Moderator
Moderator of the General Assembly 2007 - 2008
The Revd Stephen Orchard
Stephen Orchard is currently the Principal of Westminster College and
President of the Cambridge Theological Federation. He retires this summer.
This was his second time in Cambridge, for it was here he graduated and did
his research and here he trained at Cheshunt College for ministry in the
Congregational Church, the last year being spent at Westminster after the
two colleges amalgamated. He served as minister at Abercarn, South Wales,
1968–70; Sutton, Surrey 1970–1977, where he was involved in an early
ecumenical project; and as minister of the Free Church, (United Reformed
Church), Welwyn Garden City, 1977–82. During this period he also served as a
voluntary marriage counsellor and as part-time paid hospital chaplain.
He was then appointed Assistant General Secretary (Community Affairs), to
the British Council of Churches, 1982–1986, where he was involved in
conferences and briefings on issues, such as the
miners’ strike, Sunday Trading, data protection, cable television and so on,
while also overseeing work on broad themes such as race relations and
community work.
From there he went to be General Secretary and Director of Christian
Education Movement, 1986–2001. CEM had sixteen staff and many thousands of
subscribing schools and individuals. Its principal activities were to
support religious education
in schools and on Stephen’s leaving it merged with the National Christian
Education Council to broaden its activities in Christian Education.
During all this time Stephen has continued to be involved in preaching and
in the committee work of the United Reformed Church. He was Secretary of the
URC History Society from 1978–97 and has chaired it since then. He was
Co-convener of
the Negotiating Group between United Reformed Church and Congregational
Church in Scotland, 1996–1999. He has recently served as Convener of the
Nominations Committee. His wider service includes representing the United
Reformed Church on the Westhill Endowment Trust since 1999. He chairs the
British and Foreign School Society and the Alliance House Foundation. He has
been an adviser to the John Templeton Foundation from 1994 and was a judge
for the Templeton Prize, 1996–99. In 2000 he was awarded an honorary degree
of Doctor of Humanities by Brunel
University. He has written for many church educational publications and
contributed
to hymn books and prayer anthologies. He and his wife Linda are members of
the West Derbyshire United Reformed Church and worship at Emmanuel Church,
Cambridge
in term time.
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