Bethel Leigh Park Havant

Jesus said "I am the way and the truth and the life

Welcome to the church's web page.

About Bethel

We are a small church in the Leigh Park Estate on the northern edge of Havant in Hampshire UK.  The estate is one of the largest in Europe and has long been one of those attracting Government support for it's largely underprivileged population.  There are between 25 and 30,000 people living here.  when the estate was first put up from the middle of the 1950s it was populated with people being moved out of war damaged 'slums' in Portsmouth.  Many of these now form the older generation living on the estate.

When the estate was being built Jim and Eileen Kerr who were living in nearby Bedhampton and serving as evangelists saw the opportunities that the new population presented and began to work on the estate.  They started children's meetings in a local school, responded to parents interest and request and started meetings for them and soon were holding church services.  Old military huts were obtained and used for a few years until the local authority would no longer allow that and then the present building was put up.  (See below for key dates.)

What sort of church are we?

The church is affiliated to the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches (FIEC) and they are the 'Holding trustees' for our land and premises.  Theologically we are baptist, reformed, conservative and do not have charismatic or ecumenical tendencies.    We are a fairly typical free church holding services on Sundays and prayer and Bible study meetings.  We also have a mid week morning drop in for coffee and toddlers play time.  Click here for details.  We have happy fellowship with other local evangelical (Churches finding authority in the Bible alone) churches. 

We do not have a Pastor at present but pray that in his time the Lord will provide for us to do so and we have a growing Pastoral Fund.  Preaching in our services is mainly by local visiting preachers and we are grateful for all the help they give us. 

History of the Church

Key dates
1954    September	Children's meting started in Stockheath School
1956   July	A temporary wooden building opened in Great Copse Way.
1956   August	Service to recognise members.
1957   July	Affiliated to the FIEC
1961   August	Plans submitted for a new building, the present building, in Dunsbury Way
1966   September	The present building opened.
1969   November	Jim Kerr concluded his ministry at Bethel.  He is now a widower living in Weymouth and keeps in touch with us.
Uncertain	Eric White, hitherto a church member, took on the pastorate.
1981 to April 1982	The church closed
1986 February	A constitution was adopted having been drafted by members of Cowplain and Eastney FIEC churches who were assisting in the Leigh Park work at the time.
1986  March	The church was formally reformed with 9 members.
1988 to 1991	Mike Hawkins and FIEC Home Missionary leads the church.
1995  April	Ben Tannett is inducted as Pastor
1998  June	Ben Tannett accepts a call to the Baptist Church at Cheddar.

Recent developments

Since late 2010 we have been running a coffee morning with play time for Mums and Toddlers, helped by staff from the local Children's centre.  We get up to 20 mums in the church each week and are building good friendships.  So far there has been negligible response to invitations to church events.

We have also started to take children out of the morning services during the sermon but this practice needs to be reviewed.