|
One of the busiest religious buildings in Bourne is the United Reformed Church in Eastgate that is used for a variety of community activities as well as services.
The first signs of congregationalism appeared in the town during the mid 19th century and the church, then the Congregational Church, opened in Eastgate in 1846, constructed from the distinctive red brick that was used for many buildings in the town during that period.
There was a rapid growth in the size of the congregation that reached 400 within three years. A Sunday school was started in 1849 and for a long time its meetings were held in private houses until the existing Sunday school building was erected on land adjoining the church in the early part of the last century.
Soon afterwards, in 1911, the church was altered and renovated and the re-opening ceremony was performed with a silver key by an eminent old scholar, Sir George White, the MP for North West Norfolk, and a former president of the Free Church Council.
The improvements included a complete re-organisation of the seating arrangements, the presentation of a communion table and chair and two stained glass memorial windows, extensions to the gallery and the installation of a new pulpit and organ that remain in use today.
Old minute books containing records of meetings give an insight into the growth and activities of the church and it is obvious that membership was regarded far more seriously in earlier times. In 1868, a member was expelled for creating a disturbance in a polling booth and a little later, a resolution was passed saying that any member who missed three consecutive sacrament services without good reason should be interviewed and given one more chance. If they still failed to attend, then their name would "regretfully be struck from the Church Roll".
When the church celebrated its centenary in 1946, the secretary Mr W H Hemsell, said: "We speak and probably think too much of the church as a building but the real church consists of its members and the record of its achievements which really matter are contained in the church roll of members. We are proud that today, the number of members is the highest ever recorded since the faithful six founders banded together in 1846. Today, we have 130 names on the roll and the number of those who have been welcomed into the fellowship of this church since the first communion service on 20th October 1846 is no fewer than 491. Through varied experiences of spiritual death and prosperity, the church and Sunday School have unfailingly borne their witness for a century and the faithfulness and sacrifice of those who have gone before should encourage us to a deeper devotion with renewed hope and courage to face the tasks that still await us."
Return to
HOME PAGE
MAIN INDEX |
