Post by JEM on Oct 1, 2008 17:59:22 GMT
The Annual Rally of the Saffron Walden Branch of the Bible Society was held on September 24th at the Salvation Army Corps Centre in Abbey Lane with a Bring and Buy Stall, and a Literature stall. Tea and coffee, cakes and biscuits were served after the meeting,
The meeting was conducted by Mrs Val Bowtle a former local teacher, who is Co-ordinator for the Saffron Walden Assemblies Team of Churches Together in Saffron Walden, working in our local primary schools.
Val told us about a sponsored pilgrimage that she and her husband Ken made in May this year to Bala in Wales following the journey made by Mary Jones early in the 19th century from her tiny hamlet home to obtain a Welsh Bible. Mary had saved up for weeks to buy a Bible, and having walked 26 miles to the home of the Revd Thomas Charles was disappointed to discover that he had run out. The few he had left were all allocated but so moved was he by her efforts that he decided to help her and obtain replacement for the others later.
He gave her three for the price of one. The edition was the last one published by the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge in 1799, before the founding of the British & Foreign Bible Society in 1804 that resulted from a meeting called in the light of her epic walk, to set up a society to produce more Welsh Bibles. The argument at it was “Why just Wales why not the World?” The Bible Society now operates from Swindon in Wiltshire and is one of a group known as the United Bible Societies working around the planet to provide Bibles in hundreds of languages, the international demand for which rises continually.
Mary had married and had several children one of whom survived and went to America taking one of the Bibles with him which has since disappeared. The other two Bibles rest today in the Bible Society Collection at Cambridge University and at the National Library of Wales. Mary used her Bible regularly until she died on Dec 28th 1864. Her cottage is now a ruin but also the location of a monument to her walk and what resulted from it.
Val spoke of the beauties of the lonely journey through vales and hills with carpets of yellow celandines and blue bells, of the birds, sheep and cattle along the way.
The Scriptures were read from Psalm 19, 119, 121, and Isaiah 55 verses 10-14. Scenes of the journey were projected on the screen. Margaret Snowden sang a solo “I lift my eyes to the quiet hills”, Meg Nettle played the piano and The following hymns were sung
“All things bright and beautiful”, “The king of love my shepherd is”,
“Rejoice and Sing” and the Nation’s favourite “O Lord my God how great Thou art“.
The Branch Secretary Ann Pegg thanked everyone for their support.
The meeting was conducted by Mrs Val Bowtle a former local teacher, who is Co-ordinator for the Saffron Walden Assemblies Team of Churches Together in Saffron Walden, working in our local primary schools.
Val told us about a sponsored pilgrimage that she and her husband Ken made in May this year to Bala in Wales following the journey made by Mary Jones early in the 19th century from her tiny hamlet home to obtain a Welsh Bible. Mary had saved up for weeks to buy a Bible, and having walked 26 miles to the home of the Revd Thomas Charles was disappointed to discover that he had run out. The few he had left were all allocated but so moved was he by her efforts that he decided to help her and obtain replacement for the others later.
He gave her three for the price of one. The edition was the last one published by the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge in 1799, before the founding of the British & Foreign Bible Society in 1804 that resulted from a meeting called in the light of her epic walk, to set up a society to produce more Welsh Bibles. The argument at it was “Why just Wales why not the World?” The Bible Society now operates from Swindon in Wiltshire and is one of a group known as the United Bible Societies working around the planet to provide Bibles in hundreds of languages, the international demand for which rises continually.
Mary had married and had several children one of whom survived and went to America taking one of the Bibles with him which has since disappeared. The other two Bibles rest today in the Bible Society Collection at Cambridge University and at the National Library of Wales. Mary used her Bible regularly until she died on Dec 28th 1864. Her cottage is now a ruin but also the location of a monument to her walk and what resulted from it.
Val spoke of the beauties of the lonely journey through vales and hills with carpets of yellow celandines and blue bells, of the birds, sheep and cattle along the way.
The Scriptures were read from Psalm 19, 119, 121, and Isaiah 55 verses 10-14. Scenes of the journey were projected on the screen. Margaret Snowden sang a solo “I lift my eyes to the quiet hills”, Meg Nettle played the piano and The following hymns were sung
“All things bright and beautiful”, “The king of love my shepherd is”,
“Rejoice and Sing” and the Nation’s favourite “O Lord my God how great Thou art“.
The Branch Secretary Ann Pegg thanked everyone for their support.