Rev Arthur Thornton

It should also be noted that Methodism in the Borough began through the activities not of a Minister but a layman, and of a young layman, for Daniel Pressland was not more than thirty years of age when he began to have a concern for the spiritual welfare of his friends and neighbours. Since those days the Society has been served by a splendid succession of Ministers, but they would have been the first to say that without the co-operation of gifted and consecrated laymen given in so generous a fashion their work would have been in vain.

There is another strand in our history which goes back to the beginning and that is the close link between the devotion to Christ expressed in the Church and in the civic life of the community. Daniel Pressland was for forty-four years a servant of the Corporation, and others, through the years, and at this present time, have honoured that two-fold obligation of service, and in so doing have shown that Methodism still knows no holiness which is not social holiness.

As we look back and note the great things done in the past we salute those who laboured so hard and so long, whose faith was so unshakcablc and who had so remarkable a capacity for kindling-faith and zeal in others. That we have entered into a rich heritage no one can doubt who takes the trouble to read even the brief historical notes contained within this handbook.

But we must not look backwards too long nor too wistfully lest we should be discouraged by comparisons, or fall into the error of slavishly worshipping the past. They with their forward look would be the first to say to us:

"New occasions teach new duties Time makes ancient good uncouth."

In some ways our task is harder than theirs. Men do not accept so readily to-day the essential truths of the Gospel, nor do they see so clearly their need of a Saviour. There is no fashion of church-going to-day, and so congregations are smaller. The Coming of the Kingdom means for many material prosperity rather than reconciliation with God. The Jubilee must mean for us therefore the bracing of ourselves to face the challenge of the present so that like our fathers before us we may endeavour by every means open to us to present Christ to men as an ever-present Saviour.

From The The Rev. W. Shepherd, Chairman - Oxford and Leicester District

Dear Friends,

It is a pleasure to be associated with the Higham Ferrers Methodist Church on the occasion of their Diamond Jubilee and be invited to contribute this brief foreword.

So many locally, and others scattered far and wide will be sending you greetings as they recall with gratitude the times when they were closely identified with the Methodist Church and School. On behalf of the District I too would offer warmest congratulations.

A Jubilee is ever an event for thanksgiving. It is a religious term found in the Old Testament, a festival which was proclaimed with trumpets. It was an expression of rejoicing that the Lord had dealt so graciously with them. May this note be characteristic throughout your special services.

Sixty years have brought great and bewildering changes in the lives of all of us, and the Faith which has sustained us through these years, is more than ever necessary in our day as we face the changes which must always come.

Methodism has had a long and honoured tradition in Higham Ferrers, going back to 1791 when the first place of worship was built, the present church being erected in 1903.

May you find reinforcements for your work from the new generations around you, and long continue to exercise a rich and valued ministry.

With good wishes and every blessing,
Yours sincerely,

WILFRED SHEPHERD

Dear Friends,

I greet you most sincerely at this time of your Church Jubilee celebrations. The beginnings of the Higham Ferrers Methodist Church go right back to the eighteenth century in which Joint Wesley, under God's guidance, founded the Society of Methodists. His famous Journal does not reveal that he ever visited the Borough, but it does record frequent journeys into Northamptonshire and adjacent counties. It would seem almost inevitable from this that eventually Methodist preachers should preach in the Market Place of Higham Ferrers. And from then until the present our Church has carried forward a worthv witness. The full story however cannot be told, let it suffice to set down that the long story is full of men and women who in their day worshipped God and in His name served their generation right royally.

The immediate past reveals much good work being done, of which we all know. I find the memory of it very heart-warming.

So from yesterday we turn with confident faith to the future. Under God we look forward to our greatest days. Problems remain; the set-up of life in almost every field is vastly different from yesterday. Human needs at bottom are the same, and God abideth faithful to all His promises in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Let us be of good cheer, strong in the faith, very courageous, and by God's good grace we shall do valiantly.

Yours most sincerely,

JOHN W. J. SCOTT

Dear Friends,

The citizens of Higham Ferrers are justly proud of their ancient charter, which is more than seven hundred years old. Methodism in the borough is not, of course, as old as that, but it too has a long and honourable history.

As we send cordial greetings to our people on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of the present church we remind ourselves that our Methodist Society in Higham Ferrers began long before the foundation-stone of the present edifice was laid, and that during that long period it has been an integral part of the life of the town. The Golden Jubilee of the present church was celebrated during my ministry with you. I recall that at that time individual Methodists in addition to their church loyalties and activities, took a prominent part in civic affairs. A noteworthy feature of Methodism in Higham Ferrers has been the work of the Sunday School. A vivid memory is that of the afternoon service on our Harvest Thanksgiving. The ladies deputed to receive gifts brought by the children sat down at what they thought was the end of a very long procession, only to be told that their job was but half done, the other half of the school was about to enter.

As we think of the important place our Higham Ferrers Methodist Church occupies as head of a Circuit, and its place in our Methodist District, as well as its services to the Borough, we pray that Almighty God may continue to prosper its work and witness.

Yours sincerely,

THOMAS OAKLEY

My dear Friends,

Greetings to you all and best wishes on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee. I sincerely hope that your celebration will be crowned with success spiritually and financially.

My years of service spent among you, were war years for the greater part: difficult years for all of us, anxious years for those of us who had loved-ones in the Forces. As I look back I recall with gratitude the loyal and steadfast support of both officials and members of the Church. Many of my fellow-workers have finished the course and entered into their reward. I cherish every remembrance of them and thank God for their devoted service. I am confident that those who are to-day carrying on the Work of God in the Church and Sunday School will maintain the fine traditions established by their predecessors. Our difficulties and dangers in 1940 to 1945 were of "the arrow that fiieth by night"; the perils of to-day come from "the destruction that wasteth at noon-day.'' Since 1945 the people of this country are rightly experiencing a higher standard of living, and a more equitable share of the nation's wealth. We rejoice in this. The pity is that an increasing number of people are satisfied by these material blessings, and are content to go through life outside the range of organised religion. That is the greatest challenge confronting the Christian Church everywhere, and I doubt whether Higham Ferrers is an exception. But as the Higham Ferrers Methodists of the past accepted the challenge of their time, so the present generation will accept theirs and bear witness to the truth that "man cannot live on bread alone."

God bless you all.
Yours sincerely,

T. H. JOHNS