Those who have not been involved with the planting of a new church can have little idea of the thrill (and the problems!) of experiences so very like the New Testament Church in many respects. Nearly all the members met regularly in each other’s homes for prayer, “with great benefit to those who have taken part and to the general spiritual condition of the Church.”¹¹ There was a spirit of anticipation and an exciting assurance that we were being led by the Holy Spirit. The morning congregation in the first year since the Inaugural Service had risen to 30-40, a primary Sunday School had been commenced, the first infant dedication had taken place, a member (Mr. Fred Fry) had become Secretary of the Chichester Free Church Council. The deacons had surveyed the various areas of development of the City and discussed possible sites for a new building with the Town Clerk.

In October 1952 the City Council indicated that they would be prepared to negotiate for a site of approximately 0.65 of an acre at the corner of Sherborne Road and Salthill Lane (later renamed Duncan Road). The minutes of 21st October record “a unanimous feeling that we were being led most strongly to the site proposed.” A price of £525 (quarter housing value) was agreed, subject to freehold and no other conditions.

In 1953 the first baptisms took place, both at Walberton Chapel.

Towards the end of that year a decision was made to purchase the Sherborne Road site and appoint Mr. E. Brian Tyler, F.R.I.B.A., a local architect, to design an appropriate building.

The brief given to Mr. Tyler in March 1954 was for a general purpose building to seat 250, to occupy the best position on the site, everything inside to be as adaptable as possible, with a movable pulpit and platform and a sunk baptistry. Although the architect was able to commence his drawings, the formal consent of the Minister of Housing and Local Government to the sale of the site was not given until September, 1954 and was then subject to the conveyance of the land (as part of a much larger parcel of land) to the City Council from the Executors of the late R. I. Henty, and then a further hitch because of the diversion of a right of way. It was not until April 1956 that the sale of the site could proceed to the conveyancing stage, and June that year when a draft Trust Deed (known as the Fuller Trusts) was received from the Baptist Union Corporation Ltd., who had been appointed as Trustees in September 1954.

The delays in the conveyancing of the site were frustrating, but in the providence of God proved a time for the maturing of the Church and the saving of necessary funds.

The following are some snippets from the minutes¹² indicating the activities of the Church during those first few years of its existence:

• The Sunday School was extended to all ages. Five boys passed the scripture examination of the National Sunday School Union. A coachload went to the opening of the new Baptist Church at Crawley.
• The Secretary served on a local committee regarding the Hydrogen Bomb at the request of the Mayor of Chichester, a meeting on 22nd June 1954 being addressed by the Bishop of Chichester.
• The Church was very involved with the Chichester Crusade, which had taken place in the Gaumont Cinema, Eastgate Square - 15,000 people had attended, with 600 enquirers.
• The Secretary’s wife was asked to establish a Women’s Meeting and this commenced.
• The Chichester Council of Churches was reconstituted and the Church resolved to become a member.
• A small choir entered in two classes in the Chichester Music Festival.
• All the houses on the Parklands Estate were visited.
• ‘The Way’ Exhibition, in which the Church participated, was held in the Assembly Rooms. (Those who prepared this were the forerunners of the Christian Publicity Organisation, later established at Worthing) A table cloth, made by Mrs. Ruby Green, was embroidered with signatures of subscribers to the Building Fund.
• An Ecumenical Conference for Sussex was held at Bishop Otter College, attended by representatives of the Church.
• The Church participated in ward services arranged by the Free Church Council in St. Richard’s Hospital.

During this period – 1951 to 1957 – the Church continued without a Minister and without a building of its own. In the autumn of 1956, however, two events took place which set the seal of God upon the work and encouraged the development of the next phase in the life of the Church.

¹¹First Annual Report of the Secretary of Chichester Baptist Church, 25th November, 1952.
¹²The information in the remainder of Part V has been obtained from the Church Minute Books and the personal reminiscences of the author.