With the Olympics enveloping us, we are bombarded with a galaxy of heroes and superheroes. But an event last week paid tribute to a leading evangelical figure who responded: “Anything of any value has been God’s grace in me. Things left undone, as they have been, have been my own fault”. A national celebration of the ministry of Bishop Wallace Benn of Lewes and his wife Lindsay to mark his 65th birthday on 6 August and his forthcoming retirement took place at St Peter’s, Harold Wood, where he was incumbent from 1987-1997, on Friday 3 August. It was laid on by his successor, Canon David Banting. The evening began with a service of thanksgiving for “their ministry and partnership in the gospel” in the church building. A music group conducted by Noel Tredinnick of All Souls, Langham Place, led in worship of Jesus who calls us to serve. Bishop Wallace’s favourite preacher, his former teacher at Trinity College, Bristol, the Rev Alec Motyer expounded 2 Timothy 3:1-17. In perilous times of moral and character collapse, when unspiritual people have a form of godliness but deny its power and even that moral standards exist, God gives a person the complete equipment to address the situation, the Bible, the word of God. The rot stops when a stand is made. Bishop Donald Allister of Peterborough and Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali were present and many bishops sent greetings and good wishes. The Ven Michael Lawson, the chairman of the Church of England Evangelical Council, paid special tribute to Mrs Lindsay Benn for her daily encouragement of prayer and love for Bishop Wallace. Preb Rod Thomas, the chairman of Reform, noted that Bishop Wallace, one of its founders in 1993, had shown how it was possible for evangelicals to have a close alliance with Anglo-Catholics and remain distinctively evangelical. As if to underline the point a warm message was sent by Bishop Nicholas Reade of Blackburn, a former archdeacon in Chichester Diocese. Bishop John Ellison, the chairman of the panel of Bishops of the Anglican Mission in England, noted the role Bishop Wallace had played in galvanizing a mixed bag of evangelical groups to work together to form the Anglican Mission in England. Canon Chris Sugden for Anglican Mainstream noted that Bishop Wallace’s leadership had made a major contribution to the orthodox cause in the past 10 years. He quoted a poem by AF Aylward: “In dark days yet in store… A voice like his made answer clear, Banishing panic and calming fear: ‘Adsum, I’m here’.”