Souldern 150 years
In one respect celebrating an anniversary such as this is like celebrating the New Year.
It finds us doing something which some may say is hard to do – To look both ways at the same time.
Yes, we look back at years past & we try to look forward to what may lie ahead.
As we look back, we have memories of many years spent in this place. When I first began to think of this evening, I had a feeling of being depressed.
It took some getting around to realise that all but 1 year I have been associated with this Chapel half of those 150 yrs. I sat with my thoughts & could picture many faces of those who have passed onto glory. In the pictures that came into my mind I could see the many families that occupied the pews in those past days. Indeed, there was a family in most seats, & I believe that in my day the majority of seats were occupied by Reeve families.
The singing was something worth hearing, with the men putting in the base parts etc.
The preachers to me as a youngster all seemed old men that would go on & on. They would have many points & when it got to fourthly, we thought he was nearing the end, but no it would continue & sometimes get to seventhly, by then we had completely given up. We kids were expected to sit & be quiet. It was seldom that a preacher ever said anything to us.
But there was one preacher who we were always eager to go & listen to, but only because he finished at a quarter to seven. A 45-minute service, he didn’t go on well over the hour. And that preacher continued coming to us for many years, even when he had to be fetched & because the steps were an obstacle, we sat him in a chair & lifted him up the steps & he sat to lead our worship. This old gentleman got to a stage in his life where he found it difficult to get around. I would fetch him & because of his walking difficulties etc he was unable to put his shoes & socks on by himself & so I would go a few minutes earlier allowing time for me to carry out this task for him.
As I got older, I soon realised that these old local preachers had a deep faith & preached from a personal experience.
It was because of one old local preacher that I am here tonight, I was 17 & still attending services, BUT why. This old gentleman appeared to spend the entire service talking to me. His theme was prayer. It was easy to tell that he lived on prayer. I can hear him now saying “Don’t go home my boy & pray for something & expect it to be on the doorstep with the milk delivery tomorrow morning. But God will answer in His time but not perhaps in the way you think best. How true he was but thro’ prayer God showed me the way I should go & I have been a great believer in prayer from that day.
What about the chapel itself? The Building.
As one got to the first step to come into the yard from the lane there on the right-hand side, where the slabbed area is now, was a great yew bush that covered the area that is now slabs. As youngsters we loved to hide in there, but on dark nights we were afraid there may well be someone in there & always hurried by.
The organ has always been the holy of holies. & was operated by one pedal to fill the bellows with air, but many years back an electric blower was fitted. This must be oiled several times each year. The job of oiling the various parts was given to me. On one occasion after oiling it was found on the Sunday that the bellows were not getting filled with air. I had put the oil can back on the flap valve & so it was unable to lift allowing air to be drawn in.
There was no outside light whatever & everyone left on a winter’s night in complete darkness. And so being young & foolish I suggested at my second attendance at a meeting of church members that we have an outside light on the front of the building & I would be willing to fit one. Oh, dear what eruptions. But after lots of discussion it was agreed to go ahead. I got home wishing I had kept quiet. But two weeks after the light being fitted a few of those that disagreed were heard to say “how did we manage without”
The heating of the building was by a solid fuel boiler & radiators, that was in my day. I have no idea what preceded that. But this had to be lit early on Sunday morning in readiness for Sunday school at 10-30. The old gentleman that was steward & organist always took care of this. But when we had the bad winter of 62 / 63 he asked after an evening service if there was someone that would take over. Keeping the boiler going to keep the frost out & the difficulty of getting down the lane was just becoming too much for him.
I went home thinking I could do that. I can hear my Father saying remember if you offer to take it on, its every week not just a one off. Well I offered & took over responsibility of chief boiler man. But I wasn’t allowed a key to the building. Each time I must go to the old gentleman & ask for the key. If I couldn’t get on a Sat evening, then I had to wait until 8 o’clock on Sunday morning when they were up. BUT (yes another but) then I found an old key that fitted & so would come & light the boiler & get it going well & then go & ask for the key. That was until I thought it was a fool’s game so came clean & explained I had just found an old key that fitted.
Like everything else nothing lasts for ever & the boiler got old & needed repair or replacement. It was decided to have electric heaters. How easy! Only need to flick a switch on a Saturday & all was warm when Sunday arrived.
Then of course there was no water. All water for whatever had to be fetched from the village well. For any event that finished with a cuppa then it was down to the well & bring back water to fill the old copper that was in the shed that is now the toilet. And of course, there was a tank for feeding water to the boiler & this had to be kept full.
When eventually we had the water laid on, we were able to have a toilet and the small kitchen area.
In the chapel there were boards across the front where now there is a communion rail.
Removal of those caused lots of debate. And the painting of the boards behind the pulpit. Some of the older people were in favour others very much against.
For some 20 years or so I was secretary of the Chapel & when we opened up one weekend it had been raining in. And so, on the Monday morning I had to get someone to look at the roof. On examination it was found that the slates had rotted over the years & if you rubbed them with just your fingers they would powder away. So, we needed an estimate to renew the roof. If my memory serves me correctly it was for £6000. Where was this to be found. There were only around eight members & all elderly, they could not be expected to have a sponsored cycle ride to raise funds. We prayed about this & during the next week a village resident (a church warden) Major Grey came to see me & said he wished to help. Could we supply him with names & hopefully addresses of people that had passed through’ the Sunday school & Chapel. He would send out appeals for donations to get us started on fund raising. He did this & cheques started to roll in.
Another lady living in the village, Mrs Cotterill organised a coffee morning & brought us £400. Six weeks from receiving the estimate we had the money to go ahead. All we as a Church had done was pray about it.
When the roof was completed, we had a service of rededication, & afterwards when the last cups of tea had been served the Electric failed. It was definitely only the Chapel that had no electric. And so, on the Monday I had to get an electrician in. The Church needed rewiring. And so again we needed an estimate. The money left after the roof renewal was there in the funds to the very last penny.
I can recall odd occasions when there were incidents that happened making a laugh.
An old Couple visiting friends came to our afternoon service & sat with these friends in a seat that was really only capable of taking three. Four was a real squash, but they managed all tightly fitting together. The old gentleman had glasses that he needed for reading & when he went to put them on it could be seen that he had elastic from one arm of his specs to the other & this he needed to get around the back of his head. Being so tightly packed in the seat he was unable to get his arms high enough to do this & so the elastic was only partly around his head. Being an old gentleman, he was bald & very shiny on top & within seconds the specs flew off as coming from a catapult. But the old lady having quick reactions quickly shot her arm forward & grabbed them in mid-air. I had seen this & laughed out loudly. Of course, everyone turned & looked at me, they had not seen what I had witnessed.
One Sunday evening our preacher was enjoying a good sing. The hymn 317 in the Methodist Hymn book. Whosoever heareth shout shout the sound. The chorus Whosoever will, whosoever will, send the proclamation over vale & hill, Tis the loving Father calls the wanderer home, whosoever will may come. Music means nothing to myself so I am in no position to argue but our old gentlemen organist insisted there was a pause after whosoever will, & so he looked up at our preacher & said pause. Our preacher looked back at him & said praise the Lord brother he made the crows as well as the canaries.
Another occasion our preacher got here & said O dear I have come without my glasses. And our Lady organist at that time said can you see with mine, He tried them and said they were perfect. She said well I can’t play without them and he said I can’t preach without them, and so they spent the entire time of the service handing this pair of specs to & fro’.
Then there was the old gentleman (who was a stickler for time). He kept a close eye on the clock & when it got to the hour he would open & close his spectacle case a few times & then give a loud sniff & out loudly would say “whens he gonna finish”.
Then as I think & look back, I cannot forget the fact that there was always a good Sunday school. In my day there were 27 to 30 children on a Sunday morning. No chairs to sit comfy just benches with nothing to lean back against.
There were two occasions each year that were the highlight, The Sunday school anniversary & the outing to Wickstead park. Anniversary days we had to look our best and put on our best behaviour. For weeks beforehand we would practise recitations so that we could stand out front & recite from memory.
I can recall one year’s recitation but sadly only the first verse. It said, “Praise God for the morning I waken to find, a new day is dawning a chance to be kind. No way does any of the other verses come to mind.
The outing to Wickstead Park at Kettering was a great occasion. And to us in those by gone days was a long journey. There was always a stop off in Northampton. And one year one old gentleman that came with us left the market square in a different direction & was unable to find the coach. Eventually he rolled up on the arm of a policeman.
He had asked the officer if he had seen any Souldern folk. Of course, Wickstead Park was the farthest that many of us travelled in the year. To us we were hundreds of miles from home.
So, its Church Anniversary, NOT just any anniversary but the 1 5 0 th.
It’s a time to thank God for the past & to look to the future. It’s a time to celebrate the life & witness of not only this place of worship but also the life & witness of those who have gone before. Those who not only built but also made this their spiritual home.
Over the years many have worshiped & prayed in this place. WE ARE STANDING ON HOLY GROUND. This is where our forefathers met, they may have had a simple belief in Jesus, but they were people of GREAT FAITH.
A Church is nothing without people. Its PEOPLE that make the church.
If we all looked upon this place, we would all see something different. Some would see certain families or individuals sitting in their pews. Memories would come back of special occasions, some happy some sad.
My late wife & myself were married here.
Perhaps we would be reminded of a time when we encountered GOD & recalled what great things he has done.
Perhaps as we look, we would say to ourselves, if it was me, I would redesign this place.
How many pulpits for instance do we see these days?
We could look on the outside & think of the roll this place has played in this community.
This is a place where we can find a peace & tranquillity a place we can rest & talk with our maker. A place where perhaps we could encounter GOD without even realising it.
This is a place where Gods love has been preached faithfully & seeds have been sown for 150 years.
God has done some wonderful things through this church & so this is an occasion to Praise & Thank God for many blessings.
At this time, we stand as it were at a Xrds, we stand & look as to where things might go.
When our church at home (where I live now) closed, we had to say Mission COMPLETE, it was a sad time.
A verse of scripture came to my mind whilst I was preparing this & I knew straight away that this verse had been given me & so I must use it. That verse is from Hebrews 12 & verse 2. LET US FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS, THE AUTHOR & PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH.
Yes, we must look to Jesus & seek His guidance to what lies ahead.
What did the old Sankey Hymn say? GOD holds the key of all unknown & I am Glad.
If other hands should hold the key or he had trusted it to me, I may be sad.
WE just PRAISE GOD for all that is past & we trust HIM for all that is to come.
Account for the 150th Anniversary, Geoff Reeve