East Ham Baptist Church facts for kids

Quick facts for kids East Ham Baptist Church
EHBC in 2007
51°32′20″N 0°02′41″E / 51.5389°N 0.0447°E / 51.5389; 0.0447
Location	East Ham, London
Country	England
Denomination	Baptist
Churchmanship	Evangelical, charismatic
Membership	100
History
Founded	1895 (1895)
Architecture
Architect(s)	Edgar Stones
Completed	1901 (1901)

East Ham Baptist Church is a church located in Plashet Grove, East Ham. This area is mostly residential and is part of the London Borough of Newham, England.

History of the Church

How It All Started

The story of East Ham Baptist Church began in 1895. The London Baptist Association (LBA) started holding church services in East Ham. At that time, East Ham was a quickly growing suburb where many people lived.

The first group of churchgoers met in a temporary building made of iron. It was located at the corner of Katherine Road and Victoria Avenue. R. Sloven became the first minister, leading the church from 1896 to 1908.

Moving to a New Building

In 1901, the church moved into a brand new building on Plashet Grove. Edgar Stones designed this building. It had a large main area that could seat 1000 people. There were also many halls and rooms around it.

By 1903, the church had 972 members. This made it one of the biggest churches in the East Ham area back then. In 1908, some members from East Ham Baptist Church helped start a new church. Charles Howe led this group to create Bonny Downs Baptist Church in the southern part of East Ham. He stayed there for 53 years!

Challenges Over Time

The church continued with its services and activities. F. Williams was the leader from 1909 to 1919. He returned again from 1925 to 1929, after F. C. Buck served from 1919 to 1924.

Church attendance became lower after World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Many people also moved away from the area. This led to a slow decrease in church members. By 1941, there were 228 members, but by 1951, only 52 remained.

The Church Today

A New Beginning

In 1967, Humphrey Vellacott became the new leader. When he first arrived, only 6 people attended the morning service and 14 in the evening. By the time he left, the church had grown to 100 members. The morning service had 150–200 people, and the evening service had 70–80. He also helped reshape the church building.

A Diverse Community

The population around the church changed a lot due to people moving in from different countries. Many new residents came from Africa and Asia. Because of this, the church community became very diverse, with people from many different backgrounds. The church has kept a steady membership of about 100 people from the 1980s into the 2000s.

Recent Leaders

Roy Scarsbrook joined the church in September 1983, following Humphrey Vellacott. He stayed until August 2000. Roy focused on sharing the church's message with others. Later, he became a missionary and went to Poland.

After Roy, Tony Watts from New Zealand became the interim pastor. He was only supposed to stay for six months but ended up staying until 2008. He worked in an area with many different faiths and cultures.

The church did not have a minister for a year after Tony Watts left. Then, in May 2009, Jeremiah Dawood became the current minister.

Church Mission

The church has a special goal, called its mission statement. It says: "East Ham Baptist Church is a multicultural, mission-focussed church. We seek to build up the body of Christ by encouraging and equipping the members to find and exercise their gifts, and through this to touch the community both at home and abroad with the love of Christ." This means they want to help people grow in their faith and share kindness with others, both locally and around the world.

Past Ministers of the Church

Here is a list of the people who have served as ministers at East Ham Baptist Church: