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The History of Stanmore Chapel 

It was June 1932 that Mr Alfred Reed, an underground train driver, received a call to a very small work in the Old Barn, Old Church Lane, Stanmore, where the congregation numbered six adults and two children, and the first offering amounted to six shillings and ninepence (34p). This was the time of the Great Depression. God saved a great many souls, forty-five in three months, and in September that same year Stanmore Chapel became a formally constituted church with a proper membership, a band of deacons and the Reverend Alfred Reed as its first pastor. 

The metropolitan suburbs around north-west London, including Stanmore, were growing rapidly and month by month the Lord added to the church until there were over sixty members and the Barn could no longer hold them. The need to build a proper place of worship became essential. The owner of the Barn, who was himself a builder and a member of the church, envisaged turning to the Baptist Union for finance but the majority of members, whilst theologically Baptist, were against this idea, preferring to remain independent*. On Monday 5 August 1935 the church was given formal notice to quit the Barn.

Naturally this seemed to be a great setback, which gave much heartache, but it was agreed to continue to meet in the pastor’s house at 1 Abercorn Road, Stanmore. Even in those confined premises there was great joy, for the church was thrown entirely on the mercy of God, both for provision of a new site and for the necessary money to put up a suitable building.

CHAPEL 001Building the chapel

And, despite the economic situation, the Lord marvellously supplied all those needs. Many wondrous answers to prayer were realised in those days and each need was met ‘in the nick of time’, first for the land, and then for the buildings themselves. The work was done, by the members, as the money came in. At no time did the work cease for lack of funds. There was great gladness when the Chapel in Marsh Lane was opened on 23 October 1937 by the Reverend EJ Poole Connor; founder of what became the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC), to which Stanmore Chapel was affiliated from its earliest days.

The Reverend Alfred Reed was a man of vision and asked God to grant the church a further 50ft of land alongside the chapel. The owner of the land was approached to sell at a future date and agreed, having been given a token payment (made by the pastor himself). 
 
CHAPEL 006
The War then came and the need arose for premises for youth work. Pastor Reed went to approach the man who had received the token payment only to discover that he had subsequently passed away. The new owner resisted the sale of the land for some months, but God gave him no peace until the promise, made in earlier days, had been honoured. Yet, the man had one exception. The church had to purchase 70ft of land, rather than the intended 50ft, or it could not have any! In later years all were able to see God’s hand upon us for good, for the church now had land for a sports hall and also for a manse.

Adding a hall and a manse
 
The hall was built just after the war. At this time nothing could be used in such buildings that could have been used in building houses instead. But, again, after much prayer, God supplied all of the needs in terms of finance, substitute materials and voluntary labour. Many young people have since met in that hall and have heard the Bible taught, through the Sunday school and various clubs.

STANMORECHAPEL11

The manse was built in the same manner in the years 1958/9, with much voluntary labour and the continued goodness of the Lord supplying all necessary finance. Many found joy and fellowship in working together in this way. Through all these years, during all this work, at no time was the church ever in debt.

In 1969 Reverend Alfred Reed retired after thirty seven years of faithful ministry to God’s people. As well as being a minister, he had remained a full time employee of the London Underground all his working life. Many people acknowledge their conversion and spiritual growth in the church under his ministry.

Since then the Chapel has had a further three ministers and by God's grace continues to witness in Stanmore to the good news of Jesus Christ. Rev'd David Lucke was minister of Stanmore Chapel between March 1970 and February 1987. During this time the Chapel adopted a plural eldership to better reflect the teaching of the Bible.

Between 1989 and April 2016 the church was served by the ministry of Rev'd John Colin Leyshon, a larger-than-life Welshman. During these days the congregation happily experienced increasing diversity as the demographics of Stanmore and surrounding areas changed substantially. Such diversity continues to be a hallmark of the Chapel today.

Today the work of proclaiming the risen Christ continues. Since September 2018, the Chapel has been ably served by the ministry of Chris Tapp as Pastor as together, we look to write the next chapters in the history of the Lord's work here...

This history is largely based on the recollections of Mrs JE Wilson, daughter of Rev'd Alfred Reed, and member of Stanmore Chapel 1932-2018.

*Members of the original Old Barn congregation were eventually involved in the founding of four churches in Stanmore, three of which remain to this day.

Chapel interior 2012   Pastor Leyshon    
 


 

Hello
Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Planning your Visit

A warm hello! 

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our two Sunday Services starting at 9am & 11am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by one of our friendly faces.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits (and sometimes cake) after the service ends. It is a great way to meet people, and find out a bit more about us. All refreshments are free.

Please note that occasionally we will gather together as one service - such as Christmas & Easter, please check the calendar for confirmation.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access and a disabled toilets close to the entrance.

Our Service

The main services begin at 9am & 11am and will last for around an hour and a quarter each. It will include some songs and hymns, Bible readings, a time of prayer (usually led from the front) and a message from a Bible passage - you can find our preaching program here.

We also celebrate the Lord's Supper together each month, on the first Sunday of the month.  

02 Sundays at Stanmore Chapel

What about my kids?

We have a tailored programme lined up for kids of all ages at both services.

9am service:

  • Beginners (Pre-school age). Children under 6 months are also welcome but should be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
  • Pioneers (Reception - Yr.2)
  • Explorers (Yr.3 -6)

11am service:

  • Pioneers & Explorers together  (Reception - Yr.6)
  • Creche facilities will be available throughout the service but will be unmanned.


Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for first part of our service - usually around 20-25 minutes. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. The leader will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is always friendly welcome, Bible stories, praying, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Children can be collected from their classes as soon as the service finishes.

DSC 0175

Getting Connected


Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a couple of groups that meet on Wednesdays, morning and evening. Check out Bible Study Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Other ministries

We also run the following ministries:

  • Pop in and play - play group for toddlers on Thursdays at 9.30am
  • Friday club for primary school aged kids on Fridays at 5pm
  • Youth Club for secondary school aged youth on Sundays at 3.30pm
     
Get in touch with us to plan your visit
If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.
 
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Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.
 


We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home here.