Beulah – An Early History
Beulah has a challenging history of people who made a difference because they believed God!
Frustration turned to prayer
On the 6th June 1886 a frustrated man, living in Beulah Road, reached
the point of decision. Auctioneer Joseph Wicks had made a career move
from Torquay but was beginning to regret it as there was no easy
access to a good church. He and his young family found the four mile
round walk to Upper Norwood too much. He had tried the local Methodist
church but could not accept their practice of infant sprinkling, as
did constant references to the Holy Spirit as an “it.” He was not
alone. Other families joined with him at his home to worship and pray.
Prayer turned to vision
As he prayed, talked and looked around a plan began to unfold. There
was a vacant plot of land in Beulah Crescent. He made enquiries and
found it was available for sale. It was too big for his immediate
purposes, but if a schoolroom could be built at the rear of the plot,
then in time a new church could be erected at the front. He and his
friends collected £50 but they needed help and support if they were
to complete the plan. This was a time of opportunity, a time to act.
No one was going to urge him to act. Except God no one was expecting
him to act. Would Joseph make anything of the opportunity that lay
before him?
Vision turned to action
Early May 1886 Joseph Wicks sat down to write a letter to the great
preacher C H Spurgeon. In that letter he asked for assistance in
getting a church started in this area. Spurgeon was amazed. He had
lived just up the hill at Westwood for six years and had watched the
area begin to grow and develop. Recently he had been moved in prayer
regarding Thornton Heath and sent a friend to survey the land and see
what could be done. When the letter from Joseph Wicks arrived he knew
he was going to be involved.
A meeting was arranged and on Friday June 11th 1886. Joseph had drawn
up a rough plan the day before and the two men met to discuss the
possibilities. The outcome was wholehearted support for the planting
of a new church. The two men met again at the end of July and full
plans were drawn up for the chapel to be built on Beulah Crescent.
Vision shared
Spurgeon was already struggling against ill health but got right
behind the process. He and others prayed regularly. A small notice was
put in his magazine, The Sword and Trowel. Donations could be sent to
him. The money began to arrive. Joseph himself put in £10. Joseph was
a family man with a heart for children. His desire was to start with a
Sunday School that could grow into a church. He prayed and worked to
see his vision become a reality. Without his dream and the push to get
things moving, nothing would have happened. But happen it did and the
land was bought in full and the new schoolroom erected debt free three
days short of one year from the day he put pen to paper.
Vision completed
Tuesday May 3rd 1887 was an important date for Spurgeon. It was his
mother’s birthday, and also the anniversary of his own baptism. On
that day exactly 37 years before, the young convert, just 15 years
old, rose early for a couple of hours’ prayer and then had walked
eight miles from his home to be baptised in the river Lark at Isleham.
He recalled that it was not a warm day, but he was third in the line
to be baptised that morning. Now 37 years later he rose early to pray
again: this time to commit the new schoolroom to God and to commence
its work. There were over 150 people present as he made his way to the
front of the chapel. “Let us sing,” he said bursting forth
unaccompanied into one of his own hymns. He preached on Isaiah 53 and
stirred the people greatly regarding the work in Thornton Heath. In
the afternoon Spurgeon preached again and a tea was served from the
builders’ sheds while many people gathered around on the grass.
The Story Continued
The future was to bring many challenges as well as rich blessings.
Joseph Harrald, Spurgeon’s private secretary became the first pastor.
Joseph Wicks led the Sunday School and starting with just a handful of
children saw the numbers rise to 360 pupils with 31 teachers in two
years. The Church began with 88 members and this rose to 112 in the
same period. A building fund was opened and money collected towards
the building of the church. This was completed some 22 years later in
1909. The cost of the building was to have been £3,500, but was
reduced by £500 to £3,000, as the galleries were not built!
Over the years both buildings fell into disrepair. The original
schoolroom as demolished in 2006 to make way for the new Joseph
Centre. The main church celebrates(d) it’s centenary in July 2009. The
Joseph Centre was completed at a cost of £1.4M in July 2007 and
serves as a wonderful resource for the people of Thornton Heath.
