From [Alfred Charles] Phillips at `Shebbear', 37 Winston Road, Moordown, Bournemouth to [Lewis Court].
He was very grateful to receive the letter and the enclosed list of Bible Christian memorabilia to be preserved at the Methodist Publishing House. The collection was `a happy thought, well carried out'. Phillips is sorry that he cannot attend the `historic' meeting next Thursday but his thoughts and prayers will be with Court. He has known their esteemed ministerial colleague [Charles] Stedeford for well over sixty years, and is pretty sure that he remembers that Stedeford was appointed as a young minister in about 1885 or 1886 to Newport on the Isle of Wight. Phillips is away from home at the moment and is therefore unable to check the exact date. He has watched Stedeford's highly successful career ever since with much pride and sends his best wishes to his friend at this time. There will doubtless be many other veterans present, brethren like [Herbert William] Horwill, [Albert James] Conibear, [John Ford] Reed, W. J. ???, [William Robert Arscott] Budd, [Charles Alfred] Ashelford, [Richard Henry] Osborne and Richard Pyke. Phillips sends his affectionate greetings to all of them. At the same time he recalls happy memories of leaders like [William Blake] Lark, [John Herridge] Batt, [John] Luke, [Alexander] Trengove, [William James] Hocking and [Frederick William] Bourne, to all of whom he owes so much, as he does also to [John Britton] Stedeford. Indeed, if he had the time and the space he could name many more worthy men of that generation.
Phillips is of one mind with Court in not wishing to perpetuate divisions within Methodism, but is nevertheless wistful for those early days, when `our fellowship was more like that of a family gathering, and certainly in the rise & progress of the B.C. Church there is nothing of which to be ashamed of, but much for which we may be proud & grateful to God'.
He prays that they may have a happy and inspiring meeting and that the collection of letters etc will long be preserved and put to good use.
Notes .
- On November 3rd 1949 Lewis Court presented to the Methodist Church his collection of Bible Christian manuscripts and printed books. The ceremony was held in the Board Room of the Epworth Press at City Road, London, and was attended by many veteran Bible Christian ministers. Source: M R 10th November 1949, p.4
- Alfred Charles Phillips (1873-1951) was born in Ryde on the Isle of Wight. He was educated at Shebbear College and entered the Bible Christian ministry in 1895. He exercised his ministry of thirty-five years in home circuits. Source: Oliver Beckerlegge, U M Ministers and their Circuits (1968) and M R 25 January 1951, p.4
- Charles Stedeford (1864-1953) was born in Bristol. He entered the Bible Christian ministry in 1883 and served as President of the United Methodist Conference in 1928 and as Secretary of the Missionary Society for twenty-eight years. Source: Beckerlegge and the M R 1953, 16th April, p.5
- Charles Stedeford (1864-1953) was born in Bristol. He entered the Bible Christian ministry in 1883 and served as President of the United Methodist Conference in 1928 and as Secretary of the Missionary Society for twenty-eight years. Source: Beckerlegge and the M R 1953, 16th April, p.5
- Herbert William Horwill (1864-1952) was born at Sandown on the Isle of Wight. He was educated at Oxford University and Shebbear College and entered the Bible Christian ministry in 1887. He served in several home circuits and also spent one year as Superintendent minister at Adelaide in Australia. He was compelled to retire from the active ministry in 1896 through ill health. Horwill was a considerable scholar and published extensively on a wide variety of subjects. After his retirement he spent several years in the United States and contributed to American journals until a short time before his death. Source: Beckerlegge and The M R 13 March 1952, p.7
- Albert James Conibear (1865-1953) was born in Crediton, Devon. He entered the Bible Christian ministry in 1888 and exercised his ministry of forty-four years in home circuits. Conibear served as a leader of the Free Church Council in Portsmouth and was a passive resister during the 1902 education controversy. Source: Beckerlegge and M R 26 March 1953, p.6
- John Ford Reed (1869-1962) was born in London, the son of William Bryan Reed, the founder of Edgehill College, and the grandson of William Reed, one of the greatest of Bible Christian ministers. He was educated at Shebbear College and entered the Bible Christian ministry in 1887. Reed served as President of the United Methodist Conference in 1931 and was bursar of Shebbear College for eleven years from 1922. Source: Beckerlegge and M R 27 September 1962, p.13
- William Robert Arscott Budd (1869-1955) was born near Ashburton in Devon and was educated at Shebbear College. He entered the Bible Christian ministry in 1892 and exercised his ministry of forty years in home circuits. Source: Beckerlegge and M R 30 June 1955, p.4
- Charles Alfred Ashelford (1871-1951) was born at St Heliers, Jersey, Channel Isles. He was raised in the Bible Christian Church and after training at Shebbear College entered the ministry in 1894. He exercised his ministry of thirty-six years in home circuits. Source: Beckerlegge and M R 24 May 1951, p.4
- Richard Henry Osborne (1873-1951) was born at St Buryan in Cornwall. He trained at Shebbear College and entered the Bible Christian ministry in 1895. He exercised his ministry of thirty-six years in home circuits. Source: Beckerlegge and M R 25 October 1951, p.12
- Richard Pyke (1873-1965) was born at Sampford Courtney, Devon. He was educated at Shebbear College and entered the Bible Christian ministry in 1894. He served as President of the United Methodist Conference in 1927 and was a governor of Shebbear College for seven years from 1915. Source: Beckerlegge
- John Britton Stedeford (1857-1929) was born in Bristol. He was converted through the ministry of John Dymond and entered the Bible Christian ministry in 1878. He was President of the Bible Christian Conference in 1906 and of the United Methodist Church in 1915. Source: Beckerlegge
- John Luke (1849-1916) was born in Cornwall and entered the Bible Christian ministry in 1871. He served as President of the Conference in 1900, 1901 and 1912 and Connexional Secretary between 1896 and 1899. Source: Beckerlegge and U M Magazine 1916, pp.330-332
- William Blake Lark (1838-1913) was born at Fowey in Cornwall. He was converted by Frederick William Bourne and entered the Bible Christian ministry in 1859. He served as President of Conference in 1882, 1898, 1907 and 1909, Connexional Secretary between 1880 and 1881 and Governor of Shebbear College between 1900 and 1909. Source: Beckerlegge
- William James Hocking (1830-1908) was born at Redruth in Cornwall. He entered the Bible Christian ministry in 1849 and served as President of Conference in 1871 and Missionary Society Secretary 1876-85. Source: Beckerlegge
- Frederick William Bourne (1830-1905) was born at Woodchurch in Kent. He entered the Bible Christian ministry in 1850 and rose to a position of preeminence after the death of James Thorne in 1872. He was three times President of the Conference and served for long periods as Connexional Treasurer, editor, book steward and missionary secretary. Bourne was a great preacher and capable organiser. He was also a writer of great merit, whose most famous book was his account of Billy Bray, The Kings Son, which is still in print. Source: Encyclopedia of World Methodism (1974)
- Alexander Trengove (1840-1906) was born at Lanlivery in Cornwall and entered the Bible Christian ministry in 1860. He served as President of Conference in 1886 and 1897, Connexional Secretary 1885 and Book Steward 1888-89 and 1891-97. Source: Beckerlegge
- John Herridge Batt (1845-1917) was the son of the Bible Christian minister George Batt. He entered the Bible Christian ministry in 1864 and served as Conference President in 1887, Secretary in 1886 and editor of the Magazine 1900-1906. Source: Beckerlegge and U M Magazine 1917, pp.162-164