Martin Top From the 1940s

Mr Edgar T Test became Minister in 1933, in those days there was no electricity or water supply to the premises, all water requirements had to be carried across the road from a tap in a stable by bucket. There were no telephones around except the public kiosk across from Rimington Memoial Institute. There were very few cars around and most people walked to the Sunday Services. The Chapel was heated by a coke stove which was sited under the second pew and the lighting was from acetylene gas produced in a building at the back now one of the outside toilets and the organ was pumped by hand. The Upper Room was heated by an open coal fire and any water for events were heated by a coke fired boiler.

Meeting times - Sunday School met at 1-00pm and there were over 30 children on the register with around 25 attending regularly and most walked there to attend. One local family had nine children and another had six children which boosted the numbers. Chapel services was at 2-00pm & 7-00pm. There were no cups of tea and biscuits afterwards. On fine Sundays people would stay and talk for a while before wending their way home.

Following my birth I was christened at Gisburn Church. When I was around 13 the Vicar of Gisburn held a confirmation class in the Vicarage. All he taught was about church history which seemed meaningless to me and was confirmed at Mitton Church.

My parents decided that I should go to Martin Top Sunday School because it was nearer home and safer to walk to than Gisburn Church. My younger sister was born in January 1947 which prevented my mother attending at that period.

Although some members at Martin Top were born again believers I don't recall any emphasis on the Holy Spirit either in Sunday school lessons or the Chapel Services, everything came over as bible stories without any spiritual focus. When i was eleven I was eligible to receive a free bible from the Phillip Lord Wharton Trust. I could receive this by learning a selection of bible passages by heart. Among the passages I learnt was Matthew 7, verses 7-27. That passage is for me a key passage in discovering my relationship with Jesus.

Billy Graham came in spring of 1954 and these meetings were being televised. Because we had no electric then My parents went to my cousin's (Margaret Kenyon) on Good Friday because they had a television. Billy Graham spoke from John 14.6 'Jesus said 'I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me" God spoke to my heart that evening and I had tears in my eyes and if I was at the meeting I would have gone foward. No one knew of the experience I wet through that night nor was there any kind of follow up.

Following Mr West's retirement in 1957 Pastoral oversight came from Rev George Curry who lived in Hawes and was employed by the Congregational union to give oversight to vacant Congregational Chapels in the Yorkshire dales. At that time there was an annual young people's conference held in the spring. In April 1957 Hawes Congregational Chapel was the venue for the Conference, it was there that my courtship with Elsie began.

In 1966 a joint ministry with Newton in Bowland, Horton in Craven and Martin Top was set up under Rev John K Gardiner a liberal leaning Minister which continued for about six years.

Around 1957 Mr John W Johnson a Shoe manufacturer in Bacup came to live in Newby[a distant relative of mine) He was a Godly person who knew all his workers (over 100) on a personal level and allowed them a five minute break every hour. They lived there until about 1976. Mr Johnson would take services on occasions in that period. We owe much gratitude to Mr Johnson when in 1972 Martin Top had to decide whether to Join the URC or remain independent. Thanks to Mr Johnson enough members voted to keep out. To go into URC required 75% and the voting was 19 in favour and 7 against which just failed the threshold. We now praise and thank God for Mr Johnson's wisdom for keeping us Independent and out of the URC.

When Mr West left The Manse Brian and June Lingard took the tenancy until they converted a stable across the road into a house (which currently belongs to Margaret Kenyon). It was in 1957 when left his farm worker job and Mr Johnson set them up in a shoe retail business. It was in 1966 when they moved into their new house and around that time when they became born again believers. In their new house they held monthly House Group meetings led by Jim Wilkinson from Hollybush, Thirsk in his early ministry days. These meetings were packed out with 60/70 young people crowding into the lounge and staircase. These meetings were of a charismatic nature and continued for about ten years before moving to a large house in Barnoldswick and founding Briercliff Fellowship which eventually became The Majestic Centre when they acquired the former Majestic picture to open a Church. It was through these meetings that I became aware of the Holy Spirit in my life. Also it was through these meetings that Brian Clark eventually began the Clitheroe Community Church.

Before moving to Barnoldswick Bryon Lingard had been to a Ministers conference where he met Rev Don Cullingford and his wife Molly who had returned from mission work in Papua New. They were seeking a part-time pastoral post. The outcome was that Rev Don Cullingford and his family moved to live at Martin Top in 1976. Mr Cillingford was a teacher at a school in Burnley during the years he was with us.

Mr and Mrs Cullingford had three adopted children from other parts of the world. Together with other children from Martin Top there were quite a number of young people in the chapel coming into their teenage years. Begining in 1979 Martin Top Chapel was the host for an annual 'Fun Friendship Fellowship' weekends when young people from other churches came. The boys slept in the Sunday school room(the upper room) and the girls in caravans or homes. These weekend get togethers continued for seven years. Here is the report from the first one.

We were blessed with good weather for the Fun Fellowship Friendship Weekend held at Martin Top on 24/26 August 1979. A total of 36 young people stayed with us for the weekend coming from, Knowle Green, Harden (near Bingley), Kipping (Thornton near Bradford) plus friends from Clitheroe, Hellifield, Widdale, Hawes, Holden, Harrop and Dale Head. Also joining us were a few local young people making about 50 taking part in the weekend.

On Friday evening we were joined by 55 members from Pendle Christian Fellowship and met at Great Todber Farm. The youngsters enjoyed themselves trying their skills at various side shows set up in the s cow shippon. Later they assembled in the barn were they sat on a grand stand made from bales on straw for a meeting led by Mr Bert Chambers from Morecambe. He accompanied the choruses and gave his own testimony during the meeting. The evening ended with a hot barbeque supper of chips and sausages.

The young people met in the Sunday School room on Saturday morning. They were split into groups to work on the theme 'What is a Christian?' Later in the morning Mr Kieth Wills from Burnley gave them a challenging message 'If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?' A few made a deeper commitment to faith on the Saturday morning.

In the afternoon they walked up to Great Todber for an 'Its a Knockout' competition. Four teams were arranged and competed in a variety of games using barrels, planks, barrows, ladders, watering cans, buckets etc, and of course water! In the evening they reassembled in the Sunday School To mime out various parables. During the preparation for these mimes Rev Robin Brookes from Radio Blackburn for interviews for 'Church News'. Later in the evening party fun was enjoyed by all. The evening ended with an epilogue by Rev Richard Cleaves from Harden.

'Christian Living' was the theme on Sunday morning when Rev J D Cullingford stressed the need for spiritual food which he illustrated with a coloured slide. After a break Mr Howell from Clitheroe continued the theme by showing and things inside we need to discard. At the afternoon service the theme was 'Making Excuses'. Afterwards a short meeting was held in the schoolroom when a final challenge was made. Ten young people committed their lives to Jesus after the meeting.

During the early 1980's Rev Hugh Clark had become the Vicar of Gisburn Church. He had a wife and family of three. Over the years a close relationship had developed between Gisburn Church and Martin Top when Hugh Clark took some of our services. The afternoon Sunday School Anniversary service in 1988 was led by Hugh Clark. At that time I discussed with him of our concern of the lack of children coming to the chapel. Mr Clark had a similar concern for the children of Gisburn. Even though there was a need for a Sunday School there was no premises and a lack of those willing to help. He suggested would it be possible for us to work together using our premises at Martin Top.

Those concerned made plans for a joint Sunday School. Because of various service times it was not possible to meet on a Sunday. After much deliberation it was decided to meet on a Saturday afternoon between 3pm and 4pm. Four Classes were planned Led by Kathleen Scott, Edith Peel, and myself and Sue Speight from Gisburn commencing 5th Nov 1988. After the first year fifty three children received prizes for attendance...

Discussing these meetings with Valerie and David (my daughter and son in law) I learnt that it was at one of these early meetings in the barn that they accepted the Lord into their hearts. During the time that Mr Cullingford was with us he lost his first wife Molly. Shortly afterwards he remarried his second wife Beverley a New Zealand lady who he had met when he was a missionary. They left Martin Top in 1981 to live in New Zealand.

In the following year through my continued connection with Bryon Lingard I became aware of two students from Birmingham Bible College who were seeking to pastor a church and were living in Barnoldswick.

They were Robert Pickles and Owen James. They were unanimously accepted and called into ministry at Martin Top. They were inducted into Ministry at our Chapel Anniversary Service in 1982. Robert Pickles left Martin Top in December 1983. Owen James continued until December 1986.

During the early part of their ministry there were a few teenage young people around. After Robert Pickles left Owen James held the young people's at the home of Brian and Frances Oliver, as time went on some went to university and others went elsewhere bringing that group to an end.

Between 1986 and 1992 we were without any pastoral leader of our own and the Lord laid it on the hearts of four Congregational ministers to cover for us. They were Rev Ron Witts from Bretherton, Rev David Ruddick from Settle, Rev Alan Camp from Inglewhite and Pastor Jeff Jones from Knowle Green.

In the autumn of 1989 Mr Peter Thomas a student from the Northern Congregational College bean leading fortnightly midweek meetings called 'Learning Together'. He also took a service once a month.

From September 1989 the Sunday School met on Sunday mornings, -once a month at Gisburn Church for their family service and the other Sundays at Martin Top. A Sunday evening 10+ group developed about December 1989.

On 15th May 1990 Rev Jonathan Lumby became the new vicar of Gisburn. Inthe autumn of 1990 he decided to form theit own Sunday School at Gisburn dividing the children with parents having to decide which place of worship to go to.

In April of 1991 Martin Top Chapel had been approved by Northern College for Mr Peter Thomas to come to Martin Top for the final two years of his course for practical experience. By this time he had married and had planned to live in the Manse. Unfortunately there was a delay with the tenants moving out, resulting in the college not allowing them to come,

Pastor Jeff Jones a part time minster living at Knowle Green left his part-time work with the Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen to take up full time ministery. He came to minister at Martin Top alongside his responsibilities at Knowle Green.

In 1995/6 Martin Top along with Holden Chapel and Harrop Fold Chapel were blessed to be picked for two students taking a year out to work with Northern Evangelical Trust Oswaldtwistle. Lesle Wyllie and Alan leese stayed with us at the Bungalow. During their stay with us they visited schools of the area taking assembles and established youth clubs at Bolton by Bowland village Hall and Chatburn Methodist Hall. A tent mission took place on Chatburn playing field, also an Alpha Group was ran in Chatburn School.

A NET team came again in 1996/7 and also stayed with us in the Bungalow, Lesle came a second year this time with Naomi Midgley. At the end of the second year in June 1997 we took the girls for a day out at Bolton Abbey. It was during that trip we were visiting the strid, a narrow gorge on the river Wharfe that Elsie fell of the path down 20/30 feet onto rocks fracturing her skull, breaking ribs and puncturing her lung. She was taken to Leeds ICU and was in a comma for over a week and was in hospital for nine weeks. Following the fall Elsie lost the mental ability to manage household tasks and had to learn how to hold a knife and fork again.

Following the Alpha Group coarse a weekly prayer group was established meeting in the home of a different churches. Miss Carol Walker a member of Chatburn C of E. This group consisted of various individuals from David and Sue Tattersall who came to live in Chatburn at that time and eventually the prayer group moved into their home when Carol Walker left the area to live in Darwen. A few years later David and Sue took the tenancy of Worston Mission Room cottage which continued for about a further ten years with a Sunday evening Worship and prayer meeting continuing there until 2017 When Alan Marsden began evening services. In 2006 we ran our own series of Alpha Courses and Christianity Explored Courses at Martin Top at the beginning of Rev David Isaacs ministry. The Mission room was an excellent venue for the day away. The Chatburn prayer group covered a period of about 20 years.