Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Faith BowersIn July 2016 a special issue of the Baptist Quarterly was dedicated to Faith Bowers, and John Briggs, who was guest editor for that issue of the Quarterly, wrote about Faith as someone that he personally, and the Baptist Historical Society (BHS) as a whole, owed so much. 1 As a former editor of the Quarterly, I am pleased to have the opportunity to add some of my own reflections to those previously offered by John Briggs as a further tribute to her.Faith's association with Baptist life began when during the Second World War she was evacuated from Croydon with her family to Stroud in Gloucestershire, where contacts were made with a local Baptist church.When it came time for Faith to consider University, she was drawn to London and until more recent years she never left the city.It was during her University studies that she met Brian.They were engaged in different areas of study, and the meeting took place through the Baptist students' John Clifford Society, which was affiliated to the Baptist Students Federation.As with many others, the Federation was a seed-bed for various kinds of leadership. 2 In the case of Faith and Brian, friendship blossomed into marriage and over succeeding decades they made an outstanding joint contribution to the Baptist denomination.Within the Baptist Historical Society, Faith was minute-taker from 1975, when Ernest Payne chaired the BHS committee.She fulfilled this role from 1975, and in 1985, when John Briggs succeeded Keith Clements as editor of the Quarterly, Faith was appointed sub-editor.She was already involved in the promotion of Baptist historical thinking.A new publication in 1978 was Who are the Baptists?Geoffrey Rusling, handling enquiries at the Baptist Union, wanted something appropriate for general enquirers and Faith took on this project.The success of this publication opened up fresh possibilities as sales contributed to the fund for further BHS publications.3 Faith, with meticulous care, saw all the major publications of the BHS through the various stages from receipt of a manuscript to the finished volume.These publications included the four volumes covering English Baptist history, by B. R. White, Raymond Brown, John Briggs and myself; Baptist Union Documents 1948Documents -1977Documents (1980)), which was compiled by Roger Hayden with the help of Brian Bowers; Stephen Copson's Association Life of the Particular Baptists of Northern England 1699-
Source: Baptist Quarterly
Author: Ian Randall
Language: English
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4408410739