# Bruce Kenrick

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**Rev Bruce Kenrick** (18 January 1920 – 15 January 2007) was an English [social activist](/source/Activism) and [Minister](/source/Minister_(Christianity)) in the [United Reformed Church](/source/United_Reformed_Church) and the [Church of Scotland](/source/Church_of_Scotland). He is best known for writing "Come out the Wilderness"[1] and as the founder of British housing organisation [Shelter](/source/Shelter_(charity)).[2]

## Early life

Bruce Kenrick was born in Liverpool and initially trained as an accountant. World War II broke out before he turned 20, and he saw service as a medic in the [Gold Coast](/source/Gold_Coast_(British_colony)) Defence Force and with paratroopers in Italy. After the war he decided to pursue a career as a doctor. He attended the [University of Edinburgh](/source/University_of_Edinburgh) where he switched to divinity, having engaged in missionary work.

## Ministry

Kenrick went to work in the East Harlem Protestant parish project,[3] which was attached to [Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York](/source/Union_Theological_Seminary_in_the_City_of_New_York). On his return to the UK he was ordained and went to work in [Notting Hill](/source/Notting_Hill), London - then an area marked by racial tension and bad landlords like [Peter Rachman](/source/Peter_Rachman).[2]

## Activism

In response to the poor housing conditions, Kenrick set up the [Notting Hill Housing Trust](/source/Notting_Hill_Housing_Trust), which maintained the fabric of the area.[The early days were not easy](http://www.nhh50.com/?people=a-battered-pound-note-to-300k-our-first-year-by-bruce-kenrick). It was out of the desire to put national pressure on local government to improve housing that Shelter was born at [St Martin in the Fields](/source/St_Martin_in_the_Fields) in 1966.

After a dispute over the leadership of the organisation with [Des Wilson](/source/Des_Wilson), Kenrick left Shelter.[4] He remained a significant figure on the broad left in the church, and his membership of the [Iona Community](/source/Iona_Community) and work on the example set by the revolution in [Cuba](/source/Cuba) helped set the direction of radical Christianity in the UK.

## Personal life

He met his wife [Isabel Witte](https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2010/mar/02/isabel-kenrick-obituary), an historian, while at Edinburgh. Their children included [Ann Kenrick](/source/Ann_Kenrick), charity leader.

## Bibliography

- "The New Humanity", Collins, 1956
- "Come Out the Wilderness", Harper & Brothers, 1962 (US); Fontana, 1965
- "A Man from the Interior - Cuba's Quest", Epworth, 1980

## References

1. Michael White ["Obituary: The Rev Bruce Kenrick"](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jan/19/guardianobituaries.obituaries), *The Guardian*, 19 January 2007

1. ["Our history"](http://england.shelter.org.uk/about_us/who_we_are/our_history), Shelter, 9 March 2012

1. ["East Harlem Protestant Parish, founded 1948"](https://www.utsnyc.edu/Page.aspx?pid=766) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100722072516/http://www.utsnyc.edu/Page.aspx?pid=766) 22 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York

1. [Obituary: "The Rev Bruce Kenrick "](http://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/the-rev-bruce-kenrick-1-679211), *The Scotsman*, 24 January 2007

- *[The Times](/source/The_Times)* Obituary [\[1\]](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1294610.ece)[dead link]
- *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)* Obituary [https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jan/19/guardianobituaries.obituaries](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jan/19/guardianobituaries.obituaries)
- *[Herald](/source/Glasgow_Herald)* Obituary [http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/features/display.var.1152247.0.0.php](http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/features/display.var.1152247.0.0.php)
- [Notting Hill Housing Trust Obituary](https://web.archive.org/web/20070206195243/http://www.nottinghillhousing.org.uk/news.aspx?id_Content=731)
- *[The Daily Telegraph](/source/The_Daily_Telegraph)* Obituary [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1539872/The-Rev-Bruce-Kenrick.html](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1539872/The-Rev-Bruce-Kenrick.html)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bruce Kenrick](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Kenrick) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Kenrick?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.