Today we'll be celebrating the 200th anniversary of Penknap Providence Church with a special service at 4pm, preacher: Geoff Thomas. The other day Heather Skull of BBC Wiltshire called in at the Chapel to interview me for the occasion, see here.
Here's an excerpt from the 200th Anniversary booklet, describing how the Church was forged in the fires of contention and strife:
Phillips held a series of open air preaching meetings, beginning in April 1810 that led to the formation of the Church. By the October of that year, the Chapel had been built.
The Church was called 'Providence' because the open air services that led to the gathering of the Church were not once hindered by rain. 'Penknap' is the name of the field on which the Chapel was built.
The Penknap Providence Church was constituted as a Particular Baptist Church, holding to the Doctrines of Grace as set out in the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689.
The Lord greatly blessed the ministry of the founding Pastor of the Church. The work began with only 30 members, but during the 23 years of Phillips’ ministry it is recorded that 232 people were baptised and added to the Church. The preacher died on March 12th 1833, aged 82. A plaque was placed over the pulpit in his memory, paying tribute to his zealous and fruitful ministry.
3 comments:
If I was not too busy and could have afforded the petrol, I would have popped down today!
It's a bit of a trek from your place to here, so I forgive you. I hope to do a report of the occasion for the blog & Geoff's preaching will be posted on the church website. You'll have to make do with that.
Sublime preaching, and generous hospitality: thank you.
In your chapel history I noted the name of Ernest Rudman,1926-1929. I assume this is the same Ernest Rudman who was at Holland Road Baptist Church Hove 1947-1972; he would have been very young at Penknap for those years. I remember hearing him preach at Sussex University Christian Union in about 1972.
Post a Comment