Southampton the Bible-Pattern Church (Totton)

ORIGINAL NAME OF CHURCH AS PUBLISHED IN THE PATTERN MAGAZINE Ebenezer Temple Hammonds Green, Totton Bible-Pattern Church Totton

NAME OF CHURCH TODAY TBC ADDRESS OF CHURCH Ebenezer Temple Hammonds Green, Totton

NAMES OF PASTORS AND DATE WHEN THEY SERVED THE LOCAL ASSEMBLY 1940 Pastor Lemuel Morris/Robert Smith/1957 Pastor Gilbert Marsh/ 1960 Elder Commander D. H. Macmillan and Pastor Una Macmillan.

HISTORY In July 1940, the Southampton Elim church was changed by a show of hands into the Bible Pattern Church. Many people were saddened by this turn of events and many left to attend other churches. Those who were faithful to Elim began to meet in the Foresters Hall in Shirley, whilst the bulk of the congregation continued to worship at Park Road, Freemantle, under the leadership of Pastor Lemuel Morris. The war was now reaching a crucial stage and many young people had been called into the armed forces.

Southampton and other cities suffered a terrible bombardment and the church at Park Road was struck by a bomb, rendering it unfit for use as a place of worship. The meetings then took place in the minor hall and a few rooms outside the main building. Meanwhile, the argument continued with the Elim Headquarters over the legal entitlement of the building and this continued for some time.

A Time of Change was now taking place. Due to the need for a minister at the Middlesbrough church, the Bible Pattern Church Headquarters transferred Lemuel Morris to that city and someone had to be found to take over the Southampton church. Robert Smith was a friend of George Jeffreys and had originally been the Dean of the Elim Bible College. He had resigned from the movement and for some time was living in Cornwall as a chicken farmer. He was called back into the ministry and took over as pastor of the Southampton church. He was a strong and forceful preacher and was well liked by the congregation. He was originally a miner at Dowlais in South Wales and soon found that an old friend of his, William George, who had also been a miner at Merthyr Tydfil was the pastor of the Romsey Elim church. Thus, they renewed their friendship and worked in harmony, despite their denominational differences. Robert Smith was an honourable man and it was not long before he realised that there was something amiss. They were worshipping as a Bible Pattern church in a building which was legally owned by the Elim movement. In fact, this had been the cause of disagreement since the beginning of the split between the two groups, and Elim had repeatedly tried to get the building back. (This being said, it is sometimes possible in this situation that the local church will have raised the money to purchase or build the church building. However, headquarters may hold the deed or lease.

In the event of a split instead of the local church staying in their current building, they can be evicted. Sometimes properties may be purchased by money from headquarters and therefore owned by head office. If this were the case then it would only be right to hand the property back to head office). Robert Smith told his oversight that he was not happy with the situation and said they should do the honourable thing and get out of the building. He therefore began to look for another place in which to worship. Some time in 1945, the Bible Pattern church moved into the Oddfellows Hall in St. Mary Street, near the Kingsland Square Market. At that time, the members of the small Elim church who had been meeting at the Foresters Hall, returned to Park Road and re-established it as an Elim church.

The Oddfellows Hall was not the best place to hold services as at times the sound of moving beer barrels could be heard and the atmosphere was often pervaded by the smell of liquor. However, the meetings continued and the Lord blessed the work, until a difference arose between the pastor and some of the members of the congregation who followed the particular doctrine, which was held by their leader, George Jeffreys. As Robert Smith could not agree to preach this doctrine a special meeting was held with George Jeffreys in attendance and those who wished to uphold this point of view left and formed a Bible Pattern church which met in the Foresters Hall in Shirley.

A little later the Church moved to Hammonds Green, Totton and was under the leadership of 1957 Pastor Gilbert Marsh/ 1960 Elder Commander D. H. Macmillan and Pastor Una Macmillan.

With grateful thanks for information to
www.millbrookchristiancentre.com

MORE INFORMATION TO FOLLOW (PLEASE USE THE COMMENT BOX BELOW TO ADD OR CORRECT ANY INFORMATION)