BISHOP'S LONG VIGIL

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 3262, 12 October 1928, Page 3

BISHOP'S LONG VIGIL

A RACE AGAINST TIME

COMPLETING £100,000 FUND

With only brief intervals for lunch and tea,-the Bishop of Southwark sat in his Cathedral hard by London Bridge from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m., on

June 27, receiving gifts in a race against time to complete the £100,000 South London Twenty-Five Churches Fund. '

When the Bishop temporarily vacated his position his suffragans, the Bishops of Woolwich and Kingston, carried on for him. Steadily' the amount grew and was recorded on a boldlyplaced "thermometer" in the grounds. It jumped by '' degrees'' in hundreds, and by the early afternoon £2,000 of the final £7,000 needed ' to

complete the £100,000 sought had been handed to the bishops. Humble people brought their offerings at an early hour, and women knelt and prayed for the success of the fund.

There was pageantry when the Lord Mayor of London went in state to make a gift. With him were the picturesquely dressed officios of the city and several mayors of t/e diocese in their robes. In the afternoon there were received a number of Eastern ecclesiastics representing the Greek, [ Russian and Armenian Churches, and they, too, stayed and prayed that sucI cess might attend this initial gift day.

At night went the returning city workers and the children, many of whom placed their pennies in the stout envelopes to help provide new churches for the growing population of the Southwark diocese. To everyone the Bishop bowed his thanks. All day long the "temperature" steadily mounted, , and it was evident that the vigil of I the bishops had not been in vain.

The result of the day's offerings exceeded all expectations. Although only £7,000 had been asked for, a total of £7,840 was received by the Bishop, representing probably the largest amount ever collected in a London church in the course of one day. In addition a sum of £2,900 was received during the day at the offices of the fund, making a total of £10,740.

Immediately after £100 had been handed to the Bishop by a man, another man, poorly dressed, handed tho Bishop threepence. Another man presented 30/- that he had collected from passengers in the train on his way to the city.

Striking scenes occurred at night when the last offering had been presented. Three thousand people crowded every available space in the cathedral, and after the Bishop had announced the result and left the building there was an amazing demonstration of affection and enthusiasm. The congregation formed up outside and thronged round him cheering, waving handkerchiefs, and shouting "bravos" as he made his way with difficulty to his car.