East Ham Baptist Church
Encyclopedia
East Ham
East Ham is a suburban district of London, England, and part of the London Borough of Newham. It is a built-up district located 8 miles east-northeast of Charing Cross...
, a mainly residential area of the London Borough of Newham
London Borough of Newham
The London Borough of Newham is a London borough formed from the towns of West Ham and East Ham, within East London.It is situated east of the City of London, and is north of the River Thames. According to 2006 estimates, Newham has one of the highest ethnic minority populations of all the...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
In 1895 the London Baptist Association (LBA) promoted services in East Ham, then a fast growing dormitory suburb. A temporary iron building at the corner of Katherine Road and Victoria Avenue housed the first congregation. R. Sloven became the first minister from 1896-1908.In 1901 the congregation moved to a new building in Plashet Grove with a 1000 seater sanctuary, surrounded by halls and rooms. By 1903, membership was 972, one of the strongest in the then East Ham Borough. In 1908, Charles Howe led a team of East Ham members to start Bonny Downes Baptist Church situated in the southern part of East Ham. He stayed there for 53 years!
Worship, preaching, programmes and activities continued under the leadership of F. Williams from 1909–1919 and then returning from 1925-1929 after the ministry of F.C.Buck (1919–1924). But the church weakened after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
(1914–1918), World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(1939–1945) and population movement.
The slow decline of the 1930s accelerated during the 1939-1945 war and continued inexorably through a succession of ministers and then lay pastors. Membership was 228 in 1941 and only 52 in 1951.
Modern congregation
Humphrey Vellacott came in 1967. His first morning congregation was 6, and 14 people in the evening. He left 100 members, a morning congregation of 150-200, evening 70-80, and a prayer and bible study of 50-60 of 'converts or restored back sliders' and a reshaped building and a team of young ministers working in East London Baptist churches.With the surrounding population changing fast through immigration, particularly from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, the congregation became multi-racial but continued to record a steady 100 membership from the 1980s into the 2000s.
Roy Scarsbrook, joined and followed Humphrey Vellacott in September 1993 staying until August 2000, emphasising evangelism and eventually becoming one of a group of supported overseas missionaries, as he went to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Tony Watts, a New Zealander, came initially for a six-month interim pastorate but stayed to 2008, and faced a transient situation within a multi-faith, multi-racial environment.
After a year without a minister, Jeremiah Dawood is the current minister of the church who took up this post in May 2009. The mission statement
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
of the church is : "East Ham Baptist Church is a multicultural, mission-focussed church. We seek to build up the body of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
by encouraging and equipping the members to find and exercise their gifts, and through this to touch the community both at home and abroad with the love of Christ."
List of Past Ministers
| Name | Dates |
|---|---|
| R. Sloven | 1896–1908 |
| F. Williams | 1909–1919 |
| F.C. Buck | 1919–1924 |
| F. Williams | 1925–1929 |
| Humphrey Vellacott | 1967–1985 |
| Roy Scarsbrook | 1993–2000 |
| Tony Watts | 2000–2008 |
| Jeremiah Dawood | 2009 - |