Church Micro 14651...Holmer Green - Baptist
The earliest recorded meeting of a group of Baptists in Holmer Green is 1798. The first Baptist Church however in the village was a small brick and flint structure built in 1869. At that time Holmer Green was a small hamlet of some fifty cottages, situated between the Buckinghamshire towns of High Wycombe and Amersham. The population was about 150 people, the employment being mainly in agriculture or fruit growing.
The church building was altered and added to over the next 130 years. By the late 1980's, the village had grown to a thriving community comprising modern housing estates and a population of over 4,500. The number of people going to the Baptist Church on a regular basis had also considerably increased, and the existing building was becoming inadequate, both in terms of size and structure. The members had a vision of a brand new Baptist Church and enquiries were made to establish whether this was a feasible idea.
It was feasible, and under the leadership and ministry of Revd Hedley Feast, the members were encouraged to work and pray for the fulfillment of this vision and the task of fund-raising started.
Hedley moved back to Oxfordshire in 1993, but fund-raising continued and by 1999, planning permission had been obtained for a new site and sufficient funds were available to commence the project. After Hedley the church appointed the Revd Roger Crawshaw.
It was decided that the year 2000 would be an appropriate time for the opening of the new church, and construction work began. The new building was completed by the end of 1999, and the first worship service was held on 16th January 2000 - a great time of celebration and thanksgiving to God.
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