50th Anniversary Bethany Memories

From John and Alberta Peck:

At the official opening, John remembers that the Mayor of Newport (Mayor Mr. Drudge and his wife) were invited to attend, also John's Ex Head master was present, who was once the Major Percy Erith but became The Rev Percy Erith and his wife then Pastor of Shalfleet.

From Andy Peck:

Andy reminded John that he was the first to be Baptised in the new Baptistry in the July, just a few weeks after the New Bethany in Union Street was opened

From Anon...

Apparently there was a disagreement within the skeleton of the baptistry itself, with someone arguing that it was in the wrong place!

From Steve Crago - concrete foundation

An announcement was made one Sunday morning that the Building Committee would like as many as possible to come the next Saturday to help with the concrete being delivered by the Readymix lorry. I and a number of others turned up in old clothes and shoes and were given a builder's wheelbarrow (somewhat more substantial that a garden wheelbarrow) and told to join the queue at the Readymix lorry. The instructions were simple;The men operating the concrete mixer would pour concrete into the waiting wheelbarrow then that person would push the barrow round the site to the waiting empty trench then pour the concrete into the trench. Sounds simple and, how hard can it be comes to mind! when it was my turn with the barrow to receive the concrete, the man operating the Readymix lorry said, "you look like a big lad", and filled up the barrow to the top with wet concrete. It was heavy! I staggered off pushing the barrow full of concrete, to a trench at what seemed to me to be the farthest corner of the plot of land to where Cyril Morris,standing in the trench, was waiting to receive the concrete. I came to the edge of the trench and really struggled to lift the handles of the barrow and pour the concrete in. Then back to the Readymix lorry. Filled up again, then back to Cyril. This was an even bigger struggle to pour the concrete in. Back again to the lorry, filled again. Back at the trench this time I could not lift the handles, my arms couldn't do it. Cyril was gazing at my effort with some amusement and said to the effect that he had seen smaller and younger men who had no trouble doing this. What could I do? Cyril then said that what you do is to walk up to the trench with the barrow, stop suddenly just before the edge of the trench and the barrow will naturally tip up with ease. I tried this and he was right. I did the rest with much less trouble. After the lorry had gone, we had a break and Vera Greenen had made some cake and tea. Very nice, but I couldn't raise the mug of tea to my mouth, my arms were so weak! I had to put the mug on the mantelpiece of the fireplace in what is now the craft room of the Homestead, by using both hands, and then carefully tip the tea into my mouth. I had learned a lesson or a skill which may be useful in the future, but I don't think it will ever be on a building site again!

Memories of Bethany Gospel Hall from 1956 by Pat Harris

My father was born on the Isle of Wight, so from an early age we always came on holiday to the Island to stay with my seaside nanny in Freshwater. Even then I said, I am going to live on the Island one day! Sadly war came and all holiday fun stopped. I started school in Twydall Lane, Gillingham, Kent, and loved it so much that when Mum and Dad said I could go to school on Sunday also, I was thrilled! Sunday school was held in an old tennis pavilion, refurbished by some people called Christian Brethren, but my parents thought that was probably ok? I loved it, lots of choruses, learning verses by heart, and super stories about people being healed, a rich man up a tree and even a man being swallowed by a big fish, but always talking about a special Man called Jesus. In May 1946 I came to know Him for myself and everything was changed! I had always wanted to teach and after University; the question was where to teach? Yes, it had to be the Island. I arrived on the Island in 1954, found lodgings with a very old lady (she must have been at least 50) in Victoria Road, Newport. I came with details from my assembly in Kent to join an assembly in Newport and gave me their address. Coppins Bridge - sounded interesting! The first Sunday I got ready, checked I had everything; Best clothes, polished shoes, gloves, Bible, Songs of Light and Love and of course my hat! Not forgetting that very special Letter of Commendation!! I walked down the road, crossed over at Staplers and there it was! It looked rather special compared with our tin tabernacle at home but here goes! I nervously climbed the few steps and was greeted by a very smart gentleman in a suit and tie. I said hello, passed over my letter and was graciously shown to a wooden chair. I just hoped it was not someone's special place! It was very quiet, no chatting or clattering, just peaceful, we shared the Breaking of Bread. The Gospel Service followed and afterwards several people came and said hello and welcomed me. Walking home I thought, a different town, a different building and different people, but the same Lord Jesus and immediately I felt at home, and have done ever since ! During the next few weeks and months I began to get to know people, such as Mr. and Mrs.Croucher and Mr. and Mrs.Thorne who lived in big houses, next to one another in Staplers Road. Mr.Fry and Mrs Fry, the Thompsons, the Stotesburys, the Coopers from Freshwater, the Beckleys from Bembridge, the Lowers from Carisbrooke, and the Cragos from Cowes.. I could go on and on. Oh, and lots of single ladies, all lovely. Two were at every meeting, quiet unassuming, dressed soberly and always hatted, yet always busy, pouring out the tea from large brown teapots, gathering up the hymnbooks (Sacred Songs and Solos and later Golden Bells) and many other tasks.Yes you have guessed, dear Meg and Mir. They had a fish and chip shop in the town and during the week they were busily serving the best chips on the Island. One thing I did notice, as an only child, all the couples seemed to have lots of children, which helped form a large Sunday School! The Elders gave us good teaching and what a privilege to be Invited to lunch after the morning meetings. Often we had visiting speakers who were Missionaries in distant Lands and they were always very interesting. Of course we had our very own missionary. She was only a little older than I, yet she was going to N.Zambia to serve the Lord as a midwife at Kalene Hospital She had red hair, was quite small and had a big smile! Yes indeed, it was our dear Meg. She left our shores in 1958 and we always looked forward to receiving her letters and hearing of her work amongst the women and children at Kalene. She learned the local Lunda language and when she had a scooter she was able to go into the bush and minister to the women in isolated villages. How we enjoyed her furloughs! Well Meg is still with us, no longer with red hair, but still has that lovely smile! Those of us who remember those far off days at the old Bethany are so thankful for all our friends who are now with the Lord and so grateful that the work they started so long ago is still continuing in the new Bethany.

Recollections of Bethany Hall by Peter McCullagh

It would be towards the end of 1946 that I Joined the Bethany Sunday school and my brother William and I walked from home at the top of Staplers Road each Sunday afternoon, I well remember Kate Woodford, who taught me, and Herbert Croucher, who used to beat time during hymns on the rail at the front of the pulpit and people said it would one day give way! Another person I recall was Norman Thompson, who to me was a towering man and he used to wink whenever he looked at me. The hymn book was Golden Bells or Golden Hymnal, a very good book. A memorable day was the Sunday school outing to Sandown, I believe in 1948. The teachers and children met at Newport railway station, and the train passed almost over the old Bethany Hall on the way. I remember Kate Woodford's words of reassurance that the points would be set correctly. The Signalman would see to that. We had a model railway at home and a derailment would often occur through the points being wrong. Click here to see a photograph on the beach at Sandown possibly taken by Maisie Mundell. Kate (our Sunday school teacher) is on her hands and knees and those on her back from the left are believed to be June Burt, William and Peter McCullagh and Derek Morris, son of Cyril and Winnie. All things must come to an end and in April 1949 the family moved to Freshwater. However, we kept in touch and I well remember a garden party at the home of Mrs and Miss Thorne in the Staplers road area. This would be about 1953. A further association with the assembly came in 1968 when Dick Saunders spoke at the Queen's Hall (behind Harvey's) at 8:00 p.m. on a Sunday and a contingent arrived late from Colwell Baptist Church. There were also several meetings at Bethany Hall as part of the Dick Saunders campaign. In 1972 Don Summers led a campaign at the seafront Pavilion at Ryde and his song leader, Joe Fudge, was looking to get a choir together. Margaret Dawson, who had just taken over the Bethany Ladies Choir from Miss Thorne, was opening it to men and asked me to join in. This led to my joining the Bethany Gospel singers, as the choir later became known, I was a member for some 20 years. Margaret was keen on the London Emmanuel choir and she arranged trips to the Royal Albert Hall every three years to sing with that choir and a number of other evangelical choirs. It was about 1972 when a move from Coppins Bridge was mooted and a house with a large front garden in Union Street was acquired, a building to be constructed on the front garden. A motley crew assembled first on Tuesday evening's and later on Saturday morning's to build a new Hall themselves. I started to lend a hand when the footings had been laid and the walls were one foot in height. The team would meet for elevenses in the house (the Homestead) and Elsie Lines and Pat Harris (then Groves) would bring us a large cake. In 1973 Dr Frederick Tatford was invited to speak at Bethany hall and he admitted that he had changed his message at the last minute as the Yom Kippur war had broken out. There was fervent interest in his talk about the nearness of our Lord's return in view of the events in the Middle East. Another notable speaker during that era was the Reverend Ralph Ashmore, the author of Bible News Review, who spoke at length one Sunday evening. It was at the end of a hot summer's day and the double doors of the old hall were open and the noise of the traffic on the roundabout made it very difficult to hear his message. Clearly traffic had increased dramatically since the opening of the premises I believe in 1930.

Bethany Hall by Louise McCullagh

Recollections of Bethany Hall by Louise McCullagh. I have a little Christian book for young people given to me on August the 3rd 1947. This is when I date my conversion. In the spring of 1947 I was brought to live with my aunts (my father's sisters) who had a Haberdashery and Wool shop in Nodehill, now a Chinese takeaway. Aunties went to Bethany Gospel Hall at Coppins Bridge and, of course, took me also. On this August Sunday, a County's Evangelist, Nelson Walker (known to Steven Gilham) and his wife May, were taking the service. They were well known, lovely people and used to sing duets. At the end of the 6:30 evening service Nelson invited anyone who wished, to stay behind and talk to him. His talk must have touched my heart as a rather traumatised little girl, and I asked Aunties if I could talk to Nelson. So he explained to me about the Saviour who wanted to be my friend and showed me verses from his Bible. He had verses in different colours for different subjects in his Bible and I, with Aunty's help, did this in my own little brown Bible! I also remember on a Sunday after evening service, aunts having Bethany folk back to a tea and fellowship time, singing choruses with Miss Tuffley playing the Harmonium, in the sitting room above the shop and I was allowed to hand round the biscuits before bedtime. This is where I first saw Peter's parents Ruth and Eric McCullagh. We subsequently moved away from the Island but many years later I have a fond memory of Ada Thompson (Ernie and Ada then living in Drake Road) wanting to take me round to see the new Bethany being built and her great pride in the kitchen, especially the centre Island. For me, there are many lovely memories of happy times at old and "new" Bethany. Looking back over the years my testimony is as in: Alexander's Hymns No 3, number 1: When I fear my faith will fail Christ will hold me fast When The Tempest would prevail He will hold me fast I could never keep my hold For my love is often cold I am precious in his sight Those he saves are his delight He'll not let my soul be lost Bought by him at such a cost. He will hold me fast - for my Saviour loves me so - he will hold me fast. We thank the Lord that the fellowship remains strongly true to Bible teaching and has a ministry which honours the Lord. May the Lord continue to bless you all.

Rememberings

Should you have any fond memories of the "early church"! please let us know and your memory will be added to this page for all to enjoy....

Rememberings ......