This the is second article in a series sharing the history of Kew Baptist Church, London. It was produced to be used by the church to reflect on God’s goodness over the 159 years of its existence. It formed the basis of a talk given on a Zoom call on 15 November 2020 at Kew Baptist Church, London. An audio recording of this talk is below.
Having been removed from Rehoboth Chapel in 1860, the 13 founding members of our church began meeting publicly as Salem Baptist Church on 1 December 1861. After starting in a small room on Church Walk, in 1863 due to increasing attendances, the church moved to meet at the Royal Assembly rooms. There they remained for almost 25 years until, through the generosity of church members, the association and other Christians, they were able to purchase property on a road called Parkshot, near Richmond Green. They began public services at Parkshot on 24 April 1888.
Today we are going to consider how the church developed over the subsequent 70 years. Given the nature of what occurred in these years, this part of our history could well be entitled ‘Prospering at Parkshot’. However, if you were only aware of how the church got on in the first few years at Parkshot, you might be forgiven for thinking that the period should more properly be called ‘Problems at Parkshot’.
The church originally bought the properties and terrace houses at 4 and 5 Parkshot, planning to demolish the houses in the future and construct a new building on the then cleared plot. Until they were able to complete this larger building project, they decided to raise a smaller chapel for the church to meet at in the gardens of the two houses. However, shortly after doing so, the owner of the neighbouring house at 3 Parkshot brought a legal action against the church, claiming £1,000 for the exclusion of light and air that they alleged the chapel caused to their own property. Though such an amount seems small today, £1000 in the late 1800s, using the wages of an average worker as a comparison, is by some estimations worth £500,000 today. This would almost certainly have been an impossible financial penalty for the church to pay if they lost the case. Faced with the prospect of a difficult neighbour, a lengthy legal battle and a significant claim, the church surely wondered what the future would hold. Perhaps in retrospect they even doubted whether they should have ever moved to Parkshot at all. And yet, as we shall see next week, God used these difficulties for the good not only of his people in Salem Baptist Church, but in countless other Grace Baptist churches as well.
In the end the church decided that the best course of action was to approach their neighbour and offer to purchase his property at 3 Parkshot in the same way that they had brought 4 and 5 Parkshot. This was only possible because a generous friend of the church, Mr W H Roberts, had offered to make a contribution towards such a settlement. The neighbour agreed to this proposal and soon the church had purchased an additional property. It appears that the immediate consequence of this was several years of financial difficulties for the church. It is perhaps notable that the church never did clear the plot and build a larger chapel as they had originally planned to do. Salem Baptist Church was only able to pass through these financial difficulties due to the generosity of other Christians. Mr W H Roberts, the same man who had helped them purchase 3 Parkshot to settle the claim, made a gift of £200 for the poor and needy in the church. While Mr Thomas Robinson left the property at 6 Parkshot, along with a substantial amount of cash, to the church in his will. Therefore, in the end, through a mixture of the generosity of other Christians and the fallout of the legal dispute, Salem Baptist Church had acquired the whole row of houses: 3, 4, 5 and 6 Parkshot. Twice as much land as they had ever planned to purchase in Richmond! Next week we shall see how God used and continues to use this unintended investment to have such a positive impact on his people. However, at this stage we can say this much is clear, there are no accidents or unintended consequences with God. He works all things, including what initially seem like bad things, for our good and his glory.
If that is the story of the property of Salem Baptist Church, what about the people themselves? In what ways did the church spiritually prosper at Parkshot? I mentioned last week that in 1867 the church called its first pastor, Mr Griffin. From the time Mr Griffin left until 1909, four other men served the church as pastor, each only staying for a short period: Mr Carpenter, Mr Joseph Hall, Mr P Samson and Mr H J Wileman. However, in 1909, a young man called Josiah Hughes was called by the church and would shepherd them for a span of 34 years. These years appear to have been remembered fondly by those who were part of the church at that time. Mr Hughes was described as ‘an affectionate pastor, a truthful preacher and a feeder of the lambs’. During his ministry, a total of 66 members joined the church, an average of around two each year. Alongside the long ministry of Mr Hughes, four deacons also served together for more than 20 years during this period. However, this era was eventually brought to an end in 1943 when Mr Hughes decided that after 34 years it was necessary for him to retire from the role.
In 1944 a new pastor, Mr S G Purkiss, was appointed, having previously been pastor of Enon Chapel, Woolwich. Mr Purkiss remained at the church for 13 years until his ministry was brought to an end when he died unexpectedly. I understand he was virtually taken to glory from the pulpit during the church’s 95thanniversary services. In 1958, Mr Robert C. Smith began a ministry that took the church beyond its 100thanniversary in 1961. Once again, the church at Parkshot appeared to prosper in these years, with 22 members being added within the first four years of Mr Smith’s ministry. Not only that, but it seems that a number of members who had passed on from Parkshot for various reasons became leaders in and servants of other Grace Baptist churches. In this way, Salem Baptist Church was used by God to spiritually strengthen many other congregations over the years.
As we reflect back on this period, which competes the first 100 years of the church’s history, it is important that we acknowledge that all the good that came during these years is ultimately to be attributed to God. This is particularly true when we reflect on those pastors who God gave to shepherd his sheep at Salem. The 34 year ministry of Mr Hughes may have been a special time in the church’s history, but ultimately what Paul said of himself in 1 Corinthians 3:4–7 is just as true of every other servant God uses for the success of his kingdom: ‘For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.’
ALEXANDER ARRELL