Aged 101, Evelyn Gubbins reflects on her life and the role God has played.
JT: Evelyn, please tell us about your background.
EG: The First World War ended just five years before I was born in Fulham on 28 January 1923. I am thankful that I was blessed with Bible-believing parents, and that I was born in a land where the message of the gospel had flourished.
My grandfather, Robert Hall, had several mission halls but his real love was for open-air preaching. He did this in Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Lincoln’s Inn Field, and Wimbledon.
The Lord called him home at 65 years while he was still serving.
By this time we had moved out to East Acton. I had been dedicated in Dawes Road Baptist Church. I also recall going to the stone-laying of East Acton Baptist Church with my dad.
As for the London around us, there were far, far fewer people than today. There were virtually no cars or bicycles. Horses and carts delivered milk and coal; children would offer them a carrot or a sugar lump. It was a quieter world then.
My father was the eldest of three sons and an active Christian. We actively supported London City Mission and attended their annual meeting. We heard of wonderful answers to prayer from the missionaries’ testimonies. The meetings impressed upon me the power of prayer.
My devout father was a stickler for the truth of the Holy Scriptures. Any newcomer taking up ministry in a local church would often see him in attendance at the welcome service on Saturday, and again the following day in order for my dad to ‘sound him out’!
I always went along with my father to such things, and although I didn’t realise it at the time, there was a godliness in the air. There was a respect for authority, for the Lord’s Day, and for the Bible.
In school halls you’d find hanging on the wall the Lord’s Prayer or the 10 Commandments. Teachers taught us without any disruption. Society grew slowly by Bible precepts and Christian ethics. Organisations such as the Guides, the Scouts, the Girls Life Brigade, and the Boys Brigade flourished.
I ended up finding myself in the girls’ group at a large Baptist church. There was a real interest in missionary work in all the churches I had attended.
When I was six, I started to learn the piano. Half-an-hour practice every day with Sundays off! The piano was to play a great part in my life, especially towards the end. I continued learning until I was 16 years old and World War 2 broke out (in September 1939).
