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11. Emmanuel, Northwood
When Northwood was a quiet suburb, the parish of Emmanuel had
been taken out of Holy Trinity to cater for a growing population. The
fine red brick building took the place of a tin tabernacle which, when I
arrived in the parish, was still doing duty as the hall. Our forefathers at
the turn of the century showed great foresight in building for the future,
but I often wished they had bought a little more land to meet the need
for larger premises and adequate car parking. But how could they
foresee such things?
The ministry at Emmanuel had been consistently evangelical from the
start. I had spent a week-end at the Vicarage in 1938 when my old
friend Mr. Cooper (mentioned before as Vicar of St. John's, Fairfield,
and Rector of Aldridge) was Vicar. Since then there had been two
incumbents, John Downward and Reginald Iliff. As in my previous
parishes, St. Kevin's Dublin, and St. John's, Blackheath, I owed a lotto
the faithful work of my predecessors. Good foundations had been laid.
By contrast, the foundations of the Vicarage in Watford Road were a bit
shaky, and we eventually sold the site, with planning permission for six
houses, and were able to build a delightful house at no extra charge.
I inherited a splendid curate, Geoffrey Berry, and he was on the door-
step to help us move in. He had outstanding gifts as a pastor with
people of all ages, and he was a great help to me. My institution by the
Bishop of Willesden (Bishop George Ingle, whose wise counsel I came
to appreciate) was at the end of November. I made the mistake of
leaving too short a time to get settled before starting the work. My first
Sunday was Advent Sunday. I read the Articles in the morning, and at
the evening service preached on 1 John 3.1-3, a favourite theme of
mine. After the warmth of our farewell at Blackheath, the beginning at
Northwood seemed a little cold, but this was probably due to my
shyness. We learned to value the folk at Emmanuel enormously.
I made no changes in the general plan of campaign, but simply let the
work develop. In addition to the full round of services we had special
services for St. Helen's School, the Day School, and at the R.A.F.
station which was then the headquarters of Coastal Command. There
was a magnificent Children's Church, run by a lay reader, Jim
Cuthbertson, and a fine team of helpers. This was held in the iron 'hall'
at the same time as the main morning service, and was quite often the
way by which parents found their way back to church. The Covenanter
movement was very strong. Ours was the largest group in the country,
and its leader, Herbert Hackett, took a major role in the movement as a
whole. Girl Covenanters were active though less numerous. I have
always thought that any of the youth organizations can be effective
provided one has the right leaders, and we certainly had. They were
utterly devoted to the cause of the gospel. Senior Christian young
people were organized in the Emmanuel Young People's Guild, which
was usually the curate's special 'pigeon'.
One disappointment was the smallness of the parish prayer meeting.
After a few weeks I asked if I might take it over, and combine it with a
Bible lecture, taking first the Gospel according to St. Mark. I use the
term 'lecture' deliberately, for that is what it was. It seemed to meet a
felt need, and people began to come. From less than a dozen we rose
to become too many for the choir vestry, and moved across to the hall.
Numbers reached 90, and 75 was probably the average. About this
time I was reading some military memoirs which spoke of the
importance of exploiting the breakthrough. Our breakthrough was in
the Bible study, and I continued to put all I knew into it. I do not belittle
other forms of Bible study, particularly in smaller house groups, but at
that moment it seemed that what the parish needed was systematic
teaching, and this I tried to give.
The teaching was not divorced from real life situations. One obvious
need in the parish was for a new hall. Already committees were sitting
to consider both ways and means and the actual building. When the
time seemed ripe I gave a series of Bible talks on Haggai, the prophet
who encouraged the builders. Then a special meeting was called, with
much preparation by prayer, and many came. There was a sense of
expectancy as we asked for gifts, promises, and interest-free loans. The
response was to be entirely confidential, just between the donors and
myself, and it was truly wonderful. Within a fortnight all the money
needed had been found, and in the end the loans were paid off, not in
seven years, but in 1 8 months. The spiritual life of the parish seemed to
blossom as the hall went up.
We had a great band of helpers. It has always been my policy to
encourage churchwardens to serve for a limited period (say five years)
and then take their place as 'elder statesmen'. In this way the two men
who welcomed me, Geoffrey Atkinson and Bill Huskisson, made way in
successive years for others. These included Dick Perry (whose son
John is now Warden of Lee Abbey, and whose daughter Ann married
the curate Geoffrey Berry), Keith Alsop (who was always a tower of
strength and now takes his place in the central councils of the Church),
Jim Cuthbertson (who handed over Children's Church in order to
become churchwarden), and Professor Henderson, friend and
counsellor of many. What memories these names bring back of
problems shared and the joys of accomplishment.
Numbers in church were good. At great festivals, when Children's
Church joined the main service, we were said to pack in 800-900,
some even having to stand in the porch. Normal congregations were
not quite like that, but were probably above the national average. We
started regular guest services in the evenings, and they met with some
success. But most of the increase was due to the evangelistic zeal of
ordinary members who would bring along their friends. Twice in my
eight years we had a special outreach week. One was based on the
Prayer Book services of baptism, confirmation, marriage, holy
communion, and burial, and was taken by the vicar of St. Andrew's,
Plymouth, Alan Cooper, who later became Provost of Bradford. It drew
great crowds and was a real blessing. The other was a teaching
mission conducted by Canon Herbert Cragg, Vicar of Christ Church,
Beckenham. It was again well attended. The linking of teaching and
evangelism seems to me to be vital, and it certainly was a most
effective week.
When I arrived in Northwood, the London College of Divinity new
buildings were in process of being built. The foundation stone had
been laid by Bishop Gwynne in 1955 when Dr. Coggan was still
principal. As I was by now secretary of the College Council I had to pay
frequent visits to the building site, and watched it go up with great
interest. The opening was in 1957, by the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Dr. Fisher, Dr. Coggan, now Bishop of Bradford, preaching the sermon.
The advent of the students to Northwood made quite an impact, and I
think the strong link between Emmanuel and the College was mutually
helpful. As I tried to lecture on pastoralia on Monday mornings I was
conscious that my hearers had a chance of checking the theory I taught
against the reality of my ministry in the parish.
One who apparently found no difficulty about this was John Moore. He
came of his own accord to offer himself as a candidate for the curacy
when Geoffrey Berry moved on. The more I saw of him the more I felt
he was the right man for us, and we had four years together before he
went off to be Youth Chaplain in the diocese of Coventry. I officiated at
his wedding before his ordination, and his wife Eileen became very
much part of the team. They were greatly beloved in the parish, and the
young people's work made great strides under John's leadership. His
subsequent career has fully justified his early promise as a leader and a
wise and caring evangelist. When in the end we had to lose him his
place was taken by David Wills, who had brought the Cambridge
University Ichthyan Singers to the parish for a week at an earlier date.
David had great gifts as a musician, was a good preacher, and a help to
many. Again his work since he left Emmanuel to become vicar first of
St. George's, Huyton, and then of Littleover, Derby, has revealed his
outstanding qualities.
Links with the College were strengthened when Philip Buss became a
tutor, and was ordained to an honorary curacy at Emmanuel. He was a
most welcome addition to our staff. The principal and most of the
College staff attended Emmanuel when they were not preaching
elsewhere, as did many of the students. There was of course a fairly
constant change-over of staff, and old friends like Owen Brandon and
Leo Stephens-Hodge were replaced by younger ones:
Michael Green,
Julian Charley, and
Colin Buchanan. Victor McCallin, a kindly, soft-
spoken Irishman, was vice-principal throughout my time in Northwood.
Hugh Jordan had a good team, and was greatly loved and respected.
Some time in 1957 I was surprised to get a letter from John Stott
asking me to write the book on marriage in the new Christian
Commitment Series. These books were to be written by Church of
England clergymen, and Your Marriage was first entrusted to George
Duncan, Vicar of Cockfosters. But just then he was called back to the
Church of Scotland, so another author had to be found for this Church
of England series. I was naturally interested in the subject and decided
I should make the attempt. So my first book came out in 1958, Your
Marriage, published by Hodder and Stoughton at half-a-crown. It lasted
nearly 20 years, and sold over 75,000 copies. How many of these were
gifts by the clergy to young couples, and possibly remained unread, I
have no way of telling. But I have quite often been thanked for help
received through that book, which is basically simply a commentary on
the marriage service.
Two more books were commissioned during my time at Northwood.
One was Holy Communion in the Prayer Book Commentaries series. It
was of course based on the 1662 Prayer Book and partly for that reason
was never re-printed. The series was useful while it lasted. It was
edited by Canon Frank Colquhoun, whose two books of parish prayers
have earned him the gratitude of thousands. Normally I have not
written anything except when asked to do so. (The present effort at
writing my memoirs is no exception). But I confess that I dropped a hint
to Frank that I would be happy to write a commentary on The Ordinal. It
was intended to interpret the ministry to laymen, but I was interested to
learn that it was made compulsory reading for those about to be
ordained in the Church of Ireland.
One or two points about this particular book are worth noting. First it
was written during a month's sabbatical leave which I took after seven
years at Emmanuel. We had our holiday as usual, and then took a locum
in Cornwall where I wrote about six hours a day. Secondly it contained
a good deal of the material I used to give in my lectures to students on
pastoralia. Thirdly, although it got some unexpectedly good reviews, it
did not sell well. The title was perhaps a little off-putting. And fourthly,
I have often said it is the best book I ever wrote!
While on the subject I may go on to mention the other books I wrote:
The Christian's Guide to Growing Old (I was 58 when I wrote it!);
Marriage Preparation, a book for clergy in the 'Library of Pastoral Care'
produced by S.P.C.K. (my only hard-cover book); Family Life in a
Christian Home, published by C.P.A.S. and written at the request of
Gavin Reid who was then their editorial secretary; and, lastly,
The Call
to Holiness, a book on the evangelical aspect of sanctification,
commissioned by Darton, Longman and Todd. I was criticized for
making all the quotations in this from the Jerusalem Bible, but this was
not just a compliment to the firm which published both the J.B. and my
little book. I was using the Jerusalem Bible at the time, and found it
often very refreshing as a translation.
I have enjoyed writing, and it has not taken too much time away from
other duties. My books are no great masterpieces, but I hope they have
met a need and filled a few gaps. Two large booklets produced by
C.P.A.S. were Thinking Towards Confirmation, and Praying the Lord's
Prayer. I gather they have had a good circulation. C.P.A.S. also
produced a series of filmstrips on Your Marriage, and some clergy have
used them in marriage preparation or with youth groups.
I look back to many exciting events at Emmanuel. We started an annual
Quiet Saturday Afternoon in a church in the area, with tea between
sessions, and this led on to parish week-ends for which we took High
Leigh Conference Centre. The first was a return visit of Alan Cooper
who had conducted our Prayer Book week. After that we had Dr. and
Mrs. Coggan, who refused to cancel their engagement to come, even
though in the meantime they were on the way to York. His talks were
on St. Paul as a man of prayer. Finally we had Tom Hughes, always a
refreshing minister of the word. Those week-ends did a lot to establish
people in the faith.
Invitations to preach away were not lacking, and twice I went over to
Ireland to take missions. Twice I preached in St. Paul's Cathedral, once
at an ordination, and once at an evening communion service. I was
invited to my old College, Queens', Cambridge, to preach in chapel
when our David was in the choir. Emily was asked too and we stayed
with the President. On two occasions I gave Bible studies at the
College of Preachers. Visits to Oxford and Cambridge continued, and
occasional sermons for C.M.S. At one such week-end in Leeds I stayed
with a young man whom I had counselled years before after a C.I.C.C.U.
sermon.
But it was always the parish itself which was the most absorbing thing.
I have always found confirmation classes the supreme opportunity for
solid Bible teaching and balanced evangelism. Many have been the
joys of this work, though there have been heartaches too. Our daughter
Dorothy was confirmed from Emmanuel, and I got Geoffrey Berry to
include her in a small class he was taking. She owes a lot to the
friendships of those days in the Girl Covenanters, led by Jean Hutton.
David had already left Monkton Combe when we went to Northwood,
and was doing National Service. After 'square bashing' he volunteered
to learn a language, and spent two years at London University studying
Chinese. He went to Cambridge as an Exhibitioner of Queens', and
when he got a First in Part I Classics he was upgraded to Scholar. He
read theology after that, and went on to Ridley Hall. Music has always
been his passion, and he became first organist, and then conductor, of
the Ichthyan Singers. Early on he held some minor secretaryship in the
C.I.C.C.U., but like his father, was not among the high and mighty! It
was while still at Cambridge that he became friendly with Jill Ramm,
also in the Ichthyans, with a beautiful soprano voice. It was a great
sorrow to us all that things did not work out as we had hoped and after
ten years of married life the breakdown was complete.
For nine years we had someone at Cambridge to visit! Dorothy
overlapped with both David and Robert. She read classics at Gil-ton—
her getting to Cambridge at all being something of a surprise to her
teachers at Harrow County School. She did not attain the academic
heights that David had, but she worked hard and lived a very full life in
the C.I.C.C.U., where she became a member of the executive and the
treasurer. In this exalted position she saw much of the president, David
Evans, and we were delighted when they got engaged. They were
married at Emmanuel in 1964, lived for a year in Bristol where David
was still a student at Clifton Theological College, and then on to
ordination and a curacy at Cockfosters where two of their children were
born.
I remember a meeting with two of Robert's masters who assured me he
would not get into Cambridge on French and German, but might stand
a chance if he offered music. This he did, and was accepted by
Queens'. After Part I he switched to theology. He lived a full life in
Cambridge and made many friends, as he always does. He became
conductor of the Ichthyans, and a rank and file member of the C.I.C.C.U.
He also found time to row. When he was selected for ordination it was
suggested that he might first gain wider experience. So far he had only
taught music for a couple of terms at a preparatory school. He offered
to V.S.O., and spent a happy year teaching in a school in Uganda where
the headmaster had been a C.M.S. missionary.
Emmanuel was a strong C.M.S. church, with a smaller element that
supported the B.C.M.S. wholeheartedly, and there was a happy spirit
between them. Many other societies and missions were part of the
outreach. I made a point of bringing representatives of them all
together on a Missionary Council, which also had a representative from
every organisation in the parish. Every member of the Council had to
give a report, and thus they 'stirred up the brethren to envy and good
works'. Emmanuel's interest in missions was reflected in its giving,
which increased year by year. I have always maintained that the church
which gives a high priority to giving to work outside the parish will not
lack for its own needs. This we proved to be true, and in more recent
years Emmanuel, Northwood, has become known far and wide for its
missionary outreach.
The parish was greatly strengthened when the Rev. Amos Betungura
came from Uganda to L.C.D. and lived with us at the vicarage during the
vacations. He was a most loveable character and had a great influence
on the young people, especially when he went with them as chaplain
on their cruise on the Norfolk Broads. He was, I think, the first Ugandan
clergyman to take New Testament Greek, and it was a proud day when
he was given his Associateship of the London College of Divinity. He
returned to the staff of the Bishop Tucker College, and has now for
some years been the Bishop of Ankole. He and his family, and his
whole diocese, have suffered much during the troubled times.
For a while we enjoyed the luxury of having two curates.
Stuart Snell
was a layman in the parish who had already done some training under
Dr. Coggan. He now decided to go forward, and the Bishop of London
suggested that he remain in his own house and serve as a second
curate. He brought to the ministry immense gifts of mind and heart, and
it was a joy to have him and Margaret with us in the work. Eventually he
was made Bishop of Croydon, and I was greatly honoured when I was
asked by the Archbishop to preach the sermon at Stuart's consecration.
Naturally I felt the responsibility of the task, but I was upheld by the
prayers of the many Emmanuel folk who were there.
But staff was not only curates. It was my joy to introduce into our
fellowship a parish worker, Sister Cornhill. She had served with
the
B.C.M.S. in India, but came home to look after her mother, and
qualified as a Parish Worker. She soon found her niche in running the
splendid Women's Meeting, visited constantly in the parish, and was
the guide, philosopher and friend of people of all ages. The parish
came to wonder how they had ever got on without her. Women's work
in the Church of England is still something of a 'Cinderella', though the
order of deaconess is growing in importance. As I read the proofs the
General Synod has voted to make women deacons. One day, no doubt,
we shall have fully ordained women priests, and one only hopes it will
happen without causing a split in the Church. Sister Cornhill was
content to be simply a P.W., and how invaluable her service was. Her
friend, Irene Appledore, was a health visitor in the area, and
contributed greatly to the outreach of Emmanuel.
If I were to mention all who deserve to be mentioned, this chapter
would become too long. I think of lay readers like Dr. Fraser — a
venerable figure out of the past — and
Branse Burbridge
whose work for
Scripture Union has had a world-wide influence. I think of Frank
Cheesman, our treasurer, one of the many retired people who work
harder in retirement than ever before, and a most devoted Christian.
And David Iliff,
whose dedicated musical skill turned the choir into one
of the finest in the country. When I first went to Northwood the vice-
chairman of the P.C.C. was Sir Arthur Weston, a true and humble man
of God. He was followed by Mr. Fell, another link with old Northwood
in a congregation which included many comparative newcomers to the
area, and a great worker in connection with the building of the hall.
What shall we say more? Time fails to speak of the centenary of Bishop
Taylor Smith, who had lived in the parish and attended when at home,
to which we invited representatives of his many Christian interests, and
at which Rex Lloyd, one of his godsons, preached: of the annual
Parochial Church Meeting which coincided with our Silver Wedding
and was the largest, and jolliest. Annual Meeting I ever knew: of taking
the Bible Readings at C.M.S. Summer School once again, this time on
Ephesians: of preaching the C.M.S. Annual Sermon at St. Bride's, Fleet
Street: of regular duty, about every seven weeks, at the crematorium,
where one tried to bring some message to people one had never seen
before and would probably never meet again: of the kindness of some
unknown person or people who made it possible for me to get a
second-hand car: of the equal kindness of Mr. Cooke, proprietor of the
garage, who as a Christian took pride in keeping the clergy road-
worthy. But the list is already long enough.
I had been approached about one or two parishes elsewhere, but had
not felt it right to leave Northwood, Emmanuel, and the College. But
when offers begin to come it is sometimes an indication that a change
might be good for all concerned. I had been almost eight years at
Emmanuel and began to wonder if a younger man should take over.
Also I had become chairman and secretary of
Simeon's Trustees, that
body of men chosen to appoint to some 150 livings in the Church of
England, and it involved a great deal of correspondence. Was it fair to
use our parish secretary, Mrs. Holden, for this work, even though she
often did it in extra time? I think I was almost hoping that an offer of
something really suitable would come. It arrived in the form of a letter
from the secretary of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, asking me to consider St.
Andrew's, Linton Road, on the north side of the city. After much careful
and prayerful thought I decided it was right to accept.
I told the churchwardens before anyone else. It so happened that on
that particular Sunday we had a preacher for
the C.P.A.S., the Rev.
David Bubbers. Both the wardens, and Emily and I, thought that here
was the ideal man to become the next Vicar of Emmanuel. We had, of
course, no right to suggest names, but it is possible among friends to
sow a few seed-thoughts! I think the patrons had already very much in
mind that David might be the man. He certainly was! Fifteen years
younger than I, a forceful preacher and teacher, a born organizer, and a
genius at knowing people's names—an indication of a true pastor—he
had so many of the gifts that I lacked. I was happy at the outcome, as I
know the parish was.
It is hard to sum up our eight years at Emmanuel. We had built the hall,
new vestries and office accommodation, and a new Vicarage. The
young people's work had grown enormously and a steady stream of
young men were going into the ministry — John Perry,
Philip King, John Baker, Glyn Wilkinson, Douglas Cave, Derek Blundell, Ray Speck — to
name a few. The Bible Study and Prayer Meeting had become central.
Congregations had grown as the parish itself expanded. We had 96
men on the sidesmen's rota. Giving was relatively high and people
were learning to tithe. Yet we had our disappointments too. While
many who were confirmed remained faithful, this was not always so. I
know that my particular style of ministry did not suit everyone, and I
know that I had put some people against the church and what it stood
for.
But chiefly I was beginning to feel my age. A younger man would tackle
the problems with greater zest. My father had stayed in Tunbridge
Wells till his health broke down. I thought it best to start a new job
before that happened. So at the age of 57 I left a sphere in which Emily
and I had both been very happy. The 'coldness' we sensed on our first
Sunday had given way to enormous warmth. We saw tokens of God's
blessing, not least the very happy relationship between parish and
college. It had been a hard grind. Many things were left undone. But
the parish was ready for a new step forward. We were sorry to leave,
but it was right. At the farewell many kind things were said, and I was
so grateful that Emily's part in it all was fully recognized. She dislikes
the limelight, but what she is in the home and family has had a
profound effect on all my ministry.
Next chapter
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