Adelaide Place Baptist Church facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adelaide Place Baptist Church
Adelaide Place Baptist Church
Location	Glasgow
Country	Scotland
Denomination	Baptist
History
Founded	1829
Architecture
Functional status	In use

Adelaide Place Baptist Church is a Baptist church in Glasgow, Scotland. It is located in the Charing Cross area. The church gets its name from "Adelaide Place," which was the old name for this part of Bath Street. The church started in 1829, and its current building was finished in 1877. This church has been very important in the history of Baptist churches in Scotland. It has also led many projects to help people and care for the community. It is connected to the Baptist Union of Scotland.

History of the Church

The church began in 1829 with Reverend James Paterson. He was the first pastor. They started in a small rented room in Glasgow. As more people joined, the church moved to a bigger hall. In 1835, they moved into their own church building on Hope Street. This building is now part of Glasgow Central Station.

Later, in the 1870s, the church decided to build a new home. This new building was on Adelaide Place, which is now part of Bath Street. The church moved into this new building in 1876. Another part of the church was started in the early 1880s in Maryhill.

Helping with Education

When the church was on Hope Street, it offered evening classes. These classes taught basic subjects to people. These classes slowly stopped as Scotland introduced public schools for everyone.

In 1846, Dr. Paterson, the church's first pastor, helped start the Glasgow Commercial College. This college aimed to give young business people a university-level education. Dr. Paterson taught subjects like Logic. The college later joined with the Glasgow Athenaeum. This Athenaeum eventually became the University of Strathclyde.

The Baptist Theological College was founded in 1894. Until 1925, it was located inside Adelaide Place Baptist Church. The first leader of the college was Professor Joseph Coats. He was also a church leader at Adelaide Place for many years. Several early pastors of the church also taught at the college. More recently, Jack Quinn, who was pastor from 1984 to 2013, also taught there.

Role in the Baptist Union of Scotland

In 1870, the Baptist Union of Scotland was formed. This group brought together 51 Baptist churches. They met in the hall of the Hope Street Chapel, which later became Adelaide Place. Howard Bowser, a former church leader, became the president of the Baptist Union in 1871. Thomas Coats, a kind person who helped many charities, became president in 1873.

For many years, Adelaide Place was a main hub for Baptists in Scotland. The yearly Baptist Assembly, a big meeting, was often held there. Because of its important role and because it helped start many other churches, a newspaper called it "the Cathedral Church of the Baptists in the West of Scotland."

During the World Wars

Many men from Adelaide Place Baptist Church served in the First World War. Twenty men from the main church and 17 from its branch in St. Clair Street lost their lives. In the Second World War, six men from Adelaide Place also lost their lives. Their names are written on a special communion table in the church.

During the Second World War, women from the St Clair Street branch made comfort packages for church members serving in the war. Some women from the church also helped with air raid precautions. Marjorie McInnes regularly watched for fires from the church roof during blackouts.

The main church building was open every day during the war for quiet thought and prayer. The BBC even broadcast a church service from Adelaide Place on the radio in 1941.

After the Wars

The St Clair Street Women's Fellowship was created to help women during the Great Depression. It continued until 1952. At that time, the project closed, and the St Clair Street building was sold. This happened because many people moved out of Glasgow city centre to new suburbs.

As fewer people lived in the city centre, the church faced challenges. A smaller group of members found it hard to pay for the building and its activities. In the 1950s and 1960s, the church thought about joining with another church or moving out of the city centre. But they decided not to. In the 1970s, the church started a project to fix up the building. They cleaned the stone, put in new heating, laid carpet, and updated the wiring.

In 1974, Reverend Donald McCallum met a homeless woman. This inspired him to open a flat with volunteers. This flat helped and cared for young women who needed support near the church. In 1982, a charity was set up to run this project. Rev. McCallum named it the Elpis Centre. "Elpis" is a Greek word meaning 'hope'. Today, the Elpis Centre provides a home and support for about 18 vulnerable women at a time.

Renovations in the 1990s

In the early 1990s, a problem called dry rot was found in the building. Again, there were talks about closing the building because repairs would be very expensive. But the church decided to do a big renovation. They also planned to start businesses that would give their profits back to the church's work.

A company called 'Adelaides' was set up in 1993 to manage these businesses. Work began in 1994. The eastern part of the church became a guest house. The basement was turned into a nursery. A cafe was also set up. The main church hall could also be rented out when the church wasn't using it. The cafe later closed, and its space is now used by the guest house and nursery.

Light of Renewal Project

The church started another renovation project called 'The Light of Renewal' from 2017 to 2023. In 2017, the outside stone of the building was repaired. The guest house closed in 2018. Its rooms and office were changed back into offices and meeting rooms for the church. The sound and video system was also updated in 2018. The main church hall was renovated in 2022-2023. This included adding a community cafe, replacing windows, and making it easier for people with disabilities to access the building.

The Church Building

Adelaide Place Baptist Church was built between 1875 and 1877. It was designed by Thomas Lennox Watson. You can enter the church from 209 Bath Street or 188 Pitt Street in Glasgow. The Pitt Street entrance has a stone staircase leading to three double doors. The Bath Street entrance is at street level.

Adelaide Place Baptist Church - view from balcony

The church is built in the neo-classical Italianate style. It uses polished blonde ashlar stone. On Pitt Street, it has a raised front like an ancient temple. This front has tall Corinthian columns that support a triangular roof section called a pediment. Below this are three doorways.

The front of the building has blocks on either side with triangular tops. There are also sash and case windows. Some windows are arched with columns on the outside.

Inside, the main hall has a balcony at the back and on both sides. These balconies are held up by pillars. At the front of the hall is a platform with a ramp and steps. It is decorated with columns and a rounded pediment. There used to be a baptistery (a pool for baptisms) under the stage, but it was removed during the 2022 renovation. Most of the pipes from the old pipe organ are still there behind the platform.

There are three beautiful stained glass windows in the west wall, above the balcony. They were made by W. and J. J. Kerr. They show scenes like Christ and the Wise Virgins, Timothy and his Mother, and Paul and Isaiah. The window showing Christ and the Wise Virgins was given in memory of Victoria Graham Taylor, who died young in 1873. The window of Timothy and his Mother was given in memory of a man's wife and son. These windows were described as being "in the first rank of modern works."

Stained glass window 'Timothy and his Mother'

The church building is a Category B listed building. This means it is an important historic building that is protected.

Pastors of the Church

Associate pastors

Important Members

• Robert Kettle (1761–1852): He was the president of the Scottish Temperance League. This group worked to reduce alcohol use.
• William Quarrier (1829–1903): He was a church leader at Hope Street Hall. William Quarrier was a kind person who started the Orphan Homes of Scotland. This organization later became the charity Quarriers, which helps many people.
• Joseph Coats (1848–1899): He was a doctor who studied diseases. Joseph Coats was a church leader and the first president of the Baptist Theological College.
• Sir Adam Nimmo (1866–1939): He owned coal mines. He was a member of Adelaide Place Baptist Church for almost 50 years. He served as a church leader and treasurer.
• Marjorie McInnes OBE (1917–2015): She was a church leader and the only woman ever elected President of the Baptist Union of Scotland. She was also a Chief Welfare Officer for Scotland. She helped establish social work as a recognized profession in Scotland.

Churches Started by Adelaide Place

As more people joined Adelaide Place Baptist Church, some members started new churches. They did this in parts of Glasgow that were growing and didn't have a Baptist church yet.

• In 1845, a church was formed on Blackfriars Street (later John Knox Street). Members from Hope Street Hall started it. The building was designed by Thomas Lennox Watson, who also designed the Adelaide Place building. John Knox Street Baptist Church was taken down in 1965.
• The Queens Park Baptist Church started in 1878. Four members of Adelaide Place Baptist Church formed it. They wanted to serve the growing area of Queens Park in Glasgow's south side. This church built its current building in 1884 and moved in by 1887.
• Hillhead Baptist Church was formed in 1883 by a group from Adelaide Place who lived in that area. This building was also designed by Thomas Lennox Watson. Sixteen years later, in 1899, Hillhead Baptist Church started Partick Baptist Church.
• Members from Hillhead Baptist Church and Adelaide Place Baptist Church began meeting in Bearsden in 1973. This group became Bearsden Baptist Church. They welcomed their first minister in 1975.

Today, Queens Park Baptist Church, Bearsden Baptist Church, and Hillhead Baptist Church are still active. The original Hillhead church building is being turned into flats. Partick Baptist Church is now part of Queens Park Baptist Church.

The Church Today

Adelaide Place Baptist Church has three staff members and an intern. The rest of the church's work is done by eight volunteer teams. Each team helps with a different task. Children's activities happen during the church service. These are led by volunteers from the APBC Kids team.

Adelaide Place Baptist Church is a registered Scottish charity. Its charity number is SC013073. The main leaders of the church are also trustees of the charity.

See Also

• Baptist Union of Scotland
• Quarrier's Village