History
A BRIEF LOCAL HISTORY
The building known as, “The Meeting Point” (TMP) Community Centre since 2011, had its beginnings as “Keswick Hall” in November 1924. Here is an account entitled, “A Brief History” taken from the old Members’ Manual:[i]
“The history of the Church dates from the year 1919. Prior to that date a Baptist Church had met and worshipped in a building on the corner of Boston Road and Boundary Road, but in 1919 the Baptist Church moved out to Orford Road. Their former place of worship was sold to the Jews and is still in use as a Synagogue. Two local Christian business men, Messrs. T.J. and A. W. Chappell, were anxious that the witness to the Gospel should continue in the neighbourhood and had a building erected further along Boundary Road beyond Chelmsford Road. This was then called “Boundary Road Mission Church”.
Mr. Thomas Chappell pastored the Church and was assisted by London City Missionaries, and at one time by an Assistant Pastor. His move from the district and advancing age, however, made it more difficult for him to attend to the affairs of the Church, which came to be run by men from the London City Mission. In 1953 the Trust Deeds were transferred to the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, to which the Church became affiliated. From that time it became known as “Keswick Hall Evangelical Free Church”.
As the work was flourishing and a larger and more permanent building required, a site was purchased on the opposite side of the road. In November, 1924 our present building (see picture above) was opened and a plaque (see picture below) commemorating the event can still be seen above the Vestry door.
The building was called “Keswick Hall” and speakers connected with the Keswick Convention preached there on occasions. The first sermon in the new building is said to have been preached by the Revd. E.J. Poole-Connor, founder of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches. Mr. Poole Connor was one of the Trustees, the remainder, along with Mr. T.J. Chappell, being: Mr. Arthur W. Chappell, Mr. Montague Goodman, Mr. Robert Wright Hay, Mr. William Hobbs and Dr. John Helby Wilkinson.
Church membership had been introduced in the early days but lapsed during the Second World War when the Church was under the supervision of the London City Mission. It was revived for a time during the ministry of the Revd. P.D. Chevill. The present membership was formed on October 27th, 1962, when fifteen brethren and sisters “covenanted together to form a membership and thereby constitute a church, made up of true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and objects of God’s free grace, known as ‘Keswick Hall Evangelical Free Church’, to be governed according to Baptist principles”. At a service of laying on of hands and prayer Mr. Gordon D. Hawkins was ordained to the office of Pastor. After Mr. Hawkins left in 1964, a manse was purchased for the incoming Pastor in Second Avenue, Walthamstow.
The founder, Thos. James Chappell, died on April 9th, 1966, a week after his eighty fifth birthday, and his brother followed him the next year. The members had felt for some time that the name of the Church was unsuitable in the present situation and early in 1967 it was altered to “Boundary Road Evangelical Free Church”.
A BRIEF GLOBAL HISTORY
Although the TMP is now a Community Centre, it still rents out the hall to two local churches that meet on weekends. Both, the TMP and those churches are run by followers of Jesus according to the Bible. He is the founder[ii] of the first church established in Jerusalem, Israel. Ever since it has spread world-wide for about 2000 years.
The church is not a building. The word literally means, “the called-out ones”[iii]. It refers to a community of believers who gather together regularly for worship of God in the name of Jesus, for fellowship and for outreach.
Everyone who believes in the Gospel is entitled to become a member of this global movement. Here is one summary of the Good News:
The Gospel is at the centre of a true story. The eternal kingdom of God is where the story begins in the biblical book of Genesis, chapter 1 to 2, and where the story ends in Revelation chapter 21 to 22. It is where the relationship between God, humans and creation, and between humans and creation, is at peace, safe, sound, complete, right, just and good.
In between are currently the kingdoms of the world. These intruders are governed by belief systems, such as liberalism, socialism, communism, religion, democracy, capitalism, colonialism, globalism and many more. All have common characteristics, like: broken relationships with God and one another, oppressors, oppressed, greed. They all have a beginning and will come to an end.
Here is how the kingdom of God breaks into the kingdoms of the world: In the Bible God has revealed Himself and His will as follows: He is absolutely Holy. All of us have failed to keep God’s commandments, such as not to lie, steal, be greedy, proud, lust after women, etc.
C.S. Lewis said: “As soon as we realize that we have an independent personality and learn that God exists, we are faced with a terrible choice: we can make either God or ourselves the centre of life. The latter is sin, which is committed every day by all people, be they children or adults, workers or academics.
This is the fall of sin that occurs again and again in our personal lives. The decision to make ourselves the centre of life is at the root of all other sins. At this moment you and I are committing them, or we are about to commit them, or we are repeating them.
When we wake up on a new day, we may try to surrender it to our Creator. However, it doesn’t take long before the day becomes our property. We believe that we must give part of it to God as a reward from our own pockets.
It feels like we are graciously giving him some of our time. All day and every day of our lives we are slipping and falling, as if God had become a slippery surface for us on which we cannot rest.
Our human nature is in such a miserable condition that sooner or later we will collapse. Sin is in danger of no longer being seen as so bad because we cannot escape it. However, God cannot have created us this way. Moving away from him, the journey towards one’s own self, must be the result of the fall.”[iv]
The punishment for such selfish behaviour that brings dishonour upon God and people is physical death and eternal separation from Him in hell. God requires justice but also offers to be the justifier because he loves us.
Therefore, he took the sentence for sin upon himself in Jesus and died on the cross for it. There he paid the ultimate price that we all deserved, but could never have paid ourselves. Afterwards He rose again from the dead on the third day.
The Gospel announces the real king and the real kingdom. You and I are invited to pick sides and participate. Start by repenting and believing in the Jesus described here. Be prepared for suffering in your efforts to stand up for truth and bringing about justice. It is worth it. The best is yet to come!
The Christian faith is unique:
- Jesus has revealed God as a loving, perfect, heavenly Father who suffers with his children. Even those of us whose earthly fathers were disappointing, know how a perfect father should be. In all other faiths God is distant and absent because suffering is beneath him.
- God’s love is unconditional, by grace alone. In all other faiths one needs to earn God’s love. Jesus showed this through parables, his death and resurrection on the cross. Those who still prefer to believe one has to earn the love of God, do they not make him inferior to parents who love their children first of all, for who they are, not for what they do?
- Followers of Jesus are saved by faith alone. Faith and works are fundamentally opposed. Faith means trusting in, or relying on a promise of God’s work and not depending in any way on human performance.[v] Good deeds are then done out of thankfulness that someone is saved, not in order that they maybe be saved. Passages in the Bible that talk about judgement according to works[vi] are to be understood for believers in Christ, those who are saved from hell[vii], who will give an account of their works.[viii]
- That Jesus was doing good and died are historical facts, recorded outside the Bible and held by the consensus of all scholars. They also confirm that the grave was empty.[ix]
- Jesus alone said he IS[x] the only way (all other faith leaders said they only KNOW the way).
Do you not think it is foolish to try to please a Perfect, Holy, Just and Loving God with your own feeble “good” (motivated by your selfish desire to avoid hell) works? If you are still in doubt pray sincerely that God would show you whether all this is true!
[i] “Boundary Road Leyton Evangelical Free Church Members’ Manual, 1969, page 27.
[ii] Jesus said: “. . .I will build my church, and the gates of Hadeswill not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18)
[iii] https://www.gotquestions.org/meaning-of-church.html
[iv] “The problem of pain” by C.S. Lewis, Chapter 5 pp 75-76
[v] Romans 4:14; 5:1-2
[vi] Revelation 20:11-15
[vii] 1 John 5:13
[viii] Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10
[ix] https://www.uncover.org.uk/questions/whats-the-evidence-outside-the-bible-for-jesus-life-and-teaching/
[x] John 14:6