Sunday School 1

The Sunday School started to meet in the Manor House along with the morning service in October 1950. Early staff included a very keen Miss Anne Gardiner, only daughter of Mrs. Edith Gardiner — Mac Morley to most of us now! Anne, sadly, is no longer with us, having passed away in April 1978. Mr. John Taylor also helped out at that time — a valiant and devoted man, yet he never became a listed member. When Mr. Taylor departed, Mr. Ferrie enlisted — as Mr. Ferrie could -the help of Miss Mary Blomfield - at that time a full time “church sister” on loan from Nechells (Presbyterian) Church. Mr. Ferrie himself paid no little attention to the Sunday School and loved to organise parties — almost on any pretext. The last one he organised was immediately prior to his handing over to Mr. Mercer. This occasion was so important that he enlisted the services of a professional photographer to record the event — in black and white of course, but with flash — the latest technology! The bulbs were the size of domestic lamps! Hence the very contrasty prints therefrom in Mrs. Forsyth’s scrapbook. By this time the Sunday School register included two Hamill boys, two Grant boys, two Jones girls, only three very young Browns, two Wolstenholmes, two Rucks, two Woodcocks and so on. In his active, participatory enthusiasm for the young, Mr. Ferrie also organised summer outings - the favourite being to the farm of two former Erdington members at Drayton Bassett, near Tamworth. Transport had to be in members’ cars and such was the shortage of families with cars, the help of non-Sunday School members had to be enlisted simply to provide transport. One great advantage of those times and situations was that in helping and in being helped we did grow to know one another far better than today.

Mrs. Lilian Boughton, a former member of our Camp Hill church, was by now responsible for the Primary Department aided by Auntie Jessie (Jones) - all good churches should have one, and we have certainly been grateful for our Auntie Jessie! The roll had increased to the extent that we were having to use three rooms in the Manor House in addition to the large “church” room itself.

The arrival of Mr. Mercer, upon our reaching Preaching Station status, brought little immediate change to the Sunday School, except, of course for a degree of security and stability, until the move was made to our present Caldwell Grove site. Mr. & Mrs. John Stevenson joined the congregation in the late fifties and Mr. Stevenson soon took up the role of Sunday School Superintendent.

Numbers had increased to such an extent by the time of the move that the Caldwell Grove accommodation was at once inadequate. Primary were overcrowded in their present room, Seniors too hot and cramped in the minister’s vestry — then larger than it is now, since there was no stair-case - and, on at least one occasion, the writer succeeded in throwing the minister right off his line of during his sermon whilst the writer was enthusing over some point with Juniors in the middle room. We have never used the gentleman’s toilet as a teaching area and it remains the only room in the church untried for a class! The cloakroom had two classes, the kitchen one, the ladies’ toilet an over—flow primary group, the middle room one, the senior group and the back room as many as three classes! The middle room was curtained from an early date following the writer’s earlier disasters, but the Junior Department staff had to be, banished therefrom!