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our Sunday school and he held our attention with a unique presentation
of the parable of the sower. I did not realise then how closely I
would work with him in the early 1990's when he became President
of the PTS! It was in 1942 that I was led to a saving knowledge of
the Lord Jesus Christ. By that time my father had been called to
the pastorate of Rock Ferry Baptist Church, and I owed so much to
him as he led me to the Lord. I was baptised in the same year, and
soon became involved in Christian service, mainly within the Christian
Endeavour movement. By the late 1940's I was preaching regularly
at churches and mission halls on both sides of the Mersey, having
become a member of the Merseyside Baptist Lay Preachers' Association.
Our family moved to Liverpool in 1947 after my father had received
a call to Speke Baptist Church, and it was while there, in 1952,
that I was called into full time Christian work as a Wickliffe Preacher.
The Wickliffe Preachers held a campaign in Liverpool that year to
mark the 50th anniversary of John Kensit's death, and it was this,
combined with concern at the strong influence of Roman Catholicism
in Liverpool, that prompted me to apply for work in the PTS. In October
1952 I entered the Kensit Memorial College to train for ministry
on the Society's caravans, and was ordained by the late Mr. J.A.
Kensit to the work of the Wickliffe Preachers on June 28th 1953.
I set out on the caravan with a colleague from Ulster, the late
Sam Dalzell, and our first tour took us through East Anglia, reaching
Ipswich by November. I little imagined that the Suffolk town would
be my home base in my work for the PTS for twenty-three years from
1956 onwards.
At that time Wickliffe Preachers were obliged to serve for three
years on the caravan without marrying. However, that did not prevent
me from corresponding with a young lady from Speke Baptist Church,
Olive Pickford. In December 1956 we married at Speke, and after
a short honeymoon moved into our first home at Ipswich. For forty
eight years Olive has given her wholehearted support both to me
personally and to the work of the PTS, often through very difficult
times, and I thank God for the support she has given, and still
gives. We soon made many friends in Ipswich and East Anglia, and
many opportunities were given for ministry in the churches. There
was also scope for open-air ministry, especially at the seaside
at Southend, Lowestoft, and Great Yarmouth. By the 1960's the annual
witness at the Ipswich Martyrs' Memorial had commenced and it is
encouraging to see that gathering being maintained by Peter Kinley.
It was a great joy to us, as members of Bethesda Baptist Church,
Ipswich, to see our son John baptised there in November 1974. He
had received a good grounding in the Scriptures in the Sunday School
and Bible Class at Bethesda, and is now being greatly used by the
Lord in the Baptist ministry.
By the late 1970's we thought that we were settled at Ipswich
for the rest of our days, but it soon became clear that the Lord
had other plans. In 1977 I was appointed as Honorary Secretary
of the United Protestant Council. I held this post for six years,
and this led to closer contact with other Protestant Societies.
However, the greatest change came when, at the end of 1978, I was
asked by the late Mr. A.L. Kensit to move to London to take up
the post of Assistant Secretary of the PTS with a view to succeeding
him as Secretary. Having had no previous office experience, and
facing the prospect of leaving so many friends behind at Ipswich,
we spent some months prayerfully considering the invitation, but
at last, when Olive and I felt clearly that this was the Lord's
will, we moved to London on July 3rd 1979. I was greatly indebted
to Mr. Kensit and Mr. D.C. Relf for helping me to get to grips
with the administrative work of the Society, and in May 1981 Mr.
Kensit retired from the Secretaryship and the Council appointed
me as his successor. I immediately faced the challenge resulting
from the Papal visit to Britain in 1982. However, this event brought
opportunities for the Society which do not often come our way.
There were radio interviews and discussions, the one best remembered
being a two-way discussion with a young Roman Catholic priest for
the Radio 4 programme `Sunday'. Our discussion centred on the veneration
of Mary, and while there was strong disagreement between us we
parted on friendly terms; the priest even offered me a lift home!
In 1986 I organised the first PTS Coach Outing to a venue connected
with the Reformation, and we journeyed to Little Sodbury in Gloucestershire,
visiting the Manor House where William Tyndale expressed his strong
determination to translate the Scriptures into English. Since then
the Society has held similar outings to various places of interest
annually. In 1989 we marked the centenary of the founding of the
Societywith a Rally at Orange Street Congregational Church, London.
Greetings were received from other Protestant Societies, and a
stirring address was given by the late Rev. W H. Davies.
1992 was a year of challenge both for the Society and myself following
the sudden home call of Mr. A. L. Kensit in August. He was President
and Chairman of the Council until his death, and was also editor
of the Society's magazine. Mr. Leith Samuel was elected President,
and Rev. Maurice Bowler appointed Council Chairman, while I became
editor of the magazine. I retired from the Secretaryship of the
Society in August 1994, and was then elected as a Council member.
I count it a privilege to continue serving the Society in that
position, but I consider it an even greater privilege to be still
serving as a Wickliffe Preacher, now in an honorary capacity, fifty-one
years after being ordained. There can be no greater privilege than
that of preaching the Gospel, as it is "the power of God unto
salvation to everyone that believeth. "(Romans 1:16)
Alex Roberts
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