Just Jim

 a tribute to Jim Bridger (RIP) - continued from last month....

Jim always felt he had a vocation for the Church, although not as a priest. When in 1992 with retirement looming he spotted an advert for the post of verger in a Lay Peculiar he immediately wrote and applied and less than a month later found himself appointed by the Squire as Verger of St James without-the-Priory Gate at Southwick. This was his dream come true. There were many visitors to the Church as it was always open (except on his one day off each week) and he never tired of showing them round, telling them the history of the Church and the Estate and just generally chatting. Sometimes it was groups who came by appointment but more often than not it was just individuals who were passing and stopped to look inside. They all received a hearty welcome, generally accompanied by some humorous remarks, and many became part of the regular congregation due to this and the time he was willing to spend with them. Wherever Jim was with people there was laughter as he never allowed the fact that he served in the House of the Lord to interfere with his sense of humour. His fame spread far and wide and St James became known as "the Church with the jolly verger". He especially loved the Schools' groups that came by arrangement and developed a very good relationship with many schools in the Portsmouth area. He never talked down to children and loved answering their questions which quite often showed some deep thinking on their part.

Jim didn't confine his verging duties just to the village church. The Cathedral co-opted him in to help out whenever extra vergers were needed for some big event. He was on duty for Bishop Timothy's final service and again for Bishop Kenneth's Enthronement when he had the privilege of verging the Bishop from the house where he was robing across to the west door of the Cathedral. There were many other occasions too, chief of which was the Royal Maundy Service when the Queen came to Portsmouth to distribute the Maundy Money.

Singing and comedy also continued to play a part in his life. Having joined the West End Choral Society soon after coming to Southwick he brought them along to the Church and the village hall to perform in Variety Concerts that he arranged in aid of the Hospice.

In 2001 the Squire decided that Jim must retire and he found this very hard to accept. At 74 Jim wasn't ready to sit still and so he took the position of Verger at St Judes in Southsea where we had some connections and where again he had been helping out when needed. Although St Judes was the opposite of High he still enjoyed his time there. It was, and still is, a very busy Church with a steady stream of people coming and going, and Jim always described himself as "a people person". St Judes also provided him with the high spot of his verging career when the Archbishop of Canterbury made a Diocesan visit to the Church and Jim had the great privilege of verging the Primate of the Church of England! A fitting end to his verging career as, sadly, by July Jim was suffering whiplash effect as a result of a car accident and found it difficult to cope with all the lifting and shifting necessary to a verger's work. His decision to retire finally was the hardest he ever had to make. He is remembered down there as "a man big in stature, big in presence with a sense of caring and putting others before himself. His ability to make people laugh lives on as does his amazing sense of humour." Amen to that.

It was a great joy for Jim to come to St George's, to return to the High form of worship which he loved, even if it was in the modern idiom and not 1662 which he preferred for its poetic flow of language. It gave him the opportunity to continue to serve the Lord at His altar whilst leaving him free from the day to day responsibility of caring for the building. There is a quotation which reads: -

"God give me work till my life shall end,
and life till my work is done."

He certainly did that for Jim and Jim rejoiced in His service. May he rest in peace and rise in Glory.

Adrienne Bridger

 I entitled this piece "Just Jim" because that is what he always replied when visitors to the Church asked his name. 'I'm Jim' he would say 'Just Jim'. Letters of thanks would arrive addressed to 'Jim the Verger, Southwick', or sometimes just 'Jim, Southwick'.