THE FOUNDER
"My
sons, be not now negligent; for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before Him,
to serve Him”
2
Chronicles. 29 verse 11
The
size and scope of the work demonstrated by this early Sunday School is
commensurate with the vision and selfless zeal of a dedicated Christian man.
Mr.
John Blyth was, I believe, a life-long and highly respected member of Hunters
Lane Congregational Church, Wavertree, and for a great many years an active and
devoted Deacon of that Church.
The
commencement of the work in Hunters Lane was remarkably similar to the founding
of the work in Wellington Road.
The
Rev. Thomas Sleigh came to spend his years of retirement from the
Congregational Ministry in the pleasant village of Wavertree. That was in 1836.
A few months after his "Retirement" we read of this energetic and
spiritually minded man, "he opened one of his own rooms for Sunday
Worship, himself conducting services there. " As was the experience of
John Blyth of Wellington Road in the 1870's, so Mr. Sleigh found his room inadequate,
and was soon seeking larger premises and in a short time the congregation moved
to accommodation in High Street. This work was also blessed by the Lord and in
only three years the present Church in Hunters Lane was built and opened on 1st
October 1839, and formally constituted a Congregational Church in 1841. It was
then known as Trinity Chapel.
I
have gleaned this information from notes very kindly lent to me by the Rev. F.
O. Brown, M. A. the present Minister of the Church, and I am extremely grateful
to him. I find that the minister from 1858 to 1861 was the Rev. W. C.
Stallybrass. The note adds that his son, Dr C. O. Stallybrass became Assistant
Medical Officer for Health for Liverpool. This is of personal interest to me
for as a boy I worked in a section of his department, and later attended many
of his lectures on public health. He was indeed a kind, gentle and sympathetic
man, completely unspoiled by the eminence of his achievements or authority. He
was born in 1882, retired at the age of 66 years, and died in 1951.
The story of Hunters Lane
Church, as indicated by the Minute Books of its many, many years of service to
the people of Wavertree, must include reference to its concern for the growth
of Christian teaching, not only locally, but in other areas of Merseyside and
elsewhere.
In
1862 the Rev. E. Hassan began twenty-five years of Ministry at Hunters Lane. He
came as a student from University and had the qualities of a "Forceful
character, and many gifts" and was used by God to build a strong and
influential Church. It was during his ministry that Woolton Congregational
Church was built, largely due to the generosity of the members of Hunters Lane.
It was opened in 1867.
During
this period of what can well be termed Missionary enterprise and endeavour Mr.
Blyth's work in his early Sunday School received the sympathetic interest of
his Church colleagues. In fact the Wellington Road "cottage" Sunday
School was an extension of the work at Hunters Lane.
It
was at the Annual Church Meeting held at Hunters Lane on 31st January 1877 that
the seed was sown which led to the commencement and completion of the new
school premises in Wellington Road. The Minster, Mr. Hassan, had, at the
Meeting referred to the absence for a number of years of a statement of
accounts respecting the Wellington Road School, and explained that this was
because Mr. Blyth had been willing to bear all the costs of the work until, as
Mr. Blyth said, "there was an opening for an enterprise commensurate with
the increasing and urgent claims of the neighbourhood". Mr. Blyth
considered such time had now come and moved a resolution he had prepared. After
detailing the work and progress of the cottage school, Mr. Blyth proposed
"That the necessary steps be taken to purchase sufficient land in
Wellington Road for the erection of suitable buildings for Sunday Schools, etc.
and as soon as possible. "
Mr.
John Hicks (a baker and corn merchant in the High Street, Wavertree) "in
an earnest speech seconded the resolution and it had many supporters who
promised substantial help towards the success of the scheme".
I t
was considered by the Deacons to be necessary to secure one thousand square
yards of land and that the building should accommodate 500 or 600 children
"at least". Promised subscriptions at this meeting reached £925.
The
resolution was put to the Church Meeting and "unanimously and heartily
carried".
This
was surely a moment of great joy for the founder of this work and one of
prayerful acknowledgement and gratitude to his Master.