Fifty years of service

The party was followed by a communion service which filled the chapel to almost bursting point!

Revd. Brian married Ruth at the age of 19 and continued his studies to become an engineer. Ruth worked for the Admiralty in the Navel Construction Department drawing their new ships.

When Brian qualified at the age of 21 he was ‘called’ to become a minister. Ruth worked hard to support them both whilst Brian attended the Western Congregational College in Bristol and on July 24 1963 Brian became a minister.

His first church was in Andover, Hampshire, where he stayed for 8 years before moving to a church in Luton, Bedfordshire where he was their Minister from 1972-78.

In 1978 he came to the Congregational (which became the United Reformed Church) in Robertson Street and was also the minister for the congregational churches and chapels of St. Marks and Clive Vale in Ore, Sedlescome, Robertsbridge, Brightling, Netherfield and Ashburnham (all of these also became URC at the same time as Robertson Street)

Interestingly and sadly Brightling and Netherfield closed due to lack of support and on the day Netherfield chapel was sold there was a huge storm which completely destroyed the chapel and because the new owners had not taken out any insurance the site was never used for anything again.

Revd. Brian stayed as minister to all these churchs until 1990 when he moved to Dorking in Surrey where he stayed until he retired in 2003

On his retirement Brian and Ruth moved to Bexhill.

Revd. Brian has kept very busy in his retirement and has been an Interim Minister (standing in) for several church’s who are waiting for a new minister.

He was Interim Minister for Ashburnham until 6th November 2012 when the Church voted to leave the United Reformed Church and become a Non-Denominational Chapel.