War Gospel and Testament

As its contribution to the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, SGM (Scripture Gift Mission) Lifewords has re-created its Active Service John’s Gospel as a tool for reflection, debate and prayer on the war and its legacy.

SGM LIFEWORDS IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR

A BRIEF HISTORY

Responding to wartime demand:

The First World War began with remarkable speed.  As the queues began to form at recruiting stations, the Mission mobilised to provide Scriptures for troops.

SGM had a useful connection: the Chaplain General to the Armed Forces, Bishop J Taylor Smith, was on the SGM council at the time. For further commendation, SGM Secretary Francis Brading wrote to Lord Roberts for a personal foreword. He replied in his own handwriting, and his preface was printed on the inside cover of the booklets. Despite being 82 at the time, Lord Roberts travelled to France to visit the troops, and died of pneumonia in the winter of 1914.

 Partnerships for distribution:

It was not SGM itself who gave away the Active Service scriptures. They were used by a wide variety of partners. The Salvation Army, Church Army and YMCA distributed them at their tea huts at the front. Nurses gave them to patients in hospitals and along evacuation routes. Chaplains carried them and gave them out at services and funerals. A mayor in Cheshire personally gave one to every recruit from his town.

 The Active Service Gospels and New Testaments were made to fit in the top pocket of a uniform, with rounded edges to prevent creasing. They had hymns at the back so that chaplains could use them to lead church services, and a decision form that soldiers could sign as a declaration of faith. Each one had the message from Lord Roberts on the inside. “I ask you to put your trust in God” it read, and many did.

By the end of the war SGM had distributed 43 million items of literature, despite working with a reduced workforce. Two members of staff were called up, Mr B A Wiggins and Walter Clifton. Neither of them returned.

Further work among the forces:

Despite these setbacks, the mission did recover, and it continued to play a role in Bible work among troops during the Second World War and beyond. Scriptures were made available during the Falklands war in 1982, and during the Gulf wars. Many different booklet titles were developed for use with the forces, including You Matter and The Little Book of Character, both of which have become familiar titles in our current range.

In 2004 the Naval, Military & Air Force Bible Society became an independent charity again. It is now based in Portsmouth, and in 2009 it distributed over 72,000 items of Scripture. In 2014 SGM Lifewords partnered with NM&AFBS to produce a replica edition of the Active Service St John’s Gospel, as part of the commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the First World War.

Content provided by:  Alison Farrugia