Shefford Baptist Church

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH AT SHEFFORD

1825 - 1988

The church buildings occupy an imposing position at the junction of the Bedford and Stanford roads, (A600 and B658), facing down North Bridge street. The original building, as a memorial stone describes, was built in 1825 by voluntary subscriptions. These would have come from local non-conformist residents of various denominations who were already meeting together for Sunday worship in private homes. Additional help was provided by members of the Biggleswade Baptist Church, who were mainly instrumental in purchasing the necessary plot of land from the Southill Estate. Among the names of these twelve trustees which still have local connections are; - Foster, Inskip, Whitbread, Street and others. The original Union Church gradually became known as the Baptist Church, particularly after the building of the Methodist Church along the Ampthill Road.

Various additions have been made from time to time in the form of classrooms and kitchen facilities, whilst last, and most notable, the front porch was rebuilt in 1986. The earlier of these additions were, like the Manse, built in the latter part of the nineteenth century with bricks provided by church member Eli Plowman, who developed the Hoo Brickyards on the Hitchin road short of Henlow Camp on the A600 (near Willmott Dixon present site).

A Pastors Memorial Plaque inside the church records the names of its eighteen Ministers, the first of whom was William Brown (1830-1836). The longest serving Pastor was Joseph Cornish, and more recently, the Reverend Alan Rigby, who has been Pastor for the past ten years. More recently, the Rev Steve Summerfield who has been Pastor for the last 7 years.

Many local families have been closely associated with the church, over the years, including those of Ansell, Stevens, Brown, Bland, Faulkner, Johns and others to be read on the tombstones in the adjoining graveyard.

All of the foregoing testifies to a church with a past, a present, and a future, in the ministry of God's word, and the privilege of his worship and service.

The article below is from the Biggleswade Chronicle, Sept 1905

And it happened here...

Record meetings were held at the Union Chapel (Shefford Baptist), it being the chapel anniversary. Three sermons were preached by the pastor (the Rev. B. Aston Fox). In the morning, before a good congregation, the text selected was II Cor., i., 22, "Who hath also sealed us," the pastor dwelling on the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christian. In the afternoon Mr. Fox gave an address to the scholars, teachers and friends, on Zech. viii., 5, "The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof," the scholars rendering several special hymns. The crowning service was held in the evening when the chapel was packed to the doors, many being unable to gain admission. The text was St. Matthew xxvii, 54, "Truly this was the Son of God," a powerful appeal being make for immediate acceptance of the Son of God as the Saviour. Following this, a baptismal service was held, then adults being baptised. During the baptism the Pastor, while standing in the water, asked if anyone would come forward and be baptised and thus obey the command of the Lord. To the great surprise of the vast congregation two adults there and then entered the water, such an incident as this being altogether unknown in the history of the chapel. The collections amounted to about £4. Since the Mission in February last Mr. Fox has received no fewer than 66 new members into the Church, and others are waiting to join, 22 have been baptised, and others are preparing for baptism. Surely the Revival has come to this county and this town.

Biggleswade Chronicle, September 1905.