Search results for: 'than and a'
- Laura Barry
- 4 Mar 2026
My Creator Calling: A Poem from Hope Rising 365 by Meg Cannon
An encouraging poem from Meg Cannon’s Hope Rising 365 explores how God meets us in our weakness and calls us from darkness into hope and new ...
Use more than just words - take positive action
Words affect us in so many ways. They can hurt us, help us, and alter our perspective. Jessie Faerber writes about the next step beyond words: taking ...
God’s Story – why it’s bigger than our personal narrative
‘So, what’s your story?’ I love asking that question.
We use stories to find meaning and purpose. The way we respond to that question reveals something of the story we are living with our lives. In a moment, we choose where our story begins and quickly edit the headlines into an ...
Independent Bookshop Week - a chat with The Christian Bookshop in Birkenhead
As part of Independent Bookshop Week, we are featuring interviews with, well, independent bookshops!
We chatted with The Christian Bookshop in Birkenhead about reviews, social media, comfy shoes, and – of course – books!
The Christian Bookshop, 14 Grange Road West, Birkenhead, Wirral CH41 4DATel: 0151 647 ...
Independent Bookshops: more than just tea and cake
We spoke with Ali, Team Leader at Quench Christian Bookshop Wokingham, and Head of Retail for both the Wokingham and Maidenhead shops, about her experience with running a ...
A Hero in God’s Eyes
We're into the #SPCKBookClub!
Mankind has reinvented its heroes of old slaying dragons into superheroes facing alien invasions. We often have our own versions of a hero we look up to. Maybe it’s your favourite celebrity or social activist. Maybe even your mum or dad. And as Christians, we often have Biblical heroes we admire like Queen ...
Living a Heroic Life
Summer is often the time we wish for throughout the year and, if especially if you have kids, can’t wait to get away for some rest and relaxation. How do you spend your summers? Do you use it to jet off to the beach? Maybe you spend time at home with family and a barbeque. Maybe you take your children on an adventure. Before the summer comes ...
National Read A Book Day
6 September is National Read A Book Day.
Richard Harries, author of Haunted by Christ, blogs for us about the importance of reading and the effect that literature can have on our perspective, how we see ourselves and the ...
National Doodle Day - A Chat with Thea Baker
On National Doodle Day, we chat with Thea Baker, who illustrated The Shepherd Who Couldn’t Sing by Alan Barker, about her work as an ...
Pink and Blue - Baby Loss Awareness Week 2018
Loss is painful, lonely, and can cause deeper grief than we ever imagine.
Jane Clamp has worked tirelessly to open the conversation surrounding baby loss. It’s hard to talk about. That’s why it needs to be spoken ...
Joseph and the Bully Boys
Fiona Veitch Smith is on our blog for Anti Bullying Week. Why do people bully and what can be done to address it? ...
Prayer as a form of self-care
Gemma Simmonds, author of The Way of Ignatius, is on our blog for self care week, discussing how prayer is as essential to self-care as healthy eating, good sleep, regular exercise, and time with friends and ...
#IDPWD2018: how can we make life and church more inclusive for people with disabilities?
3 December is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Roy McCloughry, author of The Enabled Life, blogs for us about how we can be inclusive of people with ...
A Very Brief History of SPCK’s Charitable Work
Our Fundraising Assistant Catriona Brickel reflects on the values that led to the creation of SPCK, and how those values are still what drive us today. ...
Jessie Faerber's hopes and dreams for 2019
Jessie Faerber published More Than Just Pretty this year. We caught up with her about writing and future ...
Connection and Compassion at Christmastime
The holidays can be particularly hard for people who are in recovery from addiction. Christopher Dines considers ways that we can help ourselves and others during the holiday season, especially when we look to prevent ...
Q&A with John Goldingay
John Goldingay and Tom Wright recently published The Bible For Everyone. We chat with John about the skills a good translator needs and the importance of providing an updated ...
- authise authise
- 19 Mar 2019
Terry Waite on prison reform and rehabilitation - part 1
Terry Waite is an Anglican humanitarian and author. In the 1980s, he worked as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s special envoy, travelling to the Middle East and negotiating the release of hostages, when he himself was taken as a hostage. Since his release from captivity he has worked extensively with prisoners and is a supporter of SPCK’s ...
- authise authise
- 22 Mar 2019
How can Christians make a difference?
Today, we're reflecting on an extract from Rowan Williams' Being Disciples: Essentials of the Christian life.
How can Christians make a difference and how can we work together for the 'common good' in society?
...
- authise authise
- 26 Mar 2019
Terry Waite on prison reform and rehabilitation - part 2
Terry Waite is an Anglican humanitarian and author. In the 1980s, he worked as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s special envoy, travelling to the Middle East and negotiating the release of hostages, when he himself was taken as a hostage. Since his release from captivity he has worked extensively with prisoners and is a supporter of SPCK’s ...
- authise authise
- 11 Apr 2019
Michael Cassidy - My Life and Times: Part 2
This is part 2/2 of this blog post. Part 1 can be found here.
We are very committed, like SPCK, to reach people and disciple them by books and Christian literature.
...
- authise authise
- 7 Jun 2019
Q&A with Debbie Flood
SPCK’s Partnerships Director, Primavera Quantrill, spoke to Olympic Rower Debbie ...
- authise authise
- 20 Jul 2019
Why would a young man choose to follow Jesus in 2019?
With a million demands on their time and a million suitors for their attention, why would a young man follow Jesus? Martin Saunders, author of The Man You're Made To Be reflects on present-day masculinity, the challenges that young men are facing, and why young men need strong role models to ...
- authise authise
- 1 Aug 2019
A Day of Hope: Empowering Teenage Girls and Youth Leaders
On 31st August we will be holding A Day of Hope: Empowering Teenage Girls and Youth Leaders. This event will empower and equip teenage girls to face all the challenges of life with faith in themselves and faith in God. With speakers including Meg Cannon, Jessie Faeber, Rachael Newham and more, this is an event not to be missed! Find out more in ...
- authise authise
- 22 Aug 2019
Christianity and Humour by James Cary
In the run-up to Greenbelt Festival comedy writer James Cary talks jokes, humour and ...
- Emma Collins
- 7 Oct 2019
"I have no tendency to be a saint" (John Henry Newman)
On 13th October 2019 Blessed John Henry Newman will be canonised a Saint by Pope Francis. Historian Eamon Duffy describes Newman's intellectual journey as one of the most remarkable of the nineteenth century. In John Henry Newman: A Very Brief History Eamon provides an engaging and judicious introduction on the life and legacy of this ...
- Emma Collins
- 9 Oct 2019
Black History Month and Extraordinary Saints
Black History Month allows us to take time to consider the individuals who have been relegated not just to the side-lines of history but forgotten through the ages. Sharon Prentis, Intercultural Mission Enabler and Dean of BAME Affairs for the Church of England in Birmingham tells us that whilst there has been a marked improvement in acknowledging ...
- Emma Collins
- 14 Oct 2019
Why you should read this book... Q&A with Tricia Goyer, author of Twice Rescued Child
We catch up with Tricia Goyer, author of Twice Rescued Child. She tells us what inspired her to write the book and what we as readers can take away from the ...
- Emma Collins
- 21 Oct 2019
How we can work together to create a truly inclusive church community
As we approach the end of Black History Month we're sharing an adapted extract from Ben Lindsay's book, We Need To Talk About Race. In this extract Ben explores the ways in which we can create an inclusive Church community effectively. He also discusses why inclusivity means much more than just having a diverse congregation, which, on its own, ...
- Emma Collins
- 28 Oct 2019
Religion and GM Technology
In this extract from Has Science Killed God? Professor John Bryant discusses GM technology and the religious attitudes towards this ...
- Emma Collins
- 30 Oct 2019
Hope unleashed from a firefighter
With news of the official report into the Grenfell Tower fire being released today Gaby Doherty, author of Grenfell Hope reflects on the courage shown by the firefighters as well as the criticism they faced for the policies they operated ...
- Emma Collins
- 3 Dec 2019
SPCK's AGM and Inaugural Annual Lecture
SPCK supporters ponder the mysteries of the Middle East with Terry Waite and Andrew White at SPCK’s inaugural Annual ...
- Emma Collins
- 16 Dec 2019
Jane Austen and SPCK
On 16th December 1775 the English novelist Jane Austen was born. You may wonder why we’re acknowledging Jane Austen’s birthday. What was Jane's involvement with SPCK? Find out in this blog ...
- Emma Collins
- 8 Jan 2020
Is there such a thing as ‘women’s spirituality’?
Do women write differently from men? Is there such a thing as ‘women’s spirituality’? Liz Hoare asks these questions and more in her introduction to Twelve Great Spiritual Writers. In this short extract from the introduction Liz reflects on the history of women as writers and explains why she has chosen to write about these twelve ...
- Emma Collins
- 13 Feb 2020
The Real Life of a Ministry Mum
Here's part two of our Q&A with Jules Middleton, a ministry mum whose upcoming book Breaking the Mould seeks to challenge the ‘shoulds’ and stereotypes that surround both roles. In this second part of our Q&A Jules tells us who inspires her and what advice she would give to parents with a call to ...
- Emma Collins
- 16 Apr 2020
A Significant Milestone for the African Theological Network Press
Dr Angus Crichton, SPCK's Global Advocacy Manager gives us an update on ATNP, the African Theological Network Press. ATNP is one of SPCK's charitable programmes, an ecumenical venture, committed to serving the church in Africa and the ...
- authise authise
- 23 Apr 2020
Social Imagination, African Politics and the African Theological Network Press
This World Book Day we're sharing another ATNP update from Dr Angus Crichton, SPCK's Global Advocacy Manager. The African Theological Network Press (ATNP) is one of SPCK's charitable programmes, an ecumenical venture, committed to serving the church in Africa and the ...
- Emma Collins
- 7 May 2020
Publishing in a Pandemic - How is Ready to Rise helping to empower readers during this time
Jo Saxton's book Ready to Rise is hitting the shelves and virtual shelves at an unprecedented time of global crisis. Naturally, Jo didn't have a global pandemic in mind when she put pen to paper, but readers have told her that they feel this book is empowering them for this moment. We catch up with Jo in this Q&A and find out her ...
- Emma Collins
- 10 Jun 2020
What is Resilience? And Why Now is the Time to Practise It
Several years ago when Meg Warner began writing the drafts for Joseph: A Story of Resilience Brexit was only a 'pipe dream'. Later, in the editing stages Brexit had become the greatest challenge to have struck the UK for many decades. In March 2020, the book entered the final stages of publishing and the coronavirus pandemic had threatened to ...
- Emma Collins
- 17 Aug 2020
The cure is in the illness - a reflection from Fr Laurence Freeman
'If one had to be confined anywhere, Bonnevaux is a beautiful prison and the community I was incarcerated with did not riot or make unreasonable demands'. Fr Laurence Freeman reflects on his time in lockdown. This reflection was originally published in the WCCM newsletter and has been re-shared with ...
- Emma Collins
- 8 Sept 2020
Our first response needs to be silence - a reflection from Fr Laurence Freeman
'The pandemic has reminded us of our inherent solidarity as a human family. It has also exposed the forces at work – like bad government, greedy money-makers and the obscene gulf between rich and poor - that demand correction or punishment'. Fr Laurence Freeman reflects on the effects of Covid-19. This reflection was originally ...
- authise authise
- 6 Nov 2020
‘Welcome’ is so much more than a word on the church noticeboard or weekly notice sheet
With the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) resources approaching publication, we are sharing an extract from David Runcorn's book Love Means Love. Love Means Love published in June this year coinciding with the original publication date for the LLF resources. In this extract David reflects on the experiences of Christians who have struggled '...or are ...
- Emma Collins
- 14 Jan 2021
A Reminder by Sarah Bessey
You don’t have to be productive and you don’t have to change the world. You’re already so loved. You don’t have to be smart. You don’t have to be simple. You don’t have to read all the right books by the right people. You’re already so loved. An extract from A Rhythm of Prayer edited by Sarah ...
- Emma Collins
- 12 May 2021
What would the Ascension look like in a sitcom?
It’s a strange thing to consider, but what would the Ascension look like if it was portrayed in a ...
- Emma Collins
- 7 Jul 2021
Q&A with Ruth Valerio & Paul Kerensa
We chat to Ruth Valerio and Paul Kerensa about their new book Planet Protectors: 52 Ways to Look After God's ...
- Emma Collins
- 21 Sept 2021
Fake News and Clickbait
How many times have you clicked on an online article, only to find it has no relevance to the title it was given? In this extract from Communicate for Change, Genelle Aldred explores the rise of clickbait, and the effect that negative stories can have on our opinions of groups of ...
- authise authise
- 1 Jun 2022
The Queen and SPCK
Over the past 70 years of her reign, Queen Elizabeth’s support for SPCK and its mission has remained steadfast, a continuation of the centuries of royal patronage we have enjoyed since our charity was founded by Thomas Bray in ...
- Laura Barry
- 24 Apr 2023
Cathy Madavan and Why Less Means More
Cathy Madavan, author of Irrepressible, has a new book out this month - Why Less Means More. Learn how you can leave fear and franticness behind and discover that less can really lead to more. Save £2 OFF this month with our coupon code. ...
SPCK and the Lord Mayor’s Show
SPCK featured once again in the Lord Mayor’s Show, as we continued our tradition of giving a specially inscribed Bible or Prayer Book to the incoming Lord Mayor of the City of ...
Don’t make a run for it: National Missing Children's Day
25 May is National Missing Children’s Day.
Dr Sarah Vohra writes about how parents and carers can respond when their child threatens to run away from ...
A chat with Peter Graystone
Our author Peter Graystone is on our blog today as part of our month-long exploration of More Ways To Read The Bible. We’ll be looking at books that consider different ways you can engage with ...
A different way to engage with the Bible
Philip Law is Publishing Director at SPCK. His previous books include A Time to Pray (Lion, 2002), The Story of the Christ (Continuum, 2006) and The SPCK Book of Christian Prayer (SPCK, 2009). Here, he discusses The One Hour Bible, our new book that he compiled and edited ...
A chat with Sharon Moughtin-Mumby of Diddy Disciples
We chatted with Sharon Moughtin-Mumby about the principles of Diddy Disciples, her programme for younger children that grounds them in faith and encourages curiosity, compassion for others, personal expression, and ...
International Friendship Day - A Chat with Alexa Tewkesbury
Alexa is an author, editor and proofreader who has been writing extensively for children since 2002. Three picture books for SPCK Publishing, Noah and his Ark, Daniel in the Lions’ Den and Jonah and the Whale, were released in 2017. As well as children’s books, Alexa has also written the screenplays for the animation, It’s A Boy!, ...
- Naomi Shakespeare
- 14 Aug 2018
Christianity and poetry – how they often go together
We are all familiar with poetry of some kind. Most likely even studied an anthology or two at school. Maybe you know a poem by heart. But how much do we really know about poetry in the Bible?
Believe it or not, at least one third of the Christian Bible (and three quarters of the Hebrew Bible) is poetry. The majority of the Old Testament was ...
A Chat with Anthony Kenny
Anthony Kenny is on our blog today discussing his new book Brief Encounters. He will be at Church House Bookshop on 17 October with Richard Harries. Details ...
A Chat with Cole Moreton
Today is National Maritime Day. Cole Moreton’s forthcoming book The Light Keeper is set in London and The South Downs. Here, he chats with us about his writing and the setting of his new ...
A Revolution in Your Head? How social prescribing could change the world
Emma Drew, author of The Whole Person Recovery Handbook, is on our blog for World Cerebral Palsy Day.
The language we use to talk about diagnoses and conditions has a profound effect on the treatment of it.
How can social prescribing help result in better outcomes, ones that look at health in a way that’s more ...
Restricted Diet? Mindfulness Lends a Helping Hand
Catherine G Lucas is the author of four books on the holistic approach to mental health. Her latest in the Sheldon Press Mindful Way series is out now: Life Crisis: the Mindful Way. In her writing, Catherine draws on both her personal and professional experience, as a mindfulness trainer. Her one-day retreat on Kindfulness & Nutrition: ...
Stories and salad bars: catching up with Paul Kerensa
Paul Kerensa is a busy comedian and author. We caught up with him about his plans for ...
- authise authise
- 16 Apr 2019
Q&A with Simon Barrington
In celebration of World Voice Day, we caught up with Simon Barrington, co-author of Leading - The Millennial Way which is out this Thursday. Pre-order your copy ...
- authise authise
- 10 Jul 2019
World Population Day and Christian Demographics
Our Global Advocacy Manager Dr Angus Crichton reflects on the continuing expansion of humanity and the shift of worldwide ...
- Emma Collins
- 27 Dec 2019
The Evangelist as a Companion
Today on the Feast Day of John, Apostle and Evangelist, we are sharing an extract from Anglican Evangelists: Identifying and Training a New Generation. In this extract editor Martyn Snow writes about his own experiences of his vocation to ministry and how to be a 'true evangelist' we must accompany people on their own journey rather than ...
- Emma Collins
- 14 Feb 2020
Revd Dr Thomas Bray, a man of humble origins
Today we're celebrating Bray Day, a day when SPCK and USPG come together for a church service and time of thanksgiving in remembrance of our co-founder the Revd Dr Thomas Bray. In this blog post, Duncan Dormor,Chief Executive of our sister society USPG, shares the history of our co-founder and the legacy he left ...
- Emma Collins
- 10 Jul 2020
Love Means Love: Same-sex Relationships and the Bible
Last month saw the publication of Love Means Love by David Runcorn. Prior to publication we sent out review copies of the book to a number of individuals who we thought would be interested in reading it. In this blog post you will find a review from Emma, a supporter of the Campaign for Equal Marriage in the Church of England. She tells us what it ...
- Emma Collins
- 16 Jul 2020
'Not just a travelogue...' - Nick Owen reviews Utterly Brilliant! by Timmy Mallett
With lockdown measures gradually easing, there are many changes as to what we are now allowed to do. Changes to places where we can now visit are not the only changes that are occurring, our reading habits have also changed!
At the start of lockdown many readers’ preferences were either books that they could escape to or books that could ...
- Emma Collins
- 29 Sept 2020
'... a springboard for future sustainable change' - Black History Month 2020
As we celebrate Black History Month this October, we ask retired superintendent Dr Leroy Logan, MBE what Black History Month means to ...
- Emma Collins
- 4 Mar 2021
'A challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change'
#ChoosetoChallenge is this year's theme for International Women's Day. With this mind, we are sharing an extract from Josephine Butler: A Very Brief History. Josephine challenged social attitudes to women and campaigned for women's rights. In this extract, author Jane Robinson tells us about Josephine's far-reaching influence, and how one of her ...
- Emma Collins
- 3 Nov 2021
Jesus, the Earth, and Environmental Justice (an extract from Justice for Christ's Sake)
Twenty years before Greta Thunberg arrived on the scene, Bishop James Jones asked young people how worried they were about the future of the world. In an assembly of 250 young people, all of them raised their hand to show concern. In this extract from his memoir, Justice for Christ's Sake, James reflects on this time and how it led him explore what ...
- Laura Barry
- 12 Jan 2026
Guest Post: Why Belovedness Matters More Than Resolutions This New Year
In her heartfelt guest post, Rachael Newham, author of Beloved is Where We Begin, invites readers to embrace gentleness and God’s love in the New Year instead of chasing unrealistic ...
- Laura Barry
- 20 Mar 2025
Bible Sales Surge Among Gen Z: SPCK's Role In The Growing Demand
Gen Z is driving a surge in Bible sales, seeking meaning, mental well-being, and faith through Scripture like never ...
- Laura Barry
- 20 Apr 2026
John Lennox Tells His Story At Last
Discover My Story by John C. Lennox, a powerful autobiography exploring faith, science, and a lifetime of defending the Christian ...
- Laura Barry
- 22 Jan 2025
Trailblazer Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin Launches Inspiring Autobiography at Waterstones Piccadilly
Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin’s autobiography, The Girl from Montego Bay, was launched at Waterstones Piccadilly, celebrating her inspiring journey as Britain’s first black woman ...
- Laura Barry
- 3 Nov 2025
Who Am I? Rediscovering Our True Identity This Advent
In Who Am I?, Bishop Nick Baines invites us this Advent to pause, reflect, and rediscover our true identity in Christ—the God who seeks us out with love, grace, and surprising ...
- Laura Barry
- 2 Mar 2026
Why People Still Come to Church: Voices from Southern Africa
The Most Revd Dr Thabo Makgoba shares reflections from Southern Africa on why people still come to church—highlighting worship, community, resilience and faith in the midst of ...
5 Questions for Sarah Meyrick
Sarah Meyrick studied Classics at Cambridge and Social Anthropology at Oxford, which gave her a fascination for the stories people tell and the worlds they inhabit. She has worked variously as a journalist, editor and PR professional. She is the Director of the Bloxham Festival of Faith and Literature which is a small literary festival that takes ...
What can compel us to write nonfiction?
What makes a good biography?
Barbara Fox reflects on her work in journalism and how it led to the writing of Midwife of Borneo. Though she’d planned to write fiction if she ever wrote a book, her editing and journalistic skills helped her to write nonfiction. While we can often plan to write one book initially, we can sometimes end up ...
Kate Charles on writing
It’s officially #NaNoWriMo and we’re chatting with Kate Charles today about books and ...
- Emma Collins
- 2 Jan 2020
New Year, New You
Happy New Year! It's the start of a new year and a new decade and many of us will looking at the year ahead with the motivation to become better versions of ourselves. Whether you want to make sure that this year you take more time out to reflect and meditate, or you want to grow your faith in 2020, let us help you on this journey with these ...
- Emma Collins
- 19 Jan 2021
Smile while you shop
It has been scientifically proven that altruism is good for us. Not just that warm fuzzy feeling of doing a nice thing but an act of kindness - thinking of someone or a cause and intentionally doing something which takes us outside of ourselves to benefit ...
- Aaron Lambley
- 19 Jan 2018
New Year, New Website
With the New Year comes a new look - one that, I hope, is a breath of fresh air for returning readers and those new to our books, ...
- Sarah Head
- 5 Jun 2018
The Search for Spirituality
Richard Rohr’s highly anticipated book, Just This, will be available in ...
Be present in your life
Many of us practice mindfulness in our daily lives – during our commute, before a stressful meeting, on our lunch breaks, and at the end of a busy day. It can help us to manage stress and anxiety.
There are many similarities between mindfulness and the beliefs held in Christian spirituality. Tim Stead wrote the book about how we can ...
- authise authise
- 16 Jun 2018
My Day on the Shop Floor
16 – 23 June is Independent Bookshop Week – and we’re participating!
Over the course of this week, we’ll be sharing content about our favourite independent bookshops.
To start off the week, our Commercial Director Alexandra McDonald blogs about the one – one! – shift she worked in a bookshop.
...
Christian publishing – in Italy, Lebanon, Burkina Faso
SPCK Editor Tony Collins is on our blog discussing international publishing.
It’s all too easy to assume that the twin focal points of Christian publishing, America and Britain, define what is happening worldwide in Christian books. Look a little closer, and you would be amazed at the diversity, energy, and enthusiasm of publishers and ...
Which story do you live for?
On Thursday 21 June, we published Long Story Short by Andy Frost.
His book considers three narratives that we use to shape the trajectory of our lives. Do we live for our own happiness, our own personal safety, or recognition and success, the mark we leave on the world?
We ran a poll on Twitter and asked our followers which ...
5 Questions for Andy Frost
We recently caught up with Andy Frost, author of Long Story Short. He had lots to say about writing, narratives, and looking at a bigger picture beyond our own ...
5 Questions for Andrew Gant
Andrew Gant has held a number of positions in the field of church music, including singing in the choir of Westminster Abbey and Organist and Choirmaster at Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal from 2000-2013, where he was responsible for the music at many Royal and state occasions.
He is a stipendiary lecturer in music at St Peter’s College, ...
5 Questions for Paul Hattaway
On 19 July, we will publish Guizhou by Paul Hattaway, the second in a series of books about the exponential growth of Christianity in China.
Here, we caught up with him about writing and his plans for the ...
5 Questions For Elaine Storkey
Elaine Storkey, author of Scars Across Humanity, will present at this year’s Keswick Convention. We chatted to her about writing, books, ...
Our Evening With Terry Waite
Terry Waite stands six foot seven inches tall. He has white hair, a white beard, and kind brown eyes. His handshake is gentle and he is deeply humble and considerate.
The SPCK team hosted Terry Waite at Westminster Abbey’s Cloisters on 19 July. He read from Out of the Silence, his collection of poetry and reflections, and Solitude, his ...
Why does God allow suffering?
Robin Gill is Emeritus Professor of Applied Theology at the University of Kent and Acting Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Gibraltar. Among his many books are A Textbook of Christian Ethics (4th edition 2014) and Moral Passion and Christian Ethics (2018). Here, he chats with us about his book Why Does God Allow Suffering? and his personal ...
Simple Comforts
Jane Clamp’s Too Soon will be released mid-August. Here, she writes about finding comfort in the face of pain and ...
The Poetry Of Terry Waite
On 19 July, we held an event with Terry Waite, where he spoke about his books Out of the Silence and Solitude. He spoke with great humility, kindness, and compassion. Many in attendance were young when he was captured and detained. They prayed for his release.
On our blog today, Terry has chosen some of his favourite poems from Out of the Silence, ...
- Naomi Shakespeare
- 17 Aug 2018
6 Ways to Help Families Who Are Less Fortunate
‘We’ve been so busy feeding everybody else that we’ve forgotten about ourselves!’ said Aunt Miranda. ‘I didn’t think of that,’ said Ellie.
Sylvia Green’s delightful and heart-warming picture book, We’re Hungry Too, helps adults and children alike to think about caring for creation, ...
How was your journey?
Sean Stillman's memoir God's Biker will be published on 20 September. Here, he chats with us about a different way to frame travel ...
SPCK's work for International Day of Charity
Today is the International Day of Charity.
Charities have received a bad press in recent years: the safeguarding scandal at Oxfam, the collapse of Kids Company and the hassling of the poppy seller Olive Cooke are but three examples. Sadly, the UK’s 165,000 small charities are suffering because of the cynicism created by the actions of a few ...
Helping the Helper
10 September is World Suicide Prevention Day.
When one person intervenes and saves another from suicide, the support can go to the person who wanted to end their life. More care and attention must go to the helper. Here, Tim Cantopher blogs about helping someone who has prevented another person’s ...
What Not To Say To People Who Have Depression
We all wish we could help our friends and family who are hurting. Sometimes, the things we say to try to comfort them can actually do more harm than good. Rachael Newham, author of Learning To Breathe, considers what we should and shouldn’t say when speaking to someone who has ...
God values who we are
Liz Carter, author of the forthcoming Catching Contentment, shares her thoughts on our book club pick I Thought There Would Be Cake by Katharine ...
I thought there would be cake too!
Tim Gough is the author of Rebooted, which looks to the Bible to reframe how youth ministry works for our generation. We gave him a copy of I Thought There Would Be Cake, our book club read for this month, and he had lots to ...
Work that we're called to do
Barbara Fox chats with us about the genesis of her new book Midwife of Borneo, in which she tells the story of the life and work of Wendy Grey ...
The Wisdom of Dr Dawn Harper on Fitness Day
Dr Dawn Harper is on our blog for Fitness Day, sharing her wisdom about the benefits of regular exercise. We all have to find the fitness that works well with us and makes us feel motivated. When we find what we enjoy, we look forward to our ...
Catching up with Andrew Gant
Andrew Gant will be at Southwark Cathedral on 2 October in conversation with Professor Jane Glover. Here, he chats with us about his work as a composer. Is writing music similar to writing a ...
Catching up with Alexa Tewkesbury
Alexa Tewkesbury chats with us for #WorldAnimalDay about children’s books, her love of animals, and the things we can do to protect ...
The Benefits of SPCK Membership
Our Fundraising Assistant Catriona Brickel is on the blog today, chatting about our members' only event at The Tower of London that took place on 3 ...
Catching Up With Cole Moreton for Libraries Week
Cole Moreton is on our blog for Libraries Week.
His new book The Light Keeper publishes in May of next ...
Reflections on the end of the Great War
On Remembrance Sunday, Alan Billings shares his ...
How can I help my child to open up?
Dr Sarah Vohra, author of Mental Health in Children and Young People, blogs for us on World Mental Health Day.
It can be a real struggle to open up to others about our concerns and problems, and there’s no worse feeling than not being able to help when you know someone is struggling.
Dr Vohra provides practical advice to help ...
6 Questions for John Bowker
We chatted with John Bowker recently about his new book Religion Hurts, which publishes 18 ...
Sylvia Green's Tips for Reducing Food Waste
Sylvia Green has been a children’s author for many years. Her books include several ‘Christmas animal’ books published by Scholastic. We’re Hungry Too is her first picture book for SPCK. It is a full colour picture book with a fun story that encourages children to learn about caring for the natural world and ...
Tim Stead on mindfulness
Tim Stead is on our blog today, chatting about mindfulness practices.
He’ll be in Oxford on 14 November in conversation with Michael Mosley.
Book your ticket ...
Rev Dr Mark Davidson's reflections on Remembrance Sunday
Rev Dr Mark Davidson, author of War Cries, is on our blog today for Remembrance ...
Andrew Adam on the inspiration behind his new book
Andrew Adam, author of Thomas Cochrane and the Dragon Throne, chats with us about his inspiration for writing his new book, which publishes 15 ...
Different Kinds of Kindness
Andrew Adam, author of Thomas Cochrane and the Dragon Throne, is on our blog today for World Kindness Day. Thomas Cochrane showed extraordinary kindness during his work has a doctor in China. How can we show similar kindness to ourselves and ...
Caring for yourself whilst you care for others
Dr Jennifer Bute, author of the new book Dementia From The Inside, was once a missionary doctor in Africa, and later a GP and educator for 25 years until she developed dementia. Jennifer had to resign from her work but realised understanding dementia from the inside was a ‘glorious opportunity’. Now Jennifer is much in demand as a ...
How We Use Our Profits
SPCK has been publishing Christian books for over three hundred years – in fact, it’s the third oldest publishing house still operating in the UK! So it won’t be too surprising if you’ve come across our books before, or only know us as a ...
Alexa Tewkesbury's 3 wishes for all children
Alexa Tewkesbury has written several children’s books for us. It seems only fitting that she’d be on our blog for World Children’s Day, sharing her wishes for today’s ...
What motivates us to do missionary work?
When you would like to work as a missionary, how do you get started and how can you stay involved?
April Holden, who co-wrote They Called Us Love with Deborah Meroff, writes about her personal missionary experience and offers advice for getting involved with organisations like Operation ...
Ruth Clemence's Top 5 SPCK Reads of 2018
Blogger and book reviewer Ruth Clemence has read many of our books over the last year. We’ve asked her to pick her ...
Books that can change your life
Books are an invaluable source of power. They can teach you many things, show you different perspectives and in turn shape who you are along the way.
We have selected a number of books that will shape your thinking and, possibly, change your ...
Volunteering activities for the whole family - #IVD2018
How can families volunteer together to help others who are less fortunate than themselves?
Sylvia Green names some great suggestions on International Volunteers ...
You Didn’t Tell Me I Had To Do Something!
Sean Stillman, author of God’s Biker, shares his thoughts for Human Rights ...
Is my gift enough?
SPCK’s Fundraising Assistant Catriona Brickel blogs about generosity. It benefits everyone ...
5 Questions for Stephen Cottrell
Stephen Cottrell, author of The Sleepy Shepherd, chats with us about books, writing, and his plans for ...
Books change the way we look at life
Sarah Meyrick shares her thoughts about writing her upcoming novel The Restless ...
6 Questions for Kenneth Stevens
We caught up with Kenneth Stevens, author of Winter Tales, about writing and his plans for ...
Ruth Clemence's thoughts for International Migrants' Day
Blogger Ruth Clemence shares a review of They Called Us ...
6 Questions for Stephen Cherry
Stephen Cherry chatted with us about his book Barefoot Ways and his plans for ...
Life-affirming memoirs make perfect Christmas gifts
Everything Happens For A Reason (And Other Lies I've Loved) by Kate Bowler was picked as one of Bill Gates's top reads this past summer.
It was a great book to read in your hammock on the beach, and it's still fabulous to read cuddled up by the fire with a cup of cocoa.
Life-affirming memoirs resonate with us all year ...
The deeply personal nature of poetry
Terry Waite’s new book Travels with a Primate will publish in February 2019. He’s on our blog to discuss Out of the Silence, his deeply moving and personal collection of poetry and ...
Building resilience: boundaries not barriers
How can we become more resilient? Justine Allain Chapman considers the importance of establishing and maintaining healthy ...
Jonathan Sandys: The Man Who Could Call Churchill ‘Great-Grandpapa’
Jonathan Sandys, co-author of God and Churchill, passed away of chronic lung disease on 29 December 2018.
His co-author Wallace Henley had some very kind words to ...
SPCK in Durham for the 1698 Club Dinner
Fundraising Assistant Catriona Brickel blogs about the 1698 Club Dinner that took place on 11 ...
Do love. Don't judge.
We ran a poll on Twitter asking what our readers wanted to see more of on our blog. The overwhelming majority asked for content based around our memoirs and biographies. Sean Stillman, author of God’s Biker, was the perfect person to ask to ...
Gemma Simmonds on things she'd tell her younger self
Gemma Simmonds is a religious sister of the Congregation of Jesus. She began her ministry teaching at secondary level in the UK and went on from there to missionary work among women and street children in Brazil. She trained in Christian spirituality at the Ignatian spirituality centre in Wernersville, USA and this led to work as a retreat giver ...
Ruining the Moment
James Cary, author of The Sacred Art of Joking, blogs for us during Storytelling ...
What Not To Say To Someone Who Has Been Subjected To Abuse
4 – 10 February is Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week.
Natalie Collins, author of Out of Control, shares what to not say to someone who has been subjected to ...
Brave New Year
Andrew Adam, author of Thomas Cochrane and the Dragon Throne, blogs for us about the Chinese New ...
#ReclaimSocial – Post Positive in 2019!
Social media has so much potential to be a force for good. We can re-connect with old friends easier than ever before, share important news articles and keep distant family up to date with changes in our lives. Social media has also been central to campaigns and protests, as demonstrated by the viral #metoo campaign.
But it is impossible to deny ...
Remembering Michael Green
Our author Michael Green passed away on 6 February ...
Struggling to find space? Follow Jesus into the desert.
The desert is a vast and beautiful. The colours of the sky and the sand and the piercing blue against the reds and the yellow, are intense. A few years ago, on an 8 days retreat in the Egyptian desert, three days of which were solitary and fasting, I was struck by the space and sheer beauty of the desert.
It was a struggle to get away, with four ...
Five non-fiction books – International Book Giving Day
With international book giving day taking place today, this entirely volunteer-based initiative is aimed at giving awareness and sharing the love of books. Originating in the UK, volunteers and book lovers alike join in on the yearly celebration worldwide by giving the gift of books to others with the hope of instilling in them an affinity and ...
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- 13 Mar 2019
How to recognise abuse
Our author and Gender Justice Specialist Natalie Collins explores ways to recognise signs of abuse, and what we can do to better understand the ...
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- 20 Mar 2019
Give the gift of story this Mother's Day
As Mothering Sunday approaches, give Mum a story that will touch her heart in a way no other gift ...
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- 3 Apr 2019
Schools assemblies can be fun!
Do you remember your school assemblies? I do, and how I wish I would forget some of them! We had one teacher, who would insist on taking Monday morning assemblies. Sure, you might think that he should be applauded for stepping up and taking on the task that no one else wanted.
But you would be ...
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- 5 Apr 2019
Prayer Experiment Activity
What do you think of when you think of prayer? For a lot of people, it brings up images of being told to sit still and close their eyes while someone else ‘says a prayer’; or of reciting words from a page.
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes, author of The Prayer Experiment series, teaches a fun prayer experiment to try with your ...
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- 8 Apr 2019
Who Cares About HIV?
For World Health Day, Who Cares About HIV? author, Paul Kybird, explains the new book, the challenges of those living with HIV, and their engagement with pastoral ...
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- 12 Apr 2019
Very Brief Histories Event
The Very Brief History series is a collection of short, accessible introductions on histories, legacies, and movements that have shaped the world written by industry experts. Our event on Saturday features four speakers uncovering the lives of Thomas More, Immanuel Kant, Byzantine Christianity, and Julian of Norwich.
...
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- 15 Apr 2019
Spanning the Decades
Sarah Meyrick introduces our new blog series where she takes you through the decades of her new novel, The Restless Wave, as well as inspiring stories from her own family ...
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- 26 Apr 2019
Spanning the Decades: 1940s
Sarah Meyrick's third installment of Spanning the Decades features the research that went into The Restless Wave and her own personal history with Church Stowe, available for pre-order ...
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- 1 May 2019
Natural Holy Places: Britain's Top 10
Nick Mayhew-Smith, author of The Naked Hermit, rounds up a five-year journey into the wild sacred spaces of Britain with a top 10 list of the most enchanting holy ...
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- 3 May 2019
Spanning the Decades: 1960s
Sarah Meyrick's fourth Spanning the Decades post for her new book The Restless Wave, available for pre-order ...
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- 13 May 2019
Mindfulness, Spirituality & Mental Health Awareness Week
Tim Stead, former Vicar, mindfulness teacher and author of See, Love, Be – Mindfulness and the spiritual life writes for Mental Health Awareness ...
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- 16 May 2019
Spanning the Decades: The Restless Wave
Sarah Meyrick's final post for our Spanning the Decades series is all about families and how to survive them. Order her new book, The Restless Wave, available ...
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- 17 May 2019
Prayer Experiment - Minecraft Church
Looking to engage your family in new creative ways of prayer?
With our partner publisher Baker Books, we've paired these two titles to help you find creative ways to pray for your whole family! Like this Minecraft Church activity from Miranda Threlfall-Holmes' The Prayer Experiment ...
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- 21 May 2019
Prayer Experiment - Thank You Jar
With our partner publisher Baker Books, we've paired these two titles to help you find creative ways to pray for your whole family! Like this Thank You Jar activity from Miranda Threlfall-Holmes' The Prayer Experiment ...
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- 21 May 2019
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
Debra Green, author of Mountain Moving Prayer, is the National Director and founder of ROC which aims to work alongside the church in ways that demonstrate the Christian faith-in-action. She chats about how encouring faith to live out in ...
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- 24 May 2019
Inspiring hope: SPCK’s ministry to prisoners
Did you know that SPCK uses its skills as a publisher to help prisoners improve their reading skills? As a Christian charity we consider our work with prisoners to be a direct response to Jesus’ commandment to minister to those in prison (Matthew 25:36).
SPCK’s Diffusion books are specially written to help adults who need to improve ...
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- 8 Jun 2019
God is Great Collage - Children's Art Week 2019
To celebrate Children's Art Week 2019, we're sharing this great activity from The Prayer Experiment Notebook on creating a 'God is Great' collage. Tweet your child's finished collage to us at @SPCKPublishing for your chance to win a stack of our children's ...
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- 1 Jul 2019
Converting to Orthodoxy
Martin Dudley was a prominent Anglican priest at St Bartholomew's in the heart of the City of London. In March 2018 he was received into the Orthodox Church. Martin's upcoming book Being Orthodox is an accessible guide for those who seek to become or live as Orthodox Christians. In this blog post you will find out when and why he made the move to ...
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- 10 Jul 2019
The Light Keeper - blog post from Cole Moreton
Find out more about Cole Moreton's upcoming book The Light Keeper and how to win a night's stay at the Belle Tout ...
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- 12 Jul 2019
How literacy reduces reoffending - the impact of Diffusion books
In an evening spent with Olympic rower Debbie Flood we find out how reading in prisons can help reduce reoffending. Debbie Flood experienced this impact first-hand in her role as prison ...
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- 5 Aug 2019
The Man I'll Pray You'll Be
Author and mum Rachael Newham hopes for many things for her little boy, many of which are reflected in Martin Saunders' new book The Man You're Made to ...
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- 6 Aug 2019
Who was Miao Zizhong, Cedar of Lebanon?
The Communists earmarked Zhejiang as a 'religion-free zone' in the 1950s and 1960s, yet to the glory of God, Jesus Christ is worshipped today by more than 13 million people throughout the province. The story of Miao Zizhong is one of many personal stories in Zhejiang: The Jerusalem of China that depict the harsh realities of trying to ...
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- 9 Aug 2019
Book Launch on the Thames with Cole Moreton
Join Cole Moreton aboard the Tamesis for the London launch of his book The Light Keeper. If you're situated on the South Coast there's a few other events to keep in your diary too. Find out more in this blog post taken from Cole's latest ...
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- 19 Aug 2019
The Challenges of Urbanization
From one end of Eurasia to the other, societies are now either already highly urbanized or in the process of becoming so. In The Human Odyssey Stephen Green explores the challenges that are posed by this change. In the following blog post Stephen introduces us to his chapter on 'The forces unleashed by ...
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- 19 Aug 2019
Storytelling at Greenbelt by Murray Watts
Storytelling has always been a big part of Murray Watts' life. It started with his mother reading him the works of Hans Andersen and Grimms' Fairy Tales, which later led to his live broadcasts of monologues and parables on Radio Merseyside in 1971. It's now come full circle to the publication of 'Yours Truly', a collection of 18 brilliant and ...
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- 30 Aug 2019
Measuring success in the Church - do the numbers count?
How do we measure success in the Church? Should we even be using the word 'success'? Are churches failing if they're not growing? And do numbers really count? Vicars are often faced with questions such as these and long-standing minister Alan Bartlett knows all about these challenges. Alan has been an Anglican priest for 25 years and is now working ...
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- 6 Sept 2019
SPCK works to improve adult literacy
Did you know 1 in 6 adults in England have very poor literacy skills? Rebecca Law, Project Manager of SPCK's Diffusion Books tells us about the work that the project does to help prisoners, ex-offenders and homeless people improve their reading skills so they can find work and build a more hopeful future for ...
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- 24 Sept 2019
An Introduction to Twice-Rescued Child
Nearly 80 years after the Second World War the horror and sorrow still grips our hearts. There are countless stories of the families torn apart, yet so many individual lives, individual stories, are lost in the pages of time. Twice-Rescued Child follows the real-life story of Thomas Graumann, who at 8 years old excitedly boarded a ...
- Emma Collins
- 30 Sept 2019
National Poetry Day with Janet Morley
In the lead up to National Poetry Day we speak to Janet Morley about her latest anthology Love Set You Going: Poems of the ...
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- 4 Oct 2019
What can we learn from our animal friends? Meet Danny, the Irish Setter
All over the world, everywhere, humans and animals form great bonds that give them both another kind of gift of life. This is one of the reasons why Joan Chittister wrote the book, Two Dogs and a Parrot. For World Animal Day we're sharing an extract from the book where we meet Danny, the unruly Irish ...
- Emma Collins
- 10 Oct 2019
How true friendship breaks down the stigma of mental illness
Thursday 10th October is World Mental Health Day, a day to help raise awareness and encourage open conversation. This year's theme is suicide prevention. Rachael Newman was aged just six when she had her first suicidal thought. In her book Learning to Breathe she shares her journey into and out of the darkness of depression. In this extract from ...
- Emma Collins
- 8 Nov 2019
The most unlikely art critic in the history of TV
SPCK’s Publishing Director, Philip Law, tells us about what it was like working with the late Sr Wendy Beckett. Not long before she died she agreed to compile a list of her all-time favourite paintings, the result is recently published Sister Wendy's 100 Best-loved Paintings. Sample pages from this exciting new art book are available to view ...
- Emma Collins
- 6 Nov 2019
New for November 2019
With the clocks going back an hour and the weather getting a lot colder there's no matter time to treat yourself to a new book or two to see you through the Winter months. November sees the publication of a great selection of books. New books include the biography on cricketer and bishop David Sheppard and Rupert Shortt's rebuttal on Richard ...
- Emma Collins
- 15 Nov 2019
How many of Sister Wendy's favourite paintings have you seen?
How many of Sister Wendy's favourite paintings have you seen in real life? Many paintings from the recently published Sister Wendy's 100 Best-loved Paintings are hanging up inside the National Gallery. We decided to visit the gallery to see how many we could ...
- Emma Collins
- 29 Nov 2019
Christmas gifts that children will love
With Christmas fast approaching we've handpicked some of our favourite children's books to help you find that perfect gift. Don't forget to check out our Christmas store where we have a great selection of resources to help you prepare for the season ahead, as well as books for personal and group devotion, and gift ideas for those you ...
- Emma Collins
- 12 Dec 2019
Top 10 Gifts for Him
Whether he's a fan of sport or an avid reader of suspense novels our ‘Top 10 Gifts for Him’ will inspire you to find that perfect book to gift this Christmas. Make sure you place your order before 19 December 2019 for pre-Christmas ...
- Emma Collins
- 27 Jan 2020
10 individuals who risked their lives in the Holocaust
'When the Nazis started to destroy the European Jews, the millions of non-Jews in Europe had to decide their stance: would they help the Nazis, help the Jews, or do nothing. A very small percentage resisted or helped. The great majority did nothing. More than 16,000 rescuers have been recognized officially by Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, yet no one ...
- Emma Collins
- 17 Feb 2020
The Tudor Reformation
What do think of when you hear the term Reformation? Most would think of the process by which parts of Catholic Europe became Protestant. Professor Alec Ryrie writes that we shouldn't be distracted by this and instead tells us that the English Reformation was more of a political event rather than a religious one. Find out more in this extract ...
- Emma Collins
- 19 Feb 2020
An Irrepressible Journey
‘I sometimes feel we are sold a myth that we somehow download our purpose in our twenties and then work on that until we “achieve our dreams”,’ speaker, writer and coach Cathy Madavan shares with SPCK ahead of the launch of her new book, Irrepressible: 12 principles for a courageous, resilient and fulfilling ...
- Emma Collins
- 8 Mar 2020
‘Don’t just pretend to love others – really love them’
Today is International Women's Day, a global event that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. To tie in with this awareness day we're sharing an extract from Helen Roberts' new book The Comparison Trap. In this extract Helen reflects on a passage from Romans 12:9-15 (NLT) and explores Paul's letter ...
- Emma Collins
- 16 Mar 2020
Our Lady of Vladimir
Ahead of Mothering Sunday we're sharing an extract from Love Set You Going by Janet Morley. In this extract the poem Our Lady of Vladimir by Rowan Williams is featured alongside a reflection by ...
- Emma Collins
- 20 Mar 2020
10 Ways to Combat Jealousy
To tie in with the publication of The Comparison Trap, author Helen Roberts suggests 10 ways that we can combat ...
- Emma Collins
- 30 Mar 2020
Words for Worrying Times
Rachael Newham, author of Learning to Breathe has provided some encouraging words to reflect upon during these challenging ...
- Emma Collins
- 14 Apr 2020
Mindful Walking
With many of you going out for daily exercise, how many times would you say that you were mindful of your surroundings? Graham User writes that he has two approaches to walking, one that focuses on the amount of steps and time it takes him, and the other to pay attention to his surroundings such as patterns in the sky, birdsong or sounds of ...
- Emma Collins
- 22 Apr 2020
Breaking the Patriarchal Mould | The Story of Joanna
In her book Women in a Patriarchal World Elaine Storkey focuses on the stories of women who faced a range of challenges and life-changing decisions. In this extract from the book we learn about Joanna, a woman who broke tradition by spending little time at home on the duties prescribed for wives at the ...
- Emma Collins
- 24 Apr 2020
Oh God, help - an extract from Godbothering
Why bother with God? Do you know what matters in life? What are the limits of kindness? Why doesn’t God intervene? What are you worth? For twenty years, bestselling novelist Rhidian Brook has pondered such questions on Radio 4's Thought for the Day. 100 of his thoughts have been recently published in his book Godbothering. We're sharing ...
- Emma Collins
- 5 May 2020
You are not alone, an extract from Baby Change
Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week is a week-long campaign dedicated to talking about mental illness during and after pregnancy. In the introduction to Baby Change, Anne Calver writes that she '...did not find anything to help parents emotionally, mentally or spiritually as they prepared for and transitioned into life as mums and dads'. In ...
- Emma Collins
- 11 May 2020
SPCK’s chance to win £1,000
Here at SPCK we are encouraging supporters, authors and partners to nominate us for a chance to win £1,000 as part of specialist insurer Ecclesiastical's “Movement for Good” awards.
It’s quick and easy to nominate SPCK online. Nominations are open from Wednesday 6 May to Sunday 24 May and you can vote for SPCK online at ...
- Emma Collins
- 21 May 2020
Thomas Graumann, the boy who fled the Nazis
It is with great sadness that today we hear of the passing of Thomas Graumann, one of the last children rescued by British humanitarian Nicholas Winton. Thomas' story was published in the book Twice Rescued Child, co-written with Tricia Goyer. Last year we caught up with Tricia and she told us what it was like working with Thomas and ...
- Emma Collins
- 24 Jun 2020
SPCK wins £1,000 Movement for Good award
Thank you to those of you who nominated SPCK for a Movement for Good award. We're delighted to announce that SPCK's Diffusion prison literacy project has won the £1000 Movement for Good award! Find out more in the following press ...
- Emma Collins
- 24 Jun 2020
Vocation isn't just about ordained ministry
What do you think of when you hear the word 'vocation'? Many think of routes into ordination or authorized lay ministry. Vocation is much more than that as John Pritchard explains here in this adapted extract from his new book Handbook of Christian ...
- Emma Collins
- 30 Jun 2020
How Talk Can Transform Us
'The idea of talking to someone for eight hours might have been daunting for some people, but this is what Rowan and I have been doing for more than a decade'. Greg Garrett tells us about the many conversations he had with Rowan Williams, and how these conversations became a book, giving readers the chance to be a 'fly on the ...
- Emma Collins
- 15 Jul 2020
Notes on Love by Lauren Windle - publishing July 2021
We're delighted to announce our latest acquisition, Notes on Love by journalist, speaker and recovering addict Lauren Windle. Perfect for fans of Dolly Alderton’s Everything I know About Love and Elizabeth Day’s How to Fail but who felt that they didn’t capture the nuances of what it means to date within church culture. Find out ...
- Emma Collins
- 7 Aug 2020
The Medical Clergyman
Who do you go to when you’ve got a fever or broken limb? Your local vicar probably wouldn’t be the first person you would think of. Before the year 1858, medicine could be practised by a wide variety of people. A scientifically minded clergyman was one of them. In this extract from Caves, Coprolites, and Catastrophes, historian Allan ...
- Emma Collins
- 1 Sept 2020
First day back, so teacher training.
'First day back, so teacher training. Classes arrive tomorrow. A tedious day, but we could wear jeans, drink our coffee hot and go to the toilet when we chose'.
A familiar scene for many who work in education. In this extract from Miss, What Does Incomprehensible Mean? We learn what the first two days of term are like for ...
- Emma Collins
- 15 Sept 2020
From the quiet science lab to the macho police college
'Leaving the quiet, sterile environment of science research for the macho, militaristic culture of Hendon was a massive culture shock. You could smell the testosterone in the air the moment you passed through the gates into the campus'. In this extract from Closing Ranks: My Life as a Cop, Leroy Logan tells us about his first night at Hendon Police ...
- Emma Collins
- 5 Nov 2020
Who doesn’t like making top-ten lists?
In this extract from We are Satellites by Martin Saunders, we learn how lists of favourite films, books, music or games all have one thing in common, and that is: the creative arts. With creative arts having the same common root of human creativity, where does that creativity come ...
- Emma Collins
- 2 Nov 2020
The Art of Remembering, an extract for All Souls' Day 2020
With outdoor services, prayer walks, and light displays, All Souls' Day will look very different this year. Commemorating the faithfully departed can be an emotional time for many. Young people in particular can have a difficult time with bereavement. Whether they have lost a family member or friend, there are often little reminders of their lost ...
- Emma Collins
- 19 Nov 2020
Gifts with Strings Attached
Receiving a generous gift is often much harder than giving. We can feel obligated or humbled, depending on who is doing the giving. It’s a real challenge to daily accept and believe God’s grace as the ultimate loving gift with no strings ...
- Emma Collins
- 23 Dec 2020
How to keep yourself busy this Christmas
If you're facing Christmas alone, or need some inspiration for keeping busy this Christmas we hope that this list of activities will help to put your mind at ...
- Emma Collins
- 5 Jan 2021
Bray Day 2021
Every year, we (SPCK) and our sister organisation USPG come together to celebrate Bray Day, a day to commemorate our founder The Revd Dr Thomas Bray who died on 15 February 1730. This year, Bray Day is being celebrated online, and will be joined by Rowan Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, PC, FBA, FRSL, FLSW. SPCK members are invited to ...
- Emma Collins
- 14 Jan 2021
Apprentice to Jesus - Discipleship School
Join Cris Rogers for Lent 2021 to either engage or re-engage in your discipleship and apprenticeship in the way of Jesus. Every Monday evening in Lent, Rogers invites you to be part of a discipleship coaching group based upon his new book Apprentice to Jesus.
The group will meet for 75 mins online for an inspirational and helpful coaching ...
- Emma Collins
- 13 Apr 2021
Remembering Answered Prayers
Why is it important to remember our answered prayers? How might remembering these prayers help us in a pandemic? Find out in this Q&A with Richard Gamble, author of ...
- Emma Collins
- 7 Jun 2021
Leadership 101 Book Launch
Find out how you can attend the Leadership 101 book launch in the following blog ...
- Emma Collins
- 10 Jun 2021
What makes all-age worship so difficult?
In this adapted extract from Worship for Everyone, Nick and Becky Drake address the challenges of all-age worship, and suggest practical steps to help overcome ...
- Emma Collins
- 6 Aug 2021
The New Rules of Social Media
When used correctly, social media can be a helpful tool for youth leaders. There is of course a dark side to social media. In this extract from Leadership 101, Tim Alford, National Director of Limitless provides 5 top tips for using social media ...
- Laura Barry
- 9 Nov 2021
SPCK Group Press Release 9 November 2021
The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) and the York Courses Limited today announce SPCK's acquisition of the publishing rights to York Courses. ...
- Laura Barry
- 13 Jan 2022
SPCK Group Press Release 13 January 2022
The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) today announces the appointment of two new Key Account Managers. ...
- Laura Barry
- 12 May 2022
20% Off Mental Health Resources
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we've put together a selection of SPCK titles that encourage and support mental health, from inspirational biographies to insightful books on mindfulness and self-care. All 20% Off this ...
- Emma Collins
- 30 Nov 2022
Our charity has been promoting Christian knowledge for over 300 years – now Christians are in the minority
As a charity who has spent the last 300 years promoting Christianity, we see in the rejection of nominal Christianity (people identifying themselves as Christian out of routine or family tradition, rather than necessarily practicing the faith), an opportunity born out of ...
- Laura Barry
- 16 Jan 2023
Blue Monday Week: Save 10% on Mental Health Resources
Banish January Blues and save 10% this Blue Monday Week on inspirational and uplifting Mental Health Resources. ...
- Laura Barry
- 16 Jan 2023
Guest Post: Lily-Jo's Blue Monday Tips for Talking to Children About Mental Health
Lily-Jo, a children’s mental health expert and author of Talking to Children About Mental Health, shares with us her top tips for helping you AND your child through the January ...
- Laura Barry
- 26 Jan 2023
Joshua Luke Smith Hosts Stories & Psalms - Free Event
Joshua Luke Smith, author of Something You Once Knew, is hosting Stories & Psalms at Kings X Church on January 30th at 7:30 pm. Find out more here. ...
- Laura Barry
- 23 Mar 2023
SPCK Authors at Spring Harvest 2023
Spring Harvest is back on April 10th to April 14th, and we're thrilled to be publishing Flipped, the official theme book, and The Beatitudes, the official workbook. To celebrate, we're offering 20% OFF books from all attending ...
- Laura Barry
- 2 May 2023
Coronation Sale: Enjoy 20% OFF the entire website!
Celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty The King Charles III this Saturday, the 6th of May, with 20% OFF our entire website until May ...
- Laura Barry
- 3 Aug 2023
SPCK Authors at Creation Fest!
Join SPCK Authors Sarah Yardley and Hope Virgo at Creation Fest on the 3rd to the 6th of ...
- Laura Barry
- 4 Aug 2023
SPCK Authors at Satellites
Join Gemma Hunt, author of See! Let's Be A Good Friend and See! Let's Be Me, and Lauren Windle, author of Notes on Love and Notes on Feminism at ...
- Laura Barry
- 4 Aug 2023
SPCK Author Tim Alford at Limitless
Join Tim Alford, author of Leadership 101, at Limitless Festival on August 5th - 6th! ...
- Laura Barry
- 10 Oct 2023
Patrick Regan OBE Brighter Days Tour
Join Patrick Regan OBE on his Brighter Days tour across the UK! Read on for dates and book launch locations. ...
- Laura Barry
- 29 Jan 2024
The Best Self-Help Books to Brighten Your January
Looking for best self-care books to support your mental health? Here, we round up our top ten books about mental health, anxiety, depression, stress, and personal growth. ...
- Laura Barry
- 7 Mar 2024
Share Your Love of Reading this World Book Day!
Share your love of reading this World Book Day! With over half of children saying they don't enjoying reading, it's more important than ever to support children in learning how to love reading. We've compiled some of our bestselling children's books we know children and young readers will ...
- Laura Barry
- 25 Mar 2024
Discover our March New Releases
Discover our new releases this March! From My Big Story Bible by bestselling author Tom Wright to Lauren Windle's insightful and entertaining Notes on Feminism, there's a book everyone can ...
- Laura Barry
- 22 Apr 2024
Celebrate Earth Day With 7 Earth-Friendly Reads For Kids
Today is Earth Day! Celebrate Earth Day with your child or grandchild with 7 inspiring fiction and nonfiction books all about the Earth and the environment. These captivating books will inspire kids to make god's world a cleaner and more beautiful place to ...
- Laura Barry
- 5 Jun 2024
17 Books We Can't Wait To Read This Summer!
Explore seventeen wonderful books that we can't wait to read this ...
- Laura Barry
- 25 Nov 2024
Guest Post: SPCK Author Natalie Collins
SPCK Author Natalie Collins writes about the importance of ending men's violence against women on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against ...
- Laura Barry
- 14 Jan 2025
Understanding the Bible: 10 Essential Books to Deepen Your Christian Faith
Discover 10 essential SPCK books that make understanding the Bible easier, deepen your Christian faith, and help you connect with the teachings of the Bible in a meaningful way. ...
- Laura Barry
- 26 Mar 2025
Stories She’ll Love: Meaningful Books to Gift This Mother’s Day
Celebrate Mother’s Day with meaningful, faith-filled books for every woman who’s shaped your story — from mums and mentors to daughters and ...
- Laura Barry
- 12 May 2025
SPCK Wins Specialist Consumer Publisher of the Year at the Independent Publishing Awards 2025
SPCK has been recognised for publishing excellence, winning Specialist Consumer Publisher of the Year and the Virtusales Metadata Award at the 2025 Independent Publishing ...
- Laura Barry
- 29 Jul 2025
Join Katie Piper for the Magical Launch of Your Greatest Gift – 19th August at Waterstones
Join Katie Piper OBE for the joyful launch of her new children’s book Your Greatest Gift on 19th August at Waterstones Trafalgar Square, an inspiring family event sponsored by NSPCC and ...
- Laura Barry
- 2 Sept 2025
SPCK Shortlisted in Three Categories at the CRT Awards 2025!
SPCK Publishing is honoured to be shortlisted in three categories at the CRT Awards 2025, celebrating Discovering Christianity by Rowan Williams and The Girl from Montego Bay by Rose ...
- Laura Barry
- 13 Jan 2026
UK Bible Sales Are Up 134% Since 2019
Discover why more people, especially younger readers, are returning to the Bible and how Scripture continues to speak into everyday ...
- Laura Barry
- 13 Mar 2026
Stories of the Saints: Inspiring Saints Every Child Should Know
Discover inspiring saint stories for children as Margaret McAllister shares the remarkable lives of Christian heroes featured in Stories of the ...








