History of the Liverpool Church 1975 – 2007

The service on 5th February 2005 marked the 30th anniversary of the Liverpool congregation. Its first service was held on the morning of 1st February 1975, in the Liverpool Polytechnic College. This new congregation at Liverpool was one of a number established following the closure of the Bricket Wood Campus of Ambassador College in May 1974. By the end of February 1974, it was one of about 35 new congregations in the United Kingdom, and represented the fruit of God’s work in North-Western England, a work which had started 21 years earlier in 1954.

Origins

As recorded in his autobiography, Mr Herbert W. Armstrong himself had been to Manchester in 1954 to speak to an invited audience of Plain Truth readers. Later, in 1960, while Raymond F. McNair was directing the work for the U.K (1958-1972), another series of lectures produced about two dozen people who began to attend regular Services in Manchester. This was the first congregation of the Worldwide Church of God to be established on the North of England in that era.

From that small beginning, numbers grew, so that in 1964 services in Manchester ended and two centres were established for the north: one in Leeds and one in Warrington. They were pastored and served by ministers who travelled regularly from the College Campus at Bricket Wood for the weekly Services, and for local Festival Days.

The Local Elder, David Bedford, living in Sale (Manchester), well knew the hazards of crossing the Pennines by the Snake Pass long before the days of the M62.

Congregations from both sides of the Pennines continued to meet together in Manchester for the two Services on each of the local Festival Days. This continued until 1967, when attendances had grown to over 300. Because of this, separate local Festival Day Services began in 1968.  By 1974 the average weekly attendance at Warrington had risen to over 200; and the time was ripe for further expansion.

A Door Opens

The closure of Ambassador College at Bricket Wood had released manpower for numerous series of lectures to Plain Truth readers throughout the country and enabled the establishment of new congregations.

In October and November 1974 a series of these lectures again provided the means for growth of the Church in North-West England. Meetings were held in Manchester and in Liverpool.

Following addresses given by Richard Plaché at the Centre Hotel, Liverpool on 10th and 11th November 1974, a series of eight weekly lectures was scheduled (on Sunday afternoons), The speakers were Mr Plaché, Roderick Meredith and Richard Frankel.  At the close of the final meeting on 5th January 1975, an invitation was extended to those present to attend Services (at Warrington). For a while, fortnightly Bible Studies continued, conducted by Robert Morton, then Pastor of the Warrington Church.

New Congregations

The final service at Warrington was held on 25th January 1975, with an attendance of approximately 205.  As in 1965, the Church again multiplied, this time into three new congregations.  On 1st February 1975, services were held at Lancaster (40 attendance), Salford (112) and at Liverpool (78).

At Liverpool, the first service was conducted by Robert Morton (Pastor) with Peter McLean (Ministerial Assistant). Mr McLean was later ordained as Local Elder on 6th June 1975.  Subsequently he was appointed as Pastor of both the Liverpool and Stoke Churches, when Mr Morton was transferred to Pasadena (Church HQ).

Liverpool Church

The Liverpool Church area was bounded by the M6 in the east, across to the coast at Southport, stretching down into North Cheshire, and including Chester, The Wirral Peninsula and a small part of North Wales.  It also included the Isle of Man.

On 22nd February 1975, monthly meetings began in Conway (moving to Llandudno 1983). These became fortnightly, sometimes in Bible Study format and sometimes as a Church Service. Llandudno became formally designated as a Church in June 1988. The other sister Church at Stoke began its regular Services on 7th June 1975.

Meeting Places

The Liverpool Church has met for worship at various locations over the past 30 years, including the Holiday Inn (then located in Paradise Street, Liverpool), Liverpool Polytechnic College, the Bluecoat Chambers (School Lane, Liverpool), Masonic Hall (Hope Street, Liverpool), Torr Hall (Eastham, Wirral), Friends Meeting House (then located in Paradise Street, Liverpool) and Bebington Civic Centre (Bebington, Wirral) where the church currently meets.

 

Information compiled by Bill Adlington (Liverpool Church deacon)

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