Denaby Main Parish Church – The Needs of a Growing Parish

April 1911

Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 29 April 1911

Denaby Main Parish Church

The Needs of a Growing Parish

The annual vestry meeting took place on Tuesday. The vicar presided. There was a good attendance amongst a few ladies.

The people’s warden (Mr MM Cocker) presented the financial statements for the year. The receipts on the general account have been £207. They had also been received over £34 in free will offerings, and the £95 required to complete the church enclosure scheme had been raised and paid. When it is remembered that on the side of general expenditure there appear several items which are really due in the year 1909 – 10, it will be seen that if present actual balance in hand of over £5 with no outstanding accounts, is extraordinary satisfactory. The Church wardens and the people are support them so well, are to be heartily congratulated.

Mr Cocker was elected people’s warden for the second time, and the vicar nominated Mr WH Chambers.

The meeting then proceeded to the election of sidesmen. The vicar waived his right of nominating three, so that the all eight were popularly elected. The following were the successful candidates: Messrs Coy, Edwards, Hadfield, Horsfall, Read, E Robinson and G I Robinson. As representatives on the Ruri Decanal Conference, Messrs T Coy and E Robinson were elected.

A hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr Thomas J Bayliss, chartered accountant, of Rotherham, who not only examined the accounts with great care, but had given his services as hon auditor.

In his remarks the meeting, the Vicar referred specially to the way the laymen and women work for the Church in Denaby. After thanking the wardens and people as a whole for their extraordinary kindness to himself in the 12 months he had been with them, he called attention to the fact that no steps have been taken to the parties without the full consent and active cooperation of the laity; in fact, many of the forward steps have been taken at their suggestion.

The Sunday school work was a striking example of this. During the past year, in addition to an increase in the staff of teachers and number of children in the large school, especially infant school had been taken into use until mission Sunday school started, one in Saint Chad’s the other in Loversall Street. There are now about nine takes children on the books. There had been 700 more communions made than in the best previous year of the existence of the parish. This, as the vicar pointed out, was no reflection on the pounds; it would just proof of the excellent work that had been done that such progress should be possible. He referred to the loyalty and devotion the Reverend John Tunnicliffe, who had been working with him since October. Already people could not imagine how they got on without him. In conclusion, he laid down some lines of advance for the coming year:

  1. A parish of the size of Denaby needed a larger staff of clergy. Through the kindness of the Archbishop and the Diocesean Council a grant had been promised, and it was hoped that it will be possible almost immediately to have the services of another curate.
  2. The work of completing the fencing and paving of the ground outside the church and been begun. This must be completed and paid for as soon as possible.
  3. The internal decoration of the church could then be proceeded with. In particular, before another Easter, it was hoped that the high altar and chancel as a whole, would be greatly improved.
  4. Some kind of mission building at the Conisbrough end of Denaby was a prominent pressing need. It was not necessary to comment on an attendance of 160 children every Sunday in the little four roomed cottage.
  5. Above all, during the coming year, the communicants must learn a more faithful and constant devotion to the sacrament, that they may become, by God’s grace, more willing and more able to help the multitude outside the church to come in