Stephen Rand is leaving Tearfund after more than 25 years service, most recently as Prayer and Campaigns Director. He will be giving the majority of his time to work as the Co-Chair of Jubilee Debt Campaign, while also developing his role as part of the leadership team of Kairos Church in Wimbledon.
Stephen left his teaching career and joined Tearfund in 1979; his first role was to build up the volunteer network across the UK and Ireland, which led to extensive travel around the country.
He then took on the role of Education Director, followed by Communications Director, in which he was responsible for Tearfund’s video output, resulting in visits to over 20 countries throughout the developing world. The stories of these travels have been written up in Guinea Pig for Lunch, recently reprinted.
As Prayer and Campaigns Director Stephen has developed Tearfund’s weekly prayer email service and the campaigning communication ‘globalaction’, with its regularly updated CD-Rom. He has also been responsible for Tearfund’s involvement in the campaign against international debt; he was a key figure in Jubilee 2000 campaign and helped to establish its successor Jubilee Debt Campaign in 2001, since when he has been its co chair.
“We are grateful for all the many ways that Stephen has been a major force in bringing a holistic gospel perspective to the UK and Irish church and has been one of the key faces of Tearfund to supporters and volunteers,” says Doug Balfour, Tearfund General Director. “We will greatly miss his challenging questions, his passion for education, his sense of humour and heartfelt concern for the poor.”
Stephen is a well-known speaker at Christian events and in churches. At Spring Harvest and Greenbelt he was responsible for a number of innovative interactive mission exhibitions, and estimates he has visited over 500 churches on behalf of Tearfund.
Communication will be a key feature of his new working life, speaking on behalf of Jubilee Debt Campaign and developing a number of writing and lecturing opportunities.