Canon Professor Michael Clarke was recently presented withThe Canterbury Cross by the Archbishop of Canterbury in recognition of hisservice to the Church of England over many years. He was one of 30 Christianshonoured by Archbishop Justin in the 2018 Lambeth Awards, which are given to people fromacross the Church who have given extraordinary service in fields includingconflict resolution, education, worship, journalism and evangelism.
Michael said: I am overwhelmed by being awarded thishonour: it came completely out of theblue. The presentation was in the GreatHall of Lambeth Palace, a wonderful, mediaeval riverside building,in part of which the Archbishop of Canterburylives when in London.The afternoon wasa lovely mix of formal and informal. After receiving our honours from the Archbishop,everyone relaxed over tea and cakes, and generally enjoyed talking to the otherpeople there.They represented theAnglican Communion from all over the world as well as the United Kingdom; most of them looked ordinary but their citations told otherwise. The weather was perfect, so most ofus wandered in the beautiful Palace garden with its Spring blossom, beforegathering again for Evening Prayer in the Chapel. It was altogether a wonderful day, made formemories!"
The Lambeth Awards, launched by Archbishop Justin Welby in2016, recognise outstanding service in different fields, including those of theArchbishops ministry priorities of prayer and the Religious life;reconciliation and peacebuilding; and evangelism and witness. Christians fromAfrica, the Far East and the UK are among the recipients of this years awards.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Archbishop said he wished toexpress the thanks of the Church and the wider community for the recipients outstandingcontributions in their fields. He added that he hoped the world at large willsee what these people have done and understand that, in their differentfields, they show forth values which are our values, Gospel values of love forhumanity, reconciliation and selfless service; and, more widely, values commonto all people of good will.
Michaels award citation:
Canon ProfessorMichael Gilbert Clarke The Canterbury Cross for Services to the Church ofEngland, for outstanding service to church and society over many years.
Michael Clarke has given outstanding service to the Churchand society in many areas over the years. Nationally, he has served the Churchfrom 1990 to 1993 and from 1995 to date on General Synod, where he has been anexemplary chair of many tricky and complex debates, including that on theRevision Stage of the draft Women in the Episcopate Measure in July 2010, theorder paper for which ran to 37 pages, surely a record. The bewilderingkaleidoscope of amendments made it quite unclear what the outcome might be.Michael chaired the sometimes impassioned debate with consummate skill,articulating succinctly the effect that each amendment was intended to achieve,so that members could vote with understanding and confidence. More importantly,perhaps, he set the tone of the debate with a lightness of touch and even anelement of humour. He has served on the Dioceses Commission from 2008, as Chairfrom 2010, in which capacity he steered the process which led to the formationof the new Diocese of Leeds in 2014. This required a huge commitment of time,energy, wisdom and skill and a profound grasp of the needs of the church andits mission.
He served on the Council of the Queenss Foundation forTheological Education, Birmingham, from 2005 to 2011. He was one of the firstlay members of Chapter at Worcester Cathedral, from 2001 to 2010 and now chairsthe Cathedral Council. He is also the Worcester Chair of the Three ChoirsFestival which attracts visitors from all over the world to the city and thecathedral. Beyond the Church, he has just completed ten years as Chairman ofthe Board of Directors of the Birmingham Royal Ballet.
