Evangelical Piety 1893-1920: Volume 2 of The Story of Christ Church, New Malden
In November 2021, Stephen wrote the second volume of his illustrated history of Christ Church. This covers the period between 1893 and 1920 when Canon William Allen Challacombe was Vicar of the parish. As New Malden expanded, the church’s ministry continued to develop with the second extension of Christ Church in 1894, a second Christ Church School at Elm Road in 1896, the Parish Room in 1900 and the development and expansion of the Christ Church Mission Churches in 1898, 1903 and 1911 (later St James’ and St John’s). The public conflict of the earlier years of Christ Church was largely replaced during this period by an evangelical piety emphasising a personal devotion to God and his Word. This was exemplified by the Christian novels written by Jessie Challacombe. The approach to faith during this period included a greater openness to visual beauty within Christ Church, with seven of the church’s ten stained glass windows established during this time. Immense fruit came from this piety. Like evangelicalism overall within the Church of England, however, it also proved to have significant weaknesses in responding to the horrors of the First World War.