"St. Mary’s Hall, Twickenham, October 19-22
October seems a long way ahead, but we have all got to do a lot of serious, hard, concentrated praying if the Missionary Exhibition from the 19th to the 22nd of that month, in St. Mary’s Hall, Twickenham, is to do its job. That means starting now and keeping it up. Of course if we mean business about God’s business we shall pray daily with this intention at our ordinary devotions. But we all know, on Our Lord’s authority that the most effective Christian praying is done together. So we are all going to tackle this as a deanery. Every parish is going to do its part and we are all going to pray together for the Exhibition at three special Deanery Intercession Services at St. Mary’s Church, Twickenham.

If on these evenings we have a particularly attractive engagement - perhaps with our television set - we shall gladly sacrifice it to make sure of being at St. Mary’s on our Master’s business. In fact the more delectable the treat we are giving up the more grateful we shall be for the chance of offering prayers which have cost us something. Doing things the hard way is a Christian privilege, especially when the reward is to help in making more Christians.

That is what the Exhibition is all about. And nothing in the whole world is more colossally important. That is why two great missionary societies, the C.M.S. and the S.P.G. are going to combine the treasures of their vast experience and valiant history to make this exhibition a great united effort. That means that nearly every country in the world will be covered. At the end of it we shall have a more vivid idea what staggering opportunities are just waiting to be seized. If we do not take them soon they may be gone for ever. Here is our great chance to do something about it. But first we must learn enough to kindle afresh our zeal for God’s missionary work. It must burn in every Parish of the Deanery as brightly as the evangelistic passion which brought the first Christian missionary to Britain more than a thousand years ago.

We owe our faith, our civilisation, our moral standards, all that makes life worth living to those intrepid venturers for Christ. Thousands today are looking to us for the chance to learn about Him and to ensure that their children too shall have the blessings of being born into the heritage of a Christian Country. We cannot all be missionaries though more of us probably could - but we can all pray and work for this exhibition. Do not let it be said we failed them.

(N.B. - The first of the Intercession Services mentioned above will have been held before this magazine is published, and details concerning it have been withdrawn from the article. Information about the next will be given as soon as known. This parish has been asked to provide twelve stewards, for whom some preparation will be necessary. Names of volunteers should be given to Dr. Lapworth or the Vicar as soon as possible)."

Source: J. 0. N. MORLEY, Press Secretary for the Exhibition, The Spire Magazine - 1960 April

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