Above Bar Church, Southampton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Above Bar Church
Location	Above Bar Church 69 Above Bar Street Southampton SO14 7FE
Denomination	Independent (affiliated to Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches)
Website	www.abovebarchurch.org.uk
History
Founded	1876
Founder(s)	Henry Samuel Earl
Architecture
Architect(s)	Robert Potter of Brandt Potter Associates
Style	Modernist
Years built	1981

Above Bar Church is a Christian church in Southampton, England. It is part of the evangelical movement. The church is connected to the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches. You can find the building at the corner of Above Bar Street and Ogle Road. It has shops on the ground floor and the church rooms above them.

History of Above Bar Church

This section shares the story of Above Bar Church. It is based on a booklet called Past and Present. This booklet was published when the new church building opened in 1981.

How Above Bar Church Started

Above Bar Church began in 1876. A missionary named Henry Samuel Earl started it. He was from the Foreign Christian Missionary Society. Earl began preaching in February 1876. He used the Philharmonic Rooms on Above Bar Street. Over 700 people came to the first service. Even more came the next week, despite a snowstorm!

Soon, Henry Earl rented a small Baptist church. It was being used as a warehouse. He had it fixed up to seat over 300 people. The church quickly filled up on Sundays. Earl also started weeknight services and a Sunday School. The church officially began in August 1876. It had 33 members at first.

A man named Timothy Coop donated £3,000. This money helped buy land and build a new church. Earl bought a plot of land for £1,000. He also bought three more lots on Ogle Road for £300. One of these was a skating rink. Church volunteers took apart the skating rink. They used its bricks and windows for the new church building. This new building opened in 1880. In 1886, a Trust Deed was signed. It gave ownership of the church to its trustees.

Henry Earl stayed in Southampton for less than ten years. During this time, he baptized about 400 people. The church membership grew to over 100. Earl passed leadership to Aurelius Glidden. The church continued to grow. Over the next 25 years, six more ministers led the church. The church slowly became more independent. It relied less on the American Church of Christ.

Above Bar Church: 1912 to 1979

In 1912, Frederick Phillips became the new minister. He had been an electrical engineer. He had also pastored a mission church in Winchester. In 1917, the church fully separated from the American denomination. It chose to become independent. The church grew during World War I. By the early 1920s, it had 400 members. The congregations were much larger.

Phillips served as minister for 40 years. He retired in 1952 at age 82. He remembered when only 20 people came to the morning service. He said, "It is really wonderful how God has brought it up." Another minister noted how many people had become Christians there.

Leith Samuel took over after Frederick Phillips. He was minister for 27 years. Leith Samuel was a great speaker and Bible teacher. He focused on teaching the Bible clearly. This was a time of big changes for the church. It was renamed Above Bar Church. The church also became more involved in world missions. They started home Bible study groups. Assistant ministers and pastoral workers were also hired.

By the 1970s, the old church building was nearly 100 years old. It was in bad shape. In 1976, a large crack appeared in the ceiling. It would cost £150,000 to repair the building. Even then, it would still be an old, inflexible building. Developers had been interested in the church's location. A new plan came up. It suggested shops on the ground floor. The church would be above them. It would still have an entrance on Above Bar Street.

The church liked this idea. They hired Robert Potter as the architect. Royal Insurance helped pay for a large part of the building costs. The last service in the old building was on July 1, 1979.

Above Bar Church: After 1980

David Jackman became the Senior Minister in 1980. The new church building opened in 1981. It had much better facilities. The main church area was smaller, but it was well designed. The main room, called the auditorium, seats over 400 people. It was designed like an amphitheatre. The seats are angled towards the front. The ceiling is made of Columbian pine wood. The communion table is made of English elm wood. The basement area is about the same size as the old church hall. The top hall is much larger. The organ was built for the church in 1977–79. It was used in the old building for a few months before it was torn down.

In 1991, David Jackman left to start a training course. After about five years, Dr. John Balchin became Senior Minister in 1997. He retired in 2004. John Risbridger took over in September 2004. Other ministers joined the staff over the years. In September 2019, Chris Webb became the Minister for Discipleship. Paul Webber and John Risbridger later resigned. Jonathan Berry was appointed Senior Minister in July 2023. He officially started on September 16, 2023.

Images for kids

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  The exterior of Above Bar Church in Southampton.

See Also

• Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches
• Southampton