Sheffield Evening Telegraph – Tuesday 08 January 1918
Day of Prayer
The Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving in this district with extraordinary enthusiasm and thoroughness, and from the overcrowded condition of the churches it is to presumed that the number of people who renewed a long interrupted acquaintance with Divine service was very great indeed.
The limitations of the little parish church of Mexboro’ were painfully emphasised. There were queues in the churchyard for evening service, a refreshing variant upon a war-time habit. At Swinton, Wath, Thurnscoe and possibly other places in the district, service was officially attended by the Councillors and other public men of those localities.
It is very gratifying to learn that the Christian bodies in Mexboro’ have been at one in observing the Day Prayer, and have gone a little further by proposing to hold mid-week intercessions jointly and unitedly. Two common services for Churchmen and Nonconformists are to be held this week, one at the Congregational Church on Thursday, and the other at the Parish Church Friday.’
The Vicar Mexboro’ Hensonian in his breadth of view, and ever since he came into the parish has assiduously cultivated good relations with the Dissenters. It must said that the Nonconformists have always been ready to meet the Churchpeople halfway in extending the right hand of fellowship and in co-ordinating the work of all the religious bodies in the town. The services that are to take place this week are unique in the history of Mexboro’.
I do not think that ever before Anglicans and Nonconformists have deliberately chosen to worship in one communion. The war is a great reconciler, but this rapprochement is also very largely due to natural converging movement the creeds as they are represented in Mexboro’.
One the most impressive features of the service at the Mexboro’ Parish Church was the reading of the Roll of Honour, which contains a list of men who have fallen defence of their country. The Roll at present bears the names of 85 men but Mexborough’s total loss is, I fear, considerably in excess of this number.