Second Phase

In 1950 the Manor House became available for worship and it was decided to meet weekly in the evening. As a result of advertising this adventurous step, the members gradually began to increase. The Women’s Guild met regularly once a month in the home of Mrs. Alexander, and Mr. Ferrie was appointed to conduct the services for a further six months. In October another vital step was taken when the Committee decided to hire two rooms in the Manor House, one for worship, and one for a Sunday School. Anne Gardiner agreed to conduct children’s services; later she was joined by John Taylor and together they carried on until Mary Blomfield, a Deaconess, arrived and took over this important work. As an act of faith in these momentous decisions, a Service of Communion was held in the downstairs room in the Manor House, with the Reverend Paton taking the service assisted by Messrs. Hay and McArthur, Mr. Charles Lacey from Moseley and Mr. David Brown from Coventry. This was our first communion!

In spite of the lack of support from Presbytery, the services flourished in the upper room of the Manor House, but an invitation from the Reverend F. Harris of the Congregational Church was welcomed and joint communion services were held in that church in November 1951, Easter Sunday 1952 and November 1952.

Owing to increasing numbers attending the services, the need for a permanent building became urgent and a further petition was sent to the Presbytery to purchase a site at the corner of Lode Lane and Seven Star Road and to establish Solihull as a Preaching Station. When this petition was not supported, Mr. John Hanna offered to buy the site, but this too was rejected and Mr. Hanna severed his connection with the enterprise. Later the Congregational Church, which had purchased a site in Faulkner Road and decided thereafter that it was  too small, offered the site to the Presbyterians. There were some who welcomed the offer and even the Presbytery seemed to favour the site, but after strong disapproval from Mr. Ferrie, who maintained that the site was unsuitable for a “gathered congregation”, and much procrastination from the Presbytery, the purchase was rejected. During the years 1950 — 1955, in all four different sites were reviewed and either rejected immediately or after interminable delays, were finally discarded.

Finally, when Presbytery had agreed to the purchase of the Hobs Moat site and later rescinded the motion, the Solihull Committee decided to abandon the cause and take no further responsibility for establishing a church in Solihull. Incidentally, the Hobs Moat site, which proved to be the final straw, is now a flourishing church in the joint pastorate with St. Ninian’s.

Mr. Ferrie, however, had other ideas on the subject. Faced with the abandonment of eight years dedicated struggle against much antagonism and opposition to the project and devastating procrastination, Mr. Ferrie took up the challenge and proceeded to carry on as before, but on his own responsibility.

As he had no means of transport other than a bicycle, he always cycled from Erdington, and having conducted the morning service would have dinner with one or other of the congregation and after taking the evening service would cycle back to Erdington.

 

Having taken on the daunting challenge of resuscitating the cause, Mr. Ferrie cycled round all the people whom he thought would be responsive and eventually recruited ten people who were prepared to start again. Amongst them were Jessie Jones and David Brown, and it was thanks to their courage and faith to further God’s work in Solihull, that slowly the rest of the congregation returned to the pew. In recognition of the faith that David Brown and his two companions Edgar Lowe and Ian Johnstone had shown in following his refusal to “give up the struggle and so saved the Solihull Presbyterian Church from extinction in August 1954”, Mr. Ferrie presented each with a copy of his translation of Soren Kierkgaard’s “Gospel of Suffering”. Meantime, in September 1954 in the Presbytery, Mr. Osmar (then Moderator of Presbytery) moved that the cause in Solihull be abandoned. The motion was defeated in favour of a Commission of Enquiry with the Reverend R. R. Bance of Hanley Presbyterian Church as chairman. In November, the Commission reported strongly and unanimously in favour of continuing the venture in Solihull, whereupon Mr. Osmar resigned as Convenor of the Presbytery’s Church Extension Committee and Mr. Ferrie was appointed in his place.

In December, it was resolved to raise the Solihull cause to the status of a “Preaching Station”, the date January 1955, later altered to 27th February in order to obtain the necessary concurrence of Assembly committees involved.

Following the Presbytery’s decision, the first Session meeting was held on Monday 28th February 1955. Mrs. Alexander was appointed Session Clerk, with Mrs. Palmer to assist her, and the names of those willing to serve as Elders were presented to Presbytery, as the only Elders present were from Coventry or Moseley. Mr. Ferrie had circulated 200 letters printed by Mr. Lacey from Moseley and from the replies received, 18 names were put on the Roll. On 3rd April, the first communion Service was celebrated when 27 people were present, 13 being on the newly formed roll.

Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, the cause at Solihull was slowly returning from the slough of despondency. A Committee of Management was formed and with the promise of Elders from the congregation it was felt that a site for a church must be found as soon as possible. A site at the corner of Lode Lane and Hermitage Road had been offered by Solihull Borough Council and the Committee in Solihull was waiting for the response from Presbytery to this latest proposal.

The Presbytery finally gave its approval of the site in Lode Lane and Hermitage Road, and authorised the Church Extension Committee to purchase the site out of its funds. Negotiations were therefore entered into with Solihull Council in January 1957.