Alan Burrell had served the Church for 14 and a half years and it was a new experience for many members to be without a Pastor. The Rev. Dr. Stanley Thomas, who had been a missionary surgeon in India and later Pastor of Upper Beeding Baptist Church, West Sussex, agreed to help the Church with special pastoral needs and interim arrangements were made for the deacons to share various aspects of the work, assisted as on many occasions before, by retired ministers and ‘lay’ preachers, not least those within the Chichester Church.

The West Sussex Baptist Preachers Association (of which the author was Treasurer) has been helpful in training and supplying preachers throughout the life of the Chichester Church.

Two months after Alan left, the Rev. Peter Nash, B.A., Mus.B., B.D., of Dorking was introduced to the Church by the Area Superintendent, the Rev. Bill Hancock and on 26th June, 1984 an invitation, which he readily accepted, was given to him to become the Pastor here.

For some time the deacons had felt that the original small manse at 45, Parklands Road, was inadequate and in July, 1984 it was decided to sell the property and, with the consent of the Trustees, to purchase a new property on a shared basis with the new Minister.

This allowed Peter and Audrey Nash to select a bungalow of their choice and the purchase of No. 105, Cedar Drive, Chichester, was completed on 30th November, 1984.

The Induction of Peter Nash was on 6th October, 1984, worship being led by the Rev. Edmund Heddle, President of the Sussex Baptist Association that year and an old friend of the Church, the Induction by the Rev. Bill Hancock and the Ministry of the Word by the Rev. David L. Jones. B.A., B.D., Minister of Lewes Baptist Church in East Sussex. David had been in the Royal Air Force at Tangmere when the Church was started in the 1950’s and had been at the opening of the building in 1958, so it was appropriate for him to share in the service.

During 1984 increasing use was being made of the overhead projector in the Sunday services and a set of Songs of Fellowship acetates was purchased, so that the Church could conform to the copyright laws.

In that year too there were changes in the leadership of the youth work and by the end of the year Alan Smith resigned as Captain of the Boys’ Brigade. Eventually, in 1985, mainly because new leaders could not be found, it was decided to discontinue the Boys’ and Girls’ Brigades, to the sadness of many who had experienced great times with the Brigades, and perhaps specially at the camps, which had been occasions of vital spiritual experience. A Gym Club, associated with the Brigades and led by David Rippon had also been much appreciated.

Some important changes were made in 1985. Alan Burrell had used a room at the church as an office and study; Peter Nash preferred to use a room at home for this purpose. This enabled the former office to be refurnished as a ‘Counselling Room’. The floor of the North Hall was giving trouble and was very slippery, so it was decided to lay ‘Flotex’ carpet there and in adjacent rooms. When the old floor covering was taken up, serious dampness was revealed and it took several weeks to dry out and a new screed laid before the Flotex could be put down.

In May 1985 the time of the Sunday morning service was changed from 11am to 10am, the Sunday School (now called Junior Fellowship) to meet with the adults for the first part of the service. There was immediate pressure on accommodation during the remaining part of the service as the main worship area had always been available for the children when they had met at 9.50am. before the morning service at 11am. It was around this time that the regular recording of the services commenced, together with the setting up of a cassette tape ministry.

A Week of Prayer was held, and the leading of the Lord sought regarding various matters, including youth leadership, buildings and healing services.

At this time too the stacking metal-framed chairs with plywood seats and backs which had been purchased for 30 shillings each in 1958 were showing signs of wear and 200 were replaced by upholstered stacking chairs for use in the main worship area, at a cost of £6,325. The public address system was also improved.

Another event that year was an Art Exhibition at the church by one of the members, Victor Slaymaker, who among much other work had had a series of drawings of local places in the West Sussex Gazette. His little studio at West Ashling was a joy to visit.

Following the decision to close the Brigades a committee was set up under the chairmanship of Andrew Poulsom, with a brief to look at all the youth activities, and in January 1986 the Church, on the recommendation of the committee, approved the adoption of ‘Covenanters,’ a non-uniformed youth organisation.

The membership of the Women’s Fellowship, which had run continuously since 1955 – at the beginning with many young mothers – was increasingly composed of older women (who were also provided for by the Over Sixties Fellowship). In 1986, Mrs. Mildred Jenner, secretary of the Women’s Fellowship, felt she could not stand again and in April that year it was reluctantly decided that the Women’s Fellowship should be suspended. This was a disappointment to many, as the influence of the Fellowship had been great and its meetings had always been at a high spiritual level.

In the same year about 40 people went to ‘Spring Harvest’ at Minehead in March, a Church Conference Weekend was held in April, led by the Rev. John Bedford and team from Brandhall Baptist Church, Birmingham and in October a Teaching Week led by Mrs. Mary Clarke, of ‘Wholeness Through Christ’, with which Peter and Audrey Nash were actively associated.

For two years ‘Coffee Break’ was held with a view to contacting mothers with young children, but did not prove very successful and was discontinued in 1987.

The minutes show that the Shops Bill was debated by the Church – and a Badminton Club was formed.