News of what God was doing in 1926 was becoming known elsewhere. At the beginning of the year there had
been a great time of blessing in the campaign at Plymouth and this was followed by a short campaign at St.
Peter Port, Guernsey. The Bournemouth campaign started in July and people flocked to the meetings by bus
and tram. The following year George Jeffreys came to Southampton and held a great campaign. After the
initial meeting at which a number of people were saved and several healed, the meetings grew in size as
people gathered at the Central Hall to hear this powerful evangelist who preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ –
the Saviour, Healer, Baptiser and Coming King. As they came, people accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour
and as the healing lines took place, wonderful miracles were effected by the power of God. A number of
remarkable miracles were recorded during that campaign. One was Miss Florence Munday, who had been an
invalid for about fifteen years and had to be wheeled about in a bath chair. Her knee was completely
destroyed and in splints. The doctors had told her that she would never walk again, but after prayer she was
able to walk across the hall, healed by the power of God. My mother had fallen down some steps at
Winchester and had become paralysed. She could not look after a small boy and so I had to live with my aunt
across the road. My father was in business and one of his customers, Mr. Frank Hurst of Awbridge, told him
of the meetings in Southampton. We lived at Romsey, but he decided to go and laid my mother across the
back seat of a taxi. On arrival at the meeting she was laid on the platform and when George Jeffreys prayed
for her, she was completely healed and went home on the bus! Many other healings took place during those
meetings and almost a thousand souls came to know the Lord as their Saviour.
The Formation of Pentecostal Churches in the Area.
A phrase which came into existence in those days was: ‘George Jeffreys always pens his sheep.’ This was
true, as after every campaign a church was established in the area. The Southampton church was opened at
Park Road, Freemantle and another was opened by Miss Munday at St. Monica Road, Sholing. On returning
to Romsey my mother and father were instrumental in the formation of an Elim church in that town. Another
church was soon to be established in Eastleigh and before long the Pentecostal message took root in Andover.
In the years which followed, Mr. Wellstead of Totton obtained a piece of ground at the top end of Water Lane
and a church was eventually opened, although at the time of its commencement it was independent. Other
believers who had been moved by the power of God in the Southampton meetings started a work on the
Western side of Southampton Water, meeting at Dibden Purlieu and finally at Hardley Green. Many other
churches were affected by the Pentecostal message, but not all moved on in the blessing. One notable
exception was The Gospel Hall at Canada Road, West Wellow, which joined the Elim movement as an affiliated
church and is still in operation today.
Little is known of the history of the small assembly which had originally existed in the town, but it must have
joined the number of autonomous churches which became known as Assemblies of God in Great Britain and
Ireland after its formation in 1924, Mr. Tilling becoming Missionary Secretary-Treasurer in 1929. Its work
continued throughout the years. Meanwhile the Elim work in Freemantle continued apace and there was a
rich variety of ministry both from Pastor Trevor who was the first minister after the formation of the church
and those who followed in the general turn-round of pastors in the Elim churches. Many missionaries
regularly visited the port of Southampton on their way to the mission field and on their return for a time of
furlough. Often they would be present for a meeting and would share their experiences.
The Great Southampton Campaign in 1937.
In the early part of the year news filtered through that Principal George Jeffreys was planning to hold another
campaign in Southampton and it took place in the Summer of that year. There was a large open space in
Commercial Road at the back of some shops on the corner of Morris Road and here a huge tent was erected
to house the ‘Revival and Divine Healing Campaign.’ George Jeffreys and his Revival Party arrived and the
meetings commenced with hearty Pentecostal singing led by Mr. R. E. Darragh with Mr. A. W. Edsor at the
piano. Crowds gathered nightly to those meetings and many young people attended to hear the message.
The Pentecostal Work in Southampton.
Night after night the Gospel went forth in the Holy Spirit power and anointing and there were meetings in the
afternoons. Once again people were born again of the Spirit of God and many healings took place. Although
we do not have the actual numbers it is known that God moved in a mighty way to save and heal and many
nominal Christians returned to faith in Jesus Christ. God had moved again in revival power in Southampton
and the intense longing of many people for more of the Holy Spirit was satisfied as they began to speak in
tongues and manifest the gifts of the Spirit. Revival was in the air and the Gospel was proclaimed on the
trams and buses and in the open air, particularly every Sunday afternoon outside the Cowherds Inn on
Southampton Common. At the close of the campaign the meetings continued in the Elim Church at Park
Road, Freemantle under the ministry of Pastor Lemuel Morris. Many new faces were to be seen in the
meetings and the church was packed to capacity. One of the new converts was a man who had been a
‘blackshirt,’ a follower of the radical political group led by Sir Oswald Mosley. He was fearless in the open air
meetings which were common in those days. The theatres did not open on Sundays at that time and because
the meetings were so packed with people, often on Sunday evenings they were held in the Grand Theatre,
which was near the bus station opposite the Civic Centre, or in the Palace Theatre in Above Bar.
The Pentecostal Work in Southampton in the War Years.
This was the pattern in the late 1930’s in Southampton, but things were to change as time drew on. The
political situation in Europe was causing great concern as Germany was re-arming and making demands upon
neighbouring states. War clouds were gathering and with the German invasion of Poland, we were at war
with Nazi Germany on 3rd September, 1939. Things went on much as usual in Southampton in those days,
and it was not until the miracle of Dunkirk that things began to change. Nothing significant was happening in
the local churches for a time, but trouble was taking place nationally in the Elim movement. Just before the
war, George Jeffreys had been to Sweden and saw the great Pentecostal work which had taken place under
the ministry of Lewi Pethrus in Stockholm. He came back to this country, determined to change the structure
of the Elim movement. This met with considerable opposition and there was a division in the churches. There
was a lot of propaganda as leaflets were printed and distributed throughout the country and as no agreement
could be reached, George Jeffreys left the Elim movement which he had brought into being and formed.
‘The Bible Pattern Church Fellowship.’ Churches were now forced to make up their minds and in July 1940 the
Southampton Elim church was changed by a vote of the membership into the Bible Pattern Church.
The war was now reaching
a crucial stage and many young people had been called into the armed forces. Southampton and other cities
suffered a terrible bombardment and the church at Park Road was struck by a bomb, rendering it unfit for use
as a place of worship. The meetings then took place in the minor hall and a few rooms outside the main
building. Meanwhile, the argument continued with the Elim Headquarters over the legal entitlement of the
building and this continued for some time.
A Time of Change was now taking place.
Due to the need for a minister at the Middlesbrough church, the Bible Pattern Church Headquarters
transferred Lemuel Morris to that city and someone had to be found to take over the Southampton church.
Robert Smith was a friend of George Jeffreys and had originally been the Dean of the Elim Bible College. He
had resigned from the movement and for some time was living in Cornwall as a chicken farmer. He was called
back into the ministry and took over as pastor of the Southampton church. He was a strong and forceful
preacher and was well liked by the congregation. He was originally a miner at Dowlais in South Wales and
soon found that an old friend of his, William George, who had also been a miner at Merthyr Tydfil was the
pastor of the Romsey Elim church. Thus they renewed their friendship and worked in harmony, despite their
denominational differences. Robert Smith was an honourable man and it was not long before he realised that
there was something amiss. They were worshipping as a Bible Pattern church in a building which was legally
owned by the Elim movement. In fact, this had been the bone of contention since the beginning of the split
between the two groups, and Elim had repeatedly tried to get the building back. Robert Smith told his
oversight that he was not happy with the situation and said they should do the honourable thing and get out
of the building. He therefore began to look for another place in which to worship.
The Pentecostal Work in Southampton.
Some time in 1945 the Bible Pattern church moved into the Oddfellows Hall in St. Mary Street, near the Kingsland Square Market.
No comments:
Post a Comment