Remarkably sandwiched between a day of incessant snow (which vanished in the night) and rain which came immediately after the ceremony, the ‘Stone-Laying’ of the new building took place at 3pm on 8th February, 1958, witnessed by a company of about 200 people. The Rev. Harold Larcombe led the service, the stone was laid by the Minister and also taking part were the Rev. T. J. Lewis, representing the Lake Road Baptist Church, Portsmouth, the Rev. David Rigden-Green and the Rev. Hubert Janisch. The stone, which bears the simple inscription, “To the Glory of God, February 8th 1958” was presented to the Church by Mr. H. C. Jones of Chichester Monumental Works. A photograph of the ceremony has survived and is reproduced in illustration 8.

When the tender for the new building was accepted in October, 1957, the Church anticipated having to borrow £7,000 and to do without boundary walls, a car park, or an organ. In the event the finances permitted all these to be provided, the organ being a Miller Martinette B electronic organ, and the borrowing was only £6,500 (£2,000 of which came from the Baptist Building Fund), and within one year of the opening the debt had been reduced to £6,000.

The Baptist Times reported, “In seven years this small, but growing community, has experienced the guiding hand of the Spirit of God and His ability to provide abundantly for every project which is in line with His will.”

There is a description of the building at Appendix 5.

Brian Tyler once said, “The trouble with you Baptists is that you want the pulpit, the communion table and the baptistry¹³ all to be central!” He did persuade the Church to put the pulpit to the side and make it portable. To keep cost down it had been planned to have lino tiles for flooring, except in the vestibule, where Afrormosia wood blocks were to be used, but a visit to the new Baptist Church at Leigh Park, Havant, revealed that their lino tiles had been ruined within weeks by the ‘stilleto heels’ which were common at that time. An urgent request to the architect to investigate wood blocks instead produced (at considerable extra cost) a sample of Australian Eucalyptus, which was accepted, but the sub-contractor, expecting the building to be behind schedule, sold the consignment, hoping to replace it before it was required! The architect had given the Church a completion date and was determined to stand by it, so required the sub-contractor to start on the date agreed and use wood blocks of a similar or better standard at the same price. A quick deacons’ meeting approved a sample of Missanda and this was substituted, providing attractive and stable floors which have stood the test of time.

So at last the building was ready and exactly seven years after the formation of the Church it was opened and dedicated on the hottest day in September, 1958, Saturday 13th. Outside the building the Minister, Albert Crowther, presided, Mr. Brian Tyler, Architect, presented Peter Thatcher, Church Secretary with a gold commemorative key, the front door was opened and the first congregation assembled (see illustration 11).

Inside, the Rev. Dr. Henry Cook, M.A., Ex-President of the Baptist Union and European Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, presided and the Rev. Hubert Janisch preached, in the presence of the Mayor of Chichester, Alderman Charlie Newell and his wife, and representatives of other churches in the City and of the wider Baptist community.

At the Annual Church Meeting which followed on 7th October, 1958, the Secretary recalled the meeting on 21st October, 1952 when it had been agreed to purchase the Sherborne Road site, and said, “Those of us who were there must feel a sense of awe and wonder that God does indeed continue to guide and provide, and it was not just our imagination that we were being definitely led to build here. The seven years without a building have been very good for the character of the Church.”

The Church had indeed held firmly to the belief that a Christian Church is a gathered community of believers in Jesus Christ, and not a building. Nevertheless there was a sense of relief that the Church now had somewhere to meet without endless hiring of premises and that the new set of buildings was in an area that it could serve and evangelise.

At this point there were 46 members, 36 children in the Sunday School, over 20 young people in the Youth Fellowship, a choir met fortnightly, the Women’s Fellowship numbers had increased and participation in the hospital services continued.

The Treasurer, Arthur Brown, a retired barrister, had firm ideas about financial policy. He held that payment of the minister’s stipend had first priority. From the beginning the Church must be outward-looking and subscribe regularly to the Baptist Missionary Society and the Home Work Fund (later renamed Home Mission) of the Baptist Union, for the support of other churches, the superintendents and Associations. And because buildings deteriorate, he believed it prudent to set aside from the annual budget a sum for repairs and renewals. So although the building was only open in September, in November, 1958 a Repairs and Renewals Fund was established – the start of a policy that proved of great benefit in later years.

¹³The Baptistry. Reference was made in Note 1 relating to the Introduction to the increasing practice of believers’ baptism in churches other than Baptist churches. There is an interesting note in the Register of Baptisms that “On Monday 15th August, 1966, an adult baptism in accordance with the Anglican Order, was held in the church by the Rev. Pruen, Rector of Selsey.” Since that first occasion the church has been lent for baptisms by immersion to Providence Chapel, St. Pancras Anglican Church, Chichester, and the Revelation Church, Chichester, on a number of occasions.