Mexborough and Swinton Times November 4, 1927
Rector of Wombwell.
Appointed To Sheffield Cathedral Canonry.
Bishop Springs Surprise
The Bishop of Sheffield visited Wombwell on Sunday. He officiated at a confirmation service, b]he dedicated a memorial chapel, and made the announcement that he had appointed the rector of Wombwell to an honorary canonry in the Sheffield Cathedral. The announcement was a complete surprise and was received with great satisfaction by the people among whom the Rev. S. T. G. Smith has worked.
The service itself was an eloquent tribute to the success of the Rev. S. T. G. Smith’s work in Wombwell. The church was packed long before the service was due to start, and in order to accommodate late comers extra seats had to be requisitioned. The Bishop was impressed by the size and spirit of the gathering. There was a note of warm appreciation in his reference to the scheme of restoration and redecoration recently carried out at Wombwell. He said, ” You are entitled to be proud of your church, but the best form of decoration is when a great church is filled with children of God all come to worship their Lord.”
There were some 70 candidates for confirmation. The Bishop based his address to the candidates on the life of David, and touched upon Christian obligations in various aspects.
The dedication of the memorial chapel took place prior to the confirmation service. The chapel has been erected in the angle formed by the south and west walls, and is separated from the nave by a carved oak screen some nine feet high. The chapel is about 40ft. long and 10ft. wide. Provision has been made for the panels of the screen to be inscribed in memory of parishioners, and particularly of the men of the pariah who fell in the war. The choir went in procession from the vestry to the chapel. The Bishop said he attached much value to a side Chapel in a church of the size and importance of Wombwell’s. In chapels of this type they could have small daily gatherings and week-day celebrations. In a side chapel a small number of people could have a quiet time with God. The Bishop went on to say that Wombwell had a very beautiful church and he was never more impressed by its beauties than he had been that afternoon. Not only was the church well kept, but its decorations were effective and its windows beautiful. He was glad to know that he congregation had done so splendidly in connection with the scheme of restoration, and especially had he noted with satisfaction that the Girls’ Friendly Society had raised a substantial sum for that object. ” I congratulate you most heartily,” said the Bishop,” on the result of the bazaar you have just held. It is wonderful that in those difficult times when there is so much financial stress that the people are willing to make sacrifices for the glory of Almighty God.”
It was not until the end of the service that the Bishop made his announcement concerning the Rev. S. T. G. Smith. The Bishop referred to Mr. Smith’s good work in two of the most important parishes in the dioceses – Walkley and Wombwell. Already the clergy of the diocese, had honoured him by electing him to represent them in Convocation and in the National Church Assembly and he had considered that point in offering him an office that would connect him with the Cathedral church of Sheffield. That was the first time he (the Bishop) had mentioned the matter to anyone. He thought the announcement should be made first of all to the people among whom the Rev. S. T. G. smitlh had worked so successfully.