Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1
Corinthians, chapter 10, verse 31
Sunday School and its successors is the activity most closely associated with church services, and often part of it. In 1881 there were 22 teachers in charge of 55 boys, 60 girls and 40 infants, a total of 155, but not a large number compared with the 1230 of St Mary, Kirkdale. Through the years however St Luke’s numbers rose and peaked during the time of Powell Miller in the 1930s when there were up to 664 ‘scholars’ led by at least 30 teachers. In addition to the Sunday schools (and a Men’s Bible Class) in the parish hall at 3 pm, there was a Young People’s Church at the same time for 11-15 year olds with a voluntary choir, and church officers and sidesmen. The war affected all organisations; in 1947 there was an average Sunday school attendance of 100.
In the 1960s and 1970s there were still about 100 in the junior age group of the Sunday school and 50 of the younger ones. Alfred and Joan Williamson, who were involved in the teaching, have some vivid memories. One year they were studying a series called ‘Alive in God’s World’ and Joan took her class of boys on a local walk to look for natural things. The only thing they found was a cabbage which they used as a football all the way back to Halsall School where the classes were held. When Sunday school was moved from the afternoon to the morning service, they had to walk everyone back from there to the church for the last part of the service. There were ‘Anniversary’ Sundays once a year in church in the afternoon with special hymns and a choir, and at Christmas there were junior and infant parties with games and food. In the summer there was an outing to such places as Southport, Helsby and Haigh Hall. One year the double-decker bus became stuck under a low bridge when the driver took a wrong turn. Eventually a breakdown lorry weighed down the front with a very heavy load, and the passengers had to move to the front to help, while the bus was gently pulled out backwards. On another occasion, a boy stood too close behind a friend teeing off for pitch and putt and he ended up with Joan in casualty with stitches in his forehead where the golfer had hit him with his back swing. However they successfully negotiated a short rock climb up to a cave and onto a narrow ledge at Helsby. Once Alfred forgot to count himself on the bus and they waited some time for the ‘missing person’ to appear. They had a lot of fun and games on these outings, and only a few wet clothes.
In about 1970 the Sunday School became the Junior Church, run for many years by Doreen Cottier. In 1975 the Pathfinders, developing out of the Crossbearers, were formed for the 11-14s with Joan Williamson, Bill Pierce and Ian Elliott. Later, the Juniors (7-10s) became the Explorers started by Eric Linford and then run by Paul Heritage, while the Beginners became the Scramblers and Climbers. At first these were run together by Julie Heritage but later the two groups were separated, and parents attended the youngest group, the Scramblers.
Parish organisations from the Great Crosby parish magazine in 1938
CYFA (Church Youth Fellowship Association) has its origins in a youth club run by the curate and his wife, Ian and Ronnie Elliott. When they left in 1974, the club was taken over and run by Joan Williamson who renamed it CYFA. Pete and Pam Taylor took over in 1975 and gradually changed the emphasis of the meetings so that they were more Christian based, with bible teaching, study and prayer being an integral part. They felt it was important that the older members of the group had responsibility for the leadership, so they met together with their young leaders on a Friday evening to pray about and plan the Sunday evening sessions. When Stan and Jan Woods took over in 1980, they moved the group to meet in their own home. The Sunday meetings, planned at a Monday night prayer meeting, were varied and included bible studies, discussions, visiting speakers (on one occasion, the diocesan exorcist!) as well as visits to, and from, other youth clubs. CYFA also planned and led youth services on a Sunday evening and became involved with an ecumenical group consisting of Roman Catholic, Anglican and Baptist youth groups. In 1983 when Tony and Rosemary Fairburn took charge they wanted CYFA to be accessible to a wide variety of young people, not just those with a church background. Their aims were to give space for reflection, an opportunity to question and the freedom to talk openly about Christianity. Activities varied from fun games to prayer, praise, bible study and weekends away, especially in Sedburgh. From 1986 Debbie and Geoff Blundell ran the association for 13 years. Its success was based on a formula which included workshops, ranging from dancing under Laura Coutts to painting and wallpapering, fellowship with bible teaching and prayer, and socialising with a tuck shop. Once a month there was an alternative (‘rave’) service in the hall led by Margaret Quayle with videos and slides. Later on, however, numbers dropped from forty to ten, and it closed in 1999.
A miracle happened at the CYFA camp at Beddgelert in August 1978. Stephen Taylor was hit by a car in the village and limped the mile back to the camp. He was taken to Bangor Hospital, where after X-rays he was told that, if hit a quarter of an inch higher, his knee cap would have been smashed. They were amazed that he could walk for he had severe bruising of the leg. He returned with his leg well bandaged, but later that night in bed he was very unhappy. The boys prayed for him and then he said he felt something wonderful inside wanting to come out. Prayers were offered for him to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He came into the experience which the apostles had on the day of Pentecost and spoke in strange tongues. Then Stephen shouted ‘my leg’. Everyone was worried for they thought someone had been sitting on it. However he felt no pain and was able to remove his bandages and jump up and down – all signs of bruising had gone.
Bell-ringing has been as closely associated with Sunday worship as have the Sunday schools ever since the bells were first hung in 1863. Benjamin Hale was Bell Tower Leader from 1888 to 1938. To mark the achievement he was presented with a beautiful oak clock with Westminster chimes and a wallet containing some other ‘notes’. His granddaughter, Mary Hale, rang the bells on VE day and was invited to ring the bells again 50 years later, while in 1962 Mr Porter also completed 50 years as a bell ringer. In the early days of the church, the bell-ringers were paid wages, in 1899 the equivalent of well over £2000 between them a year. In 1904 they won a competition entered by many churches in the diocese by ringing 34 complete peals of 720 changes, whilst in the archives there is a copy of a photograph showing the Liverpool Diocesan Guild of Change-Ringers posed in front of the church in 1911. All seventy and more (men) are dressed in their Sunday best, attesting to the importance and dignity of their calling. In the 1950s a set of 21 handbells was bought by the bellringers for tune ringing and method training. The bells were played at Christmas services, socials and birthdays. In the 1970s there was a programme of associated activities which in 1977 included a course at Christ Church Bootle organised by the Lancashire Association of Bellringers, a week’s ringing/boating holiday with other Liverpool ringers on the Norfolk Broads and ringing at three towers in Staffordshire. This was combined with a visit to Taylors’ Bellfoundry in Loughborough, for delivery of new handbells. The group increased their repertoire to include secular music. On 23 December 1978, the bell-ringers completed a quarter peal: 1250 changes were rung with Alfred Plant as tower captain. On Armistice Day 1989 the Lancashire Association of Bell Ringers rang 5040 changes of doubles, the first one at St Luke’s, in 2 hours 41 minutes. From 1993 to 1999 bell ringing continued to flourish under Jeanette Miller as tower and handbell captain, with Harold Whitaker and also Ray Harley until his untimely death.
In addition to these Sunday activities with a pronounced educational and religious education function, a number of others were held on weekdays to encourage church attendance and worship through social activities. These have tended to be called ‘fellowships’ for those of a general nature, or ‘clubs’ or ‘societies’ if they have a more specialised purpose, although the names have tended to change and mix through the years.
Tennis on the vicarage lawn in the time of the Revd Robert Love (vicar 1870 – 1902), who can be seen in the photograph wearing a top hat.
The heydays of the St Luke’s Fellowship were in the 1930s: monthly socials with an average attendance of 200, and 260 membership cards. The fellowship was looked upon as an umbrella term for other activities carried on ‘under the aegis of the Fellowship’. These ‘Departments’ flourished: the Ramblers for example went to Miller’s Dale leaving at 7 am and returning at 11 pm. Dora Parr was one of the walking group who met up every bank holiday and went to many different places by the cheapest form of transport available, usually the train. The family men who were the chief organisers at the time were the vicar, Powell Miller, Mr Carmichael, Mr Jeffries and Dr Evans. It was a time of great fellowship and they would all take sandwiches for lunch as no one had much money. Sometimes the vicar would buy everyone a cup of tea while some of the men would go for a pint. They would come home tired and full of blisters but still managed to dance in the parish hall. Dora could not get away with being home late from the dances as she lived just down the road from the hall and her mother could hear the National Anthem being played and so knew what time it finished. There were also Athletics, Ladies Hockey, Tennis, Netball, Study Circle, Choral, Gymnastic and Dramatic Sections. In 1938 members enjoyed fun evenings monthly, including a ‘Camp Fire’ programme and a mock Wedding Banquet. A Congregational Tea Party was held each Shrove Tuesday evening with over 300 guests followed by comedy entertainment. A Men’s Club was held each evening in the Parish Hall; members had to be proposed and seconded by existing members and there was a library with books donated by members together with a grand piano, purchased at a ‘rock bottom’ price. This proved too large for requirements and an appeal was made for an upright in exchange. After the war the Fellowship was no longer thought of as an umbrella organisation and its activities became more limited: in 1947 Parish Socials were held on the third Thursday each month and these continued into the 60s. By 1964 however it was felt that revised thinking was necessary. People no longer looked to church life to provide social contact and entertainment, and a subcommittee of the PCC was formed to study the problems and formulate ideas. This became difficult: in May 1979 a Tramps Ball was organised and only five people turned up, including the vicar and deaconess.
However, in March 1978 a Senior Fellowship was started by Doreen Cottier and Barbara Chisnall with 38 members, growing in a few months to 120 when the lists were closed. It was for men and women over 60; members of other churches and other faiths, and non-churchgoers were welcomed. Meetings were held every Thursday afternoon and activities included speakers, slide shows and musical entertainment with cooked lunches, parties, coach trips and a week’s holiday (two coachloads one year) in addition. However, during recent years, because of sickness or death, numbers declined and the group finished in June 2001. The remainder, including a 97-year-old, continue to meet informally once a month.
In the 1930s the Junior Fellowship, for those aged 16 and over, had varied and exciting programmes: in one month this included a debate with St John’s Church, Waterloo; a progressive games evening; a social evening; a spelling bee and general knowledge competitions. There were mock trials and visits, for example to a pantomime and ‘Elijah’, and a coach trip to Llangollen. A choral section gave Christmas entertainment in the form of carol singing. After the war Syd and Mabel Coombe were leaders of the Junior Fellowship which was an important church activity. A number of St Luke’s couples met thus, in the old gym at Halsall School, some are still married over 40 years on! Margaret Pearson and then the Revd Fred Finney and Bill Pierce also played an important part in running it.
The Mothers’ Union was formed in 1899, its main concern being for Christian family life. In the 1930s it was meeting on Mondays as now and in 1935 revived the Mothering Sunday Service. Early on in 1935 the parish hall ‘presented a very animated appearance’ at a New Year’s party for babies baptized during the previous twelve months. ‘About 100 Mothers and babies were present and the gaily decorated Hall was soon the scene of a happy party, and the wee guests behaved in a splendid manner, thus enabling their mothers to have a chat and enjoy the delightful refreshments provided by the Mothers’ Union’. Later in the year the annual picnic consisted of a day in York, travelling by the 9.03 train from Exchange Station. On other occasions a talk given by a nurse on cancer led on to a visit to the hospital, and a group of nearly 100 mothers and children from St Luke’s, Liverpool, were treated by St Luke’s, Crosby, to ice cream and strawberries. After the war, in 1949, conditions were very different; members were asked to contribute one spoonful each of tea and sugar at each meeting! A few years later, in 1953, the party menu consisted of meat from Irwin’s and confectionaries from Satterthwaite’s, with films provided by Allen Jones, but a proposed trip to Lichfield and Cadbury’s was not pursued as ‘it was considered too tiring for the older members’. Later on, the Lake District and North Wales proved to be the most popular destinations for outings, with one going as far as Coventry Cathedral. Activities were built up during the 1950s to include, besides the monthly speakers’ meetings, sales for good causes, for example Moral Welfare and the Church of England Children’s Society, attendance at conferences, prayer meetings (including the regular Wave of Prayer and Women’s World Day of Prayer) and special services, for example at the cathedral. Membership rose to 90 and, in 1958, after many years of saving, a banner was bought for £55 16s (over £800 at today’s prices). It had to be replaced after the fire. After that, items were purchased for furnishings and equipment: a curtain for the organ, a crib, cassocks, new books for the choir and an electric floor-cleaner. 1977 was a busy year with funds being raised by means of phials of halfpenny pieces and Green Shield stamps. The centenary in 1999 was marked by a thanksgiving service and a celebration lunch followed by a fashion parade ‘Costumes through the Years’ to which special guests were invited. Early records were kept at Church House and were destroyed during the War. Former enrolling members included Mrs Vaughan, Mrs Woodward and Mrs Bates. At one time membership was by invitation only! Jean Hayward has been enrolling member (now branch leader) since 1981.
Customers at the St Luke’s Ladies’ working party sale of work in December 1971, held in the newly opened church hall.
In 1936 the Sewing Party’s sale of work included a morning session with coffee, music in the afternoon with teas, and supper from 6 pm. The stalls included Needlework, Household (puddings or mincemeat made to order), Basketware and Aprons, Flowers, Sweets (wrapped if delivered by the day before), GFS and YPU, Cakes, Small Gift (Junior Fellowship), Handkerchief (Sunday School), and Bran Tub. The Scouts delivered parcels, the Men’s Club ran slide shows and the Revd W A Swift organised popular evening entertainment. Admission was by ticket, price 6d, which had to be bought in advance. The following year a similar event, run over two days jointly with All Saints’, raised £363, the equivalent of £15,000 at today’s prices. After the war the Sewing Party was the guiding force behind the sales of work which succeeded bazaars as the major fund raising activity. It became known as the Ladies Working Party and in 1977 the ‘Ladies Sewing Party’ summer and Christmas sales raised £410 for the building fund.
The Women’s Fellowship was started by Mary Bates, the vicar’s wife, in the 1960s as the Evening Mothers’ Union. As the name indicates it met in the evening, in the draughty vicarage. Limited by space, it was by invitation only and had a waiting list. It has continued, first as the Young Wives’ Fellowship, then as the Wives’ Fellowship and finally as the Women’s Fellowship, to the present day. Changing times, attitudes and ages may be detected in its changing name. It is remembered above all for its Hot Pot Supper, held annually on St Luke’s Day for 25 consecutive years, with tickets selling like gold. A typical programme now includes talks, outings and social evenings, with money raised going to various charities (£1000 in 2001). The leader now is Viv Pierce.
A possibly unique venture was the ‘18’ Club, known also as The Mixers, for the over 18s, meeting on the 18th of the month and starting on St Luke’s Day, 18 October 1975. The purpose was to enable all adult members of St Luke’s (18 and over) to come to a meeting or function of general interest as opposed to those occasions which were for women, younger or older people only or held on only one night of the week. The varied programme included consideration of a response to a letter from the Bishop, singing carols in the streets, visiting Moor Lane Methodist Church, a hot pot supper, a slide presentation by the vicar of his visit to Windsor, discussing reports from Scargill, a conference, a barn dance and a quiet day. In 1979 difficulties were experienced keeping exactly to the 18th and it ceased as such when the PCC decided that the date should be varied around that time of the month.
Youth Clubs were already going in the 1930s when there were Children’s Guild meetings on Tuesdays at 7.30 in Halsall School, and the Girls’ Friendly Society had been going for over twenty years, meeting on Mondays in the parish hall (candidates at 6.30 and members at 8 o’clock). Mrs Hartley, the vicar’s wife, was president in the 1920s and she enrolled members who went through a ceremony in the vicarage sitting room at which they gave their promises. The meetings were in the form of a service. Gymnastic classes for girls started in 1933 and keep-fit classes ‘for the development of Physical Culture in the younger girls’. In 1935 there were gymnastic classes for girls, both juniors and seniors, and for junior boys in Halsall School. Boys’ and girls’ clubs continued after the war but became mixed ‘youth’ clubs. In 1972 youth work was revitalised by the Revd Ian Elliott when he came as curate, and Bill Pierce. They founded the Link Youth Club, an open club, for the 14s to 18s meeting on Sunday evenings, and effected a huge improvement to the attendance. This rose in the first year from 35 to 120, with a programme which included table tennis, badminton, a centre spot for notices and a short Christian message. Later a club for 11-14 year olds was started on Thursday evenings. This developed into ‘The Way’, an ecumenical youth club. Started by Hugh McGarry, it was later run by Tom Perry, amongst others, and then by Geoff Blundell with a membership of well over a hundred. These were the halcyon days of youth clubs before they went out of fashion. Twenty-two visits were made to the Greenbelt Festival at Cheltenham, and one year 108 young people went with Dave Roberts. Bandnights, with youth bands, were particularly popular with over 200 attending one Saturday a month. Meetings are still held on Thursday evenings led by Tim Causer with a wide variety of sporting activities in the church hall. Year 6 pupils from St Luke’s School are invited to join at Easter before they leave and as many as 45 may attend. All the youth clubs have needed, and obtained, good support over the years. For instance, the PCC insisted that there was a minimum of 12 helpers at ‘The Link’ discos which were a whole club night with Peter Morris’s disco. Even Bill Hudson helped out as a very anxious churchwarden, and, amongst many others were Jeff Calvert, Ray Terry and Jared Whetnall. A particular problem was disco tickets ‘slipping’ through open windows to fall into the hands of friends who had none!
During the Second World War the army took over the hall and many church activities ceased: the Girls’ Friendly Society, the Children’s Guild, and, not surprisingly, the Men’s Bible Class and the Men’s Club. After the war, strenuous efforts were made without success to revive pre-war activities, by Eddie Dunsmore for example with the Men’s Society; social attitudes had changed. The St Luke’s Fellowship ceased to be used as an overall term for church organisations but many of the present activities stem directly or indirectly from the old sections of the Fellowship, as can be seen from the following clubs and societies.
The St Luke’s Playgroup was started when the new St Luke’s Hall was opened in 1971, prompted by the vicar’s suggestion that the hall should be used throughout the day. Initially there were two helpers, Audrey Howell and Pat Fletcher, and an average attendance of 16 children, but the demand for more places soon made it clear that more helpers were needed and Sue Dowsett and Marjorie Brunskill joined the team. The attendance rose to 24 with an age range of 2½ to 5 years. Although it was open to all denominations, many of the children attended church regularly and later went on to other activities such as Cubs and Brownies.
The Pram Club was started in the early 1970s by the vicar’s wife, Janet Lee. Marg Davey and Lil Marshall were the initial helpers. Held once a fortnight in the afternoon, it was open to anyone, not just those from St Luke’s. Amongst other activities children learnt craft, played with toys, and listened to Bible stories. Coffee was served and talks given to the young mothers. Later, in 1977, Janet Lee also started a crèche, in the vicarage. The Pram Club and Stepping Stones now meet on alternate Tuesdays: the Pram Club for an informal service and story time, and Stepping Stones for a drop-in chat and playtime.
The sitting room of Alderman Helliwell’s house in Clecklewyke, the set for ‘When We Are Married’ by J B Priestly, performed on 3 May 1949 and produced by David Vaughan. Cast (from left to right): Arthur Irving, Harry Woodfield, Douglas Dowell, Dorothy Armstrong, Hilda Barret, Bob Melville, Marjorie Gibbs, Albert Clark, Elsie Clark, Lawrence Massey, Beatrice Taylor, Celia Dowell, Arnold Gage, Ruth Wright.
Before the Second World War there had been a drama section of the St Luke’s Fellowship (see above), but like most clubs and societies this had ceased during the war. It was restarted as the St Luke’s Amateur Dramatic Society in 1948 with a performance of ‘The Young Mrs Barrington’, at which the caretaker burst in with the news that Prince Charles had been born. Two three-act plays were performed each year, in March and November, the latter to coincide with the Church Sale. The dress rehearsal was given to St Christopher’s Home, St Mary’s Shelter, retired people and, if the play was suitable, to the Children’s Society Boys’ Home. The play would then go on tour to other churches and to the nurses at Alder Hey, for example. The sets were always authentic for the period and a memorable feature of the production. Much money was raised for church and charity. Both props and cast would travel together in the back of Armstrong’s furniture van until Bob Melville became the first member to own a car. The ‘Coming of Age’ of the Society in 1956 was a grand occasion with a dinner dance and a production of, appropriately, ‘This Happy Breed’, but it became progressively difficult to maintain continuity with young people going off to university, and the last production was in the 70s. However, there was a reincarnation with the St Luke’s Players whose first production ‘Cinderella’ was at the Hot Pot Supper in 1986. Since then a pattern evolved to stage a pantomime after Christmas with a more ‘serious’ production in the autumn. £13,000 has been raised in fourteen years for charities.
SLOW, ‘St Luke’s Outings and Walks’, was started in the mid 1980s by Eric Linford. Originally it was to take children from Junior Church to the pantomime in Manchester. Later, following an inspiring walk in the Lake District led by John Beach, a small group got together to go walking. Numbers grew and eventually there were enough to hire a coach. On one occasion over 100 people went to Keswick to walk and sail around Derwentwater. There have been many walks in Yorkshire, the Lake District and north Lancashire, as well as occasional forays into Cheshire and Shropshire. They have walked twice across Morecombe Bay led by the Queen’s Guide across the sands. Especially popular are the Christmas walks which are followed by everyone sharing a well-earned meal in a pub afterwards. There have also been theatre trips to many of the most popular musicals and plays. The purpose of the group is twofold; it gives people the opportunity to get to know other church members in an informal atmosphere and people can invite non-church-going partners and friends who, hopefully, will relax and become more involved in the life of St Luke’s. SLOW also raises some money for charities and mission work.
St Luke’s (Great Crosby) FC was formed in 1993. Before the war there had been a church football team and more recently a number of successful ‘Dads v Lads’ matches’. The 1993 team was formally established to play friendly fixtures on Saturday afternoons with home games at Hightown.
The Golf Society was a spin-off from the football team. During a casual conversation Joe Howard and Paul Fell discovered that a large proportion of the footballers were also keen golfers. Although formed mainly as a social club, it was realised that it could also be a form of outreach, promoting Christianity in the community and in the various clubs visited. It was decided that membership should be drawn predominantly from those with church and school affiliations. Started in 1998, by the third season it had its full complement of 40 members, and there was a waiting list. About seven meetings are held per year, with a competition of varying importance at each one. One is designated as a charity day, with the captain choosing a charity to receive the funds raised on the day. The first two charity ventures were centred on Uganda. Then, as a result of the Captain’s Charity Day in 2001 and the exceptional efforts of the captain, Paul Roocroft, £2300 was raised for the Blantyre Children’s Hospital in Malawi, where St Luke’s member Liz Molyneux, a consultant paediatrician, runs a department.
Parish organisations in 1959, from the magazine of St Luke with All Saints’.
Missions have received increasingly wider support ever since contributions to the Church Missionary Society appear in the church accounts in the 19th century. In 1935, £138 and, in 1975, £617 were contributed by the parish, equivalent to over £6000 and £3500 respectively at today’s prices. Additionally in 1975, £300 went to the link missionary. Iran, Kenya and Rwanda also received support and, more recently, South Sudan. At present the World Mission Group supports links with six areas. In Malawi, Drs Malcolm and Liz Molyneux, members of St Luke’s congregation, are working in malaria research and medical aid. In Uganda support is given to orphans and students in our link diocese, Bunyoro-Kitara. There is work to save street children in Peru (through the South American Mission Society) and Guatemala (through Toybox). In addition St Luke’s works through the Church Mission Society to help orphans and people in need in Romania, while in the United Kingdom aid is given to the Children’s Society to help disadvantaged children, young people and families. The Christingle services alone raise over £1000 for the Children’s Society. Peter Firth and John Morris have been conspicuous for their fund-raising efforts over the years with talent shows and auctions, car boot sales, concerts and sales of garden produce. For many years St Luke’s has joined with the other churches in the area in making house-to-house collections for Christian Aid, organised most recently by Steve Cornforth and John Pulman, with over £1200 raised in May 2002.
Luncheon Club Helpers: for over 30 years St Luke’s Church has sent teams of helpers to cook meals for a Pensioners’ Club at Christ Church, Waterloo, but recently, owing to ill health and advancing years, numbers have dwindled alarmingly and it is difficult to make up a team.
Evangelism is at the heart of the church’s work and takes place all the time in an individual way. As an early example of organised evangelism, in 1935 the vicar reported that the church was over half way towards making visits to every house in the parish ‘most undertaken by his colleagues the Revd W Kenneth R Strickland and the Revd R J Cole’. The Saints Alive course in the 1980s, which aimed in a practical way to revive the work of the Holy Spirit, was typical of another approach and anticipated the Alpha course. This, a ten-week course in basic Christianity, was first run in January 1995, and had run a total of 15 times with over 270 people having taken part up to the end of 2002 (the average weekly attendance at services at that time being about 220). Marg and Lester Davey were responsible for running the Alpha course for the first few years with Steve Matthews taking over at the start of 2001. Numbers on the courses averaged 20 to 25, with a team of about twelve including leaders, helpers, caterers, speakers and musicians to lead the worship. The pattern of a typical Alpha evening was a 7.30 pm start with a cup of tea or coffee, followed by worship and a talk given by one of the readers (Alan Lewney, Steve Cornforth and Keith Cawdron) or by the vicar, David Trollope. After the talk there was a further opportunity for people to mix over refreshments. Course members would then go into small groups to discuss the talk, with the evening finishing at around 9.30 pm. A highlight of all the courses was the ‘Away Day’ on a Saturday halfway through the course on the subject of the Holy Spirit and in 2001 an ‘Alpha Supper’ was held in the basement room of a pub in the centre of Crosby. St Luke’s has a tradition of taking the gospel out into the community. Paul Heritage, Hazel Large and Alan Lewney led beach missions on the seafront, and then in November 2000 SS Peter and Paul and Moor Lane Methodist Churches joined St Luke’s in the Jesus Video Project. About 70 volunteers from the churches visited 1500 homes. First of all, they posted leaflets which explained the project, then at the second visit they called and offered a free video with (appropriately) a copy of St Luke’s gospel. 380 videos were given away and 45 people wanted to find out more (including some committed Christians!). Follow-up sessions for those who wanted them were held in The Chambers and Crossroads. It was felt that in addition to this evangelistic outreach there were other positive benefits to emerge: relations with other churches were improved; levels of faith were raised amongst many in our own church, as the project was well supported by the congregations at all three services; it was a fitting outward focus for our churches at the start of the third millennium and people realised that they could share their faith in an informal and non-threatening way in their local area.
There have been numerous occasional activities. Some lasted for a short time, for example the ‘People next Door’ project in 1965-6. House groups of people of different denominations were set up, the idea being to get involved with other people’s activities and to have a greater understanding of their viewpoints. They had discussions about crime and other social problems, and visited other churches, including a Quaker Meeting, and places such as bingo halls which they would not normally visit. Ivy Fletcher, a Methodist, suggested that they visit the Rydal Club in Great Homer Street, run by Rydal School for the children who lived there. The club was extremely lively and had practical as well as spiritual activities. Joyce Whetnall continued to be involved with the club for many years afterwards. Other occasional activities were seasonal, for example a carol singing group in the 1920s. They would often be invited in for refreshments. In the vicarage they had the privilege of seeing the Christmas tree in the hall and drank ginger wine. At the Jeffries’ house they were treated to a great spread (encouraged by the quotation: Yesterday is dead – forget it, Tomorrow does not exist – don’t worry, Today is here – use it).
Finally, the Guides and Scouts and their associated organisations have had a particularly distinguished history.
Sue Dowsett started the 2nd and 23rd Crosby Rainbow Guiders in 1989 with Jackie Reilly (Morris). She had previously run the Brownies for fourteen years. The Brownie pack was later run by Michelle Miller, now Divisional Commissioner (as well as for the Guides). Now, under Jan Sumner and Ann Causer, it has become very successful, almost too successful as it is difficult to find enough helpers.
1936 Guide expedition.
In the 1920s the Guides were only attached to the church but attended Armistice Day services. Ethel Jones, later head teacher of Manor Secondary School, was a patrol leader. The 42nd Liverpool (later 2nd Crosby) Girl Guide Company met in the 1930s on Wednesdays at Halsall Girls’ School. Joyce Whetnall has fond recollections of the wonderful camps that the Guides had, despite it being war time. Eileen Melly, who was an ambulance driver during the war, was Guider, and Peggy Beeken (later Porter) second in command. They used to go to camp in a furniture van, no coaches being available during the war, although even this was luxury compared with the open lorry arrangements of the mid-30s. On different occasions they went to Denbigh, Silverdale, Wharton and Coniston Lake. All camps were under canvas and they were joined by some Guides from the Congregational Church. They were ‘drilled’ by the Home Guard and later became Air Rangers, learning about aircraft. They had camp fires, raised the flag in the morning and went to bed after ‘taps’. Wherever they were they always went to church parade. In 1976 there was a full company of 36 for the Guides run by Barbara Chisnall with a waiting list and there were no fewer than seven Queen’s Guides in the Rangers, run by Glenda Forsyth. Two years later there were two more. The company had to be disbanded in 1997 because of lack of helpers.
The Scouts were founded in 1921 with L H Goodwin as one of the first leaders and is to this day one of the strongest in the district. In 1924 the Revd Edward Hartley sponsored Vernon Milton who, with his organised military background, achieved much for the Scouts. After the war, Group Scout Leader John Parker was chief fund raiser for two Headquarters sites, one alongside St Luke’s Boys School in Church Road and the present one in Endbutt Lane. During the 1950s Bill Pierce, and then in the 1970s into the 1980s Bob Chambers and then Hughie Chambers was associated in running the Scouts, and Doug Chisnall, Jim Dowsett, Barbara Chambers and James Murrow ran the Cubs from the 1950s to just recently. The Venture Scouts were started in 1975, and have continued with Tom Edey to the present day. For the past fifteen years, Graham Chambers has maintained the traditions of the Scout group. No less than three of the 12th Crosby St Luke’s Scout Group went to the World Jamboree in Holland in 1995, and they participated in International Camps with Scouts from Denmark and Barcelona, both home and abroad, in 1992-3 and 2000-2001. David McWilliam was given the Queen’s Scout Award in 2001. There is also an associated Cub Scout pack, dating back at least to the 1930s, and a Beaver Scout colony.
Scout camp on the Isle of Man in 1947. The bell tents date from the First World War.
The Beaver Scout colony, for six to eight year old boys, started in December 1985, with leaders Christopher Roberts, Julia Wright, Val Chambers and Mike Jacobson, and with the motto ‘Fun and Friends’. Initially they wore turquoise neckerchiefs and were not allowed a flag. However in 1993 it was agreed that the Beavers could wear the group neckerchief, and a flag was obtained and blessed in church. The Beavers continue today with their own challenge badges.
Tom Edey, a Scout Leader since 1957, writes:
‘The 12th Crosby St Luke’s Scout Group has been housed in several locations in the parish. An early home was the Islington Public House which formerly stood near the HSBC Bank in Coronation Road. 3, Little Crosby Road, now housing Crosby Village Surgery, was a later base [from 1938]. After the Second World War the group was housed at St Luke’s Halsall School in the gymnasium which had been the school’s laundry. The first HQ built by the group was off Church Road on what is now a car park. In 1969 the group moved to its new HQ in Endbutt Lane.
‘Throughout its life St Luke’s Scout Group has had devoted leaders, freely giving their time and expertise to countless young men. During the past thirty years four of these young men have entered the Anglican ministry, as have three of their leaders. One of our former scouts is now Deputy Managing Director of Royal Mail. Others have reached the higher echelons of business and the academic world.
‘Several of the young men gave their lives in the Second World War. Their names can be seen on the memorial plaque near the font and they include that of Fred Foote, Assistant Scout Leader. A memorial ground to Fred Foote was formerly located at Hall Road and Richard Road. His memorial plaque can still be seen on the wall of Linkside Court flats in Richard Road. Crosby Scout District used to hold an annual scout fair at the Foote Memorial Ground.
1953 Scout expedition to Llanfairfechan.
‘All members of the Scout Group proudly wear the group’s distinctive neckerchief coloured maroon and green. These are the same colours as the uniform worn by Miss Milton’s Prep School pupils. Miss Milton was the sister of Vernon Milton, a former Group Scout Leader. In earlier times the group’s neckerchief was plain black.
‘The scout troop has played a leading role in international scouting. Many of its leaders were trained at the International Training Centre, Gilwell Park. Cubs and scouts camped there. A visit was made by the group to the World Jamboree, Sutton Coldfield, in 1957, celebrating fifty years of scouting. Members participated in World jamborees in Greece and the Netherlands. They assisted in hosting Moroccan scouts in Crosby, camped with an Austrian troop and earlier invited Greek scouts to camp. Several times the group has camped at International Camps and has hosted Kenyans, Swiss, Danes and Spaniards there. Home hospitality was also given to the Swiss and Danes and reciprocal visits were made to Switzerland, Denmark and Spain.
May St Luke’s and its Scout Group continue to flourish.’
We may well echo this for all St Luke’s activities which, in their ceaseless variety and change, are proof of the Church’s vitality.