‘Jimmy Butterworth was a legend… This amazing book is the first complete biography…The detailed research is brilliant and throughout the book there is excellent historical/social comment … insightful and very interesting.’ ....Rev Steven Wild, Methodist Recorder, Sept. 2020
‘It is very well researched … It reflects on a time and approach that we may never be able to replicate.’ Peter Stevenson Reform Oct. 2020
‘This book is a magnificent read. It should be in every Methodist minister’s study and on every youth worker’s bookshelf.’ Rev. Norman Grigg (Minister at Walworth 1994-2010)
‘…a compelling, moving, and honest account of an engaging personality and his lifelong dedication to the service of youth. The personal reminiscences and the wealth of photographs make this a beautifully illustrated book, as well as a lively narrative.’ Martin Wellings Wesley and Methodist Studies, 2021 vol. 13-2
The Temple of Youth tells the fascinating life story of one of Methodism’s most acclaimed and controversial figures. He was born in 1897 to a life of poverty and hardship like so many of his generation – working from age 12 in Oswaldtwistle textile mills, and leaving only to serve on the Somme and at Arras with the Lancashire Fusiliers. On his return from France in 1919, and against the odds for someone mostly self-educated, he won admission to Didsbury Theological College in Manchester, and whilst there established a thriving youth project at Beech Road, Chorlton.
Following graduation he was posted as a probationary minister to a failing church in a neglected and deprived area of South London. There he strove to raise the funds and support to build Clubland, a church youth club like no other, remaining as its charismatic head for over half a century, contrary to orthodox Methodist procedure. The Club transformed the life chances of thousands of boys and girls and young adults who, like him, had been dealt a poor and unequal start in life. Sir Michael Caine, who was himself a teenage member of Clubland, said of him: “I owe my personality, my life, and my career to this man. The most important person I ever met.”
Whilst his life’s work was in London, Jimmy Butterworth never forgot his Lancashire roots. He returned frequently, preaching to packed congregations at Green Haworth and in Accrington, where he is still remembered and revered. Stanhill Methodist Heritage Church (Oswaldtwistle) is holding a commemorative service, exhibition, and book launch on Sunday 26th September, 2021. All welcome.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Authors: John Butterworth and Jenny Waine JB Club Press, 2019
Format: Hardback; 416 pages; 120 photographs ISBN: 978-1-5272-5017-8
Price 20.00 (including post & package)
For information or to order online, go to www.jb-clubland.co.uk or email: press@jb-clubland.co.uk
or with cheque to JB Club Press: 61 Black Bull Lane, Preston, PR2 3PY
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