Information about the church from Hilda Kiddell

The original church building was on the other side of the High Road, almost opposite the present but more towards the station, in a terrace of shops called Nightingale Parade.  It was roofed with corrugated iron and when it poured with rain you could not hear anything that was going on.  It was heated by a combustion burner and when the wind was blowing from a certain direction the smoke used to come into the building and you could not see across the room.

Before the refurbishment of the present church building, the seats were old cinema seats which tipped up.  The toilets were huts at the back and regularly iced up in the bad weather.  You had to be very desperate before you ventured out there – there wasn’t even a pathway across to them.

Two of our members who were both deacons – Mr Fuller and Mr Wingfield – used to play in the Brotherhood Band which met at the old Memorial Hall.  One of the ministers, Tom Shepherd, was part of a group called the Essex Five, who were evangelists.  Another minister, Mr Kendrick, was the father of Graham Kendrick who is a composer of modern hymns. 

One of the old members used to come to church by pony and cart.  This was left in what is now the car park and occasionally the donkey would bray very loudly if the sermon went on too long.  We also had some very eccentric people – one old lady used to frighten the life out of me by poking me in the back if she didn’t think I was paying attention.

Some of the activities:
A church choir which sang an anthem every Sunday evening service.  There were cantatas at Easter and Christmas.  We used to join with other churches for special events.  The Messiah was one that was used to raise funds for the Aberdare mining disaster.

We had a Christian Endeavour which encouraged young people to read the Bible and grow in faith.

There was a women’s meeting held on Tuesday afternoons.  This was usually cared for by the minister’s wife.  They always attended the National Women’s Day of Prayer.

There was also for a short time a Men’s Club.  I particularly remember one when they had a man from the Gas Board to talk about cooking.

We used to belong to the Southend Baptist Association and had many links with the churches in that area.  They did a great deal of missionary work and we took a very active part in the plays that were presented.

There used to be a gym club for girls on a Monday evening but when this broke up a Girls Life Brigade was started under the leadership of Marjorie Schofield (nee Buggins).  Of course, this was to become what is now the Girls Brigade.  There was also for some time a Boys Brigade.

Many thanks to Hilda Kiddell for her memories!