By John and Angela Magee. Part of a series of articles on the History of Emmanuel Church in Salisbury.
One couple had been attending a Pentecostal Church in Romsey when they first heard Mr. Watts preach in their church. The teaching for that occasion had made an impression on them. By God's grace, they eventually came to Emmanuel Church and found themselves increasingly in agreement with the preaching and were blessed by the fellowship they experienced. Their response to all of this was to apply for church membership.
A periodic assessment of the church's missionary work was always considered beneficial. At the Council Members' Meeting held on June 21, it was felt necessary to re-evaluate this aspect of the support work of the church. To assist the discussion, Mr. Royle, as Missionary Secretary, was invited to speak to the members. The church contributed fifteen percent (by May of the following year the church had increased this amount to twenty percent) of its income to seven missionary societies. Church members, he reported, were not in complete agreement with this policy and criticisms were levied against one organisation in particular — Trans World Radio. It was felt that T.W.R. had compromised on Gospel preaching. But before taking any action further information would be necessary. However, at the following Church Members' Meeting the proposal from the Council to withdraw support from this society was approved.
The support given to this society was eventually transferred to FIEC Home Missions. Mr. Royle said that some were more in favour with individual support than with support for organisations. The church had been receiving the newsletter of Miss Christine Mills and felt it would be good to be able to support her work. It was considered advisable that some support should be forthcoming for missions to the Jews. This also needed investigating. The missionary prayer time needed reviewing too. A change here to a six-weekly Wednesday wholly devoted to missionary matters was considered more beneficial. Mr. Royle reported favourably to the church on this change once it had taken effect.
Membership in the church fellowship rarely remained static. It was encouraging to see that the general pattern was one of the fellowship being added to, such as when four new members were added to the church on September 11 — Penny Wicks, Hilary Warman, and Mr. and Mrs. Upham. (Mr. Upham had only a brief period of membership with the brethren at Emmanuel Church, as in the following Spring he was taken to glory by the Lord.).
Occasionally, due to individuals moving out of the area, such as David and Maureen Wells returning to America, Ann Roberts taking up work in Wakefield, and Mrs. Vought moving to Bexhill-on-Sea to live with her daughter, numbers in the membership and congregation were temporarily reduced. To strengthen the bonds of fellowship it was considered suitable for the church to hold an Annual Fellowship Supper. The first of these was to take place on January 19, 1978, under the organisation of Mrs. Watts.
Although occasionally there had to be the solemn discharge of church discipline, it was always a cause of sorrow to the church. New members always brought comfort and joy and their new gifts and it was not long before individuals were encouraged to put their gifts to the service of the Lord in the local church, such as when Mr. and Mrs. Philip Woodger were appointed as the new Junior Covenanter leaders, following the retirement of Mrs. M. Miles.
As financial gifts and givings for the work of the church continued to exceed the costs of the church's needs, it was proposed to the members that the church was in a position not only to cover the Pastor's expenses for the use of his car but to be responsible for buying him a car as the need was required. In response to this request the members agreed to have a Thanksgiving Day early in 1978 with a view to providing a car for the Pastor's use. The gift of £1,640.81 was given that day and Mr. Wicks said he felt confident that a suitable car could be purchased.
The joy of the church was profoundly felt, when on December 11, Ray Waite was baptised on profession of faith. His conversion bore remarkable testimony of the electing love and irresistible grace of God in drawing souls to Himself. Due to poor health his reception into membership was deferred for a number of weeks.
The church was ready to have the eldership increased and members were asked to give their written opinion on the suitability of Mr. Derek Richardson and Mr. Oliver Vellacott by January 29, 1978 for this office. The Council Members had agreed that members who lived away from Salisbury and those under eighteen would not have the privilege of voting. New members would be given the option to choose what they would rather do. The result obtained from these letters of recommendation was then brought to the Annual Church Meeting held in February 1978. Over seventy-five percent of submitted letters were in favour of both men. A Special Church Meeting was subsequently called for Friday, March 31, when church members were asked formally to express their support of these men for the eldership by voting. Both obtained over the required seventy-five percent support of the membership. When both men accepted the call of the church, the service of ordination was fixed for Saturday, June 10, when Pastor F.J. Harris was invited to preach.
May 1978 was indeed a happy month at Emmanuel Church, when three weddings took place! John and Carole Wicks, Peter and Helen Pike, and Peter and Hazel Holmes received the love and blessing of the congregation on their happy days.
A Young People's Training Day was considered profitable when on August 29, twelve young people met at the Manse to receive particular instruction from Mr. Watts on key doctrines associated with salvation. The three planned sessions merged into one and the young people present benefited from what they heard on regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification and glorification.
The church kitchen began slowly to take shape and by degrees various pieces of equipment were added to increase its usefulness. Mr. Thick had secured a Burco boiler and electric cooker and Neate's had been called upon to repair defective slates. This all proved most timely as the church began to appreciate the fellowship suppers, and in particular the ladies appreciated the facilities to help make the suppers enjoyable for all. A sum of £200 was allocated from the Treasurer to help with the purchase of smaller kitchen items such as cutlery and crockery. The later installation of a kitchen unit provided further ease for work in this area.
Following the appointment of Messrs. Richardson and Vellacott to the eldership there was a need for their vacancies to be replaced on the diaconate. The church accepted the proposal of co-opting Mr. David Radford to the position and postponed the second appointment until the church voted at the next A.G.M. With the extra duties set upon Mr. Richardson as an elder it was no longer possible for him to continue as Covenanter leader. Mr. Richard Ward took over here, with assistance secured from Mr. David Wort.
The Banner of Truth Trust had set up a book fund scheme to help promote the distribution of Reformed Christian literature among those working on the mission field and at home. Mr. Watts was favourably disposed towards this work and sought further information from Mr. Ian Murray (editor, 'Banner of Truth') before bringing it as a proposal to the church. A list was compiled of six pastors in England who might benefit from this scheme and whom the church would be happy to support. The Missionary Secretary created a separate fund for this work, and donations were sent to the Banner of Truth Trust who further added to the donations before sending books to these men.
This work would then be regularly supported by the church instead of the F.I.E.C. Home Missions. Resulting from this enterprise the idea was suggested of the possibility of starting a local Christian bookshop. Several obstacles eventually proved insurmountable, but consequent to these plans the idea of a church library developed and by the end of 1978 the outworking of such a library was entrusted to the charge of the Deacons.
Towards the end of the year the dilapidated Text Board outside the church building was in need of refurbishing and the unsuitability of the colour scheme of the Notice Board was brought to the attention of the Fabric Committee. Further help on this matter was sought from Mr. David Babey, a skilled worker in wood.
Along with this outside work, a suitable place was needed to attach a plaque, which the church had received permission from the city council to erect, commemorating the martyrdom of John Maundrel. John Maundrel, a farm worker, along with John Spicer, a stone mason, and William Coberley, a tailor, had been burned at the stake on March 24, 1556. This martyrdom, carried out in the reign of "Bloody Mary" and under the local supervision of John Capon, the avaricious and unprincipled bishop of Salisbury and the cruel and ruthless Judge Jeffrey, occurred just off St. Paul's roundabout in Salisbury (that area of Salisbury was known then as Fisherton Anger) some hundreds of yards from Emmanuel Church building.
The practicalities associated with erecting this plaque were protracted and assistance was sought from Mr. S.M. Houghton of Oxford regarding the exact wording of the inscription. Mr. Arthur Gauge, a stonemason in Salisbury, was engaged to make up the plaque.
The church continued to be blessed with new members and at the September Church Members' Meeting Mr. and Mrs. Neil Davis' application was approved along with that of Miss Linda Wiseman, who was transferring membership from another fellowship.
Further engagements in the fellowship were happily recorded between Mary Halsey and David Aspinall and between Margaret Bridge and David Wort. Regular updates were given in The Messenger magazine of those who had left Salisbury for work or study and so the blessings of fellowship within the church were known to those locally and further afield. The birth of Rebekah Joy on December 24 brought a blessed end to 1978 not only for Neil and Ruth Davis but for all at Emmanuel Church.