The Story of Feed the Minds

Once up and running the Partners in Feed the Minds set about consolidating the programmes of SPCK, USCL and the work undertaken jointly during the years of the Campaign and the next twelve years (1964-76) were years of Growing Together.

George Lunn was the rock, having gone through the Campaign, always loyal to SPCK and fully committed to further integration through FTM in the interests of partners overseas. Jim Sutton maintained excellent contacts with the missionary societies and never missed an opportunity to wave the FTM banner, whilst Alec Gilmore who arrived in 1976 as the new General Secretary of USCL learned from the two of them the skills which he was going to need in the years of separation to come . The triumvirate grew together in a remarkable way making every attempt to integrate former overseas partners of SPCK and USCL into the new structure and enabling all to feel part of the FTM scene.

For SPCK and USCL the new regime called for little change and no major problems. They were now able to continue what they had been doing for a long time and on a firmer foundation. Both readily undertook to channel all overseas requests through FTM  and continue substantial grants on a one-to-one basis as they participated fully in the FTM decision-making process whilst at the same time retaining a freedom to handle exceptional cases from their other imdividual Society resources, often with the goodwill of FTM.

The early years were years of Consolidation. For a small Movement with a limited budget grants were relatively small (up to £5,000 in any one year though often part of an agreed two or three year programme) and mostly to relatively small operations with little or no appeal to the larger mission agencies for whom literature was often low on their agenda. This required and enabled close monitoring with a detailed knowledge of the operations, often on a personal basis with regular two-way visits. It also enabled the wide geographical territory to be balanced by the appeal to a wide constituency for funding, reflected further in the breadth of FTM’s grant-making overall programme, which included publishing, bookselling and library development with offshoots into literacy and theological education at all levels. Both had the privilege of visiting and relating to their Society’s former partners as before but were able openly to share their findings and experiences in the wider FTM partnership. 

Applicants now had the benefit of consensus as to terms and conditions, which (in summary) meant 

• applications were open to all churches and organisations which could claim some connection with Christianity, the content (for example, to what extent it could be described as 'Christian') to be detemined by the applicant on the princples previously practiced and defined by the traditions of SPCK, USCL and the FTM Campaign. 
• grants to secular bodies such as local education authorities required some Christian content or clearly defined purpose such as RE textbooks for schools.

From now to the end of the century, despite changes in structure, the overall purpose and objectives of Feed the Minds stayed the same, its geographical range (Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Latin Amerca) unchanged, with Europe featuring little until the arrival of Eurolit. Its ecumenical (and not just its interdenominational) nature were assured. Literature needs crossed all church frontiers. in most Third World countries Christian commercial publishing and bookselling related either to all the churches, to several churches or to an independent Board on which more than one church was represented. 

FTM had established its place as a professional ecumenical agency with a Foundation of  three basic principles and four main areas of work.

Basic Principles

• A professional basis with sound professional training of personnel as a commitment to Third World Christian publishing and distribution.
• A holistic gospel which understands Christian literature to embrace books for new readers, with titles on health, hygiene, nutrition, local history, legend and tradition every bit as much as about prayer books and religious education. (Bray and his colleagues would have said Amen.)
• Education and training as a means of fortifying all that has gone before, from tracts to books and translations, by addressing the needs of the 21st century with a focus on local issues, local production, local writers and artists.

Areas of Work

• Publishing and Distribution. Grants for commercial (or pseudo-commercial) Christian companies with an emphasis on growth, training and professionalism, mostly in the form of publishing and bookshop capital, paper and raw materials, small machinery and equipment, book vans and tours, and support for magazines and newspapers, religious education (in church or school) and various workshops relating to publishing. All on the principle of the Revolving Fund.
• Libraries and Colleges. Non-profitable and non-commercial, to establish and develop libraries in rural areas, urban reading rooms and theological colleges, with professional support for librarians. Mostly cash or books.
• Aid and Development. Non-commercial and non-profitable, to projects with no road to self-sufficiency in themselves but which enable a community to grow in self-sufficiency. Usually in the form of books for new readers, on a  wide variety of subjects, sometimes with matching support from the Overseas Development Association and often relating to women and children in particular and to the very poor.
• General and Special. One-off requests or requests which do not fit the other three categories. Often short-term ‘seed corn’ grants to supplement the other three types.

In addition to raising funds ‘on the open market’ Feed the Minds always saw itself as ‘a clearing house’ for similar overseas requests which came the way of other charitable agencies with similar concerns but which they were either not equipped or not qualified to respond to in the normal course of business, on much the same lines as the Methodist Overseas Committee had done from the beginnning. Some might become member bodies or simply financial partners, fully supporting and free to draw on FTM services (for which they would make a contribution)  as and when they used the service, or be prepared to take responsibiity for financing some particular aspect of the programme as had USCL with libraries and colleges. 

Something similar existed for many years with the Ranfurley Library as a contribution to the Book Service. Ranfurley which collected used books for overseas used the services of FTM to sort all the Christian titles they received in return for which FTM had first choice on any which they felt had a satisfactory life overseas and were able to decide to which institutions they went.

Sadly, some potential partners were reluctant to get involved in this way and as funding for all organisations became tighter with the passage of time, far from contributing to a common pot it was not unknown for some to think that when they were short they could turn to Feed the Minds for further funding. 

Non-financial partnerships however were effectively established with allied agencies with much mutual and profitable exchange of information. These included the World Council of Churches (mainly through the Programme for Theological Education and CICARWS), the World Association for Christian Communication (with links to all its member bodies), David C Cook and the International (Methodist) Global Ministries (USA), the Lutheran World Federation, the European Baptist Federation and the Australian Baptist Missionary Society.

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