In the 1960s I occasionally attended services at St Barnabas in Manor Park, east London. Under the direction of the Rev Nigel Porter it was lively, with a radical edge, and so exactly the right place for Nick Beacock to begin his Christian ministry.
I was introduced to him – a striking figure – when I turned up for a Sunday evening service. He had just that day been ordained deacon, and I remember Nigel telling me that I should get Nick to sign my service sheet, as “This young man is going to go far”. How true were his words.
