St John's Church History
 

The following has been taken from the Centenary Commemorative Brochure published in 1998 with a little updating here and there.

INTRODUCTION

Although we celebrated the centenary of the building and official opening of the Church in 1999, the church, like Rome, was not built in a day. The story of the Church of St. John the Evangelist at Hindley Green therefore begins in the 1850’s.

THE SCHOOL

At that time the local collieries owner, John Scowcroft, provided a room for scholars over the old Post Office near Hindley Green Mills. Following this he provided two cottages at the Hindley end of School Row and maintained a keen interest until his death in 1864. The executor of his estate, Jethro Scowcroft, continued to support us through his local Collieries Manager, Thomas Southworth.

The school was officially recognised by our Mother Church of All Saints, Hindley and our scholars walked in procession every Sunday morning to All Saints for service. It is also understood that a “Mothers Meeting” got together at a house which then stood by the side of the Social Club. This was in effect the forerunner of what is now the Ladies Fellowship.

Following this – on 14th September 1878 – a meeting was held at Hindley Vicarage to discuss the possibility of building a new school. This was chaired by Thomas Kirkpatrick, owner of the local cotton mills. Two sites were offered, one close to the Swan Hotel offered by Egerton Wright and one to the south of Atherton Road offered by Mr. Kirkpatrick.

On 23rd October 1878 a further meeting decided to go ahead with a design similar to Castle Hill School on the site offered by Mr. Kirkpatrick. Plans of the school were prepared and approved and a series of appeals for funds was begun.

The Foundation Stone was laid on 23rd August 1879 by Mr. T. Kirkpatrick, the contractor being C.B. Holmes of Wigan. A total of £1,500 had been raised and this significantly included a donation of £25 from Mr. J.C. Eckersley who was to become a regular and generous benefactor to the School and subsequently the Church for years to come. The School was licensed for divine service on 11th November 1879 and opened on the 20th November 1879. Reverends Hopkinson and Pollexfen from All Saints, Reverend E.H. McNeille from St. Paul’s, Toxteth Park, Liverpool and Reverend N.F. McNeille of Brafferton all participated in the opening service. Ever since then, regular services have taken place at Hindley Green; at that time the services were conducted by All Saints’ clergy, particularly the Reverend C.G. Hopkinson who is entitled to be called the founder of the Hindley Green Mission as he encouraged services. In the period up to 1887, further building work at the School was carried out and by this time total costs were £3,000.

THE CHURCH

The idea of building a Church at Hindley Green probably began to take shape in 1889 and Reverend Miller (Curate of All Saints) originated the “Hindley Green Church Extension Fund”. In 1894, Roger Leigh promised a site for the Church and a Committee was formed in March 1894. A plan to build a temporary Iron Church was considered and abandoned. Mr. Deacon of Liverpool was invited to prepare plans for a permanent Church. These were approved and in April 1898 the tender of Preston and Hurst of Wigan to build the Church was accepted, the foundation stone was laid on 11th June 1898 by Mr. J.C. Eckersley, MA, J.P. of Wigan. The service was conducted by Reverends Buckmaster and Miller. In November 1898.  Reverend Miller was appointed Vicar of Billinge and the Reverend W. Martin, MA came into residence as Curate in Charge on 28th April 1899.

The original intention was to omit the South Aisle but Mr. J.C. Eckersley, who had already contributed generously to the Fund, guaranteed an overdraft so that this part would be built.

The new Church was consecrated on 28th October 1899 by Right Reverend Bishop Royston, acting on behalf of the Lord Bishop of Liverpool. To that time the total cost of the Church, including temporary furnishings was £4,750, of which £1,799 had been given by Mr. Eckersley.

THE ENDOWMENT

It is clear that from as far back as 1888, the possibility and desirability of separating the District of Hindley Green from the Parish of All Saints, Hindley had been considered. However, the raising of funds and building of the Church had left little time to take practical steps to achieve this objective.

In the summer of 1900 the idea of a separate Parish took root and the Vicar of Hindley agreed to alienate £50 per annum from his benefice to Hindley Green and to contact the Rector of Wigan and encourage his support for the establishment of a separate Parish. The Rector agreed and similarly offered £50 p.a. provided an annual income of at least £250 was secured for the proposed Parish and that the Parish vested in the Bishop of Liverpool.

A Committee was formed on 2nd July 1900 with Mr. Eckersley as Chairman and Reverend Martin as Secretary. Donations of £1,000 (including £500 from Mr. Eckersley later increased to £800) were soon pledged and by the end of 1902, legal steps began and on 17th February 1903 the new Parish of St. John the Evangelist, Hindley Green was born, with the Reverend W. Martin as its first incumbent. At that time almost £3,000 was deposited by the Parish with the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, who set aside a similar sum, the income from which was to be paid to the incumbent of St. Johns for all time.

THE VICARAGE

Towards the end of 1904, Mr. J.E. Rayner generously gave the mineral rights to the land to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and this allowed us to acquire the site occupied by the Vicarage. The cost of the land (£325) was met yet again by Mr. Eckersley and a Committee was charged with responsibility for raising funds and building the Vicarage. It was designed by Heaton, Ralph and Heaton and built by Waterworth and Bickerstaffe of Wigan. The total building cost was £2,300 and the Benediction Service was conducted by the Lord Bishop of Liverpool on 20th March 1908.

ORGAN, PULPIT AND CHANCEL FURNISHINGS

When the Church was first opened, music was provided by a harmonium and it was hoped that this would be replaced by an organ and that a permanent pulpit, choir stalls and chancel furnishings should be provided. Andrew Carnegie promised £250 towards the cost and a “Great Bazaar” was held over 3 days in November 1909 to raise the balance of the estimated total cost of £1,000.

In the event, the bazaar raised an incredible £900 and we were able to do even more than originally planned. The Tender from Thomas Pendlebury and Sons, Organ Builders, of Leigh was accepted and the new instrument was dedicated and opened in January 1910. The opening recital was given by Edgar C. Robinson, organist of Wigan Parish Church (and later Master of Choristers at Liverpool Cathedral).

It was decided that all new furnishings would be oak and the Organ Case was made by Hatch and Sons from Lancaster. Soon afterwards the Choir Stalls and Pulpit were built by Mr. Huntstone of Tideswell. At the same time, panelling was erected on the North and East walls of the Sanctuary. At a later date, panelling was erected on the other two walls of the Chancel together with a Screen between the Chancel and the Chapel. Still later, further panelling, Credence Table and Sedulla were erected on the South Side of the Chancery, thanks to a legacy from the estate of Mrs. Nancy Hibbert. All of this work was done by Mr. Huntstone. During this same period, the first stained glass window was installed in the South Aisle. This was presented by Mrs. Keen in memory of her daughter and was installed in 1912.

THE 1914 – 1918 WAR MEMORIAL

Given the activities and efforts over 30 years, there was an inevitable lull in development work and, of course, the Great War also made an impact. After the war, the first poignant task was the provision of a Memorial to those of the Parish who had given their lives. It was quickly decided that the Memorial should commemorate not only Church members but all those of the Parish. It was decided that the Memorial should take the form of an East Window and suitable tablet recording the names of all locals who had died in the Great War.

The window, with the theme Te Deum, was designed and made by Clayton & Bell of London and the oak work surrounding the tablet was again made by Mr. Huntstone. The tablet is on the South Side of the Chancel, just west of the Communion Rail and records the names of all those who died but makes no reference to rank. The window and tablet were unveiled and dedicated on 12th September 1920 by Dr. Chavasse, Lord Bishop of Liverpool.

Interestingly, the tablet was taken to a contractor in Manchester in September 1940 for renovation work and it was ready to be returned just before Christmas 1940 when the contractors’ premises were totally destroyed by bombs. At first, it was feared our tablet had been destroyed, but days later it was found in the rubble in a very damaged condition. The contractor, though, managed to restore it to pristine condition.

THE INCUMBENTS

Reverend Martin, who had joined us in 1899 as Curate in Charge and subsequently as our first Vicar, was succeeded in 1927 by Reverend G.B. Ashburner. He stayed 21/2 years before moving on to St. Anne’s at Rainhill. Reverend T.E. Allen took up the living in January 1930. He was Vicar for 27 years before failing health led to his retirement and he spent his remaining years in a bungalow in Westleigh Lane.

Reverend J. G. Preston was inducted on 13 February 1957 and stayed for five years before moving on to become Rector of Newchurch Parish Church in late 1962. In March 1963, Reverend C.H. Brammer was inducted. His Ministry lasted three years when he took up the living at St. Cleer in Truro. In 1966, Reverend E. A. Sellgren became Vicar for the next six years when he moved to St. Paul’s at Southport.

Reverend D. G. Clawson was inducted on 29 September 1972 and stayed for 13 years before moving on to St. Michael’s in Wigan. His replacement was Reverend A. James who stayed from 1985 till 1991, when he moved on to Holy Trinity at Drybrook in the New Forest. Reverend S. Smith was then our Vicar from 1991 to 1996, when he moved on to become an Assistant Hospital Chaplain in Essex. Reverend Christine Warrilow, was instituted and inducted on 24th October 1996 and served the Parish until 19th May 2002.

Reverend Canon Margaret Sherwin was instituted and inducted on 27th March 2003 and she remained as our vicar for 13 years before moving to the post of Area Rector of Uttoxeter.

Over the years, six Church members have been ordained into the Ministry: Reverend K Alldred; Reverend T. Davies; Reverend S. Mather; Reverend J Orrell; Canon J Sharples and Canon E Shegog.

THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL

A change in legislation in 1920 conferred on all Churches the full right of self-government within the structure of the Church of England. Up till then, parishes had been effectively run by the Vicar and Wardens. This change gave responsibility to Parochial Church Councils for conducting the business side of parish affairs and for “co-operating with the Incumbent in spiritual oversight of the Parish”. This body is democratically elected by the members of the Church and is expected to be representative of all Church people of every shade of thought. Our P.C.C. had its first meeting on 6th April 1920.

CHURCH WARDENS

The Church Wardens are elected annually at the AGM of the PCC and are technically officers of the Bishop who are required to ” faithfully and diligently perform the duties of their office”. Realistically their real work takes place ‘at home’ in the Church where they work closely as a team with the Vicar on all aspects of Parish work including responsibility for maintenance of the building and all movable furniture of the Church, accounting for collections and record attendances. In between vicars-the interregnum-the wardens virtually run the Church with the help of the Area Dean.

REREDOS AND ALTAR

On 27th March 1935, a design for a reredos and altar was submitted by Professor Crossley of Chester and after protracted and somewhat stormy meetings over a number of months the P.C.C. agreed to go ahead with the scheme. The work was carried out by W. Browne and Sons of Chester at a cost of £300 and the new work was dedicated by the Bishop of Warrington on 27th October 1937.

ALTAR RAILS

Whilst the new reredos and altar greatly enhanced the beauty of our Church they also underlined the fact that the existing altar rails did not fit in with the rest of the Sanctuary fittings. Within 12 months plans were submitted and approved, money raised and the project was completed by the same architects and craftsmen. Every penny of the total cost of £350 was donated by Church members.

THE FONT, WARDENS STALLS AND SIDESMEN’S BENCHES

At the time the Altar Rails were fitted, there was some concern about the font, which was then opposite the middle of the West Wall, which was by no means an ideal location. It was decided to move it to its current position at the west end of the South Aisle and to provide suitable furniture. The cost of this work was met by a magnificent donation from the Women’s Guild. Unfortunately this change left a rather unsightly space at the back of the church and plans were drawn up to install Wardens Stalls and Sidesmen’s benches in this area. Unfortunately, sufficient funds were not available. The Women’s Guild again came up with the money to install Wardens Stalls and these were made by Mathers of Nantwich and dedicated on 28th October 1939.

The Second World War put a stop to further development work but donations continued to flow into what was now the Development Fund. In 1947, the possibility of finishing this work was investigated and Abbot and Co. from Lancaster put forward plans to do the work. However, oak was only then available under Government Licence and it was not until the summer of 1948 that the Sidesmen’s’ Benches, Baptising Furniture and Back Seat in the Nave were finally completed.

This furniture was dedicated by Canon White in 1948 – yet again on our anniversary of 28th October.

In 1940, the Junior Girls Guild decided they would like to place a Stained Glass Window on the South Aisle of the new baptistry and this was installed in 1944 and dedicated by Archdeacon Twitchett on 23rd December 1945.

THE CHILDREN’S OR LADY CHAPEL

The original official plans of the Church indicate that it was not intended to have a chapel, this area merely being described as the “South Choir Aisle”. However, it is clear that officials always hoped to have a Chapel, sooner or later, and this area has always been referred to as a Chapel. Nevertheless, in the early years of the Church, this area was used primarily as a storage area or occasional use to cope with overflow of congregation.

In 1920, Reverend Buckmaster, from All Saints decided to dispose of a Private Chapel he had in the Vicarage grounds and offered the Altar from this to Reverend Martin on condition he placed it in our Chapel. The P.C.C. gladly accepted the offer and the altar was installed and discussions about furnishing the Chapel took place. However, these plans did not come to fruition and the Chapel gradually took on the appearance of a storage area.

In 1937, the Misses Martin provided an East Window (with the theme of “Resurrection”) for the Chapel as a Memorial to their parents and this was dedicated by Reverend Buckmaster on 3rd November 1937. It was, though, another three years before steps were taken to sort out the Chapel and the opportunity arose in a peculiar way. The faculty for the new Altar Rails stated that the old rails were to be used in another part of the Church, though neither the place nor the method was stipulated.

This stimulated the idea of using them in the Chapel to form a small Sanctuary and making the Chapel available for Celebrations and other purposes. A plan was devised to raise the floor at the East End and to panel the walls, which were then bare brick. Given that this was war time, it was difficult getting hold of the materials and, as a consequence, the work was done in a piecemeal way. The whole task took 4 years and was finally completed and dedicated on 27th October 1943 by Reverend C. Buckmaster, son of the donor of the Altar.

At that time, the Chapel was always referred to as the Children’s’ Chapel though most people these days refer to it as the Lady Chapel. A Madonna and Child was introduced into the Lady Chapel in December 1988.

THE PEWS

By 1948, seating for the congregation was on the chairs originally provided when the Church was built and by then they were showing the inevitable signs of wear and tear. In August 1948, the P.C.C. decided that the financial objective of the Jubilee Celebration would be to refurbish the Nave with pews. The resultant Baptistry seating, Sidesmen’s Benches and Centre Aisle pews were dedicated in October 1948. The Side Aisle pews were then added as finance permitted in the late 1950’s.

STAINED GLASS WINDOWS

The windows have evolved over the whole life of the Church and the following brief resume does not do them justice; to fully appreciate their beauty it is essential to take some time to study them whilst in Church.

As referred to elsewhere, the large East Window depicts Te Deum Laudamus and was donated by parishoners as an enduring tribute to those of the Parish who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the 1914-1918 World War.

There are four windows in the Lady Chapel, the first depicting the Resurrection and commemorating the life of the Reverend William Martin, our first Vicar , and his wife; the next shows the Crucifixion and recognising the life and work of Harry Hibbert, a Church Warden from 1954 to 1981; next we have a window portraying the Ascension and dedicated to the memory of the France family in 1962; finally there is one showing the Staff of Life and in memory of William Brown (1961).

Along the South Aisle there are another three windows, the first being the Light of the World and honouring William Astbury, Church Warden from 1950 to 1954; the next is ‘Suffer Little Children’ in memory of Hannah Keen (1899) and finally in memory of William Harrison, Sidesman and School Manager and his wife, there is one showing the Life of St. John.

The Baptistry has two windows, Simeon with the Infant Christ, presented by the Junior Girls’ Guild in 1954 and the Nativity presented in memory of George Knowles, Church Warden from 1933 to 1950 and his wife.

The most recent Window is the West one which depicts the True Light, installed in 1996 in memory of Nellie Ashurst. On the North Aisle the first window illustrates the patron Saint of music, St. Cecelia in memory of William Heinekey, St. John’s organist for 50 years. The final two on this side are ‘Peter and John at the Beautiful Gate’ in memory of Emmanuel Cooper and one window depicting St. John Ambulance , St. John of Jerusalem and St. Luke in memory of James Swift.

THE DAY SCHOOL

Ever since the concept of education for all people was born, the Church of England has played a prominent part in achieving this ideal and nowhere in England does the Church have such close links with schools as here in the North West. This is certainly true here at St. John’s where the strong links have thrived for some 120 years.

From its earliest days, the school became a centre for the Church community, holding dances, concerts, pantomimes and meetings. Whilst clearly the primary purpose of any school is to provide the highest possible standards of education, it is also vitally important to encourage children to feel part of the local community, especially the Church.  Since the opening of our Parish Hall the School has been used less frequently than in the past.

THE PARISH HALL

Changes in Education Legislation meant that it was becoming increasingly difficult for the Church to use the school for social functions and parish activities and consequently it was becoming clear that the Church needed its own premises. This was regularly discussed at P.C.C. meetings and eventually an Open Meeting was called. It was decided that a Parish Hall be built attached to the South Wall of the Church to accommodate up to 75 people. A group of 6 men from the PCC and the Men’s’ Fellowship formed a Committee and called themselves the “NOMADS” (Need of Money and Donations).

The NOMADS raised money in many ingenious ways including a sponsored walk through the night from Liverpool Cathedral to Hindley Green; a 200 Club which eventually had 300 members ; many people loaned £100 with some refusing repayment; folk concerts in the school or Dunlop’s Canteen; a children’s buy a brick scheme with a shield for the winner (now on the wall above the South Door to the Church); half marathons supported by Ingersoll Rand and a £5,000 grant from the Liverpool Diocese Centenary Fund. Sales of a recipe book raised over £1,000, with recipes contributed by many famous people including a well known female Prime Minister.

Eventually sufficient funds were raised and the Parish Hall was built and furnished at a total cost of £43,000. It was opened by the Bishop of Warrington, the Right Reverend Michael Henshall on April 3rd, 1988.

Usage of the hall has more than justified its building and, indeed, it is difficult to imagine how we would now manage without it. Among the multitude of functions it has been used for are meetings of P.C.C. and many other Parish Organisations, Luncheon Clubs, Quiz Nights, Dances, Meals, Tea and Toast/Biscuits after services, Bingo, Christmas Fair, Fun Day, Birthday and Anniversary Parties etc.

In 1997 the Hall was substantially refurbished and redecorated and again in 2013.

In the early 1990’s, an Induction Loop System was installed in the Church and in The Parish Hall and this has improved facilities for all those who are hard of hearing.

CLEANING OF THE CHURCH

In the early 1970’s the West Window curtains caught fire and, whilst this caused little serious damage, it did leave the West Window badly stained. This then triggered discussion about the blackness generally of the brickwork inside the Church and in 1979 the cleaning of the church was formally adopted as a Lenten Project for the Parish. This perhaps surprisingly caught the imagination of a great number of parishioners.

Initially, different techniques were tried on small areas of brickwork in the Lady Chapel (eg soap powders and scrubbing brushes) but with no real success and eventually it was found that the most successful was Brillo pads. The Brillo company was then contacted and they kindly supplied a large case as a free gift to the Church.

Scaffolding was erected and men and women members set about the task with equal measures of enthusiasm and humour and the project turned out to be one of the most successful and rewarding tasks undertaken by everyone involved.

THE ORGANISATIONS

Ultimately the Church does, of course, comprise much more than the building and it is the multitude of organisations which are in many respects the very foundations on which the Church is built. From here come not only essential elements of Christian Fellowship, but also just as essentially funds raised in support of the Church and multifarious charitable causes, both local and national. Whilst it has been difficult to find a reliable and accurate account of all such organisations over the history of the church, the following brief reference gives a flavour of the range and also reflects the massive social changes over the past 100 years.

LADIES GROUPS

As mentioned previously, Mothers Meetings were held in the 1880’s and in the 1920’s it is known that the Girls' Guild was a thriving and well attended organisation. During that time, the Girls' Guild put on very professional operettas, ably supported by the then Men’s Fellowship. Productions such as “Pearl the Fishermaid” (1928) attracted good audiences, providing financial support for the Church. The stage for performances was at the Western end of the central part of the school and audiences sat rather uncomfortably in the school desks.

In 1958, a Young Mothers' Guild was formed and this group was renamed the Young Wives' Guild in 1961. Mothers and children met every Tuesday afternoon in the Vicarage and once a month a Social Evening was held. In time, events were organised for the children such as seaside trips, Christmas parties, bonfire nights etc. and the mothers enjoyed various activities such as beetle drives, trips to Wigan Little Theatre, guest speakers and visits to local works – notably on one occasion down a coal mine!! A play – a Lancashire Comedy – was once put on in the school for three nights. Significantly, the Guild organised a May Queen Festival in 1966 which, in June 1967, became a Rose Queen Festival. This then became a major annual event in the Church calendar for some 23 years.

A Girls’ Guild was formed in 1920 specifically for young ladies over 16. Meetings were held each Tuesday in the School where hymns and prayers were followed by various craft type activities such as sewing or knitting. Regular Saturday dances were held with the Men’s Fellowship and the big event of the year was on Shrove Tuesday when a dance, whist and domino drive raised funds for the Church. Guild rules required that married members were not allowed but had to join the Women’s Guild. This was not popular so in time its name was changed to the Tuesday Guild and anyone could join. The Guild eventually moved on and held its meetings in the Bethel Community Centre for many years though it remained an important and supportive organisation of the Church, on one occasion helping out by paying a Church heating bill. Sadly it wound up in 1996, donating a Communion Set to the Church as a parting gesture.

The Women’s’ Guild was open to all women in the Parish, meeting regularly on Thursday evenings. Various activities took place including speakers, demonstrations, concert practice and sewing and knitting in preparation for their stall at the Christmas Fair. A major annual event each November was he Jumble Sale when queues would form early to get the best bargains. Inevitably the members were called upon to do refreshments for various functions and, as there were then no school kitchens, washing up was done in a tin bath!

The Ladies Fellowship was born in January 1983, when it is understood that many of the then Young Wives felt that they were becoming rather too mature to be called young and Women’s Guild member numbers were dwindling. Old traditions remained though as they decorated the Church at Christmas and organised the Rose Queen events. 

MEN’S GROUPS

It is clear that from the early days at St. John’s that, just like the ladies, the men of the Parish had their own organisations dedicated to fellowship, confirmation of the Faith and making valuable contributions to the Church and its life. There was a Church of England Men’s Society at the Church in the twenties through to the fifties and this begat a Men’s Fellowship. The latest manifestation of the Men’s Fellowship began on 11 March 1974. As mentioned earlier, a few members of this Fellowship ultimately formed the NOMADS. Since 1974, the Fellowship has organised various functions for its members such as visiting speakers, visits to a variety of places of interest, shared fellowship with friends at Upholland, St. Peters Hindley and Sacred Heart Hindley Green and involvement in numerous social events in the Parish such as bonfires, Rose Queens, Car Rallies etc. Every month between October and April in the 1970’s, a dance or Showtime or Victorian Evening etc. was held in the Bethel Community Centre. It can also be recorded that entrance to the Dances cost 60p including a substantial buffet.

Over the years, the Fellowship has welcomed numerous speakers covering a wide variety of subjects including bee keeping, wine making, dog handling, mountain rescue, probation, Citizens Advice and has visited breweries, water works, sewerage works, bakeries, courts, factories, museums, airports etc. as well as many local churches and Liverpool Seamen’s Mission. The relationship with our Christian friends at Sacred Heart, Hindley Green has been particularly strong with the Men’s Fellowship; for many years, a regular concert was put on at the Sacred Heart Club, raising many funds for the Pat Seed Appeal, Wigan Hospice etc. and the Victory Lady Trophy is the reward for the winners of an annual friendly contest of darts, dominoes and snooker between men of our respective churches.

THE CHOIR

As in any Church, the Choir has always been an essential part of worship at St. John’s. Perhaps surprisingly in these days of equality, our choir was until the late 1970’s an all male affair-like most Church choirs. Another fact, which may be surprising, is that it was quite normal in the early days to have more choirboys than places available; probationers therefore regularly turned up for practice and for services in the hope of taking the place of any who were on holiday etc. Apart from this, the primary hope was that a senior boy’s voice would break thus creating a permanent vacancy and waits of six months were not unusual.

It was, perhaps not surprisingly, quite common for fathers and sons to be choir members at the same time and indeed on some occasions there were three generations. This was not always a good thing-especially for the choirboy-who could face chastisement in the chancel and then again at home for any transgressions at practice or during services. Practice was at that time on a Thursday evening and is now on a Tuesday. Membership of the choir was a way of life for many people with two, three or even four services on a Sunday, practice during the week and an annual choir trip each Summer as a reward for good service. Particular memories of the choir include the making of a gramophone record in 1949 to celebrate our Golden Jubilee; successful audition for membership of the Royal School of Church Music; radio broadcast of Harvest Songs of Praise; performance of Handel’s Messiah with Bedford Church from Leigh and a personal invitation from Canon Bate to sing at Liverpool Cathedral.

The current choir, now primarily female, maintains the tradition of leading the congregation at St. John’s in the singing of praise to the glory of God.

SUNDAY SCHOOL

The Sunday School is, of course, older than the Church having begun life in the original building at Old School Row. Prior to the building of the Hall, children went to Mattins at 10.30 am and Sunday School was then held in the school at 2pm.

Attendance marks were highly prized not only because of the books etc given as rewards but also the girls had the incentive of qualifying to hold a ribbon on Walking Day. Newly confirmed girls always walked in white with the leading banner.

Sunday School is now held in the Parish Hall at 9.30 am and the children join the Family Eucharist in Church before the end of the service.  The basic message of Sunday School remains the same as it ever was-sowing the seeds of God’s love so that the children may grow and mature in God’s world.

YOUNG PEOPLE’S FELLOWSHIP

It is understood that in the 1920’s a Young Men’s Bible Class was the nucleus of a successful football team and that in turn this gave birth to an organisation known as YPF or the Young Person’s Fellowship. This primarily catered for older youngsters up to the age of 20 and began with a Sunday afternoon service in Church. When Reverend Preston became vicar, he was particularly encouraging of young people and a Youth Club was formed which met each Monday evening in school. These became very popular and activities undertaken included coach trips, dances, social events and two very successful pantomimes. In the mid 1960’s, interest began to wain and the YPF sadly ended. The Youth Club, though survived and plans were put in place to build a prefab building within the Church Grounds but they did not come to fruition. Consequently the Youth Club disappeared though it did resurface in later years on a smaller scale, meeting in the Vicarage and subsequently in the Parish Hall.

BOYS’ BRIGADE AND LIFE BOYS

These Organisations were formed in 1940 by Reverend T E Allen who became the first Boys Brigade Captain. During the 1940’s the Movement flourished, giving important lessons to young men of the virtues of respect, smartness and Christian behavior coupled with the equally important activity of enjoyment. Parades, Band Practice, sporting activities ran alongside the more instructive activities within the Brigade Badge system-First Aid, Wayfaring and many others.

In the early 1960’s it became increasingly more apparent that if the movement was to realise its full potential and to retain the interest of its boys, the Company needed its own premises. In 1965 the Captain and other Officers took the plunge and acquired the derelict former school kitchen in Thomas Street and the whole Parish rallied to the call offering tradesmen’s skills etc. to help with refurbishment. Costs were met from Government Grants and several local money raising schemes including a Sponsored Walk and the raffle of a football signed by England’s 1966 World Cup winning team.

The acquisition of their own premises in Thomas Street in 1973 was an important watershed for the Brigade as they could meet any night or at weekend and ample storage area for their equipment. Next on the list was a vehicle and a 12 seat Bedford crew bus soon followed. The cost of this was met from a very successful waste paper collection round supported by hundreds of households on Hindley Green.

The Brigade continues to prosper and has taken over 800 boys to camp since 1972, travelled 1800 miles narrowboating, seen numerous boys qualify for Duke of Edinburgh awards and in 1994 many of our members went to Windsor Castle to receive the Queen’s Badge, the highest BB award. For many years the 12th Wigan Company – our Church’s Brigade – won the local Battalions’ swimming gala.

GUIDES, BROWNIES AND RAINBOWS

Our Guide and Brownie packs were formed in August 1958 and continue today to be thriving organisations, having gone from strength to strength. By the early 1980’s, there was a waiting list to join the Brownies and a second Tuesday pack was opened. A few years later, the Guides too opened another Company because of the clamour for places. It was also around this time that the new young section known as the Rainbows was formed-one of the first such organisations to be launched in the Wigan Division.

Over the years there have been a number of changes including a total change of uniform to a more casual look. The Laws and Promise have also changed and from a dozen or so interest badges there are now over sixty including badges as diverse as knitting and downhill skiing. The principles, however, remain the same with girls being encouraged to use their initiative and think for themselves, make choices and help others.

The underlying theme to all activities is to have fun and this they do in a variety of ways, going on pack holidays, camps, visiting theme parks, ice skating, Christmas pantomimes, circus schools etc.

The door is always open to girls up to the age of 15 and inevitably adults are always welcome if they would like to give up a little time to help girls in this rewarding environment.

HOUSE GROUP

The Church has had House Groups for some 30 years, initially meeting once a week in the Vicarage and later in the homes of various of the members. The Group is open to anyone and everyone and its primary aims are to read and discuss various passages in the Bible; discuss the meanings to try to understand God’s Word and to pray to God to help everyone. Occasionally the Group has gone to rallies or to listen to speakers or musical groups.

FRIENDSHIP CLUB

In 1989 a group calling itself the Friendship Club was formed and it still meets every Tuesday afternoon in the Parish Hall. About 30 regularly attend-mainly senior citizens-and enjoy bingo, dominoes, tea and biscuits and generally socialising. It is an inter denominational group and all are welcome.

WALKING DAYS

All of the Organisations traditionally come together annually to walk the streets of Hindley Green and to profess their faith. Walking Days, or Processions of Witness, are the traditional annual public proclamation of our faith to the people of the Parish. Usually held in mid June, this used to be a two day event covering half of the area on Saturday and the other half on Sunday. The Saturday walk used to end with tea in the school and a “Field Treat” and on the Sunday it ended with a Church Service known as “Choir Sermons” with collections going towards the cost of the choir trip. In time the Saturday walk was discontinued and to some extent it was replaced by the Rose Queen celebrations. For some time there was also an interdenominational walk on Good Friday with our Methodist and Roman Catholic friends. In recent years we have also joined with Hindley Green Methodists and the Bethel Sanctuary Church for our Summer walk.

Unfortunately, St. John's Hindley Green has not had its own Walking Day  for a few years but in 2016, several members of our congregation joined in with St. Peter's, Hindley, on their Walking Day

Search: 

ARCHIVES

Archives Select Month  February 2012  

LINKS

• The Diocese of Liverpool The Church of England in Merseyside, and parts of Lancashire & Cheshire

Blog at WordPress.com.