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9 August 2006
Hi, There
My name is Paul Tavernor and I attended St Cuthberts
Cheadle for a number of years during the 1960's, and recall much of what is
talked about on your website. Fascinating after all these years.
I attended Val and Sheila
Grieve's home for Bible study once a week. They lived, if I
recall, on Arlington Road off Broadway in Cheadle. Sheila was a GP.
They were brilliant with the teenagers and I recall that we all thought
Val was a bit mad!. Often, after the Sunday night service, Val would
gather the youingsters, about as many as he could fit in in his Vauxhall 101
estate (and a few extra), and we would drtive like mad to either Blackpool,
where there was a Christian coffee bar, or to the Catacombs in
Manchester. We used to get home after midnight, often really tired
but full of Val's infectious faith. What a guy!
I also recall the 'Barge Inn' coffee bar in Cheadle, and the
Crossbeats. I would attend with my pals Ken Percival, Mike Carrier,
Stuart Pinchbeck, and I remember Barbara Milne mentioned as one of your
prayer partners. Some of the leaders were Keith Harris (still faithfully
serving at St Philips today), a guy called 'Frag' and of course the Curates and
Vicars. I think Fred Moate was a leader. On one of the nights in
1964 we had some trouble from the local gang known as the 'minnie gang'.
The leader was so called because he was small but tough. They kept
raiding the meetings and were disruptive. I remember Stuart Briscoe was
speaking, and he called them to account, "Sit and behave" he said "or go
outside". They ignored him, and he marched off the stage, grabbed the
leader by the scruff of the neck and marched him outside. I think he
cuffed him round the ear! No more trouble from them then! Rumour
had it that Stuart had done some boxing, but I don't know whether that was
true. The Crossbeats were also playing, and a number of us gave our lives
to Christ.
Now I am 56, married with 3 grown up children, and am
leading a Church Plant in Wrexham North Wales with New Frontiers International.
I owe a lot to the men and women of faith of that era, and look back on
the fond times - but thanking God that there were such men as Val Grieve
around. Nice to read of some other accounts also.
Love to you all. I was sorry to read about
Barbara's husband it would be great to hear from her.
Paul Tavernor
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