From The Manse Window

From the manse window

IWAS deeply honoured when the Editor of the “Friend” invited me to write this piece to celebrate the legendary magazine’s 150th anniversary.

A column named “From The Manse Window” first appeared in “The People’s Friend” in 1958. Many of you will remember its author, Rev. T.R.S. Campbell, who was formerly minister of St Andrew’s Church in Dundee.

Obviously buoyed by the publication of that first column, “TRS”, as he was affectionately known, went on to produce a series of devotional, helpful and often humorous thoughts every single week for 27 years!

Those of us now responsible for the popular column endeavour to follow in his footsteps, and to “carry the gospel on”, as the hymn goes, and I feel so blessed that so many readers are grateful for what I have humbly yet sincerely written over the years.

I have been privileged to receive many letters from readers detailing how helpful or meaningful particular pieces have been for them personally, and often at a challenging time in their lives. I will treasure these letters for ever.

It is truly amazing – and indeed sobering – that so many thousands of people of various denominations, or of none, are reached by the “Manse” writers.

In one of his many letters recorded in the Bible, St Paul wrote the words “and be ye thankful”, meaning that we should always remember to say thank you. And where better to do so than here in the “Friend”, now?

On this 150th anniversary occasion, it’s thank-you time for those of us who today are honoured to write this column.

Thank you to so many of you, the readers, for your encouraging responses.

Thank you to the editorial team at “The People’s Friend” for faithfully including the feature in their everpopular magazine, read by people not only throughout the UK, but throughout the world.

And last but certainly not least, for the priceless gifts of communication and of understanding, thank you to God, whose words contained and communicated in the Bible are truly everlasting and eternal.

Happy 150th to the “Friend”, and may the “Manse Window” continue to reflect a glimpse of the goodness and love of God, whose greatness we can almost grasp, and to whom our utmost and supreme thankfulness, for all his gifts, must ever be expressed! ■

Next week: David Mclaughlan encourages us to look up every now and then.