Honor Oak Christian Fellowship Centre
Encyclopedia
The Honor Oak Christian Fellowship & Conference Centre, generally known as the Christian Fellowship Centre or Honor Oak, was a Christian conference and training facility located on Honor Oak Road in south-east London
. The centre was the ministry base for its founder, the British
evangelist
and writer, T. Austin-Sparks, who had previously been the minister of the Honor Oak Baptist
Church from 1921 to 1926.
Austin-Sparks became increasingly sought as a conference speaker in England and the United States
because of his involvement with the Overcomer Testimony of Jessie Penn-Lewis
. This, coupled with the fact that the Baptist Union frowned on his "interdenominational" efforts, created the need for a large enough facility to accommodate Christian gatherings, as well as the future publication work of The Witness and Testimony Literature Trust, Austin-Sparks' publishing operation.
In 1926, Austin-Sparks and part of the congregation of the Honor Oak Baptist Church moved to Forest Hill House on Honor Oak Road, which had previously been a boys' boarding school. The new facility was called, “The Honor Oak Christian Fellowship and Conference Centre.” The purpose of the facility was as a “Bible Training Hostel and Conference Centre.”
and Plymouth Brethren
ministers.
Hospitality and catering for the conferences were provided by the adjacent Guest House as well as in neighbouring homes. The assembly hall was expected to accommodate for the public meetings “between 150 and 200 persons somewhat cramped,” but the lower figure of 150 was in fact the upper limit and the success of the conferences soon called for more space, and in 1932 a small extension of the hall eastward added some 30 more seats.
In 1927, the Witness and Testimony Publishers was formed at the Centre. The Publishers issued transcriptions of conference addresses and sermons, mostly by T. Austin-Sparks, but included also titles by some ten of his co-workers. From 1932 to 1965, printing was done on-site by Gordon Thompson (died in 2007) in the Centre's basement. Eventually a total of 140 titles in all were published, about one third being substantial books, many of which are still available. Like the magazine, the operations of The Witness & Testimonys book publishing also ceased with the Editor’s death in 1971.
Algernon J. Pollock
wrote a critique of the Honor Oak Christian Fellowship. Copies available from the two Brethren archives: JRULM CBA and Edwin Cross' archive Chapter Two.
E. J. Poole-Conner as wrote a critique called "The Teaching and Influence of 'Honor Oak'" prefaced by Stephen F. Olford and Tom Rees.
, Asia
and South America
. Some were specially privileged to work supportively under national leaders in areas where new and original Christian work was developing. Trainees from Europe
returned to ministry in their homelands.
Because the Trust’s interests majored in this way on wider parties and movements, the ’local’ church remained ill-defined. As a matter of agreed principle it had no formal membership and no written constitution. For the next 30 years its ’members’ were content, by prayer, giving and hospitality, to serve the Centre’s overriding world vision and ministry.
Today, the site of the Honor Oak Christian Fellowship & Conference Centre is leased to Operation Mobilization by the Witness and Testimony Literature Trust.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The centre was the ministry base for its founder, the British
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...
evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
and writer, T. Austin-Sparks, who had previously been the minister of the Honor Oak Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church from 1921 to 1926.
Austin-Sparks became increasingly sought as a conference speaker in England and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
because of his involvement with the Overcomer Testimony of Jessie Penn-Lewis
Jessie Penn-Lewis
Jessie Penn-Lewis was a Welsh evangelical speaker and author of a number of Christian evangelical works.-Early life:Penn-Lewis was born in Victoria Terrace, Neath in 1861. Her father was a Methodist minister...
. This, coupled with the fact that the Baptist Union frowned on his "interdenominational" efforts, created the need for a large enough facility to accommodate Christian gatherings, as well as the future publication work of The Witness and Testimony Literature Trust, Austin-Sparks' publishing operation.
In 1926, Austin-Sparks and part of the congregation of the Honor Oak Baptist Church moved to Forest Hill House on Honor Oak Road, which had previously been a boys' boarding school. The new facility was called, “The Honor Oak Christian Fellowship and Conference Centre.” The purpose of the facility was as a “Bible Training Hostel and Conference Centre.”
Conferences
From 1926, the new facility became a centre for long-weekend preaching conferences for the "deepening of the spiritual life". These conferences took place monthly in the first few years, and later five times a year, drawing people from widely in Britain and Europe. In this work T. Austin-Sparks was joined full-time and long-term at the Centre by a team of gifted men from other church backgrounds, ranging from Anglican clergy to BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
and Plymouth Brethren
Plymouth Brethren
The Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. Although the group is notable for not taking any official "church name" to itself, and not having an official clergy or liturgy, the title "The Brethren," is...
ministers.
Hospitality and catering for the conferences were provided by the adjacent Guest House as well as in neighbouring homes. The assembly hall was expected to accommodate for the public meetings “between 150 and 200 persons somewhat cramped,” but the lower figure of 150 was in fact the upper limit and the success of the conferences soon called for more space, and in 1932 a small extension of the hall eastward added some 30 more seats.
Literature
The conference speaking was preserved and widely circulated in the magazine, A Witness and a Testimony, which was published at the Centre. This was mailed out from the Centre six times a year. It was sent gratuitously on request and was supported by unsolicited gifts from its readers. It would in due course grow to a worldwide distribution of 3000+ and would continue in demand until the editor’s decease in 1971.In 1927, the Witness and Testimony Publishers was formed at the Centre. The Publishers issued transcriptions of conference addresses and sermons, mostly by T. Austin-Sparks, but included also titles by some ten of his co-workers. From 1932 to 1965, printing was done on-site by Gordon Thompson (died in 2007) in the Centre's basement. Eventually a total of 140 titles in all were published, about one third being substantial books, many of which are still available. Like the magazine, the operations of The Witness & Testimonys book publishing also ceased with the Editor’s death in 1971.
Algernon J. Pollock
Algernon J. Pollock
Algernon James Pollock was an evangelist and writer from the Plymouth Brethren movement.Pollock was born October 14 1864 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He made a profession of faith in Christ at the age of 11, and was introduced to John Nelson Darby at the age of 15. Pollock married Elsie Madeleine May...
wrote a critique of the Honor Oak Christian Fellowship. Copies available from the two Brethren archives: JRULM CBA and Edwin Cross' archive Chapter Two.
E. J. Poole-Conner as wrote a critique called "The Teaching and Influence of 'Honor Oak'" prefaced by Stephen F. Olford and Tom Rees.
Training Programme
Before long a group of young candidates came into residence for full-time study and practical training. The programme would from time to time be extended to include also non-resident part-time students or employed people on shorter and less formally structured intensive courses. Many of these trainees went on to Christian work in Britain, or overseas in AfricaAfrica
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...
, 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...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Some were specially privileged to work supportively under national leaders in areas where new and original Christian work was developing. Trainees from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
returned to ministry in their homelands.
Church Services
One vital ingredient in student training was felt to be regular participation in church life, a feature unavailable in more established Bible School training. Thus, Sunday worship and other ’church activities’ were maintained at the Centre, as a spiritual backing in prayer and testimony for the Centre’s larger work, and as a provision for more than locally-resident worshippers.Because the Trust’s interests majored in this way on wider parties and movements, the ’local’ church remained ill-defined. As a matter of agreed principle it had no formal membership and no written constitution. For the next 30 years its ’members’ were content, by prayer, giving and hospitality, to serve the Centre’s overriding world vision and ministry.
Later years
With the death of T. Austin-Sparks in 1971, the Centre's activity was greatly reduced. The Witness and a Testimony magazine was terminated, as well as the printing of books under that imprint. From 1972 to 1987, a similar magazine Toward the Mark, edited by Austin-Sparks colleague, Harry Foster, was distributed from the Centre. To this day, a complete archive of Austin-Sparks' publications, magazine, books, and booklets is preserved there by the Witness and a Testimony Literature Trust.Today, the site of the Honor Oak Christian Fellowship & Conference Centre is leased to Operation Mobilization by the Witness and Testimony Literature Trust.