New Park Street Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids New Park Street Chapel |
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New Park Street Chapel, around 1854
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| Location | Southwark, London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Reformed Baptist |
The New Park Street Chapel was a special church in Southwark, London. It was built in 1833. This church group started meeting way back in 1650. Many important leaders, called pastors, served there. These included Benjamin Keach, Dr. John Gill, Dr. John Rippon, and C. H. Spurgeon. Today, the church group still meets at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. It keeps the same beliefs under its current pastor, Dr. Peter Masters.
Contents
A Look at the Chapel's History
Early Days and Challenges (1650-1773)
Imagine a time when people couldn't worship freely! In 1650, the English Parliament made it illegal for some Christian groups to meet. But this brave church group kept meeting anyway. They faced tough times until 1688. That's when Baptists were finally allowed to worship freely again. After this, the group built their very first chapel. It was located near the famous Tower Bridge area.
In 1720, a new pastor named Dr. John Gill joined the church. He served for a very long time, 51 years! Then, in 1773, Dr. John Rippon became the pastor. He served even longer, for 63 years. During these years, the church grew a lot. It became one of the biggest church groups in the entire country.
Moving to New Park Street (1833)
The church needed more space because so many people wanted to join. So, in 1833, the group moved to a new building. This new home was the New Park Street Chapel. It was much bigger and could seat 1200 people. That's a lot of seats!
The Spurgeon Era and Growth (1854-1861)
In 1854, the most famous pastor of all arrived. He was only 20 years old! His name was Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He quickly became super popular. Soon, the New Park Street Chapel was too small. Services had to be held in bigger rented places. One of these was the Surrey Music Hall.
Because so many people came, the church decided to expand. In 1856, they added about 200 more seats. But even that wasn't enough! The church leaders decided they needed a much larger, permanent home. They chose a very important spot called Elephant & Castle. This area is in South London, near the River Thames. It was also thought to be where some brave people, called the Southwark Martyrs, were burned long ago. The new, much larger church was finished in 1861. It was officially opened on March 18.
Pastors of the Chapel
Here is a list of the pastors who have led this church group:
- William Rider, around 1653 – around 1665 (12 years)
- Benjamin Keach, 1668–1704 (36 years)
- Benjamin Stinton, 1704–18 (14 years)
- Dr. John Gill, 1720–71 (51 years)
- Dr. John Rippon, 1773–1836 (63 years)
- Joseph Angus, 1837–39 (2 years)
- James Smith, 1841–50 (8½ years)
- William Walters, 1851–53 (2 years)
- Charles Spurgeon, 1854–92 (38 years)
- Arthur Tappan Pierson 1891–93
- Thomas Spurgeon, 1893–1908 (15 years)
- Archibald G. Brown, 1908–11 (3 years)
- Dr. Amzi Clarence Dixon, 1911–19 (8 years)
- Harry Tydeman Chilvers, 1919–35 (15½ years)
- Dr. W Graham Scroggie, 1938–43 (5 years)
- W G Channon, 1944–49 (5 years)
- Gerald B Griffiths, 1951–54 (3 years)
- Eric W Hayden, 1956–62 (6 years)
- Dennis Pascoe 1963–69 (6 years)
- Dr. Peter Masters, 1970–present
