By John and Angela Magee. Part of a series of articles on the History of Emmanuel Church in Salisbury.
The Annual Church Meeting for 1979 was held on March 1 and proved to be one in which many new aspects to the life of the church needed voicing. Sixty-two members were present, with only eight being unable to attend. Although the church still subscribed to the F.I.E.C. Declaration of Faith, it was felt that the Declaration's position on the infallibility of the Bible was rather weak and that Emmanuel Church held a more clearly defined position on this important doctrine. However, it was not felt that it was yet the right time for any action concerning this matter.
Following the financial report and the acknowledgement of an increase in income during the previous year, it was proposed that the church increase its missionary giving once again to twenty-five percent. This received full support from the members present.
At the election of deacons, Messrs. Richard Ward and Chris Lee were newly appointed to the office.
The church had many causes for thanksgiving regarding its membership and not least that it was still growing. Mr. and Mrs. David Babey and Mr. and Mrs. John Aves had their applications for membership accepted. It was not long before Mr. Aves began visitation in the area near his home in the hope of inviting people to a Book Evening. Such interest in evangelistic work did not go unnoticed and he was soon asked to join the Evangelistic Committee. Prayer was asked particularly for Mr. and Mrs. Peter Holt as they prepared for the arrival of a little girl from the Church of England Children's Society. The planned wedding of Steve St. John and Loreen Chin was mentioned as a particular matter for church support and prayer, in particular for Loreen and the great responsibilities she would be taking on in looking after Steve's children.
Members were encouraged to work alongside St. Paul's Church, Salisbury (an evangelical Anglican church), as they had previously done at the end of December 1978, with the intention of inviting the residents of Salisbury to special church services.
Further work was required to the Manse, and in particular more space was needed for the study. Wessex Designs had been asked to provide a plan and this involved a sufficient extension, not only to enlarge the study, but ultimately to enable meetings and interviews to be held there. The members were happy to approve this request.
A prolonged and impassioned debate was then entered into regarding the pews in the church building. Some were in favour of cushions being provided for them while others felt the pews should be removed and replaced by individual chairs. It was not possible to reach an agreement at this meeting and the matter was left to the Council Members for further consideration.
When the Church Council Members met at their monthly meeting in May it was considered timely to separate the elders' and deacons' meetings so that both offices could be exercised to meet Biblical requirements. The decision-making for the Fabric Committee would also be taken by the diaconate.
A letter was sent by Mr. Wicks, on behalf of all the church members, to Pastor Frank Lawes (Bulford Congregational Chapel) on his retirement, conveying good wishes to him.
As a result of the A.G.M. being considerably longer than usual, a request had been put to the Church Council to consider a way of modifying this meeting. The outcome from this was that members would thenceforth receive a financial statement prior to the A.G.M., reducing time spent discussing the finances of the church.
Mr. Royle submitted a letter of resignation as Missionary Secretary to the Church Council in June and expressed an interest in being more involved in evangelistic work. Mr. Warman was approached to carry on the excellent work done by Mr. Royle over many years and, after prayerful consideration, he graciously accepted this role. The members at the June Church Meeting were happy to confirm Mr. Warman as the new Missionary Secretary. Changes had also taken place among youth work leaders and helpers and the various changes seemed to be working out well. Mrs. Linda Wiseman was happy to work with the Jucos. Mr. Julian Hollick had taken over as Youth Treasurer and Mr. Eddie Colmer (recently married to Miss Jean Osmond) was working as a Sabbath School teacher.
Mr. St. John was now secretary of the Evangelistic Committee and gave updates on what the church was doing in this work as well as reminding members to be prayerfully and actively involved. The Evangelism Evening organised by Mr. St. John at the end of March had provided new insights. The speakers on that occasion had been Hugh and Ginny O'Connor from Wimborne and the subject was, "Using our Homes for the Lord".
The church had an annual F.I.E.C. Fellowship Week which was used as an opportunity for being informed of the work of F.I.E.C. and of giving them financial support. In 1979 a circular letter was distributed by F.I.E.C. to their supporting churches outlining plans to expand their work. This expansion was known as "Evangelistic Impact". The desire was to extend the administrative work, increase their literature for distribution, and develop a Gospel broadcasting radio service. Reservations were expressed concerning the latter part of these plans and support from Emmanuel Church was to be specifically designated to administration and home evangelism. A radio ministry could compromise the local church and therefore was not to be pursued.
Guest preachers had been secured for 1980 and were made known to the members at the June Church Meeting. New and familiar preachers were to be welcomed, including Rev. Roger Clarke, Rev. Andrew Davies (Chessington), Mr. H. J.W. Legerton, Pastor John Thackway, and Rev. Harry Waite (Thornton Heath).
The 1979 Romsey Convention, which was held 13-15 June, received support from some of the members at Emmanuel Church. The history of this convention was given in the Messenger Magazine June-July 1979 edition:
Why do Christians go to Romsey?
On 17th July, 1874 some 100 guests assembled at Broadlands at the invitation of Hon. William Cowper-Temple, Lord Palmerston's stepson and heir. They came together for a week to explore "the scriptural possibilities of faith in the daily life of the Christian, so as to maintain communion with God and victory over all known sin." The Keswick Convention starting in consequence in 1875 became much better known. Since 1961 Christians of all denominations meet annually in the grounds of Broadlands to sit under the Word of God for precisely the same reasons as prompted at the original gathering. 1
Plans for the proposed library came to fruition at the Deacons' Meeting on June 26. Mr. Watts provided a list of suitable books, and with the addition of the Intervarsity Fellowship Bible Dictionary and Young's Concordance, this list was approved for purchase. All in regular attendance at the church were welcome to borrow books for up to one month at a time. Mr. Chris Lee was appointed librarian.
In the Messenger Magazine October-November 1979 edition, he introduced the library to the readers as follows:
The church now possesses a collection of some twenty volumes which will form the basis of the new library. The initial aim has been to provide a source of useful reference material on 'things theological', to assist in private study and in preparation for teaching and preaching.
Do not be put off by the terms 'reference' or 'theological' and assume that the library is to cater only for specimens of that fanatical beast, the 'Christian Bookworm'. Many of the books purchased are eminently readable, stimulating, and a source of spiritual food.2
Attendance at the midweek Bible study had dropped noticeably over the second half of the year and it was necessary for Mr. Watts to draw attention to this at the September Church Meeting, pointing out that only twenty-four people had attended the night before. The Prayer Meeting was to be considered the power-house of the church, and failure to support it was failure altogether.
As the church continued to support the Slavic Gospel Association, it was encouraging for the Society to witness nearly 200 people from around the British Isles, including 7 from Emmanuel Church, gathered together for their Annual Conference in Worthing. It proved a blessed time, with moving accounts given of the trials experienced by many Christians living in countries that remain hostile to the Gospel. The preached Word and the fellowship with these brethren left profound impressions upon many. At the close of the Conference the cause of the Gospel in this part of the world was commended to the prayers of all.
It was decided at the October Deacons' Meeting that the church should commence a pension and life insurance scheme for Mr. Watts. The insurance on the Manse was also revised following the completion of the extension work.
Twenty-two copies of Pastor Al Martin's booklet on marriage had been ordered. It was hoped to distribute these to married couples in the church.
Mr. Watts also brought to the meeting his recently completed writing entitled "The Covenant of Works", having received requests from some to have them put into booklet form. He expressed the hope that this could be soon printed. He hoped to be able to obtain an estimate for such a project. This was requested from Wilton Graphics via the assistance of Mr. St. John.
Suitable shelving had been erected in the vestibule to accommodate storage of the hymnbooks and the work was very much appreciated.
The ongoing need to see Reformed Christian literature made available to ministers and Christians remained a frequent cause of discussion at the church officers' meetings. A gift of £200 was made via the Banner of Truth Book Fund to the library at Stapleford House, which was a teachers' conference centre. It was also hoped, at a more convenient financial time, to give support to the Evangelical Press Missionary Trust, who were planning to extend their Christian publishing work overseas.
There was an urgent need for financial support for the Cambodian Refugee Relief and the church gave generously to this cause being mindful of the blessings that accompany faithful stewardship and sacrificial giving. The church officers sanctioned an immediate gift of £500 via TEAR Fund with another £500 to be sent following the approval of the members at the December meeting.
When Mr. and Mrs. Bill Norton moved from Southampton to Salisbury they made application to join Emmanuel Church. Their application was brought before the members at the December meeting and was unanimously approved. Mr. Paul Thick applied for baptism and church membership and his application was also accepted.
Visitation work was organised once again with St. Paul's Church for the end of the year and it was hoped that members from the community could be encouraged to attend church services. Gospel influences continued to be disseminated in Salisbury.
An encouragement for any church body at the start of a new year must surely be to see the Lord blessing that work and adding to the body of believers. At the A.G.M. of 21 February, 1980, the application of seven individuals to join the church was brought before the membership for approval, and had accepted. Those seeking to join Emmanuel Church at this time were Mr. and Mrs. Sam Burns, Miss Janice Babey, Miss Christine Essen, Miss Rosamund Wolferstan, Miss Sarah Vellacott, and Mr. Steven Woodger.
Mr. and Mrs. Burns had a particular interest in the work of Tear Fund as their son David was a worker with the organisation in Pakistan. At the end of January 1980 Mrs. Burns went out to Pakistan for two months to assist with their office work.
Emmanuel Church remained avidly committed to the Biblical practice of supporting missionary work and was ever mindful of the need to assist new causes where the Gospel was faithfully proclaimed. It was hoped that an interest would resonate among the church members at the February Members' Meeting concerning the work of Miss Christine Mills. Christine had gone out to Malawi in 1966 with the Africa Evangelical Fellowship and received the support of her home church, Uxbridge Road Tabernacle, London, where she and her parents were members. Her sister, Beryl Thick, had often given reports of Christine's work in Malawi to the brethren at Emmanuel and a keen interest had developed in the progress of the Gospel in this needy country. Christine's home letters of what the Lord was doing in Malawi were often recorded in the Messenger Magazine.
What sort of a picture do the following words paint for you? - heat, humidity, withering maize crops, hunger, anxiety. So far, the rain this season has not amounted to much, and this has been a matter of great concern to many people. But the Lord has been making His power and presence known to His people. A few Sundays ago, as we sat in church, and literally 'dripped' our way through the service in temperatures well into the 90's, much prayer went up to God that He would supply the rain we so desperately needed. That afternoon, in a near-by village the chief began to organize a sacrifice of food stuffs to the rain god, but the Christians refused to co-operate. The chief was humiliated, and said in his anger: "All right - no sacrifice, no rain!" That night, at 9 p.m., the rain began to fall and continued for 6 hours.3
Christine had endeared herself in the hearts of many at Emmanuel Church and the church was united in its desire to financially support her work and to meet her needs, as the Lord enabled.
Another area of the church's missionary support was highlighted in the same issue of the Messenger Magazine (April-May 1980) when Sarah Vellacott gave a detailed report of the Slavic Gospel Association Youth Conference 1980, held at Barnes Close, a large country house near Birmingham. Eight young people from Emmanuel Church were among the many young people who attended this conference. The accounts of the trials and persecutions of Christians in these countries left many attending the conference convicted of the need to be more earnest in prayer for the persecuted Church of Christ and to endeavour to give practical support.
To enhance meetings taken by missionary visitors the church officers agreed to the purchase of a slide projector with responsibility for the care of the equipment resting with Mr. Warman, the Missionary Secretary.
Evangelism at home continued to occupy the prayers of many as ways were sought to bring the Gospel to the city of Salisbury. A combined leaflet distribution with members from St. Paul's Church had received a good response. The evangelistic suppers continued to prove encouraging. A good number of visitors had attended the second supper held by the church on 1 April, 1980.
Mr. St. John had provided a Market Bookstall on the Saturday of the Anniversary Weekend and the Lord had blessed this outreach as individuals came and purchased Christian books from him. He hoped to eventually secure this arrangement on a permanent basis.
Because of the Open Air Services we are known by some of those responsible for the Market's supervision. One in particular thought the Market could do with a permanent stall selling Christian books. With their enthusiasm impressed upon our minds, we have again tried to obtain such a stall, but the door remains firmly shut. However, God not only ordains the powers that be, He also answers prayer, and we look to Him.4
A new church notice board and text board were to be provided on the exterior wall of the church building. The notice board was to be headed "Emmanuel Evangelical Church" and details of services given. The adjoining text board was to contain suitable portions from the Scriptures.
An invitation was extended to the Mayor of Salisbury to attend a worship service at Emmanuel Church. He and his wife attended on May 4 and, following this visit, a letter of thanks was sent to the church.
The general pattern of the work of the church was one of moving forward and of making progress. However, occasional pauses in this work were experienced when duties were transferred from one individual to another. In the first half of 1980 Mr. Halsey retired as Church Secretary and was replaced by Mr. Osmond, while Mr. Lee took on the duties of the Minute Secretary.
Mrs. J. Colmer relinquished the work of typist, duplicator, and collator of the Messenger Magazine. After some thought it was considered best to divide this work. Mrs. R. Babey took on the task of typist and Miss M. Berry and Mrs. C. Osmond became responsible for duplicating and compiling articles. Mr. French continued in the work of Magazine Secretary. Mr. and Mrs. C. Lee were appointed as Assistant Editors, with the overall editorial responsibility resting with Mr. Watts.
Mr. Coker expressed a wish no longer to have responsibility for the church bookstall and, as the role of the library was increasing in prominence, the benefits of both resources were merged into one under the care of the Church Librarian, Mr. Christopher Lee.
Mr. Berry stepped down from the work of the tape ministry and was succeeded in this by Mr. Ward with assistance from his wife, Ruth. Mr. Richardson took over the responsibility for teaching the "Covie" class on Sabbath mornings.
There was a growing concern over the influence of cults in the Salisbury area and of the need to know how best to oppose the false teachings propagated by these organisations. To help church members develop a better understanding of these challenging issues a training evening on Jehovah's Witnesses was organised by Mr. St. John during the late autumn and proved very helpful for future outreach work. Mr. Ray Coker had also produced a useful book on the Jehovah's Witnesses which was distributed prior to the meeting .
When Miss Hope Rutherfoord returned from an extended visit to her home country of South Africa the church members were so happy to have her among them again that they held a "Welcome Home" tea for her on June 15, 1980. Her return coincided with a visit home, from Malawi, that Christine Mills was making and so the tea became a joint celebratory occasion.
Hope Rutherfoord gave a moving account of some of her experiences in South Africa, especially the pressing need for the Gospel to reach this land. She explained how the Dorothea Mission had been founded with a vision for the conversion of these people, especially in Soweto, the "boiling pot" of South Africa. The encounter she had with Celia Cooledge, a young Welsh woman labouring with a team of African Christians, made a profound impression upon Miss Rutherfoord, and gave her much cause for thankfulness as she learned of God's blessings upon this work. This report was subsequently included in the Messenger Magazine so that a wider audience benefited from her experiences.
In November, at the church officers' monthly meeting, Mr. Vellacott shared with the officers how he believed the Lord had been leading him to establish a work in Wilton, a neighbouring village, some 5 miles west of Salisbury. Mr. Vellacott was so convinced about establishing this work that he had placed an offer on Wilton Town Hall, which was then for sale. The Town Council had accepted Mr. Vellacott's offer and the purchase of the property was proceeding towards completion for early December. Mr. Vellacott's action had come as a surprise to all present at that meeting on November 11. It was felt that more consideration and prayer could have taken place concerning this action.
At the same meeting it was disclosed that Mr. Radford had been appointed to the position of Associate Secretary in the U.C.C.F. ( Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship) and was expected to start in this new role on the following January 1. This meant that he would have to resign his position of Church Deacon after the end of November. Mr. Radford preceded his wife Linda and daughter Sarah in going to Leicester and returned at the end of January to receive the good wishes of the fellowship at Emmanuel at a farewell tea on January 25. At his last Church Members' Meeting he was presented with a gift of books as an expression of appreciation for the work he had faithfully engaged in for many years. (It was a while before the Radford family felt settled in their new work and so they retained their membership at Emmanuel Church despite living so far away.) Mr. Bill Norton was co-opted to the position of Church Treasurer.
At the December Church Members' Meeting the relationship between the members at Emmanuel Church and the new work in Wilton had to be defined. Mr. Vellacott requested that he be released from the Eldership at Emmanuel Church and that he and his family be released from church membership. He hoped to take charge of this new work in Wilton as an independent Gospel work. The decision was made that release from membership was to be considered at a future date when Mr. Vellacott and his family would be able to join in membership at what was hoped to become Wilton Baptist Church.
An Ordination Service was held for Mr. Vellacott at Emmanuel Church on March 7, 1981. Wilton Baptist Church had an Opening Service on April 11, 1981, with Mr. Sam Burns, a former director of the S.I.M. (and then current member of Emmanuel Church), as the guest speaker.
Mr. Vellacott was assured of prayerful support from Emmanuel Church as he entered into this new work. He was also presented with a cheque and a gift of books at the A.G.M. on March 5, 1981. Subsequently, a few members from Emmanuel Church joined in membership at Wilton Baptist Church. That church continues to have a witness in the village, but it has not retained Reformed doctrine and practice.
The work of Missionary Secretary was one in which Mr. Tom Warman demonstrated exemplary zeal. The need for financial and prayer support for the spread of the Gospel was keenly felt by him and he devoted much time to considering the most suitable causes to support and the most prudent way of distributing the Missionary funds. Mr. Warman attended the Deacon's Meeting on January 13, 1981, to propose ways of advancing the support of missionary work at Emmanuel Church. The discussion concluded with the hope of increasing the missionary givings above the then present 25% and of considering giving intermittent gifts to individual missionaries known to the church.
Mr. St. John also joined this meeting for the discussion on the evangelism of the Church . He and some others from Emmanuel Church had an interest in the Ichthus Project, which was a book ministry run on Saturdays at Brown Street Baptist Church Hall in Salisbury. As the bookshop needed new premises and was open to considering means of support, Mr. St. John wondered whether this was a work that Emmanuel Church might engage in. He also knew that the Blythswood Tract Society was willing to visit Salisbury to assess the prospects of getting involved. The Diaconate was reluctant to make any commitment without further enquires being pursued by Mr. St. John. Regretfully, later unanticipated complexities developed, thwarting the outworking of these hopes.
The power of the Gospel continued to be proved yearly as new conversions were witnessed and those professing faith went through the waters of baptism. The 1981 A.G.M. recorded a membership of 81 and a request for baptism and membership by the following new believers: Mr. Simon Thick, Mr. Jonathan Martin, Miss Esther Buckley, and Mrs. Doreen Payne.
The circulation of the Messenger Magazine increased considerably in its first decade. Four hundred copies were produced on a bi-monthly basis with some being distributed as far afield as Indonesia, Malawi, Nigeria, Bhutan, and Thailand. Many editions were passed from one individual to another, thus enlarging the range of its distribution. Over forty ministers were recipients of the magazine and the bonds of fellowship between Emmanuel Church and the Messenger readers were highly valued.
A series of evangelistic meetings were planned for the summer period of 1981. These meetings were preceded by visitation and the distribution of 2000 leaflets in the homes surrounding the church area. The four addresses given were as follows:
These meetings were well attended with many expressing an interest in the topics discussed. In the light of the encouragements at these meetings, a further series of evangelistic addresses were planned for the autumn.
Mr. St. John remained irrepressible in his attempts to establish a means of distributing sound Christian books among the people of Salisbury and was able to report at the Members' Meeting on October 1st that the bookstall he had provided for the Mayor's Fayre (on the August Bank Holiday) had yielded encouraging results.
It was a very encouraging afternoon; several very interesting contacts were made, and much free literature was taken, covering such things as the Moonies, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christianity and Islam, as well as gospel tracts and booklets. During the afternoon about £40 worth of Bibles, books and leaflets were sold or given away.5
The Missionary Weekend held on October 10 and 11 was led by Mr. Bob Hunt, a lecturer at All Nations Christian College, Hertfordshire . He had with him a student from the college, Paul Chisala, who had come from Zambia to study there. Together they brought messages relating to the Biblical principles of missionary work, the witness and work of All Nations College, and a personal testimony from Mr. Chisala of God's dealings with him and his church and family in Zambia. Christians were encouraged not to grow weary in supporting the spread of the Gospel but to possess an indefatigable spirit in advancing the Kingdom.
[1] Anthony Miles, ed. "Why do Christians go to Romsey?", Messenger Magazine, June-July 1979.
[2] Chris Lee, "Emmanuel Church Library", Messenger Magazine October-November 1979.
[3] Christine Mills, "Missionary Matters", Messenger Magazine April-May 1980.
[4] Steven St. John, "Evangelism". Messenger Magazine October-November 1981.
[5] Steven St. John, "Salisbury Mayor's Fun Day 1981", Messenger Magazine October-November 1981.