The Church Army meets a tide of indifference in Enderby

In January 1927 a missionary group called the Church Army arrived in Enderby. In February the vicar reflected on their visit'

"The Church Army Van has come and gone. For a little over a fortnight the two Missioners have given us wonderful opportunities of hearing God's message. Services have been held daily for boys and girls, and for adults, and they have been moderately well attended, but men have been conspicuous by their absence with a few exceptions. The Missioners tell me that they find Enderby no different from other places, for as they have been visiting a good part of the parish, from house to house, they have experienced what I suppose is a ''sign of the times," indifference to any form of religion and especially what is called institutional religion. Hostility one can cope with to a certain extent, if it be not too severe, but indifference to any outward expression of the Christian Religion is, I fear, only too apparent. Some day perhaps the tide will turn, but there is no sign of such at present. All the , same I do feel that deep down in the heart of man there is something really spiritual which is capable of being brought to the surface, and on special occasions he is willing to respond tc the calls of God. The trouble is that it is difficult to reach that particular spot even in the time of a mission. Man does appreciate goodness and practical Christian sympathy when he sees it, and probably the lack of it in the lives of so called Christian people accounts for the non-attractiveness (if one can use such a word) to him of the religion of Our Lord's Church.
We hope, however, that there will be some " fruits " of the mission :-that those who have come to the services or have been in contact with the Missioners may have been helped and encouraged in their witness for Christ and His Church. The Missioners are most earnest men and they have done what they could in this parish to stir us up to a sense of our responsibilities. If you have been helped to make your prayers more real, to think of prayer as a life of adventure and not something mechanical; if you have been encouraged in your Bible reading; if you have been shown the need of being a communicant member of Christ's Society, or of being more frequent and earnest about your communions, do not let the matter stop here, but allow yourself to be instructed in preparation for Holy Baptism, or Confirmation, or join the League of Prayer. Above all - CARRY ON!"

The 'Fiery Cross' comes to Enderby and inspires thoughts on prayer

Enderby Church was Anglo-Catholic in the 1920s, in contrast to the present day, and this can be seen in the parish notes from June which talk about the arrival of a cross in Enderby;

"The "Fiery Cross" is coming to Enderby on Tuesday, June 28th. There will be a short reception service in Church at 8 p.m. and onwards continuous intercessions will be offered until the following day, June 29th, at 8p.m. The "Fiery Cross" is a cross which is passed on from parish to parish, and is found to be a great inspiration to prayer and intercession. It will be placed in the chancel in a prominent position so that all may see it as they pray. A list to be filled in (initials will do)
by those who would like to " watch " and " pray " for a few minutes during the day will be made out shortly and placed on the table near the door. The Vicar would be very glad to hear of any men who would spend part of the Night Watch with him.

"It is becoming generally recognised among us, that the most serious symptom of weakness in the religious life in our time is the neglect of prayer. There is a growing and deepening feeling that the spirit of prayer is lacking in our modern spiritual life. "We pray too little." "We find it hard to pray." "Our prayers are formal, hurried over, full of distractions, lacking in reality." "We gain satisfaction and happiness in active Church work so much more easily than we gain satisfaction and happiness in prayer." Such confessions are constantly made, even by the most earnest and consistent Christians, and most of us need not go beyond our own experience to find evidence that such confessions are overwhelmingly true. Herein surely lies the reason why the revival of religion in England still tarries. Our efforts for the conversion of souls so often lack power because they are not founded in, and fortified by, prayer. If our crusade is to be successful in the only true sense, it must derive its energy and strength from the Heart of Him who has said ' Abide in Me and I in you for without Me ye can do nothing. If ye abide in Me and My words abide in you ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done for you.'"
No doubt many parishioners will say it cannot be done, that people cannot afford the time to spend even a few minutes in Church during the day, but if it was done in a small parish like Thurlaston surely it can be done here in Enderby. Let us make a great effort so that this special opportunity and experience may not pass us by. One person in Thurlaston said afterwards, " I would not have missed it for worlds."

Uncle Tim tells the children about two sorts of people

During the first years of the magazine Uncle Tim wrote to the 'Little Folk' telling them stories, advising them on how to behave and setting them competitions. In October he wrote;

My Dear Little Folk,
I have been very disappointed this month in not receiving any letters from you. Are you tired of Competitions? Write and tell me, if you are, or, not, tell me what kind of Competition you would like. I do not like to think that Enderby boys and girls are not energetic enough to puzzle out puzzles. I am sure they are clever enough. You know there are only two sorts of people in the world - workers and non-workers. I will tell you what I mean. Those boys and girls who enjoy all that they do - their work as well as their play - leave a mark in the world for good! even if they never become important people as the worldly people put it. Those boys and girls who look on everything as a bore, or too much trouble leave a bad influence on all with whom they come in contact. Do try to remember this, will you not? also remember that those people who do their work only because they must, or because they will gain something by doing it, will not find any pleasure in it or get any good out of it, because you not only reap what you sow in actions, but also in words, and in thoughts.
Do let me have some letters this month or I shall think you are tired of me.
With love, your
UNCLE TIM

Leicester gains a Bishop and a Cathedral

As you may have read in the reviews of 1925 and 1926, a new diocese, centred on Leicester, was being created with a bishop and the redesignation of the church of St Martins as a cathedral. The official ceremonies took place in February. The Rev. Hibbert was enthusiastic about this development and included 'the hallowing leaflet' in the parish magazine giving all the arrangements, the front page of which is shown here;

The leaflet looked forward; "We have our new diocese; let us pray continually and earnestly that its arrival may bring no mere alteration of Church organisation, but a marked increase for spiritual life in every parish, and of devotion and activity in the service of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ"

A list of Enderby Vicars from the earliest times is produced

The vicar proudly announced that with much work a list of Enderby vicars had been reseached (The list is given below). In June the vicar told his readers "A list of the vicars of Enderby from the earliest times is published in these columns this month. The list in the handbook of the Garden Fete and Sale of Work held several years ago in the Hall Grounds and Park was far from complete, only 22 names of vicars being mentioned, but with the help of Cannon Foster, of Lincoln diocese (to which diocese Enderby belonged until 1837 or thereabouts), a great authority on these matters, I am at least able to give you as full a list as possible with the dates of institution (the ceremony to install them as vicar) to the benefice in nearly every instance.

There are still a few problems which await solution, e.g. did Henry follow Hugh of Wigston (1233), as we cannot find evidence of his institution? and it seems as if there must have been another vicar appointed between Zachary Goddall (1596) and John Ludlam (1668), but onwards from this latter date there is a full and complete list of vicars up to the present day.

I feel sure that many parishioners will be glad to have this list, it has taken a good deal of trouble to prepare, and perhaps later on it will be framed and hung in some prominent place in our Church.

I am very gratefull to Mr Drummond, the present patron , who has most kindly promised to defray the cost of the preparation of this list"

The contents of the list are provided below as well as being framed in the Church

The distribution of Christmas coal to Enderby widows comes to an end

As Christmas approached the parish notes included a sad announcement; "It has been the custom for many years past to distribute coal to widows and others at Christmas. At the last Church council meeting it was decided unanimously that this should cease as no subscriptions have been or likely to be received this year. During the last few years only one subscription was received and the Christmas Day collection was so small that it meant that a considerable sum from our general funds was being drawn upon. It would be an extremely difficult matter to cut the names down on our previous list and would no doubt cause a good deal of comment and ill-feeling, so that it was thought best to discontinue the distribution. Coal is such a high price and the quantity divided among 64 recipients would have been so small as to be almost negligible for each person. The relief committee may deal in a special way with any very needy parishioners."

A poem for Enderby Church

In December the vicar mentioned how much he was impressed by a teenagers poem about the church; "Miss M Levy's poem on Enderby Church is so beautiful that I could not but ask for permission to publish it in the magazine. I think you will agree that it reflects great credit upon a young lady who is only in her early teens"

The Village Church
(ENDERBY).
At even, when the wind was hushed to rest,
The trees were swaying gently to and fro,
And all the birds were hid inside their nests,
The little church was wrap't in sweetest sounds,
The sounds of Evening Prayer, so lulled and soft.
From lovely windows, small but clear, the light
Fell through upon the flowers down below.
And on the pane sweet Mary with The Child,
Outlined by the carvings quaint and old
Of plants ; or leaves and flowers weirdly twined,
To form a border round the Holy Ones.
And at the altar end amongst the saints-
Our Lord. And grey old stones that toil-worn hands
Had laid in times long past, still form'd the tower.
MARY G, LEVY.

American Teas in the heart of England

In the 1920s an active Women's and Girls Club arranged various events, one being an annual 'American Tea'. An idea of what this entailed is given in April's edition of the magazine;

"A most successful affair! That was the unanimous verdict at the end of the day on Shrove Tuesday. The Women and Girls' Club with Mrs. Ingram as organiser are to be congratulated on a wonderful and record-making achievement.... The afternoon's entertainment must have meant a good deal of thought and care in the preparation of it. The children were well catered for and the variety of fancy dresses no doubt made it difficult for Mrs. Drummond to judge. Competitions in the form of songs and recitations were held and Mrs. Drummond judged these also. It was delightful to see the young folk dancing, and to such tuneful music played by a band the musicians of which we think we recognised in spite of the fact that they wore fancy costumes. Mr. Ingram and Mr. Alf. Cooper lent two valuable pairs of hands and the latter gentleman was seen very busy helping to entertain the children during the afternoon. Later in the day a Partnership Whist Drive and Dance took place, quite a large company being present. £46/5/0 was the net result of this splendid effort, and the Church Council are most grateful of the Women and Girls' Club for thus defraying the cost of the new boiler."

A soggy Church Garden Fete

A major event in the Church's year was the garden fete in the grounds and Park of Enderby Hall, but Enderby's weather was unkind; "The rain rather spoilt the attractions and entertainments, and the artists at the latter had to perform under difficulties, but the 'shows', and especially the mannequin parade, were much appreciated."

The opportunity of University classes in Enderby is not taken

Loughborough College wrote to the vicar to see if anyone in Enderby wanted to attend a 'University class' with possible subjects such as Geography, Natural Science, Leather work, Dressmaking and more, if there was enough interest. Unfortunately, the parish notes later stated "There being no response to the notice put in the magazine last month regarding the University class in Enderby, the vicar has intimated to the college..., that in his opinion it would be of no use having classes here. It seems a pity as a good many of the subjects would have been most helpful to young people who are setting out on a career"

Vicars of Enderby cum Whetstone

Institution

Vacation

Patrons

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Vicars of Enderby

Institution

Vacation

Patrons