Bethel Chapel Web Site 

 

Bethel Memories

Music

 

The Bible is very clear about the importance of music in the worship of God. Music has always featured prominently in worship at Bethel. Wesley Perrins, son of one of founders of Bethel, claims the first Bethelites originally came to faith via the Salvation Army. Attracted by the bright banners and rousing sounds of the brass band as the Salvation Army marched down Lye High Street these men and women stayed to listen to the preacher and became converted. We next come to a significant musical moment when Wesley records how the same men and women unhappy with the doctrine being preached at the Gospel Hall they attended made the decision to leave the said fellowship and worship together the home of Mrs and Mrs Charles Dickens in Crabbe Street. As they left the Gospel Hall service on that fateful Sunday evening they all stood together by the door and sang a hymn before departing. Sadly the lady who witnessed the event is unable to recall the hymn that gave them strength.

 

The newly formed Bethel Society eventually purchased premises in Pump Street where they continued to worship until the current chapel was completed in April 1900. The Committee minutes of 1895 record the rather lovely decision to suspend the Annual General Meeting every half hour for prayer. Their determination to make a beautiful noise for the Lord is also evident when one reads further on that the committee purchased from Mr Stanton of Tipton ‘a best French H----‘ , ‘H’ standing for Harmonium. Wesley Perrins muses that the secretary was not sure how to spell the word and intended to check and complete it later!  The sound of the Harmonium accompanying worship  in Divine Service at Bethel  was reprised in 2000 at Bethel’s  Centenary weekend celebration when a Moody and Sankey themed evening service let us all indulge in those wonderful hymns once again.

 

Eventually Bethel set it sights upon a Reed Organ and in true Bethel fashion a fundraising committee organised concerts, sold scented cards and made sausage and mash suppers until in 1936 they were able to place the order for the marvellous instrument which is as wonderful today as ever it was.

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The archives have several photos of Bethel Choirs through the decades, including the one printed, which features a rather young and charming Alan Dickens (prize for spotting the smile). [Can you recognise anyone else?] Choirs have moved us every Good Friday Since the 1930’s by singing Stainer’s Crucifixion although in recent  years Olivet To Calvary has occasionally been rendered. 

 

The Bethel Choral society has had a revival in recent years thanks in part to the talents of Mrs Beryl Hill, a renowned local Soprano.

There were some Choral renditions in the 1990’s for example the Palm Sunday 1991 recital of Jerusalem Joy, which included the particularly mesmerising song “Jesus rode a Donkey into Town.’ For those not yet acquainted with the song, tapes are available!!  The newsletter of April 1991 records that it was a busy weekend for John Woodhouse, baptised on Saturday and singing the part of Jesus on Sunday, the church waited for his next performance with bated breath!!

 

As Bethel moved into the 1990’s Worship for the Sunday School and morning church became more contemporary demanding a different type of musical accompaniment so the Bethel Band was born. Although originally consisting of Pastor Jill and John Woodhouse, Bethel is gifted with a talented congregation and they were quickly joined by others.  But, there was a PA system to be bought and yes... you have guessed it, fundraising commenced.  So one grey March morning in 1993 an intrepid band of Bethelites set off on a sponsored walk to raise the said funds. There were some amongst our brothers and sisters who chose not to walk, but to sponsor Pastor Jill rather generous amounts of money to do one of the things she most disliked namely, walking!!

 

Nowadays at Bethel services we enjoy praising God with both traditional and modern worship music. We are so very blessed with all the wonderful people who express their faith through their musical talent and lead us in worship every Sunday. We give thanks for the musicians who have served Bethel down the years, for it is music which helps us respond emotionally to God and His people, as we sing of God’s works and give Him thanks and praise, and encourage one another to live for Him.

 

 

February Memories

Every year, as January fades into February Bethel’s events calendar seems to fill almost within the space of a few days. For any large church, the logistics of ensuring everyone is informed of everything is a monumental task .However, in the early days of Bethel this was not a problem. Although it was a large church, nearly all of the Bethel church family lived and worked in Lye thus seeing each other on a daily basis; rather, it was hard to keep something quiet! In the 1920’s a Bethel magazine was launched, taking the form of reviewing recent events and news. By the late 1930’s members were not living and working in such close proximity so an effective means of communication had to be devised. The problem was solved by asking all members to contribute 3d ( 1p) every three months toward the printing of a Society plan which would than be distributed by Alfred Worton and George Perks to all society members. The Quarterly plan and the magazine eventually merged and was published for several decades. There may have been a puritanical streak in one of the magazines editorial staff for the minutes of 1938 show that it was proposed that advertising was banned from the magazine. The magazine has reappeared over the years in various guises, indeed this is the second anniversary of the Bethel Magazine in its current guise, it seems God refuses to give up on this idea!!!

That we are now able to publish ‘in house’ is largely due to the wonderful office facilities we have at Bethel. The office is the hub of the administration for all the Bethel departments. We are always humbled by the generosity of God and never take for granted all that we share at Bethel. A church as large and busy as Bethel needs an excellent administrative staff (with which we are blessed) and the equipment and  resources to enable the staff to do an effective job, these things Bethel  now has in abundance. Yet, the Bethel office is a relatively new innovation in the Bethel story. In February 1990 the editor of the Bethel Magazine (Glenda Harvey) proudly announced that as a result of successful appeals for donations of  equipment, the Bethel Office was now in working order complete with  filing cabinets, desk and a  rather smart swivel chair courtesy of Judy Winning! We were still hoping for a word processor and photocopier all of which the Lord has since provided through the generosity of his listening faithful servants. The office was manned or womanned every Monday morning. Further excitement was to follow a month later when, as a result of various fundraising   events including a coffee evening hosted by Wendy Weston, the telephone was installed.           

Traditionally one of the first events in the start of the New Year at Bethel is the Sunday School Prize Giving. At the beginning of the twentieth century books were not as freely available as they are today and each book was a valued possession to the recipients. On February 17th 1929, 200 prizes were given out in recognition of attendance throughout 1928. We are fortunate that families have donated to the archives some of the Sunday School Prizes of their loved ones. The earliest Prize we have was presented for good attendance Beatrice Watkins in 1906.  During the Second World War acquiring suitable books was becoming a real problem, ships which normally carried paper pulp were being requisitioned for essential supplies and paper was in short supply and in 1944 the decision was taken that Prize Giving could not he held that year. On a happier note the February 1945 magazine was anticipating the imminent end to the war and expressing the hope that paper supplies would soon improve in order that children may receive books in 1946. I am happy to report is exactly what happened.

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Throughout the years Bethel has been entrusted with the precious privilege of being able to tell children about Jesus. The Prize is a symbol of Bethel’s thanks and appreciation to each child for their allowing us this joy. In 1991 it was decided to offer children the opportunity to choose their own book  the week before Prize Giving. This year it is change about again with the children all being given a surprise book chosen specifically for them, I personally suspect Pastor Jill has had a whale of a time reading all of them cover to cover in order to select who would like what!     

In earlier times the books were given out class by class but nowadays it is in random order. As the children and young people go forward to receive their prizes it is wonderful to see each of those precious children and know they are safe in the care of Jesus. Thank you, God for blessing us with so many beautiful children to teach.

 

 

 

More Christmastime Memories

 

Over 2000 years ago in a Bethlehem a little town in the troubled land of Israel a little child was born. As he grew he filled his mother’s heart with a bittersweet mixture of joy and trepidation for, it proved to be as the angel had foretold to her, that her baby son, Jesus, would be the Messiah.  This world saving event is joyfully celebrated every year Bethel.

 

The Advent season usually begins with the Christmas Fayre which is a time to welcome friends old and new through the doors of Bethel. This event has become such a permanent feature of the Bethel year that it stands out when the November 1990 newsletter asserted that there would be no Christmas Fayre that December, just a Christmas Coffee Morning with refreshments but no stalls or games of any kind. It had been strongly felt that God had advised people’s spirits against such an event. By the time of the January 1991 newsletter it was quite clear just how wise Bethelites were to listen to this advice. The day planned for the Coffee morning which would in other circumstances have been the day of the Fayre saw such a downfall of snow that most people could not venture out of their front doors let alone make the journey to Church. Oftentimes our gracious God gives us the solution long before we even know there will be a problem!

 

As we celebrate our Saviour’s birth the chapel abounds with parties as the various departments and groups celebrate the birth of our Saviour. Dear old Santa always visits to join in with all the fun, delighted to see all the children whilst they are awake rather than asleep!  In December 1990 he dropped in to visit parents and children after the Nativity Service, in order to distribute presents to the Sunday School children as well as collect gifts they had asked him to give to those less fortunate. Unfortunately for him and the rest of the adults someone had forgotten to switch the urn on, so whilst Rudolph and friends were doing quite nicely on the roof eating carrots poor old Santa had a bit of a dry time. After much laughter, kettles were found, pressed into service and eventually Santa went on his way north, refreshed and restored.

 

Never let it be said that the Christmas fun is confined to the littlies, the adults too have had their share of parties over the years.  There have been dances, discos and dinners a plenty, whilst the more mature Cornerstone members always enjoy a rather splendid lunch party.  The committee members planning the festivities in 1947 received an intriguing proposal from Mr E Dickens and Mr F Stinton - they suggested that “we have a men’s effort for Christmas” I vote we have one of those every Christmas!

 

In December 1940 the war was affecting every aspect of life. It was decided that Committee would meet before Sunday evening service, the service itself would be limited to one hour exactly, and the Sunday afternoon classes were to amalgamate in order to conserve fuel. Sunday School would continue in the mornings as usual, however, because the regular nightly air raids kept many people out of bed for most of the night, attendance was very sparse because anxious parents tried to ensure that their children caught up with lost sleep at weekends.

 

By the late 1980’s Sunday School attendance was very high and with many parents choosing to stay rather than go home the morning service enjoyed a new lease of life.  In 1989 the Sunday school decided to do something rather innovative with customary nativity service. They took the service past the manger scene and bought it up to date by celebrating with a party, in fact the service was subtitled ‘Heaven Invites You to a Party’ and culminated with party poppers, streamers and banners. The church was packed for the carol service and many took the joyful message of Christmas home with them.

 

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In more recent years the Nativity Service has returned to traditional roots, with the children of Little Lambs and Sunday School blessing us as they present to us the story of Jesus’ birth.. The witness of their happiness and wonder and genuine pleasure as they worship  and  give thanks for someone who was once just like them, reminds us that Jesus told us that it is to children ‘such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs’ 

 

May we all find the child in our hearts this Christmas and as we celebrate our gift from God, our own share in the kingdom of heaven. May we remember to share this gift with all those that we meet so that we may all feel the touch of heaven on earth.

 

 

November is a time for remembrance.

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For Bethel, November is traditionally a time when we remember our founders to whose faithfulness we owe so much today. It is also the time when we honour those service men and women who have fought on our behalf in the armed conflicts since 1914 in order to safeguard the freedom we have today.

 

Throughout the years young men and women from the Bethel community have, and still do serve in the armed forces. The November 1932 magazine reflects upon the 1918 Armistice Day and exhorts the readers not to let their sacrifice be in vain. The writer is concerned about public apathy towards Adolf Hitler in Germany, and asks the good people of Bethel to join the local branch League of Nations in order  to educate public opinion ‘so that peace and not war shall prevail in the future’.  Sadly as we all know, this was not to be.

 

In November 1942 the magazine reported that the Comfort Fund (which was set up by Bethelites to raise funds in order to send gifts to those serving at the battle front) reported that they had 36 Bethel soldiers on their list to whom they had been able to send regular financial gifts. The Comfort Fund also sent quarterly consignments of gift parcels to soldiers to remind them that they were held in everyone’s hearts.

 

In November 2004 Bethel was blessed when the British Legion held their annual service of Remembrance within its walls, and this beautiful service has now become part of the Bethel year. It is with grateful hearts that we thank God for the privilege of being able to join with the British Legion in honouring those who  helped make our world a safer place, and especially remembering those who for our tomorrow ‘gave their today’.    

                                                                      Amen

 

 

Bethel Memories -Autumn

 

The great Autumn tradition in the Church calendar is the celebration of Harvest. The celebration of Harvest at Bethel has always been a joyful time of sharing. The magazines and Committee minutes from the 1930’s onwards tell of traditions which lasted for decades. Decorating the Church would often begin on the Friday, in readiness for the traditional Sunday Harvest services, followed by a public tea on the Monday.

 

The October 1938 minutes record that the charge for that year’s much anticipated public  tea was a mere 6d (for those of you too young to be pre-decimal, 2½p!) Following the said feast was the high point of the evening, the ‘auction’. 1938 saw Mr Fred Dickens gamely agreeing to preside over the sale of the Harvest produce, with  a good time being had by all. The Bethel archives seem to indicate that Harvest weekend celebrations continued throughout the war years, even when rationing was at it’s severest. The Harvest services thanking God for the food that was available in such austere times must have been very moving, proving that the Holy Spirit that appears when two or more are gathered in His name is stronger than any enemy’s efforts to destroy the fortitude of the people of Bethel and The Lye!.

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The Harvest tradition was still in full swing in the 1980’s, and the November 1987 news-sheet recounts a particularly hectic Harvest weekend. Friday saw the Chapel being decorated with many floral arrangements, all having a harvest theme as well as the fabulously colourful fruit and vegetable displays, meant that the Chapel smelled as beautiful as it looked! Saturday was an open day for all who wished to view the wonderful things that were in God’s storehouse, whilst the Sunday School children sang their anniversary songs; it was all helped along by coffee and Madge Berry’s (mother of Pastor Jill) famous Welsh Cakes.  Sunday Harvest services were followed by the Harvest tea and auction on Monday evening. The evening began quietly enough, but  soon became rather  noisy when the bidding commenced . The auctioneer, Mr James Dickens Esquire described each ‘lot’ in increasingly glowing terms. His eloquence inspired many to participate in some rather competitive bidding for many of the items!! The evening ended with many well fed and satisfied revellers and a healthy donation for the building fund to erect the entrance hall and kitchen that we all benefit from today, good result all round I say!!

 

 

 In the 1990’s the tradition of celebrating Harvest as a church family continued with skittle evenings and barn dances. However, the Harvest service took on a new tradition when Bethel introduced the ‘gift tree.’ Symbolic of the ‘Tree of Life’ financial gifts are placed around this tree during the service,  which are then donated to a designated charity each year in order that we may share our harvest a little further afield.

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This year the Harvest celebrations see a new ‘first’ for Bethel. The harvest festival will span two weekends; an added bonus is that the beautiful displays done by Jean Harris and the team of gifted people who work with her will be enjoyed for much more than a few hours. The traditional services on the 7th of October will be followed on 14th of October by a family celebration which incorporates a time of worship and a faith supper followed by a Barn Dance, which is always a sight to behold!  We thank our God who has arranged for ‘for all our needs to be supplied.’   

 

 

Bethel Memories - August

 

We are blessed at Bethel to see so many children entering the doors week after week and to have such a lively Sunday School with dedicated teachers. One hundred years ago the situation was no different with the superintendents register for1907 listing many scholars who attended every week without fail.  A register was also taken of teachers who shared the same immaculate attendance record as their pupils. It is interesting to note that there was no such things as holidays hence the attendance never fluctuated throughout the year and the only reason for absence noted was ‘S’ for sickness. Newsletters from the late 1930’s demonstrate how things changed when teachers reported diminished numbers due to families being absent for their weeks summer holiday, hop picking!

 

In the days before the NHS, hospital treatment was a privilege and the poor relied upon the hospital committees fundraising effort to help towards their medical care. The minutes of August 18th 1926 record that the committee voted to loan the tea urns and tables to the Corbett Hospital Committee for their fundraising event, and that this loan would be free of all charge. The records show that Bethel was constantly lending their hard earned possessions to benefit other groups, which was very generous when one considers that this was at the beginning of the depression in Britain, there had been a general strike and work was often irregular. Furthermore the Bethel congregation still owed a considerable sum on the loan repayment for the Chapel building. Their cheerful willingness to put their Christian duty to their fellow humans before liquidating their debt was rewarded. The minutes of August 18th 1936 show that the society was in a position to repay £50.00 that month, which left a balance of £150.00, a further £50.00 was paid the following August.

 

For those amongst us who blame Global Warming for this Summer’s terrible weather, take heart in the fact that before we had even heard of the subject, Bethel folk in August 1939 were feeling rather fed up with the terrible rain they had been experiencing that Summer. The tennis club had to curtail its summer programme due to the inclement conditions. The Sunday School Treat was a bit of a wash out with cakes and tea providing the only consolation!!

 

The newsletters of the late 1980’s and early 90’s record that the Summer Fairs were often held in August. Our own Mrs Glenda Harvey was the newsletter editor for many years and in promoting the said Fair due to be held in August 1988 she promised ‘fun and fellowship for all, lots of side stalls and games, a bouncing castle for the littlies, a barbecue for the hungry and a raffle for the lucky!!’ as you can see only the date has changed, the tradition has remained!

 

As the 20th century progressed, August customarily became the month for holidays and outings and socials. Bethelites soon got into the swing of this convention. Outings became a Bethel family feature. Many of the August newsletters describe trips for the various groups, the Mothers class went to Porthcawl.

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The younger people hired a charabanc and had fun at Church Stretton and Long Mynd, whilst the Sunday school children of 1947 visited Hartlebury Common for the day. The only disappointment for those pocket money laden children was ‘the lack of a shop and the ‘Hartlebury equivalent of ‘Ambrose’??’ (can anyone enlighten me?). To this day we celebrate the Summer as a church family with social events and just relaxing with each other grateful for the busy twelve months that have gone before and with pleasant anticipation to the impending Bethel Church cycle which is always heralded in by the beautiful celebration of Harvest. We thank God for His generosity and we remember, as did the earliest Bethelites, that He asks us to share this bounteousness with our brothers and sisters here in Lye and throughout the His world. 

 

 

 

 

Bethel Roots

 

Do you recognise this building?

 

Gospel Hall

 

Go out of the main Bethel doors turn left down Hill Street and eventually, across the road and to right you will see this building. It is the old Gospel Hall and was the original place of worship for the people who went on to found the church that meets at Bethel. It was paid for by Colonel Michael Spratt (1825-1908), a distinguished army officer and devout Christian.

 

Colonel Spratt advertised his desire to work amongst the poor in a national newspaper. He was invited to Lye in 1880 by a Mr Joseph Heathcock, who lived at Hayes House in Perrins Lane. Colonel Spratt initially rented a disused warehouse in which to base his mission to the people of Lye and Wollescote.  His ministry offered spiritual sustenance and practical help and the congregation quickly began to grow. Former members of the Salvation Army joined the worshippers and the community of believers were soon in need of larger premises.

 

Colonel Spratt was a comparatively wealthy man and as such was able to purchase land in Hill Street where he built his new and spacious Gospel Hall. This generous and faithful soul also equipped the hall then subsequently met the running costs. At this time there was no electric lighting and the poverty in Lye meant that very few could afford the luxury of  lantern fuel for anything other than essential tasks, so Colonel Spratt kept the Gospel Hall lit a couple of evenings a week in order for people to study the Bible. This opportunity to study the Bible in peace enabled some in the congregation to deepen their understanding of the Christian faith so that they were able to identify truth and reject false Christian doctrine

 

False doctrine began to infiltrate the mission in the guise of the Plymouth Brethren. Their undue influence over Colonel Spratt coupled with some questionable religious beliefs led to dissension among the leaders, compelling some members to leave the Gospel Hall community and found the Bethel Society which is now Bethel Chapel. Consequently Colonel Spratt’s mission floundered and eventually he sold the Gospel Hall, whence it became a clothing factory known as J Clewitts. However, despite the closure of the Gospel Hall as place of Christian fellowship, and Colonel Spratt’s disappointment at the failure of his mission, his generosity towards the people of Lye was warmly remembered, the Bethel archives record that he was an honoured guest a Bethel service in the late 1890’s. 

 

Sadly the main part of the hall was destroyed by fire on January 5th 1910. The small Gospel Hall we see today was the original vestry of the main building and managed to survive the fire. Happily, after the fire the hall was reinstated as a place of Christian worship and remained so well into the first half of the twentieth century.  

 

 

Sporting Memories

 

In common with many churches at the turn of 19th century Bethel encouraged football amongst the young male members of the community.  The picture shows the Bethel  team of 1914 posing proudly for the County Express newspaper.  Although they did not rise to the dizzy heights a of another local church team namely West Bromwich Albion the Bethel team gamely did their bit for the honour of Lye.

 

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Back Row:

D H Dickens, Ben Phillips, Will Share, Ben Taylor, Will Newey

Middle Row:

Tom Knowles (club secretary) James Gordon, J H Dunn, George Share, Harry Smith, Amos Perrins, Sam Barnbrookes

Front Row:

G H Hill, Isaiah Moss, Ted Perks, R Moss, W Partridge

 

 

 

1930 saw the founding of the Bethel Sports and Social Club, which proved to be a great success. Initially, billiards was a popular winter pastime, although the magazine regretted that as yet they had not been able to find an indoor pursuit for the ladies!! The club boasted cricket and football teams as well as being prominent in the local bowling and billiards leagues. In time Bethel purchased some extra land which enabled members to create a bowling green and in 1934 after much hard work and fundraising members laid a full sized hard tennis court

 

Bethel tennis teams played for  the local church cup as well as the ‘Presidents Cup’ for singles, this cup is often still on view in church being used for floral displays. The Bethel news of 1934 congratulated Dorothy Round of Dudley who had won the Wimbledon ladies championship and went on to win the mixed doubles with Fred Perry three years in a row. This local lass who was a member of a Dudley church and may have played at Bethel in her earlier amateur days, was cited as great encouragement to the budding champions of the Bethel team.

On a more sedate level the Beetle Drive held in the relative comfort of the hut proved to be a popular draw for the unattached looking for companionship (this information was volunteered by the late Mrs Norris) although, it was equally popular with the attached who were looking for thrills

 

After the war Lye entered a period of change with young people having to move out of the area in order to find housing, and the pitches became overgrown. I am informed that a happy and well fed pony grazed them for a while!! House building in the 70’s saw a new influx of young people in Lye and Bethel’s congregation began to grow once more.

 

On Friday 17 July 1987 the One Way Club was launched by Jacqui Shilton and Jill Berry. It turned out that Miss Shilton was a bit of a closet sportswoman, winning the ladies Table Tennis at Halesowen Zion Pentecostal Church’s sports day in August 1990. Her competitive streak came to the fore during the summer evenings when Rounders became established as a popular game with the One Way members. Bethel on a Friday evening became the venue for many a fiercely fought game of rounders, on Bethel barbecue nights the competitiveness could reach fever pitch with our own dear Pastor and Miss Shilton vying for victory for their respective teams.

 

The purchase of a skittle alley in the  90’s led to many a happy Bethel church family night with successive newsletters recording a certain Mr John Weston as being King of the Pins!!!

 

Bethel has seen a renaissance in its sporting tradition over the last twenty years with the legend known as Steve Bloomer being at the forefront of this.  Steve’s enthusiasm for sport has inspired others to become involved and over the years many children have enjoyed the sporting opportunities that Bethel has provided  for them. April 1991 newsletter records the achievements of the Bethel Sunday School football team, whilst the Bethel ‘big boys’ team captained by Steve Bloomer  were busy storming the indoor 5-a-side league. 

 

 Steve and all the dedicated people that help him, make sure that all of the Bethel young people are able to participate in sport should they wish. Thus, building their skills and therefore their self esteem and confidence whilst enjoying themselves.

 

Jesus wants us to enjoy life in all its fullness and to this end Bethel’s sporting tradition enables people to enjoy the physical gifts that God has given, such as the pleasure of running, enduring, competing and sometimes winning. The book of  Hebrews assures us that this is good training for running and winning the race of life that God asks us to complete, for our good and for the good of all his Church. Amen.

 

 

 

Christmastime Memories

 

Christmas has always been a busy time for the church that meets at Bethel. December 1936 was no exception, plans were going full steam ahead for  the Bethel Christmas dance which promised to be grand affair. The tickets priced at 9d (about 3.5p) included dancing to the sounds of the Savonius band with the promise of a ‘cold spread’ to fortify the revellers. Mr C Newton gamely acting as MC smoothed the evening along.

 

Towards the end of 1944 Bethelites decided to launch the projector fund and in true Bethel style volunteers formed a committee to ensure the success of the project. The Bethel Concert party, (which raised money for the Comfort Fund used to purchase goods to be sent to the British men fighting at the front), was invited to perform. The concert billed as featuring ‘Items Old and New’ was set for 21st December 1944, all 200 tickets priced at one shilling each sold very quickly. The projector eventually purchased, became the vehicle for much entertainment and teaching for many years.

 

By Christmas 1945 the war had ended and Bethelites were looking forward the first peacetime Christmas for five years. Whilst giving thanks for the return of many of their young men, there was sadness for those that had been lost to the Bethel community in active service. Men such as Barry Hill whose memorial plaque is on the organ, and Fred Wooldridge who was shot down over Berlin, just before the end of the war.

 

 The magazine for November/January 1945 records ‘If the world is to be saved from passing through another period of chaos and destruction, it will be by the Christian influence of humble men and women whose lives have been consecrated and dedicated to God and the service of others’ faith filled words are timeless and they are as salutary today as they were in 1945.

 

December 1986 newsletter records how the Bethel Mums and Toddlers group celebrated its first birthday on 18th November. The occasion was marked by a mini party with cake for all. The outreach was started by our own Mrs Bloomer, whilst Madge Berry made the drinks for the enthusiastic young members of the group.

 

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Nativity from late ‘80’s

Shepherds: Gareth Harvey, Luke Bartlett??

Angels: Samantha Harvey, Katie-Ann Donoghue, Lizzie Jones, Sarah Gould, Katherine Jones,

Innkeeper: Russell Prentice,

Joseph: Tom Woodhouse, Mary: Emily Gould

 

 

 

With the 1986 Christmas Carol service looming it was decided that in order for the children to practise adequately, Sunday School would be extended to midday!!!!!. For anyone who remembers just how cold the hut was, it will come as no surprise to learn that there were those who preferred stay at home in the warm rather than brave one and a half hours in that bracing atmosphere; these less hardy souls were enticed back by the promise of continuous heat, courtesy of the two recently purchased fan heaters!!!

 

 The now traditional candlelit Christmas carol service began in the 1980’s with the call going out to members to lend their family silver to illuminate the service. Whilst the children looked resplendent as only children can in stripy recycled sheets, tea towels, and tinsel, the congregation shed a tear, as we will surely do this year, as we experience yet again the wonder of the birth of the infant Jesus, as re-enacted by the youngest members of our church family.

 

 

Looking through Bethel archives the thing that stands out is the consistency of Bethel. Throughout it’s history and even though from generation to generation the congregation inevitably changes, the Bethel tradition of ‘humble men and women’ serving God by reaching out into to the local community to share the love that God offers,  remains steadfast. At this time of giving, we give our heartfelt thanks for the faithfulness of God over the years and for the comfort and surety of God’s guiding hand upon the church that meets at Bethel.

 

                By Val Woodhouse

 

 

April Memories

 

Bethel Chapel building as we know it today, first opened its doors and invited everyone in for public worship on 2nd April 1900. Contrary to what could well be popular assumption the service was held on a Monday afternoon. Mr E Lucas presided and congratulated the fellowship upon their labours, for many of them had worked on the building in their spare time in order to reduce costs as much as possible. The sermon was taken from Acts 11: 19-21. Mr Lucas likened the founders of Bethel to those who had  founded the first Christian church among the Gentiles, at Antioch,  in that both were founded by:-

a few earnest men whose only qualification, and that a perfectly sufficient one, was that they had received the divine truth, and were constrained to give utterance to the faith that was in them.

(County Express 7th April 1900)

The opening was followed by a public tea for 200 people and evening worship.

 

On 1st April 1936 Bethelites were still digesting a sausage and mash supper held the night before, which was organised by the Bethel Organ Fund Committee. Apparently, a good night was had by all who partook, consuming 144lbs of potatoes and 25lbs of sausages between them!!! Their efforts were not in vain, we still enjoy the beautiful sounds of the prized reed organ.

 

By 1940 the Second World War was overshadowing the life of all British citizens. The members of Bethel, like most of their compatriots, were determined to bring whatever comfort they could to the men fighting on the front lines.  To this end, in April 1940 the secretary of the Bethel Comfort Fund was able to report that in the four months since its inception, Bethelites had sent 1400 cigarettes, 15lbs of chocolate, 14 tablets of pears soap, 2 dozen handkerchiefs, 1 dozen towels and 14 pairs of socks; and received numerous letters from the grateful recipients at the front.

 

Coming to more modern times, the 16th April 2000 saw the first ever Icebreaker wedding. It was a very joyous occasion when Miss Helen Lees said ‘I do’ to Mr Mark Baynham.