Pekoe Pips: A Legacy

My approach to Christian faith is shaped by my upbringing, both in household, local parish and involvement in the Christian Unions of the Universities of Canterbury and Otago. The shape of this evangelical approach was influenced by a number of clergy, beginning with my father (the writer of the article below) and including our vicar in the Parish of Bryndwr when we arrived there in 1971, Dick Carson (one Orange Pip). But my father was a Bible Class member in the Parish of Spreydon when Roger Thompson (another Orange Pip) was its Vicar. Though senior in life, both Roger Thompson and Harry Thomson (an Orange Pip) were memorable models in my own youth, along with other Pips mentioned below. One of them, Maurice Goodall, as then Bishop of Christchurch took a punt when he encouraged me to offer for ordination. In various ways then, Canon William Orange (whom I do not personally remember - he died when I was six) has influenced people who have influenced me. In two sentences below (italicised by me) the whole of my biblical hermeneutics is summed up. The article has recently been published in our local diocesan magazine, Anglican Life. (Not yet online).

Fruitful Orange Pips

One of the most influential parish ministries in the 150 year history of the Christchurch Diocese was that of a man who never held high office or was renowned for his charismatic personality. The man was Canon William Orange (or ‘Pekoe’ – after the English tea).

Canon Orange

Of slight stature, conservative and precise in dress and style akin to Hercule Poirot, softly spoken, and in many ways quite unworldly, William Orange was Vicar of Sumner 1930-45, then later Precentor at Christ Church Cathedral. But over this time his preaching and teaching, complemented by his personal mentoring, led to dozens offering themselves for ordination, and many others for missionary service overseas..

At Sumner he built up a Sunday afternoon young men’s Bible Class of more than 40, some drawn locally from his parish, but most cycling out week by week from the City. The fare they came for was invariably plain and undecorated – an hour of Bible teaching, the systematic working through of one book of the Old or New Testament before moving on to another. This was followed by a prayer meeting and light meal before concluding with Evening Prayer where the sermon was also consistently bible exposition. In time, those who regularly attended his Bible Class were referred to jocularly as ‘Orange Pips’. Many of these same Orange Pips were in turn to emulate their mentor’s style of ministry and produce similarly fruitful ministries.

There were few peculiarities in Pekoe’s style. He allowed the Scriptures to speak for themselves, but in such a way that held people in rapt attention absorbing his teaching. There were no histrionics, no ear-tingling oratory – just the opening up of the Scriptures with clarity to reveal the depth of their significance, then relating this in practical terms to the world of that day. The experience of those present was like that shared by the two disciples on their way to Emmaus:

Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the Scriptures to us?

His students welcomed his insights into the way Christ and his salvation was foreshadowed throughout the Old Testament. Pekoe often reminded his students, ‘The New is in the Old concealed, the Old is in the New revealed.’ There were many ‘Orangeisms’ which those who sat at his feet still recall with appreciation. ‘Interpret any single passage of Scripture in the light of the teaching of Scripture as a whole. Therefore always read widely as well as closely.’ Pekoe also had delight in quoting the astute comment of Mark Twain: ‘It is not the things I cannot understand in the Bible which trouble me, but the things I can understand.’ One of the strengths of his appeal was his subtle sense of humour, selectively introduced to lighten his teaching and enliven his students.

The Orange Pips

Among the Sumner first generation Orange Pips were a number who in later decades would make their own mark in the Diocese or in the Church overseas. Max Wiggins would become a Bishop in Tanganyika, Roger Thompson would have a fruitful ministry at St Martins (Spreydon), Harry Thomson would become the first full-time General Secretary of NZ CMS after a notable ministry at Woolston, Dick Carson would serve many years in Pakistan before returning to parish ministry in Christchurch, and David Aiken likewise would distinguish himself as a missionary in Pakistan before a role as a Bible College teacher in Auckland. Peter Tovey would also serve his best days as a CMS missionary in the Sind, Harvey Teulon and Graham Lamont would become Vicars of parishes in the diocese, Maurice Betteridge would teach at College House before parish ministry in Christchurch and Dunedin Dioceses and later becoming Principal of Ridley College, Melbourne.

Maurice Goodall was to have an outstanding ministry as Vicar of Shirley before roles as City Missioner, Dean and Bishop. Lester Pfankuch and Robert Glen would also be ordained. Others in that Sumner Bible Class would take secular paths, none-the-less making an impact in their various vocations, such as Edwin Judge who would become Professor of Ancient History at Macquarrie University in Australia. 

Roger Thompson

As Vicar of Spreydon (1946-60) Roger Thompson was the immediate successor to Canon Orange, following his mentor’s style and substance closely. His ministry also focussed on a Sunday afternoon 4 pm Bible Class for young men and now (note) women, once again followed by a light tea, prayer meeting and Evening Prayer.  But an extra factor was built in – an after-service gathering at the Vicarage for a fellowship hour. 

Numbers steadily built up to a point where the old 75-seater church was regularly full at 4 pm each Sunday. The same sense of eager anticipation of each week’s study was as much a feature of this second generation bible teaching ministry as it had been the mark of Canon Orange’s seed-sowing pattern at Sumner. And the fruit of this ministry was to be similar also.

Those fifteen years of ministry at Spreydon produced 38 members of the Sunday Bible Class, men and women, who went on to be ordained (three of whom later became bishops), and 35 who responded to the missionary call. At a reunion of former St Martin’s Bible Class members in 1992, 120 came from around New Zealand and overseas to recall the formative role of this Bible Class in their lives.

Harry Thomson

In Woolston across the other side of the city through this same post-war period another Orange Pip was having a similarly fruitful ministry, following the same principles learned from Canon Orange, but with some different emphases and outcomes.

Harry Thomson’s passion was overseas missions, particularly CMS. It is not surprising therefore that his efforts in the end led not so much to vocations to ordained ministry in this country as to missionary service beyond our shores. For some years he combined a part-time CMS organising role with his responsibilities as Vicar of Woolston. Nor is it surprising that many of the missionaries sent or supported overseas during this decade were fellow Orange Pips (eg Max Wiggins, David Aiken, Lester Pfankuch, Peter Tovey, Dick Carson, Robert Glen). By 1961 it was evident that the CMS task needed full commitment and Harry Thomson left his parish role to become the first General Secretary.

Also from that time the fruits of the Orange Pip ministries of Harry Thomson, Roger Thompson and others now in parish ministry began revealing themselves in a growing number of second and even third generation Orange Pips discerning a call to missionary service. Most of these had also been significantly nurtured in faith and a vocation to some form of Christian service through their involvement in a youth branch of CMS, the League of Youth - encouraged by Harry Thomson and supported ardently by other Orange Pips. A vibrant programme of monthly meetings, periodic weekend house parties and annual Easter Camps often featured first or second generation Orange Pips as speakers or bible study leaders. 

An Appreciation of Canon Orange

William Orange had been brought to conscious faith as a lad of 10 during a parish mission in Kaikoura. Some years later, in another parish mission, he experienced a turning point in life where he committed himself to the service of Christ. In his 1911 diary he wrote:

My great ambition is that love for Jesus may become the one absorbing passion of my life.

Ordained in 1919, he served a curacy at Sydenham followed by a locum at Fendalton before becoming Vicar of Waikari (1924-30). After his years at Sumner he was briefly based at Tyndale House, Cashmere, before becoming Precentor at the Cathedral as his last appointment. He died in 1966 and is buried in the Avonside Churchyard.

Dean Martin Sullivan in his book Watch How You Go, reviewing Orange’s ministry, made the claim that his ‘ability to inspire others to enter the ordained ministry was unparalleled in any other New Zealand churchman’.  This did not always please the Anglican hierarchy! In 1934 Canon Parr, the Principal of College House, complained to Bishop West-Watson that four of the six new ordinands were “men put up by Orange”.

Pekoe himself was averse to labelling fellow clergy through a perception of their theological views. In his own words, ‘labels too easily become libels’.

                                                          - Brian Carrell

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Further reading:  For an excellent and recently published detailed survey of this period see Stuart M Lange, A Rising Tide, Evangelical Christianity in New Zealand, 1930-65, Otago University Press, 2013.

I am grateful to my father for supplying the text. I am currently in the process of reading the book mentioned just above for review for Stimulus. 

One note struck above concerns humour. In my own evangelical upbringing there was always laughter as many jokes were told and many riffs on the quirks of life and faith were shared. In contrast to some aspects of evangelicalism today (at least as I read around the world) which seem dourly serious and seriously dour, I look back fondly on my upbringing in the life of the church. We had fun. I suppose, theologically speaking I should describe that as 'joy.'