Having been influenced in his early thinking and theology by
Martin Luther King Jr, Archbishop
Trevor Huddleston, Canon
John Collins, Monsignor
Bruce Kent among others, Hewitt's invitation by Tearfund to travel with the organisation to Haiti in 1978 confirmed the direction of his music and ministry. From that point he began to focus his understanding of the role of a priest in the context of activism and protest. Hewitt traces his awareness of social issues to a sermon he heard as a teenager by Martin Luther King Jr when King was guest preacher at London's
St Paul's Cathedral. King, who was on his way to Oslo, Norway, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, attracted a congregation of more than 4,000 that afternoon. He had been invited by another of Hewitt's exemplars, the canon of St Paul's, John Collins, and he spoke on "The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life"—the love you should have for yourself, the love you should show to your neighbour, and love for God. An example of Hewitt using his lyrics for protest and awareness-raising was his song, "You Are Loved Stephen Lawrence", written on the murder of 18-year-old
Stephen Lawrence, killed in a racist attack in
Eltham, London, in 1993. Stephen's mother
Doreen Lawrence selected the song as a choice when she appeared on
BBC Radio 4's
Desert Island Discs. Another instance was his song for American peace activist
Rachel Corrie on her death in Gaza in 2003, "Light a Candle in the Darkness." In 1989 Hewitt controversially gave open support to
Viraj Mendis, a Sri Lankan refugee who claimed sanctuary in a
Manchester church in an attempt to avoid deportation from the UK. While Mendis was there, Hewitt gave a concert in the church to highlight what he considered to be the moral issues. In 1989–90 Hewitt toured with poet
Stewart Henderson and mime artist Geoffrey Stevenson in an interdisciplinary and multimedia show called
Broken Image. Sponsored by Tearfund, the production focussed on the plight of the poor in the Philippines. All three performers addressed the issue of poverty, with the
Church Times reporting in its review that Hewitt's songs were "full of peace and justice slogans, which had the audience singing along."
Greenbelt In 1974 Hewitt played at the first
Greenbelt Festival and was subsequently deeply involved in its development from a Christian music festival to a broad annual Christian celebration of the arts, faith, and justice.
TV In 1979
Granada TV's weekly programme
Pop Gospel selected Hewitt's song "That's Why We're Here" as its theme tune. The following year, Hewitt presented the programme, a light religious musical show aimed at young people, with singer
Bernie Flint. In June 1981 Hewitt joined
Southern TV's short-lived religious affairs show,
Royle Progress, presented by Reverend
Roger Royle. Hewitt's role was to place "the emphasis on youth and music", which he did each week until the programme ceased a month later.
Amos Trust In 1985 Hewitt founded the human rights charity Amos Trust to support his visits to projects in parts of the world where funding would not be available to finance his trips. It had a particular mission to encourage musicians in developing nations to raise their voices in ways that were true to their respective cultures. Hewitt named his charity after the
Old Testament prophet
Amos, who in Amos 5:24 relates God's command to let justice roll on like a river. The trust took this as its credo, the text particularly resonating with Hewitt as it comes immediately after God's rejection of music—the only place in the Bible where this occurs apparently—when it is produced by musicians who ignore the poor. In the 1990s Amos Trust began organizing trips to the international projects it supports, to introduce people to the problems in different countries, with a view both to enlarging a global understanding of poverty and encouraging activism when visitors returned to the UK. Hewitt served as director from the trust's inception until 2011 when the Reverend Chris Rose was appointed to the role of director, while Hewitt retained the position of founder. In his period as director he was Guildford Diocesan World Affairs and World Mission Advisor from 1994 to 1996.
Christian Aid In 1996 Hewitt started a new job with
Christian Aid as Head of the London and South East Team and Area Coordinator for the Westminster area. During his time with the charity he released a musical,
The Feast of Life, for churches to perform during
Christian Aid Week to bring attention to the causes supported by the agency. It didn't consist entirely of new material. Some songs were recycled from previous albums. Nevertheless, the musical was widely successful. It was soon performed not only during Christian Aid Week but throughout the year. With churches still reviving the show, it proved a lasting legacy of Hewitt's tenure at Christian Aid. He left the London and South East Team after six years.
All Hallows-on-the-Wall Between 1997 and 2012, at
All Hallows-on-the-Wall Church in central London, Hewitt was
Guild Vicar, so-called because the church retained links with the ancient guilds, or
livery companies as they are also known, found in the
City of London. On 4 May 2010, Hewitt was made a freeman of one of these guilds, the
Worshipful Company of Carpenters, for leading their annual election day service at All Hallows-on-the-Wall. Catering to the traditions of the carpenters was part of a very wide ministry Hewitt conducted at All Hallows that also embraced peace, justice, and art. At one point he brought five charities under the church's roof: Amos Trust, Greenbelt Festivals, Stamp Out Poverty, Art and Christianity Enquiry (ACE), and the Wall Gallery, also known as
Wallspace, which they described as "a spiritual home for the visual arts." == Interests ==