OUR HISTORY
GENESIS
Services Commence in Public Hall
20th May 1923
Church formed
28th Feb 1924
Stone Laying
3rd March 1925
Opening
31st May 1925
ISLE OF THANET GAZETTE AND THANET TIMES
7th March 1925
BAPTIST PIONEERS – THEIR SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS AT BIRCHINGTON
Stone-laying of a New Church. After having had to worship in temporary buildings for the past hundred years, the Baptist Denomination at Birchington is building a fine building in Crescent Road on land that has been given for that purpose.
The history of the Baptist cause in this growing town, as presented by the Rev. Percy A. Clements, H.C.F. Margate), at the stone-laying on Tuesday, savours of the romance of pioneer work.
It began a century ago in a little wooden building opposite Yew Tree House, and there lives an old lady in Birchington today who was one of the regular worshippers in this hut.
The church had no regular Minister, and had to rely upon local preachers sent from St Peter’s for the delivery of the Gospel.
In 1857 the wooden building was given up, and the worshippers migrated to an iron chapel, where the services were carried on under much the same conditions as before, so far as the ministry was concerned.
Then the iron building fell into disrepair, and the little Baptist Church had to find a new place in which to hold their services.
For a while they assembled in the Cinema Hall; during the summer they worshipped in a tent; and recently, through the broad-minded spirit of the Vicar (the Rev.H.A. Serres, M.A.) they have had the use of the Church Institute.
Through all these vicissitudes the Baptist Community have not only held together, but increased in numbers, and now, with a substantial building to worship in, and under the Pastoral oversight of the Rev. Percy A. Clements, they are looking forward, not only to the end of all their difficulties, but to a great forward movement.
THE MOVE
Move to Station Road
September 2010
Free Church – Free Church
Birchington Baptist Church has been given a new building.
In September 2008 a local evangelical church closed, and offered their premises to the Baptist Church – as a gift. This included the premises and all the contents.
The Minister, Revd Bob Goode said, “The offer from Cornerstone Church was absolutely overwhelming, and we
thank God for it. We will be holding our morning services at the new church, as we need the space, and our evening services will still be on familiar ground in our other church building in Crescent Road”. The Baptists have been meeting in the Crescent Road church since 1924.
In June they held their first morning service in the new premises, starting with a noisy procession between the two buildings. The church is already used for a weekly evening club for 7-11 year olds, and they are looking forward to it being used much more, including a parent and toddler group and a drop in centre.
The premises opened as a Public Hall in 1902, and since then has been a cinema, night club, bingo hall and social club, until it became home for the Cornerstone church in 2000. A couple of weeks before the opening, the church discovered they had gone full circle. In 1923 the Baptist church began with a series of evening meeting in the Public Hall. Bob said “Some folk found the idea that we were ‘coming home’ to be a real help at a time of change?”
MINISTERS
1925-1931
Rev Percy A. Clements (Hon)
(Minister of Cecil Square, Margate)
1931-1937
Mr E. J. Hayward
1938-1940
Rev P. A. Clements (Hon)
Rev. L. C. Emberson Pastoral Superintendent
1947-1948
Rev. L. C. Seymour
1948-1951
Mr. Oscar Smart (Called Rev.)
1951-1978
Rev. Harcourt Samuel (Hon)
1978-1986
Rev. John D. Sanderson
1988-2006
Rev. Chris Young
2008-2022
Rev. Bob Goode
2023 >
Rev. Glyn Watson