Since his youth, Spence has had a passion for flags and heraldry. He has designed numerous personal coats of arms, coats of arms for churches in the Diocese of Niagara as well as for communities and organizations in Ontario. In 1981, he became a Fellow of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada. For his contributions to Canadian heraldry, in 2006 he was appointed Herald Extraordinary with the Canadian Heraldic Authority and in 2007 he was given the title "Albion Herald Extraordinary" by the Governor General of Canada. An avid collector of flags, Spence's collection once sat at approximately 3000 items, including a variety of historical Canadian flags as well as flags gifted to him by Queen Elizabeth II. Most of his collection has now been donated to the Canadian Heraldic Authority at Rideau Hall to remain forever a part of the Canadian treasure. A large part of his collection has been gifted to the Canadian Flag Collection, a permanent exhibit housed at Settlers, Rails & Trails Inc., Argyle, Manitoba. Over 250 flags were donated to the museum in Argyle and arrived on National Flag of Canada Day, February 15, 2018. Bishop Spence has been involved in the design of a variety of coats of arms and flags for individuals, municipalities, and institutions, including:
In 2008, Spence was invested as Chancellor of Renison University College at St. George's of Forest Hill Anglican Church in Kitchener, Ontario. At his investiture, Bishop Spence and his wife, Carol, donated to the college a ceremonial mace for use at the college's convocation ceremony and other official events. Renison’s mace is made of local wood from the Waterloo area and fashioned by local artisans. It follows the shape of most maces with a crown, a bowl, and a wooden shaft. The Mace is to be carried by an honoured member of the College in front of the Chancellor at Convocations and special ceremonies. The crown is carved with maple leaves and trilliums, reflecting the institution of the Crown in Canada and Ontario. The bowl has three coats of arms; Renison University College, University of Waterloo, and the personal arms of Bishop Spence. Carved moose heads, derived from the crest of the coat of arms, support the bowl. Down the shaft of the mace is the small coat of arms belonging to The Rev. Canon David Bowyer, Honorary Senior Fellow of Renison and painter of the arms located on the mace. Spence later donated two processional staves, to be carried by students of the college, to lead academic processions. Each stave bears Renison's shield and badge of the college surmounted by a crown of maple leaves and trilliums. They represent the two halves of Renison's student body: the residents and the academic students. In 2014, Renison University College applied for and was granted supporters for its coat of arms by the Canadian Heraldic Authority. Spence, Albion Herald Extraordinary, was a lead designer for this grant. At the end of his two terms as Chancellor of Renison University College, Spence was made Chancellor Emeritus of the College in 2016, in recognition of his outstanding support of and leadership to the college. This is an honour only granted to two previous chancellors of Renison.
