Our Church, a History of the First 50 Years
Our Church was founded in 1947. One of our members wrote this Brief History of the First 50 Years (and it was updated on the occasion of our 60th Anniversary with a synopsis of events during our Sixth Decade).
Foreword
This tells the story of the Westbury-on-Trym Baptist Church, a part of the history of the world-wide Church of God. Perhaps this story will never be found in any text book on Church history, but it is nevertheless of profound significance to those of us who have been involved, for it is our story; the story of our shared lives. The faith and the vision of those who founded our Church and who sustained its growing ministry over the years is both daunting and inspiring. We are daunted because we feel we can never live up to the great characters of the past whose personalities, work and commitment fill this record. Yet we are inspired because the God who met the needs of those who planted, watered and grew our Church, will surely provide us with the strength and resources we need to undertake the tasks to which He is calling us; to develop the work, to enhance our relationship with God and to deepen our involvement in the neighbourhood and the World of which we are a part.
In one sense, a fiftieth anniversary is like a busy road, it is vital to look both ways before you cross. For as we celebrate, we look to our past and we rejoice in the evidence of God’s faithfulness; and we also look to the future with hope and expectancy, sure that God has promised to travel with us. We are grateful for our past; our shared memories are a part of the people we are. We owe a debt of thanks to all those who have contributed to this fascinating record and put our story into such an accessible form. Yet the greatest debt of thanks belongs to God who is the main actor in these pages: without Him there would be no story to tell. This is really a part of His story, a chapter in the continuing history of the work of Jesus Christ, our own addition to the greatest story of them all.