The second part of the service was conducted by Nicholas with a sermon and prayers. We were asked to have faith in the months to come: to remain faithful to the church and hence to one another. We were reminded of the symbolic structure of the chancel roof beams, in the shape of an A and O, that God is Beginning and the end - Alpha and Omega.

Presentations to Nicholas and Susan followed: a cheque embracing donations from many parishioners, a beautiful album collated by Dick Waltham of photographs depicting the church and its surroundings throughout the seven years that Nicholas has been Vicar here at St. James’. There were speeches from Eila Severn and Alan Taylor expressing our thanks to Nicholas and Susan, and wishing them well in their new ventures. Little Suzanne Nunn then presented a posy of flowers to Susan and there was also a gift from the Mothers’ Union presented by Jean Wilson. Nicholas and Susan were obviously moved and their voices were feeling the strain after a long emotional day, but the humour was not lost when Nicholas asked for some WD4O to clear his throat!

The evening was rounded off with delicious light refreshments accompanied by wine and punch, clearly indicating the hard work which had been put in by many to make the evening a great success. There was informal chatting as the evening drew to a close, and a queue of people waiting to bid Nicholas and Susan a personal farewell and to share a few last precious moments with them. All in all, inspite of the inevitable sadness of farewell, it was yet a happy and enjoyable evening which, I know, will be remembered for a long time to come. I know that everyone in the Church joins me in wishing Nicholas and Susan all the very best as they begin a new phase of their life together and in thanking them for their tremendous input during their time with us. Certainly we shall miss them greatly." Pippa Butterfield

"Eila Severn’s tribute to Nicholas and Susan included the fine example of a loving, caring Christian family which the Chubb family have given us; Nicholas’s affinity with young families which has resulted in so many of them becoming regular worshippers, his fabulous memory for names and faces - never forgetting the couples he married, the children he baptised and confirmed, they were not just names to him but valued individuals. In a very few weeks after coming here he had memorised the names of all the communicants, caringly prefacing “the Body of Christ” by each individual name, (a deeply meaningful and valued service which many, including myself, will very much miss). Alan said that Nicholas had had “a hard row to hoe” coming from a country environment to minister in the Thames Valley with its suburban apathy. He had bridged the gap and taken up the challenge calmly, taking a moderate path which encouraged people to use their mind and reason. He had the very necessary gift of a sense of humour which often must have stood him in good stead. He never failed to encourage the ministry of the laity, irrespective of sex. He was imbued with great qualities both as a man and a priest, going out to meet people and also willing to step aside with them and help them. He encouraged active involvement as a means to spiritual growth and had a great impact on family life - he and his family will be greatly missed from among us." Margery Orton

Source: Pippa Butterfield and Margery Orton, The Spire Magazine - 1988 July

Highlights of Nicholas Chubb’s 7th Annual Report to the ACM
"Nicholas said that one of his first reactions on seeing the profile of the parish and then reading the parish magazine was “What a lot goes on at St. James’”. He found that this proved to be true and that “much more so than in many parishes, there has grown up a large number of people and groups who have learned to share in ministry of a wide variety, ministry of action and ministry of word”. He remarked that not many parishes can boast of having four people trained as Readers, and throughout the congregation it was evident that “involvement is what helps a good many people to grow”. He went onto enumerate all the different and varied work carried on at St. James’s and to thank those chiefly responsible - names well known to us but which lack of space precludes mention of here. Our Readers, those who plan the services, those who clean and beautify the church, the sidesmen, the readers of the lessons, the musicians, the leaders of the various house groups, the overseers of the linen and the bookstall, of the Wayside Monday Centre. So many jobs faithfully performed; parish breakfast, secretarial work, stewardship recording, maintenance of church properties and churchyard, keeping the accounts, arranging the social life of the church, the Mothers’ Union, the Sunday Schools, the uniformed groups, Tuesday Club and Young Families Group. On and on, so much achieved by so many people, in one year - so what about in seven years?

In reviewing the achievements over his time with us, he started by giving thanks for the warmth of the welcome extended to himself and to his family. His aim had been to make St. James’s more widely known over the whole area of the parish and to spread the Good News of the Gospel to its furthest corners. We have not succeeded fully in this although changing the pattern of our services and the introduction of the Informal Service and the Prayer and Praise Service, the starting of Healing Services and now the integration of the Healing Service into the pattern of the Eucharist has helped a growing number of people to have a good experience of church worship. “It is vital” he said, “not to lose touch with those who have come and to continue our efforts to meet people personally face to face”. (In this he has certainly set us a good example.)

Nicholas spoke of the remodelling of the church, the re-sited altar on the new raised stage in front of the chancel, the warm carpeting, the speech re-inforcement equipment with the loop system for those with hearing difficulties - all helpful to the more effective and dignified conduct of the services.

A solid way forward would be through the growth and encouragement of Fellowship Groups, some already well established, some just beginning; undoubtedly the pattern for future togetherness in Christ, ultimately spreading parish wide.

Nicholas, having paid warm tribute to so many gave a special word to the support of “some marvellous church wardens” - a strong point in the parish was that it could produce so many worthy - in the best sense of the word - people for this onerous job - “no soft option this, no sinecure” and he added wryly “no such support in my new job!”."

Source: Margery Orton, The Spire Magazine - 1988 July