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Letter from Miss Alice Williams
to her Bible Class - 1940 |
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My Dear Young People and loved members of our Bible class, Well I promised you a small report of the years work and Fellowship of our Class. First we will look back over the past year; we have met 40 Sundays, the other Sundays of 1940 something was on at our Church so that the room was needed The year that is past has been for us all a very anxious one in many ways but you have all been wonderful and have kept going in your work and being so good and true to our Master and our Church; there have been to some of you sorrow and bereavement. I think it has entered the homes and life of 7 or 8 of our number but to them we have shared their sorrow and assured them of our love and sympathy. We can’t always understand why these troubles come into our life but sometime up there we’ll understand. You know God never takes away our all, Himself He gives us still. Then several of you have had to be separated from your Husbands and Sweethearts and for the time walk life’s pathway alone, but we pray in His own time will bring them back in health and strength, and you will resume your homelife without a thought of War and I pray you will have a long & useful life together, we pray that they who are in service for their Country may be kept by the might & power of God amid all the evil that surrounds them. And now I must tell you how we have spent the money you have given week by week. For the missionary 2.16.10 That’s better than having to say 9/- less isn’t it? We thank Mabel Perkins for looking after this for us and handing it in to the secretary week by week; then we have our own collection for our sick friends, for sending to our members in cases of illness which is looked after so well and faithfully by Lily Darnell this year that you have given. Sometimes we take some to our old members, who in long years ago were foremost in all the work of our Church. I can’t tell you how pleased they are to be thought of by the youth of our Church; no longer able to be in the front working and often during the long winter months are obliged to stay at home. Our Master is saying to you all “In as much as ye have done it to the least of these ye have done it unto me; what a comfort isn’t it? If at anytime you get weary in your work, and down cast because you do not see the result of your work, and lack the sympathy you want or the others find fault, think”. The Master praises. What are men, we have several too who have been loyal and true to the work in the Class; we thank Agnes Smith for keeping our Register which involves work, and ask her to continue, and those who put the books out, and put them away and those who at a minutes notice have played for our singing, some times during the year we have not had a regular player but now we have Hazel who has come forward and filled the gap. We thank you Hazel, so much depends on good singing so although we have shared the working of our Class and I thank God for the love and Fellowship we enjoy, and trust as life goes on and greater responsibilities come the memory of these hallowed hours may come to you and be help, there are still 2 more events we must not omit, both of which have given me great joy. Five of our members have publicly declared by Baptism that they are on the Lord’s side; my prayer for them is that they may be kept by the grace of God faithful unto death, that their path may be that of the just which will shine brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. It was a lovely service that morning and though mid winter, the sun once or twice came out, and lit upon our Church and I thought there is joy among the Angels at beholding glorious youth thus recording their vows to love and serve their Lord as long as life shall last, ever keep the beautiful memory of that morning; it will help you along the upward path to holiness. Now the second thing which has given us all joy, as we look back, the coming into our midst of Mr and Mrs Jones. We prayed several times didn’t we?, that God would in His own time send us a Pastor and God had abundantly answered our prayer, and already we fell he’s a friend as well as Pastor, and I feel sure the youth of our Church will rally round him and uphold and help him in any way you can, that as we may thank God that he sent Mr and Mrs Jones to us. Now that is as much as I can think of looking back, now as we look forward we will take courage and realise that God holds the key of the unknown and will day by day lead us on. We know not the way we are going but well do we know our Guide. With a childlike trust, we give our hand to the Mighty friend at our side and the only thing now we say to him; as He takes it, is hold it fast, suffer me not to lose me and bring me Home at last. Now before I close I must thank you all for all the love and kindness you have shown to me, during all the past and in the present, it has meant so much to me and from my heart I say I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, I know not how much longer it will be my privilege to minister to you; this year I finished 47 years and now I bring my work with all its faults and failures and lay at His feet; He is not a hard master; He will not look at the amount we have done, but the Spirit we have done it in, so now as we go into another year we will go in the strength of our Lord. Alice Williams
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