It was a special moment to join with, lead and preach, at the historic Monksthorpe Chapel, Lincolnshire, on Saturday 11th October.
From about 1670, because of persecution, Baptists would travel upwards of 5 miles to worship in the open air and gather under the ‘preaching tree’. A sympathetic landowner gifted some land and in 1701 Monksthorpe Chapel was built.
Nestled in the quiet Lincolnshire countryside, it was a still a time of persecution, so it was originally built with a thatched roof and no windows, so that it resembled a farmyard barn. At the time, worshippers would watch for the authorities, and if they came the preacher could make use of the escape hatch, located above the pulpit, and ride away on a tethered horse - thankfully, none of that was needed on my visit!
Located in the corner of the grounds is the open air baptistry, that was filled by flooding in water from the dyke behind - one can only imagine what that was like!
The Chapel, is now owned by The National Trust and is part of the Gunby Hall Estate, it looks a little different with windows and tiled roof, but you can still see and feel something
of the historic presence and get a sense of early Baptist worship.
Friends of Monksthorpe Chapel, along with Burgh le Marsh Baptist Church, St Paul’s Baptist Church in Skegness, and Eastgate Union Church in Louth have committed themselves to hold a service in the Chapel on the second Saturday of most months - quite an achievement given that there is still no electricity in the building and any form of heating is not permitted.
If you are in the area, do take a moment to have a look. The key for the Chapel can be obtained from Gunby Hall, or contact one of the churches and find out when the next worship gathering will be!
I have to say that it was a real privilege to have been asked to lead and preach in this historic setting, and I think it has to be one of my ministerial highlights of the year (and probably longer)!