In Depth:  Peter Seccombe

The Rev. the Hon. Roland Lamb died on November 23, aged 94.

The son of Lord Rochester, he trained for the Methodist ministry after graduating from Cambridge University. He served as a chaplain in the Middle East during World War II and afterwards in churches in South Shields, Walton-on-Naze, Aberystwyth and Cornwall.

Herefordshire is a beautiful county, but, like much of rural Britain, one in which thriving evangelical, Bible- teaching churches are few and far between.

Nearly every village and even some hamlets have a parish church, one vicar often being responsible for five or six churches. Few are evangelical. Non-conformist and independent churches are scattered around the county. With some notable exceptions, many are very small with elderly congregations dependent on visiting preachers.

For years, small groups for Bible study and prayer have been a common feature of church life, as they have been in student Christian Unions.

They are a valuable means of cultivating fellowship between people at a deeper level than can be achieved by larger and more formal meetings. Small, informal groups have also long proved to be useful in evangelism.