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Called to serve
When the young missionary John Williams set foot on the island of Tahiti in November 1817 it was the fulfilment of a sense of calling which had been with him since the age of 17...
Sponsored by the London Missionary Society, Williams’ task was to bring the Good News to the people of the islands of the South Pacific. On some islands he found hostility, for the white-skinned man was still a mystery to be feared. On others, he and his companions mixed freely with islanders, learning languages, customs and traditions and coming together to an understanding of the Christian faith.
Transport was a major difficulty. On several occasions John found himself without a boat and had to remain on his base of Rarotonga, unable to journey to other islands. On one occasion he and his friends discovered a partly built ship on a beach and spent many weeks building it into a seaworthy vessel. When it was completed it was named The Messenger of Peace and the King of Rarotonga even helped launch it from the beach.
For the remainder of his years John Williams returned to England only once, to raise money for a new boat, The Camden. But he wrote journals and letters telling others about his life and the Pathfinder series of adventure books for boys brought out a title, John Williams the Ship Builder, and he became a hero for children all over the British Isles.
Williams died on November 20th 1839 on the beach of the island of Erromonga, killed by cannibals. When news of his death reached Raratonga, Samoa, Tahiti and Raiatea people swarmed to the beaches and mourned his passing. The last journey of The Camden was to return to England.
Called by god
Back in the offices of the London Missionary Society a decision was taken to appeal to churches for money to buy a new ship to continue the work. In one local church a group of children overheard the anxious talk of the members as they pondered the challenge of raising the necessary money. Together, the children decided to do what they could to help. Pocket money hadn’t been invented yet, so they saved what they could from their wages. As weeks went by, more and more children around the country joined in. They worked through lunch breaks, they worked extra shifts, they sold possessions, they even sold their lunches to raise the money – believing that they too, were called by God.
A total £6,000 was raised – a fortune at the time and sufficient to buy a ship. The John Williams set sail on 15th July 1856. Children continued to save money and to collect from church members and over the years a total of seven ships were bought and named after John Williams. The John Williams VII was de-commissioned in the mid 1970’s.
A gift in return
But the giving was not all one way. In 1936, recognizing the fascination that the nautical theme had for young people, a new organization for children and young people was formed – Pilots. Though collecting money to support mission was still an important aspect of the work – helped by the launch of the ‘ship-halfpenny’ in 1937 – Pilots was about much more. Companies of Pilots were formed, each with its own captain and officers appointed by the local Church Meeting. A weeknight programme of worship, education and fun was designed to complement and supplement what went on in church on Sundays. The organization was non-uniformed and flexible, catering for both boys and girls.
Over the years Pilots has had its ups and downs but it has been supported by the United Reformed Church since its inception and sponsored by the continuing Congregational Federation. Today, with the growing realization that children are integral to the ministry and mission of the Church – not an optional extra, not the Church of the future, but an essential part of the Church of today – the existence of a ready-made organization capable of interesting children during the week and involving them in the life and mission of the Church becomes all the more crucial.
Pilots today
Since 1998, when the first full-time Development Officer was appointed, Pilots has grown by leaps and bounds. There are now 162 companies in existence, spread all over the three nations served by the United Reformed Church. Pilots are organised into four age-groups: Deckhands (5-6), Adventurers (7-10), Voyagers (11-14) and Navigators (15-17). They enjoy a mix of games, worship, projects, discussions and working for crests or seals related to specific interests. The programme retains a world church flavour and is proving to be a very effective method of Christian education.
Many companies arrange services for the whole church family from time to time. Under the leadership of committed officers children become very enthusiastic. Once a company has started, churches find they don’t need to advertise – new companies often report a doubling of numbers within six months of opening. Meanwhile, Regional Pilots Officers encourage growth, by arranging regional activities, offering assistance to churches thinking of forming a company, and giving support as and when companies need it.
A promise kept
Pilots is becoming known beyond the parent denominations: other Churches both within the UK and abroad are showing interest. With a new look and new materials, written by groups of writers all over the church, Pilots has a fresh feel. But the original ethos of 1936, the valuing and respect of the individual, remains at the very core of the organisation today, and they continue to live out the words of the original Pilots promise to ‘learn, pray and serve all I can in the world-wide Church of Jesus Christ’.
Full speed ahead
Pilots is growing apace in Burnham.
After a gap of some forty years Pilots began again in February 2002. That first evening there were 12 young people and 6 less-than-young people who ventured out to discover what Pilots is all about. Today there are 30 pilots covering all the age ranges, plus five leaders.
Our Pilots are a creative lot – we have made a seven foot wide Pilots badge, a river for Pilots to cross as they move from one section to another, a display for our Papua New Guinea discoveries, decorations for the church Christmas tree, and so much more. At one, never to be forgotten, evening Pilots made buns in a cooking session and we then used them as part of an exploration in worship of what communion is all about.
Worship is at the heart of our meetings and it can, at times, be a very lively and noisy affair – as on the evening when we had made musical instruments and then used these to accompany the songs. Did you know that Psalm 150 includes the lines, ‘Praise him on the cheese grater and spoon, praise him on the dried beans in the yoghurt pots shaker’? Well, our version does! We have led Sunday worship as a Pilots company and we have shared leadership with Chesham Pilots when they came to stay in our church for their weekend camp.
What does it mean to be a Pilot in Burnham? In our Pilots’ own words it means – ‘Fun, learning that’s not like school’ and ‘a Jesus party’. For the leaders it includes seeing how the Pilots change and grow. In this short time we have seen our two sets of twins become individuals, our silent child find a voice, our victim child come to light up the room with her smile, our footballers learn to cook and sew, and our totally uncoordinated Pilot learn to dance.
We may not always get it right, but the fact that two of our Pilots refused to go on holiday on a Pilots evening, insisting instead that they go the next day gives us great encouragement.
Long may Pilots continue.
David & Jenny Parkin and Shirley Knibbs are Pilots leaders in Burnham
If at first...
When we decided to start Pilots at West Park URC in Harrogate, we knew it was going to be a challenge – while we have some teenagers, no children were attending church regularly. But we went on a So You Want to Know More About Pilots course at Windermere and began to plan.
We knew most children wouldn’t have heard of Pilots, so we organised three ‘taster’ evenings. We visited local schools, talking about Pilots and handing out flyers and stickers. Everything was going well.
The first ‘taster’ evening came. We were optimistic, the room was set out, activities planned and four leaders eagerly awaited the children. None came.
We went back to the schools, either introducing Pilots personally to the children or indirectly via the staff. The second ‘taster’ evening came. Still no children. The same on the third occasion.
There was an air of despondency as we wondered what to do. We knew of other churches who had successfully started Pilots and contacted one, at Dewsbury. We quickly learned that they had been through the same painful experience. Their solution had been information for parents, including a returnable tear-off slip to gauge interest – the same approach had worked at another church. So we set out to try again.
Once again our minister approached the schools, who were very supportive. Letters went home and slips were returned. At the first of the taster evenings there were six children – we were ecstatic and shattered, all at the same time. The following week four more came and a further three the week after. Pilots has now been running for nine weeks and we have a settled group of thirteen, ageing from 5 to 11, with a good mixture of boys and girls.
Though we went through some weeks of pain we realise now that the original launch was a key factor in the success we now have. We also learned that how we approach parents makes a big difference. Tear-off slips worked better than phone calls for us.
I hope others who have struggled to launch Pilots or some other children’s activity will take heart from our experience and not give up at the first hurdle. If at first you don’t succeed...
Sylvia Heathcote helped start the new Pilots company at West Park URC
The Pilots Desk can be contacted on: tel: 020 7916 2020 email: pilots@urc.org.uk fax: 020 7916 2021
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