Quiet Assurance 1944-1958: Volume 5 of The Story of Christ Church, New Malden
In February 2022, Stephen wrote the fifth volume of his illustrated history of Christ Church. This a time which when considerable reconstruction after the Second World War was required with the raising of significant sums of money at Christ Church to rebuild and restore other churches destroyed or damaged during the war. Partly for this reason, it is the only extended period during the history of the parish when no new buildings were added for its ministry and mission. It was, nonetheless, a time of tremendous growth at Christ Church and St John’s against the background of the wider evangelical revival that took place in Britain during the 1950s. Congregations were large and vast numbers of children and young people filled the Sunday Schools and King’s Own Bible Class. The longest running group in the history of Christ Church, Women’s Own, was also formed during this time by Mrs Bartle. Against the austere background of the post-war Britain, ‘Quiet Assurance’ not only characterised the ministry of its shy Vicar, Claude Bartle, but much of the activity at Christ Church and St John’s.