“Churchwardens are the great unsung heroes of the Church of England… Matthew Clements is far too much of a Christian man to proclaim his own virtues, but the great strength of his writing is that he sets the sometimes dry duties and responsibilities of wardenship within the warm context of human lives lived joyously and devotedly in the service of Christ and his beloved Church. I was privileged to serve as archdeacon for a number of years alongside the author, and entirely recognise the truth of his wife’s comment that he was ‘born to be a churchwarden’. That remains the case for surprisingly many wardens in the Church of England today; some others achieve this office after years of waiting, and a great many have it thrust upon them. Whatever the route by which God calls them into this role, though, all should be honoured for the greatness of the task they have taken up; and all will find in this book practical wisdom, shrewd commonsense, and indefatigable commitment to a noble cause.”
Rt Rev Michael Ipgrave, Bishop of Lichfield, writing in the foreword.
“I was delighted to receive a copy of your book, and really enjoyed reading it. It is great to hear another perspective and I have encouraged the rest of my team to read it too. I must also thank you for so diligently reminding people to care for their wonderful buildings, and to always obtain permission for works! The prose is friendly and relatable and I am sure many churchwardens will find it comforting to learn that they are not the only ones facing the daily trials and tribulations”
DAC Secretary
“To my shame, I must own up to the fact that another copy of your book has been sitting on my bookshelf for some time. Who gave it to me? – I’ve no idea.
I don’t feel brave enough to review your book on-line but, with more spare time now that I’ve retired as churchwarden, I’ve actually read it! Better late than never, I hear you say! In fact, I agree entirely with that sentiment and regret not reading it before.
I enjoyed it enormously, for the anecdotes, the wealth of practical advice, and for giving me the comforting feeling that perhaps I wasn’t the worst churchwarden in the land!!
So, I now have two copies which I shall pass onto our two current churchwardens in the hope that they each will, unlike me, read it whilst ‘in post’.”
Former Churchwarden