Our history
The Simeon Trust
Who was Charles Simeon?
Charles Simeon (1759-1836) was born in Reading. He loved sport, horses and clothes and very early in his life became famous as the first man to carry an umbrella in Cambridge! Simeon converted to faith in Jesus Christ on his first Easter Day as a student at Cambridge, his awareness of his sin and separation from God stirred by the requirement that all undergraduates must take Holy Communion each term.
He was Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge for 54 years and a Fellow of King’s College. Despite hostility from his congregation and in the university, his courage and pastoral zeal broke down all opposition. His congregation eventually numbered about 1100, half of them students.
Simeon exercised a highly significant influence among students and ordinands. His famous sermon classes and ‘conversations’ about the Scriptures in his rooms at King’s have been described as an unrivalled training in expository preaching and preparation for ordained ministry. He therefore became a formative figure in the evangelical revival and exercised a nationwide influence for the cause of the Gospel within what was then a formal and moribund Church of England.
Simeon was one of the pioneers of the Church Missionary Society, of the Bible Society and of CPAS. He was the founder of a body of trustees (the Simeon Trustees) charged with ensuring that godly and conscientious men within the evangelical tradition were appointed to the ‘livings’ in parishes where the trustees held the patronage, or the right to appoint. Bath Abbey, Sheffield Cathedral and Beverley Minster are the largest of the Simeon churches, along with over 100 others across the country, such as Christ Church, Clifton, with by far the largest congregation in Bristol Diocese.
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Are the Priorities and Concerns of Charles Simeon Relevant for Today?
This is the title of an article by the Revd. Paul Carr published in the
‘ Churchman’ (114/2 2000).
The key points he makes are:
Simeon believed that conversion was an essential part of Christianity.
He emphasised a lifestyle of self-discipline both for prayer and Bible study.
He was committed to living a holy life, despite shortcomings of personality and temperament.
He was committed to competent and effective preaching of the highest quality.
He believed in systematic Bible teaching and sound doctrine for building up and discipling people.
He maintained a balanced view at a time when evangelicals were divided in many areas.
He believed that evangelicals had much to learn about gentleness of spirit.
He was committed to nurturing the evangelical tradition in the Church of England.
He believed that evangelicals should reform the C of E from within rather than through schism.
He had great respect for the liturgy of the Prayer Book and the tradition of the C of E.
He saw pastoral awareness as an imperative for ministry and developed a new visitation scheme.
He met monthly with the core members of his congregation in groups or ’classes.’
He believed that the Gospel was exhibited through social action, that Christians should be an influence on society and acknowledged his responsibility to care and provide for his neighbour.
He had a passion to extend the Kingdom of God at home and abroad through evangelism and mission.
The right to appoint a priest for St Luke’s has always been in the hands of Simeon’s Trustees.