SPCK President, Archbishop Rowan Williams, leads blessing and dedication of new life-long learning centre and bookshop in the heart of Westminster.

"We are delighted to be here in Westminster . Our job - our mission - at SPCK is to provide access to resources for Christian communities and to help people to engage with the Christian message. Here in Westminster we feel we are close to the centres of many national and international Christian communities," said Malcolm Munro-Faure, Bookshops Director for SPCK.

Mr Munro-Faure spoke to a gathering of about 75 people, including many authors and church leaders. 

Discussions with the Society of the Faith, whose building now houses SPCK, have always envisaged the shop as part of a Christian resource centre embracing local churches and Christian organisations in and around Westminster .

"Our role at SPCK is to promote Christian knowledge. We can provide access to the physical books and other product. Working with Christian communities, authors and others, we are increasingly finding that we can also bring ideas to life. We look forward to working with organisations in Westminster to promote the Christian message."

At the service of blessing, Graeme King, General Secretary of SPCK, read from the Book of Wisdom of Solomon. Its words included:

"For who can learn the counsel of God? Or who can discern what the Lord wills?"

"We can hardly guess at what is on earth, and what is at hand we find with labour; but who has traced out what is in the heavens?"

"Who has learned your counsel, unless you have given wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high?"

A prayer led by the Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, member of SPCK Governing Body, spoke of unity and witness:

"We give thanks and praise to Almighty God for the work within this world through our Lord Jesus Christ, because even in our divided humanity, separated from each other, we experience now and then the reconciliation which comes from you; our thanks to you and praise can never end.

"We ask you to accept us in your Son. Grant us the spirit of unity that takes away whatever comes to divide us. Keep us in union with all your people and make your Church become a sign of unity among all people. We pray all this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen."

This prayer was written by Janet Nyenda, Uganda and is taken from "Prayers Encircling the World".

The Archbishop of Canterbury then blessed the main room with holy water. He was presented with a handsome bound edition of the Bible and Book of Common Prayer in Welsh, published in 1748.

J M Rosenthal