The Christian Endeavour Society
The Rev Leslie Brame recalled that whilst in Stowupland he belonged to an organisation known as The Christian Endeavour which was ‘certainly a county wide movement and maybe even worldwide. It was intended to help boys and girls and adults to grow up into the Christian life.’ This must have been in the late 1920 and 30s.
The Junior group was for children under 12 and the Senior group for teenagers up to about 20 and onwards. Each group member wore a badge. ‘The junior badge was a shield, enamelled with the silver letters CE. The senior badge was a mongrammed CE in silver, which to adherents meant Christian Endeavour, but which outsiders insisted on reading as “Church of England”! And that was in those days really hurtful’
The Junior group met on Sunday afternoons for a brief session at 4 o’clock. Hecould recalled only one leader ,a Mrs Mumford who ‘lived alone with her daughter of about five, in the Council houses on the Back Green. He described her as a very quiet, gentle lady who had been ‘kicked out of the household by her Jehovah Witness husband for disagreeing with him.’
The Senior group was led by his father and met on Monday evenings, but Leslie said he was never ‘greatly inspired by them’. Their Annual Rally waos often held at Stowupland Chapel.
