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On August l6, l977, a group of believers met to consider the possibility of organizing a new work for Christ. The meeting was held in the old Tank Hanger at Camp Sussex which was made available for that purpose. There were 49 persons present. Two items were suggested for consideration: (1) a decision regarding the commencement of a new work; and (2) the calling of a pastor. A motion was made that we declare our intention to commence a new work and implement a witness in the community. A further motion was made that we extend a call to Rev. Harry A. Branscombe to become our Pastor. A second meeting was held at the Tank Hanger on August 23, l977, with 46 persons in attendance. It was reported that the vacant Presbyterian Church building on Arnold Avenue was available as a meeting place for a rental of $75.00 per month. A third meeting was held on September 6, 1977, with 42 persons in attendance at the Presbyterian Church building which became our new church home. At this meeting a Board of Directors was approved as follows: Reuben Harris, Winston Teakles, Ernest Kyle, Stanley Thorne, Bill Gamblin, Morris Chown and Elmor Perry, with honorary member James Allaby. |
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On September 11, l977, we
gathered for worship with 91 persons of all ages present and with Gary Barnes of Wickham
officiating as Pastor Branscombe would not be released from his present pastorate until
October 30th. The first Chairman of the Board was Elmor G. Perry, the first Sunday
School Superintendent was Trevor McCready and the organist and choir director was David
McCready. The first Statement of Faith and Constitution governing our operations was
accepted on October 11,1977. On June 28, 1978 , a committee was formed to investigate properties, land, etc. with a view of becoming established in a permanent meeting place, due to the uncertainty of the availability of the Presbyterian building. After considering several buildings and lots of land, a decision was made on April 8, l979, to purchase a parcel of land from the Town Of Sussex which consisted of 2.3 acres fronting on Pine Street. In order to finance a new building it was decided to initiate an appeal for funds, challenging the Fellowship through the following means: (1) Outright Gifts (2) Interest Free Loans (3) Interest Bearing Loans (4) Outside Borrowing. On November 23, l978 , authority was granted to incorporate under the name of FAITH BIBLE BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP INC. Tenders were called for the construction of a new church building and the lowest tender was submitted by Gable Enterprises and was accepted at a meeting on October 7, l979. In order to finance the construction of the building and some equipment, it was necessary to negotiate a bank loan and members loans. The original bank loan was paid in full in l984, and member loans were partially forgiven and the balance owing was paid in l988. This leaves our Fellowship debt free, for which we give God the glory. The new building, before it was completely finished, was used for our first worship service on Sunday, March 6, l980, and this was a red letter day in the life of our Fellowship. The AWANA Program has been a vital part of our overall program, with Reuben Harris as Commander. The first meeting was held at the 8th Hussars Sport Centre, then at the Elementary School at a rental of $l0.00 per week and subsequently at the Kings County Stadium. Our Fellowship has been Missions oriented from the very beginning and has adopted the Faith Promise plan for giving, which forms a major part of our overall budget. This history information was obtained from Mr. Elmor Perry ( elmorp@webtv.net ) Chairman, Deacons Board (Retired) |
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