CHENHALLS, James Tregear 1876 - 1949

Born at St. Just in 1867. He was educated at Truro College. Early in life he dedicated himself to Christ and His serviced received his training for the Ministry at Handsworth College. His boundless energy in the service of his Lord impressed all who knew him.

The happiest years of his ministry were spent in busy mission centres in Manchester, Nottingham, and London. After a heavy day of indoor services he loved to lead his people into the open air that there he might ‘ offer Christ to men ‘ His tireless enthusiasm was often a rebuke and a challenge to his younger colleagues.

Undoubtedly the weakness infirmity of his later years were part of the price he had to pay for his stream active ministry, but he paid that price gladly.

As a Cornish man, he revelled in open spaces, the hills and the wide expanse of the sea. He loved nature, and boyish excitement would follow a bird in its flight or watch a rabbit bounding over a field.

Although most of his ministry was spent in busy towns, he would often escape to the countryside that he might be alone with nature and with God. He possessed in abounding measure the saving grace of humour, and many a tense situation was relieved by his ringing laugh and sparkling wit.

The secret of his radiant personality was his firm faith in God, a faith which enabled him to be ‘ more than conqueror ‘ in his times of sorrow and loneliness. When, many years ago his devoted wife, upon whom he greatly relied, was suddenly taken from him, smiling through his tears he said ‘ and they sang songs at midnight ‘ Then was reveal the triumphant faith of this happy servant of Jesus Christ.

He ‘ fell on sleep ‘ on the 1st September 1949, in the eighty-second year of his life and the fifty-seventh of his ministry.

©Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes 1950