Harry Wainwright owns a small independent bookshop, in suburban Bath, which has a strong community focus. After working for large bookshops such as Waterstones for almost twenty years, Harry decided to open his own shop. It is a place that has not only reinforced his love of books but has also reinforced his love of people. ‘Life in my bookshop is especially pastoral, and there is a great privilege in walking with and listening to the people who visit my shop through life’s journey, whether great life events are taking place, or we are simply inhabiting the rhythms of daily life. I simply keep asking for the grace to be a more effective vessel and try not to get in God’s way. ‘
When he hasn’t got his head in a book, Harry can often be found ‘blued’ to the football, keeping an eye on his beloved Ipswich Town. He says, ‘It is a legacy from my childhood in the 1970s and something for which I have repented on many occasions.’
Harry was brought up in Ireland and was raised mainly in the Roman Catholic faith. His own faith deepened in the early 1980s when, he says, ‘Being baptised in the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to a way of living with Christ which has grown and deepened.’
It led him to explore ordination in both the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Church, but it was when he started to attend the 8 am Bath Abbey BCP Sunday service that his sense of calling became stronger. ‘Looking back, I can see how so much of what has happened in my life has been a preparation for this forthcoming journey.’
Harry will serve his curacy in the Benefice of Christ Church and St Mary’s, Frome and will continue to run the bookshop alongside his role as a self-supporting minister.