WE now rejoice and give thanks for the miracle of the Church's continued existence, but we are doing something more than keeping doors open and maintaining an institution; something infinitely more than running organisations and producing healthy balance sheets, as though we were a good-going business concern. Some-thing has been given us, something very precious, a rich heritage of which we are custodians. Receiving it from the hands of other generations, we are expected to add something of our own to it and then pass it on, still further enriched, to those coming after us. We did not build this church or form this congregation. We are heirs to other generations and part of a great tradition great Christian tradition - reaching back, not merely to Harvey Lane in 1760, but as far back as Galilee in the first century A.D.

We at 'Robert Hall' stand in a great tradition of faith. A company of Baptists came together and formed the Church because they believed in a God who demanded their utmost obedience and loyalty and was worthy of their fullest service and devotion. They made His will the rule of life and found in Him an unfailing friend and companion.

We stand also in a tradition of personal life and character. Faith in God produced in our forefathers a greatness of soul, an indepen-dence of mind and a firmness of character that are sadly lacking in our modern world. Anything of worth we have become is due to the fact that we stand in this great tradition of faith and character.

We stand also in a tradition of churchmanship. We belong to a succession of men who believed in the Church. They believed in it as the body of Christ. They expressed their loyalty to Christ by being loyal to His Church. Their churchmanship meant responsi-bility and all were expected to play their part in maintaining the Church, materially as well as spiritually.

To depart from this tradition would be to spoil our future as a living, witnessing, effective Church. This fine tradition of great faith, lofty character, high churchmanship is our need today and will be our children's need tomorrow. Let us guard and cherish it.

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