Baptists bid to expand their church in Bishop's Stortford

Baptists in Bishop’s Stortford want to expand their community activities as they celebrate the start of their third century in the town.

The Twyford Road church has asked East Herts Council for planning permission to convert a redundant storage unit and expand its accommodation for activities involving dozens of groups.

The site has become a hive of activity since the new church was built and opened in September 2012.

The Baptist congregation has grown along with the town. In 1809, Bishop’s Stortford was home to just two members of the church out of an estimated population of 2,500. But according to Paul Ailey’s online history “by 1814 their number was such that one John Phipp (1738–1818) had his house licensed for preaching”.

The worshippers met at a hired barn at Phipp’s Yard in South Street before the first Baptist chapel was built in Newtown Road in 1819. After 30 years it was replaced by a larger structure on the Sandpit Field site.

It served the congregation for 101 years, but lack of space forced a temporary move to The Bishop’s Stortford High School in London Road before the current centre was built.

In a statement supporting the application, the church explains why it needs to grow again at the heart of the community: “Our facility is appreciated and used by hundreds of people throughout the year, but we are finding that at times we struggle to meet demand in the existing premises.

“In our bicentenary year, we are looking to further expand and continue to establish the church as an integral part of Bishop’s Stortford.

"Since inception, the church has met the spiritual and practical needs of the local community and helped people to reach their full potential. We offer opportunities for people to connect with each other and grow together, combating loneliness and isolation.

“We have seen our membership grow since the building of our existing facility on Twyford Road. As the town grows, we anticipate additional demand and this demand is not simply attendance on a Sunday morning. We have found ourselves struggling to accommodate our youth groups in suitable rooms on a Sunday morning.”

As well as operating five days a week, from 8.30am to 4.30pm, and much of Sunday as a church, the premises are used in the evenings and on Saturdays by 30 community groups throughout the year, ranging from the Alzheimer’s Society to University of the Third Age.

Several charitable organisations, non-profit and support groups, including Grove Cottage, Carers in Herts and Parkinson’s Carers, have regular meetings because the centre provides parking and disabled access.

The statement says: “Several schools and businesses have enjoyed the use of our building to host their own off-site meetings and we’ve juggled these demands with those of line dancing, fitness classes, circuit training, art demonstrations and our own ministry groups. Having more rooms available would give us more flexibility in what we can offer and when.”

The centre is also home to the Bishop's Stortford Money Advice Service and the expansion will enable the advisors to extend their hours.

The Baptists want to extend their exchange programme, started in November 2015, to offer clothes, household items, furniture, toys and a host of other practical essentials to people in need free of charge.

The church also provides weekly Toddlers and Co meetings for more than 50 adults and their children, Zone Youth Club for 70 secondary school-age kids each Friday night and language classes for those wanting to learn English at beginner and intermediate levels as well as sessions in German and Portuguese. A translation service also helps Portuguese people access health and education.

The statement says: “At Bishop's Stortford Baptist Church we currently meet needs of many from across the community but are finding ourselves being limited in what we do by our existing premises being fully utilised.

"Having the flexibility that will come with the refurbishment and small extension of our adjoining building will enable us to continue to grow and provide essential support for all.”