The Fountain Trust was an

ecumenical Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

agency formed in

the UK The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in 1964 to promote the charismatic renewal. The trust operated on the principle that it was the purpose of the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

to "renew the historic churches". D. Eryl Davies, principal of the Evangelical Theological College of Wales, has criticized the trust for "facilitating interdenominational fellowship and bonding more on the basis of the

charismata In Christianity, a spiritual gift or charism (plural: charisms or charismata; in Greek singular: χάρισμα ''charisma'', plural: χαρίσματα ''charismata'') is an extraordinary power given by the Holy Spirit."Spiritual gifts". ''A D ...

and a distinctive 'spirituality' rather than on the unique truths of the biblical gospel" and because "a theological looseness as well as ambiguity developed with regard to the gospel itself." However, no such "theological looseness" was ever apparent to those who had the joy and privilege of working at the Fountain Trust, nor to the many thousands whose lives were touched by God through its ministry. It was founded by

Michael Harper Michael or Mike Harper may refer to: * C. Michael Harper (1927–2016), American businessman * Michael Harper (priest) (1931–2010), English charismatic Anglican, later an Orthodox priest * Michael S. Harper (1938–2016), African-American poet * ...

, a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

priest who experienced what charismatics and

Pentecostals Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God through baptism with the Holy Spirit. The term ''Pentecostal'' is derived ...

termed the

Baptism of the Holy Spirit In Christian theology, baptism with the Holy Spirit, also called baptism in the Holy Spirit or baptism in the Holy Ghost, has been interpreted by different Christian denominations and traditions in a variety of ways due to differences in the doctr ...

, a

religious experience A religious experience (sometimes known as a spiritual experience, sacred experience, mystical experience) is a subjectivity, subjective experience which is interpreted within a religious framework. The concept originated in the 19th century, a ...

accompanied by

speaking in tongues Speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia, is an activity or practice in which people utter words or speech-like sounds, often thought by believers to be languages unknown to the speaker. One definition used by linguists is the fluid voc ...

. Between July 1964 and its voluntary dissolution in 1980, Fountain Trust sponsored several conferences, meetings and publications, involving leaders such as Bible teacher Arthur Wallis and theologian Thomas Smail, who became director in 1975. The first of five biennial international conferences under the auspices of the trust was held at Guildford, England in 1971. In 1966 the Trust set up ''Renewal'' magazine, which for several decades was the leading magazine for charismatic Christians in the UK. In recent years it has merged with ''Christianity'' magazine. The Trust also published a supplement entitled ''Theological Renewal'' three times a year. The archives of the Trust are now with the Donald Gee Center for Pentecostal & Charismatic Research at Mattersey Hall.

Footnotes

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Other sources

*P.D. Hocken, "Fountain Trust" in Stanley M. Burgess & Eduard van der Maas, ''

The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements ''The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements'' is a reference work on charismatic Christianity which includes the three streams of Pentecostalism, the Charismatic Movement, and the Neocharismatic movement. It is edite ...

'', revised edition, (Zondervan, 2002) Christian ecumenical organizations Charismatic and Pentecostal organizations Christian organisations based in the United Kingdom Church of England churchmanship Anglican Churchmanship