Rushden Sunday Schools
Bannered Procession for Recruits
Importance to Town’s Life
With the object of publicising their activities, hundreds of Rushden Sunday School children, forming a gigantic recruitment procession which stretched the length of the High-street, marched through the town on Sunday afternoon to an open-air service in the Hall Grounds.

Meeting at the Spencer Park, the children formed into their selective groups and after a prayer by the Rev. E. E. Bromage and the hymn “O God our Help in ages past,” they marched through the town, led by the Rushden Town and Rushden Temperance Bands, under Mr. M. J. Roberts.

Those taking part were the Sunday Schools of the Independent Wesleyan Church, Salvation Army, Wellingborough-road Mission (Mission Scouts), Highfield-road Baptist, Park-road Baptist, and Park-road Methodist, the joint Methodist and Baptist Boys’ Brigades (with bugle band under Captain Charles Espin), Methodist girls’ Brigade, St. Mary’s Sunday School, the Mission and Salvation Army Bands (under bandmaster Giles), St. Mary’s Brownies, St. Mary’s Scouts, St. Mary’s Cubs, St. Peter’s Guides and St. Peter’s Sunday School. Many banners and over-head card texts were carried.

A large crowd gathered at the Hall Grounds where a brief service was conducted by the Rev. T. S. Kee (Independent Wesleyan Church). A lesson was read by the Rev. R. McPherson Heard (St. Mary’s Church), and hymns included “Stand up for Jesus,” “Tell me the old, old story” and “Sweet is the work my God my King” (to the tune “Rimmington”).

A short address was given by the Rev. Edwin Hirst (Vicar of St. Peter’s Church), who, taking his text from Revelations, likened the Rushden Sunday Schools to tributaries of a river which separately were small but together became a great power. Mr. Hirst asked how many Rushden homes were affected by the Sunday Schools, or rather how many homes were not affected by the Sunday Schools. These rivers, he said, were one of the most important parts of the life of a nation.

Continuing the publicity campaign during the week, teachers from all the Sunday Schools canvassed the town for new recruits and handed out sheets with the times of the children’s services.

New Shield – Mr F J Sharwood, of Rushden, has purchased a shield for the use of the Rushden and District Sunday School Union. The shield will be competed for annually by the larger schools in a Scripture examination, and the one at present in use will be for the smaller schools. This year’s winners are the Rushden Highfield Baptist, and the shield will be presented to them in June.