Avenue St Andrew's United Reformed Church
Encyclopedia
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Part of the church building is Grade II listed.
Above Bar Congregational Church
The church was founded in 1662 under the ministry of Rev Nathaniel Robinson. The hymn writer Isaac WattsIsaac Watts
Isaac Watts was an English hymnwriter, theologian and logician. A prolific and popular hymnwriter, he was recognised as the "Father of English Hymnody", credited with some 750 hymns...
was a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
of the church.
Having outgrown the original chapel, the a new building was erected on the site in 1727. This was later demolished in 1819 and replaced by an even larger building, the first stone of which was laid on 1 April 1819, and the building was completed on 20 April 1820, having cost nearly £6,000. A re-opening service was held on 6 November 1889.
The Church was the main Non-Conformist church in the city in the nineteenth century, when it was known as Above Bar Independent Chapel (later on becoming Above Bar Congregational Chapel, the oldest church in the Congregational Union
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
). The pastor from 1810 to 1868 was Rev. Thomas Adkins.
On 30 November 1940, during the second world war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the church building was destroyed by Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
bombing. As a result, many of the congregation began attending the nearby St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. The minister of Above Bar Congregational Church, Rev Maxwell Jones, also moved to St. Andrew's and was formally recognised as the minister of the latter.
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
St. Andrew's PresbyterianPresbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
Church was founded in 1853, on the corner of Brunswick Place and Dorset Street. By the 1970s, the congregation had dwindled since much of the surrounding housing had been demolished. In the early 1980s, a survey of the building showed that £150,000 was needed to keep them safe. The decision was made to merge with the nearby Avenue Church since both had become United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
es following the 1972 merger of the Presbyterian Church of England and many churches within the Congregational Union
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
. The St Andrew's buildings were subsequently demolished and replaced with offices.
Avenue Congregational Church
Avenue Congregational ChurchCongregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
was opened on Wednesday, 7 December 1898. After the decision to combine the St. Andrew's and Avenue congregations, the church became known as Avenue St Andrew's..