Introducing Your Chair

Tony Lucas took over as Chair from Lyndon van der Pump in 2009.  He was previously on the SPIDIR Committee and edited the Newsletter during the 1990s.   In 2006 he retired after 41 years of parish ministry, most of it in Southwark Diocese.   He was in Stockwell through the 80s, then spent 15 years as Rector of St George the Martyr, Borough High Street, dealing with a portfolio of ailing buildings.   Along with this, he was able to maintain an engagement with spiritual direction and has been glad of the opportunity to see more people as a director recently.

Tony originally trained as a historian, rather than a theologian, and completed an MA in Medieval History ten years ago.   His other principle commitment has been to writing, and he has published poetry in magazines and anthologies for many years.   Three collections of his work have been issued by Stride Publications.   He sees both the historical dimension and the creative, imaginative areas as being of continuing relevance to our exploration of spirituality today.

He and his wife continue to live in inner south London, where he helps out sometimes at Holy Trinity, Rotherhithe.   Having learnt much in the past from the founding figures of SPIDIR, he is conscious of the rich inheritance of experience that has been accumulated, and hopes to be able to help secure the continuation of so much valuable work done by others over the years.