For our Easter to Pentecost series, we share a student profile and a creative piece from Ken Baker, who is the pastor of the Church of the Nazarene in Walthamstow, London, and a long-time member of the NTC community. Originally from Sheffield, Ken completed his PhD in New Testament through NTC in 2002 and now serves as a visiting lecturer and a member of the Board of Governors.
An accomplished musician, poet, blogger, and author, Ken and his wife Val also teach online, and describe themselves as ‘prayer activists.’ Ken’s eclectic publications include “Life Together: Reflections in 1 Corinthians,” “Explaining the World: Wesleyan Spirituality in Genesis 1-11”, “Jesus Does Stand-Up,” and “Wesley in Bristol: How Interior Experiential Christianity Becomes Social Justice and Reform Praxis.” Ken has also written a novel about England in 1929-1939 (Aflame in the Shadows) when a handful of young people in their twenties planted dozens of new churches!
Val and Ken have been married for 32 years, and have four children and two grandchildren. They also have twenty foster children with many other grandchildren and keep in touch with many of them. Ken says, “Christmas is always exciting!”
Ken and Val are both teachers. Val’s background is in Maths and Ken’s is in English and History. Presently they both teach online in China and write courses for ESOL teaching there. Ken write, “One of the courses has been published as a book and it was an amazing privilege to do an online book signing across China with about 200 people asking questions on the book. The book used quotes from Confucius to develop discussions about Christian principles.”
Ken’s favourite quotes: I have a couple of favourite quotes – John Wesley is credited with saying “Love is busy” – it’s the principle that made him such a joyous workaholic. The other one is something Val said just before we got married : she said “People are more important than projects.” The combination is the two principles created an unstoppable force.
Ken wrote the song, “Christ Has Ascended,” using the tune of “Morning Has Broken.” It reflects on the time between Jesus’ ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit, when the disciples were waiting, wondering, and hoping. The words remind us that even when Jesus feels far away, He is still with us, working in and through us.
