At its 9^th International Triennial Conference at Madras Christian College in Chennai, India, the Colleges and Universities of the Anglican Communion (CUAC) inducted the Revd Maher Spurgeon as its second Distinguished Fellowship. The induction into the fellowship took place appropriately in the college’s Bishop Heber Chapel on Sunday, January 8^th with his congregations, including the Tamil-speaking, joined by the Triennial Delegates, and many friends and family members.

As Chaplain of Madras Christian College since 2000 he made their Bishop Heber Chapel a place of vital worship, increasing Sunday worship from one to five services and developing dynamic student choirs and music.  As a pastor and teacher of Christian Doctrine, Indian philosophy and comparative religions he formed a generation of students on their paths of spiritual discovery.

He served as a trustee of CUAC for over eight years, superintending the many colleges of the Indian Chapter which he knew intimately, connecting them with periodic chapter gatherings and reaching out to a flock of fellow chaplains across India whom he always enabled and supported.

Through a fascinating coincidence, in 2012 Spurgeon and Jeremy Law, Dean of Chapel at Canterbury Christ Church University made exchange visits to each other campuses in conjunction with their both celebrating anniversaries, MCC’s 125^th and Canterbury’s 50^th stepping into each other’s shoes with students, faculty and teaching.

Now on leave as chaplain he is using his rich experience in colleges and chaplaincies with the United Board for Higher Education in Asia, serving as Regional Consultant for South Asia. The certificate was awarded by the Revd Dr Robert Derrenbacker, president of CUAC and the Revd Canon James G. Callaway, its General Secretary, signed by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, CUAC’s patron.

Picture: Canon Callaway, Dr Derrenbacker and Dr. Spurgeon, accompanied by the Revd Dr Jeremy Law, Dean of Chapel at Canterbury Christ Church University, the first receipient.