 70 years since the last Coronation of our royal patron Queen Elizabeth II on June 1953. You can read our post on the Queen's royal patronage and SPCK here.
Pastor Mick, author of the international bestselling autobiography Blown Away (20% OFF this week!), will be attending the royal garden party for King Charles III's Coronation to raise further awareness for the charity Church on the Street and helping the poor.
In an interview with Burnley Express, Pastor Mick spoke about the charity’s ties to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge: “It’s an ongoing relationship we have got with them. It’s because we share the same heart for a certain section of the community who don’t get the correct type of care, in my opinion. They share that belief: we want to raise the vulnerable up...A new poor has been created by society and we share the same common goal [as the royal family] to try to make a difference. I think that’s why we’ve been invited... People are still struggling but support and help are out there. It’s all well and good for me to sit there and eat cake and drink nice tea [at the garden party] but I’m not going for that. I’m going to raise awareness of the people who are struggling.”
Here at SPCK, we're celebrating the Coronation by offering 20% OFF our entire website until May 8th. Use the coupon CORONATION20 at the checkout.
With another bank holiday and a new king to celebrate, how will you celebrate this momentous occassion?In between sipping cups of tea and eating delicious cream cakes, why not use your extra day off to read one of our fantastic new releases below, like Blown Away?
Reflections on the Life of Christ with Queen Elizabeth II
A beautifully presented anthology of famous scenes and timeless wisdom from the Gospels, interlaced with inspiring quotations from the Queen's Christmas broadcasts along with expert commentary by Richard Harries.
Published in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, this beautifully illustrated book will be treasured by people all over the world who admired her for the grace and wisdom she demonstrated throughout her reign, and for the faith that she held so dearly.
Each of the paintings in this book, many of them from the Royal Collection, portrays an important episode in the life of Christ – from the joy of the nativity to the mystery and majesty of the resurrection.
With expert commentary by Bishop Richard Harries, interlaced with inspiring quotations from the Queen's Christmas broadcasts, here is a moving and powerful presentation of the faith that sustained Her Majesty throughout her long and glorious reign.
'It's impossible to visit Church on the Street and not be deeply moved by the work the organisation does for those in need. It is an extraordinary place ... ' - HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES, from the Foreword
'There are so few people like Pastor Mick that this book deserves a shelf all to itself.' -JEREMY VINE, BROADCASTER AND JOURNALIST
Blown Away is the riveting autobiography of Pastor Mick Fleming, a hardened criminal called by God to become a Christian minister serving those in poverty, in a story of duplicity, forgiveness and redemption..
An autobiography that is fast-paced, stirring and a powerful testament to the love of God, Blown Away tells the story of Pastor Mick Fleming.
No conventional clergyman, Pastor Mick led a life of crime and addiction before being called by God to become a Christian minister. Brutally raped as a child, he was about to confide in his parents when the dreadful news came that his sister had died of a sudden heart-attack. Mick didn't cry again for 30 years, masking his pain with drink and drugs and working as notorious underworld fixer - until the day a revelation of faith unravelled his world, and he found himself utterly 'blown away'.
Blown Away is a thought-provoking and inspiring Christian autobiography that offers insight into the violent underworld of crime, addiction and substance abuse in the UK and reveals the extraordinary power of faith, forgiveness and redemption. Pastor Mick's story will move and inspire you on your own faith journey, and offer hope to those struggling with addiction, grief and suffering.
The Life and Times of Major-General Merton Beckwith-Smith 1890-1942
Eighty years after his death in a Japanese prison camp, this compelling new biography charts the career of a distinguished but hitherto neglected hero of the British army.
Major-General Merton Beckwith-Smith DSO, MC commanded the British 18th Division during the catastrophic Fall of Singapore in February 1942. A highly respected and much decorated veteran of the First World War, he was captured along with tens of thousands of other soldiers - British, Indian, Australian, and Malay - who were then held prisoner on Singapore Island.
Beckwith-Smith, was the most senior British officer to end his life as a prisoner of war in the Far East. Yet until now he has been a strangely forgotten warrior. Based on exclusive access to family archives, and drawing on an array of other eye-witness accounts, Michael Snape's richly detailed biography brings to an end that neglect. The result is a story that offers vivid insights into one man's experience of two world wars, while also revealing why he was so admired by his fellow officers and by the ordinary soldiers who served under him.
Do you feel frazzled? Frantic? Fearful you haven't got enough?
In a world obsessed with more, where potential is maximised, and busyness is glorified, another reality also exists: we all have limits - and many of us are living at the edge of them.
Why Less Means More shows you how saying no to one thing might mean saying yes to something far better.
What would it look like to pursue less success and more significance? To live with less complexity and more clarity? To chase less of the 'extraordinary' and celebrate more of the 'ordinary' moments that make up an extraordinary life?
Cathy Madavan, accomplished author and speaker, invites you to leave your fear and franticness behind and discover more space, simplicity and the truth that less really can lead to more.
Amy Boucher Pye provides new insights on how friendship with God has the power to change everything.
In a culture that so easily glorifies romantic love over all others, it can be easy to over look one of the greatest gifts of all: friendship.
True friendship transforms us as we journey through the ordinary and the extraordinary moments of life together. And friendship with Jesus is no exception – indeed, it is the greatest invitation into a relationship that sees us forever changed for the better.
When Jesus walked the earth, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were some of his closest friends. He loved them just as they were but equally empowered them to become so much more. Here, Amy Boucher Pye unpacks the dynamics of this remarkable friendship, inviting you to be transformed by the same love that shaped their lives.
Wherever you are on your life's journey, let yourself experience grounded faith, boundless joy, and profound peace through an ever-deepening friendship with Jesus.
2020 and sadly the Tales from Lindford came to an end, but the pandemic did not, and neither did the lives of our valiant Lindchester community. Return to Lindchester once more with The Company of Heaven, the fifth in the beloved series of novels from Catherine Fox.
Valiantly written in real time in the midst of the pandemic, this entertaining book captures the difficulties of 2021 with heart, humour and insight. Perfect for Lindchester fans, it's also the ideal novel for anyone seeking comfort and a way of understanding all that has happened.
Shake out your wings and fly once more across the Diocese of Lindfordshire, as we launch out on Pandemic, Part II. We will catch up with old friends and make new ones. Skeletons will tumble from cupboards, and not everyone will behave themselves as well as they ought (this is Lindchester after all).
A twenty-first century Barchester that fans of Barbara Pym and the BBC's Rev will love, this new volume in the Lindchester Chronicles is contemporary Christian fiction at its finest. Sharp-eyed, witty and compassionate, Catherine Fox once again helps us make sense of real-life events and challenges, while weaving through a series of heart-stopping storylines.
The Company of Heaven will make you laugh, cry and leave you with hope that grace can be found even in the darkest times.
The Common Worship Lectionary 2024 offers an easy to use, clearly laid out presentation of the Common Worship lectionary and Bible readings for the 2024 liturgical year.
Have the Church of England lectionary calendar at your fingertips with Common Worship Lectionary 2024. Featuring readings and Bible passage for the whole of the liturgical year, this little book is an essential resource for church readers.
Its clear, streamlined presentation, laid out a week to view with both the Common Worship and the Book of Common prayer calendars on facing pages, makes it incredibly easy to use. Covering Sunday and major festival as well as weekday services, the Common Worship Lectionary 2024 is a simple and thorough resource for anyone following the Anglican churchcalendar. It also features the Additional Weekday Lectionary, making it the most complete lectionary available.
A5 sized, this paperback edition of the lectionary is light and portable, perfect for carrying on the go, while featuring plenty of space for any notes you want to make. There is no better way of following the Church of England calendar than with the Common Worship Lectionary 2024.
'A superb book on failure . . . humorous, realistic and absolutely not judgemental.' JUSTIN WELBY
In 2019, Emma Ineson wrote about ambition and what it means for Christians to be successful. And then there was a global pandemic . . . Suddenly failure began to feel very much more familiar than success.
But what is failure? What did Jesus think of it? What did he say about sin, mistakes and generally mucking things up? At the start of this wonderfully humorous and encouraging book - which will end at the cross - it's suggested that our tendency to lump all kinds of failure together could be a bit unhelpful.
A more nuanced understanding of what sort of failure we're dealing with might just allow us to make friends with it and respond more appropriately. This idea leads us 'Towards an (Imperfect) Theology of Failure', based on key Christian thinking, and Emma poses the question of whether sin is an individual or corporate thing. Looking at the church, we consider, what is God's purpose for it? And in the light of key concerns such as safeguarding and racial justice, how might we re-examine concepts of success and recognize and measure failure?
The first book in the Antigone Kingsley series - a perfect companion for girls aged 10 plus going through the highs and lows of growing up.
Cousins by blood - enemies by choice!
Antigone Kingsley by author Marina Magdalena, is the first book in this coming-of-age series that makes the perfect companion for tweens and teenage girls going through the highs and lows of growing up.
Filled with positive role models, healthy self-exploration, fruitful relationships, vulnerability and good humour, you'll love journeying with Tig as she faces the social pressures, spiralling emotions, burning desires and grand disappointments of teenage life!
Tig is your relatable, imperfect, clumsy, hot headed girl next door who learns to embrace who she is, solve problems and bring sparkle to the world. She's your new BFF - meet Antigone 'Tig' Kingsley.
Katie Piper OBE invites young readers aged 3-5 to join Teeny Mouse as she goes on a big adventure and discovers that all you need to be brave is right there inside of you.
Teeny Mouse is going on a big adventure, a journey she’s never taken before. And though it’s big, and fun, and exciting, she suddenly feels a little bit small...
Journey with Teeny Mouse as she discovers that All You Need to try out new things is a little bit of courage and faith in yourself and in others.
A perfect read to share with young children fearful about trying new things.
All You Need is an uplifting and empowering picture book for children written by bestselling author and TV presenter Katie Piper OBE. Delightful and atmospheric pictures bring to life Teeny Mouse's adventure, enabling readers to step into the journey with her.
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