Blenheim Crescent Baptist Church Luton

Elevation of the proposed School Church in 1937 [JN535]

The early history of Blenheim Crescent Baptist Church is detailed in a little booklet called Shall We Venture? printed in the 1945 [JN131]. Otherwise records of the church can be found in the archive of Luton builder and Baptist, Sir Herbert Charles Janes (1884-1977) [JN].

Early in 1937 about a dozen Baptists in the area were asked by the Baptist Church Extension General Committee to begin plans for establishing a church, though no money was forthcoming from the Bedfordshire Baptist Association, though a Bunyan Country Bazaar had been held five years earlier to raise funds [JN196] proceeds from this had been used to pay the debt owed on purchasing the land [JN197]. The Baptist members opened their first minute book with the resolution: "We will take upon our own shoulders the responsibility for this new Church". They had deeds to land which had been bought by the Baptist Churches in Luton some years before and was large enough both for a church and separate Sunday School buildings and so at least had a site for the putative new church.

The first decision was to build a School Church, to cost £1,575. This would allow the establishment of a Sunday School and hence ensure a growing membership. The church itself could come later. The Sunday School was organised before building commenced, meeting in a classroom of a Council School some way away (unfortunately the name of the school is not recorded). At the first Sunday School the five helpers had just seven children, though numbers grew each week. Luton had a long tradition of Liberal Nonconformity and so the potential congregation was there.

After five months the School Church was complete, built by H. C. Janes Limited and was opened on 25th September 1937; by opening day £400 had been raised towards paying the debt. Many of the furnishings were donated. The building could accommodate 250 people. In 1939 an organ was installed. By 1945 the debt was fully paid off.

The church was run by a Management Committee which met monthly and the pulpit was filled by a mixture of laymen and ministers. At the end of 1937 the church had been properly founded and sixty were on the roll. By the end of 1938 a full-time pastor, J. Scott Thorburn, was in place. In 1941 the Management Committee was disbanded as the church now had a set of rules and elected Deacons to govern it.

It took some years for the new church to be built - a ceremony of turning the sod occurred on 26th August 1961, the foundation stone being laid on 14th October and the church opened and dedicated on 1st September 1962.

 
Blenheim Crescent Baptist Church September 2009

Sources

• JN196: Bunyan Country Bazaar held in aid of Blenheim Crescent building fund: 1932;
• JN196: BaptistChurch Extension General Committee list, accounts and balance sheets: 1932;
• JN197: appeal for funds to pay off the debt owed on purchase of the land: 1934;
• JN197: correspondence regarding H. C. Janes Limited's building the SchoolChurch: 1937;
• JN535: plans and elevation of the proposed SchoolChurch: 1937;
• JN197: plan and elevations of the proposed church hall: 1937;
• JN197: SchoolChurch opening service: 1937;
• JN198: correspondence regarding the site of the church: 1937-1938;
• JN199: Young People's Fellowship membership list: 1938;
• JN200: ordination of J. Scott Thorburn: 1938;
• JN201: Young People's fellowship correspondence and membership lists: 1938-1942;
• JN202: Men's Fellowship membership lists and correspondence: 1938-1940
• JN203: Blenheim Crescent Athletic Football Club players list, fixture list and correspondence: 1938-1939;
• JN205: list of church members: 1938;
• JN204: Blenheim Crescent Bazaar opened by Mrs. David Bowes-Lyon, sister-in-law of Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother): 1939;
• JN129: correspondence about building the SchoolChurch: 1939;
• JN26: programme for the dedication of the organ at BlenheimCrescentBaptistChurch: 1939;
• JN199: minutes of the Church Council: 1939-1940;
• JN205: church rules: 1940;
• Jn205: agreement with Luton Corporation allowing it to use part of the SchoolChurch premises as an elementary school: 1940;
• JN200: programme for the ordination of W. Ralph Martin: 1943;
• JN131: Shall We Venture? 1945;
• JN200: proposed new church: 1945;
• JN179: list of members of BlenheimCrescentBaptistChurch: 1945;
• JN65: BlenheimCrescentBaptistChurch programmes: 1949/50; 1953/4 and 1954/5;
• JN200: induction programme for T. Carew Mitchell: 1952;
• JN200: plan of proposed new church: 1954;
• JN200: newspaper cuttings regarding the 21st birthday of the church: 1958;
• JN200: programmes for the sod turning and foundation stone laying: 1961;
• JN200: programme for the opening and dedication of the new church: 1962