Mountpottinger Baptist
Templemore Avenue, Belfast
Mountpottinger Baptist
Templemore Avenue, Belfast
How it all began
1891 was a census year. It is unlikely that the government of the day ever envisaged that one of the results of the survey, which is designed to identify the social needs of the area, would be to highlight the spiritual provision of the community.
579 Baptists, almost 50% of the total Belfast Baptist population, were resident in East Belfast at that time but no Baptist Church was physically located in the area. About 50 of those people responded to public notices placed in the Belfast Telegraph on the 4th and 5th May 1891 by a Mr. Byron Webb to attend a meeting in Saunders Street National School. It was the unanimous view of the meeting held on the 8th May 1891 that ‘ It is desirable that a Baptist Church should at once be organised’ - and when they said ‘ at once’, they meant it! With a committee being formed at the same meeting with the brief to:-
. Look out a site for a place of worship
. Make arrangements for the collection of funds
. Do all other matters necessary for a temporary place of meeting and commence divine worship forthwith.
Time line of events 1891
12th May - 4 days after meeting
Robert Clarke invited to conduct the services of the proposed new church.
22nd May- 14 days later 3 possible sites identified.
26th May - 18 days later Application to Mountpottinger YMCA for use of their halls for services.
23rd June - 7 weeks later Site in Templemore Avenue agreed
29th June - 8 weeks later Church constitution agreed at a second public meeting.
19th July - 11 weeks later First Sunday meeting
26th July 12 weeks later Formation of Church ( 46 join as members)
12th August 14 weeks later Circular appealing for contributions to building fund approved.
Building instructions to architect.
1892
8th May - one year later Worship commenced, for summer months in tent sited in Templemore Avenue.
21st June - 1 year and 6 weeks later Building contract signed, cost £1.500 16s 3d.
23rd April 1892- 1 year and 11 weeks later
Official opening - first service in new building
Pastor Robert Clarke
Robert Clarke was originally from Scotland but had been a mission preacher in the South of Ireland up to 1886 when he became involved with the Irish Baptist Home Mission. Linked with Harcourt Street Church Dublin he had beenresponsible at different times for Baptist work in Cork, Athlone and Roscommon. He joined the work in Mountpottinger in 1891 as a mission worker and subsequently on the 8th June 1893, was formally appointed as Pastor of the Church.
Records show that during this time the church held annual evangelistic meetings in the tent which the church had bought to hold it’s meetings during the summer of 1892 and cottage meetings at unrecorded location.
By 1895 the success of this work merited discussion on the need of a lecture hall and the formation of a Tract Society Committee.
Pastor Clarke had the priveledge of holding the first baptismal service in the new church building on 25th June 1893 when the candidates were Matthew Cloughly, Mary Ann Cloughly ( his wife ) , John Watson and Samuel McIlween.
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