|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EBENEZER BAPTIST MISSION 1877
In March 1877, two men
from that meeting at Hamilton Place, Walter Simon Jones and John White
Mottershead, their wives and others who had been baptised there, left to form
Ebenezer Baptist Mission, in a room in Sydney Place, Milton Street, Chester.
The mission was 'commenced with the object of carrying the Good News of the
Gospel to the poor of the neighbourhood'. The room originally occupied soon
proved too small, and four bedrooms of the adjoining house were added (at a
total rental of £16 a year) the whole of which was adapted for the use of
the Sunday School, which numbered approximately 160 pupils, and the other
services.
Amongst
the usual meetings which took place there, there was the Ladies' Maternal
Society, Clothing Club and Lending Library, and it was hoped to commence a Soup
Kitchen; Shoe Clog and Sick Club; and Poor Children's Dinners.
EBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCH - 1882
The stones of the new
building in Milton Street were laid on 21st June 1882, when a history of the
church was placed next to a stone, over the main door, engraved with the words
of Dr Carey, 'Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God'.
These records were discovered when this stone was removed from the building
earlier that year, and the stone itself is now set in the new building in
Francis Street."
EBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCH - 1970 to Present
Day
The following has
been adapted from an article appearing in the Ebenezer newsletter in
1998.
..the church almost closed in the late 1960's,
when the numbers attending were very low and we moved premises from Milton
Street (behind the bingo hall) to a temporary home in a converted Brook Street
shop for a year or so, while our new (Francis Street) premises were
constructed. As new houses and flats were built in the surrounding area numbers
increased again.
However, by the early
1980's, the church was again in decline, with the witness maintained by the
stalwart work and prayers of many, under the able leadership of Rev Albert
Thomas. At an important church member's meeting, it was decided to continue
with, rather than cease, the Sunday evening worship services. God honoured that
decision and numbers slowly rose.
Between 1987 and 1989 God
blessed our work and witness in many ways. A significant number of people were
converted and baptised, to which were added those who had moved into the area
to work and who made Ebenezer their spiritual home.
There was
also an inflow of Christians from other churches. While we were glad to be
strengthened, such growth always means the weakening of churches elsewhere.
However, even in that, God seemed to have His purpose for a future work in the
city. Numbers rose to somewhere in the range of 50 to 60 on a typical
Sunday. Special occasions, such as baptisms and Christmas usually meant
that the wooden partitions, leading into the hall, had to be removed.
In 1988 we had the opportunity to plant a new daughter church in Blacon,
Chester. This involved setting apart a quarter of our members who lived
in and around Blacon and who felt called to be part of this new venture. They,
with other Christians, who shared the vision for the new work, became the
founder members of what is now Matthew Henry Evangelical Church.
In 1995, Rev Albert Thomas retired from the pastorate after 23 years in
the ministry here. He was succeeded in 1996, by pastor Andrew Nicholson, who
had been a member at Ebenezer for the previous 9 years, and an elder since
1991.
To follow on from the newsletter article…..
In September 1999, the Church took a new step of faith in
calling its first full-time Church worker, Matt Lush, with a view to developing
the outreach of the Church, as well as being part of a desire to train a young
man for possible future Christian service.
Then in 2001, Pastor Andrew Nicholson accepted the call to work for the
FIEC at their headquarters as Office & Conference Manager, where he is
still today. He is responsible for the smooth running of the annual FIEC
conference among other things.
A
call was then put out to suitable candidates for the vacant pastoral
position. Three men were originally short listed and all came to preach.
At a resulting Members' Meeting, it was decided to call one of the three to
preach again. After a further meeting it was unanimously decided to call
our current Pastor, Richard Inns, who is only the third full-time minister that
we know of in the history of the chapel, the pastoral and preaching work having
been done in previous times by part-time or lay men.
|
|
|
|
|
