A 97-year-old Kendal man received a special award 'for his commitment to a life of prayer.' 

One of the first to receive the Kilmister Award was Arthur Moss. Run by the Prayer Book Society (PBS), the award celebrates the work of lay people who have made an outstanding contribution to the Society. 

Thirty years ago, he became the chairman of the Carlisle Diocese branch of the Society. Under his twelve-year-watch, the membership of the Society quadrupled, and the organisation become more well-known. He is still nominally the branch president.

Arthur said: "I became chairman at a time when we needed to breathe new life into the organisation. By the time I gave up the chairmanship after 12 years, I'd like to think that the organisation had flourished." 

Arthur is also currently a Reader Emeritus of Holy Trinity Kendal, a church he has served for 50 years. He received a framed certificate, a copy of the Book of Common Prayer, and will receive a medal engraved with the PBS logo. 

The award was presented to him by the Reverend Eric Robinson, Arthur's friend for 25 years. He said: "It was an immense pleasure to be able to honour Arthur in this way. I first got to know Arthur when I was a curate in 1999.

"I soon realised that he was a man of God, his heart was central to the life of the church, and his faith was central to who he was as a human being.

READ MORE: Faith Viewpoint from Kendal's St Thomas Church

“He approached me to see if I would like to be a member of the Prayer Book Society and it is one of the best things I’ve ever done. It introduced me to the Prayer Book as an immensely strong liturgical tool for the church, but it also introduced me to its spirituality and its language which I’ve valued ever since.”

The Book of Common Prayer is used in over 50 countries and can be found in 150 languages. The PBS has worked for 50 years to keep the Prayer Book at the heart of the Church of England.

The award is named after the Society’s founder, the late Tony Kilmister OBE, and will see a total of 50 awards presented over the next 10 years, five each year. People were invited to nominate recipients.