Please expand this article. There may be more detailed suggestions as to what is required on the talk page or at Requests for expansion. Please remove this message once the article has been expanded.

Fuller Baptist Church is a Baptist church located in the town of Kettering in northern Northamptonshire, England. This church was organized over 300 years ago, and has contributed to the creation of a number of Baptist churches nearby. Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ... A Baptist is a member of a Baptist church. ... Map sources for Kettering at grid reference SP8778 Kettering is an East Midlands town in north Northamptonshire, England, situated on the River Ise, a tributary of the Nene. ... Northamptonshire (abbreviated Northants or Nhants) is a landlocked county in central England with a population of 629,676 (2001 census). ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001...

Founding

The origins of the Fuller Baptist church stretch back as far as 1666, when the first Nonconformist meetings commenced in Kettering following the 1662 Act of Uniformity. That was when Mr Maydwell, the Rector of Kettering, left the Parish Church to establish the Independent Meeting. Events September 2 - Great Fire of London: A large fire breaks out in London in the house of Charles IIs baker on Pudding Lane near London Bridge. ... A nonconformist is an English or Welsh Protestant of any non-Anglican denomination, chiefly advocating religious liberty. ... Events February 1 - The Chinese pirate Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege. ... Over the course of English parliamentary history there were a number of acts of uniformity. ...

The first entry, in the Old Church Book, which is undated, lists amongst its members a Mr William Wallis who, with six other members, was dismissed from membership for being an Anabaptist. In October of 1696 these men set up their own fellowship in a house in Bayley's Yard, Newland Street, with William Wallis as their pastor, and this formed the first Baptist Church in Kettering, and from which the Fuller Church ultimately grew. Anabaptists (Greek ana+baptizo re-baptizers, German: Wiedertäufer) were Christians of the Radical Reformation. ... The year 1696 had the earliest equinoxes and solstices for 400 years in the Gregorian calendar, because this year is a leap year and the Gregorian calendar would have behaved like the Julian calendar since March 1500 had it have been in use that long. ...

At about the same time a second Baptist fellowship was established in Goosepasture Lane (now Meadow Road) under the leadership of Mr Wills, formerly pastor of the Independent Meeting but who also had been dismissed from membership. Around 1729 the two separate Baptist meetings merged, meeting together for worship on the common basis of believers baptism and open communion. Events July 30 - Baltimore, Maryland is founded. ... Believers baptism (also called credobaptism) is the Christian ritual of baptism as given only to adults and children who have made a declaration of faith in Jesus as their personal savior, because he died for their sins, and was resurrected by the power of God the Father. ... Open communion refers to Christian churches that allow individuals other than members of that church to receive communion (also called the Eucharist or the Lords Supper). ...

The church soon was in need of its own burial ground but the buildings in Goosepasture Lane had little or no land attached. Mr Beeby Wallis (the great-grandson of William Wallis the pastor), made available to the church his house, warehouse, barn, stable yard and gardens situated in Gold Street; this property was worth a total of £350, but was bought by the church for £139 14s 9d. Graves at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York A cemetery is a place (usually an enclosed area of land) in which dead bodies are buried. ...

By 1775 under the leadership of George Moreton of Arnesby, the membership had risen to 75. However, not long after Mr Moreton was forced to give his resignation due to ill health, and a young minister named Andrew Fuller was approached. Fuller was minister at Soham at the time and was reluctant to leave his small flock, but after consulting with nine of his fellow ministers, Fuller eventually and reluctantly accepted the call and, together with his family, moved to Kettering in October 1782. 1775 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Arnesby is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. ... Andrew Fuller (1754-1815) was an eminent Baptist minister, born in Cambridgeshire, and settled at Kettering. ... For the Sanskrit word Soham Soham is a small town in the English county of Cambridgeshire. ... 1782 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Enlargement

Andrew Fuller brought life and vigour to the church. He was a prolific writer and a powerful preacher. By 1786 it was considered necessary to enlarge the Chapel at a cost of £133. In the same year a daughter church - Gretton Chapel - became independent of the Kettering church. 1786 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1792 Fuller helped in the creation of what was to become the Baptist Missionary Society, but it was also the year Beeby Wallis and Fuller's own wife died. 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Baptist Missionary Society (from 2000 BMS World Mission) is a Christian missionary society founded by Baptists from England around 1792AD. The original name of the society was the Particular Baptist Society for the Propagation of the Gospel Amongst the Heathen. ...

Two years later Fuller married Ann Coles, the daughter of the Reverend William Coles of Ampthill and found in his new wife "the perfect helpmeet". By 1805 a further rebuilding of the chapel was required, and the building was lengthened by 18 feet and the walls raised by 4 feet, and now could contain 900 people. Fuller died on Sunday, 7 May 1815. It was estimated that 2000 people attended his funeral. Fuller was succeeded by his assistant, John Keen Hall, who died in 1829 at the age of 43. Location within the British Isles Ampthill is a small town in Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Luton, with a population of about 6,000. ... 1805 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (128th in leap years). ... The Battle of New Orleans 1815 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1851 the Sunday School had 534 children attending on Sunday mornings and 625 in the afternoon. Gas lighting was introduced into the Chapel in 1846. Revd James Mursell, whose ministry began in March 1853, had an "exciting and innovative" ministry. It was during his time that the new chapel was built. The Fuller Chapel, as it was named, opened for worship on 24th September 1861. 1851 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Sunday school, Indians and whites. ... A chapel is a private church, usually small and often attached to a larger institution such as a college, a hospital, a palace, or a prison. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... (Redirected from 24th September) September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

James Mursell served until January 1870. By 1884 the membership had risen to 410. In July 1891 the foundation stone of a mission hall in Nelson Street was laid, which become what is now known as Carey Memorial Chapel (Carey Baptist Church). By 1896 membership of Fuller stood at 720 with a Sunday School of around 2000 children. In 1945 another church plant in Rockingham Road gained its independence (Rockingham Road Baptist Church) and yet another (Corby) became independent in 1956. 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The foundation stone of a building or structure is intended to record for posterity the official start of its construction. ... 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Sunday school, Indians and whites. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Corby is an industrial town and a local government district located 8 miles north of Kettering in Northamptonshire, England. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Modern usage

In 1996 Fuller Baptist Church celebrated its 300th Anniversary with a varied programme of events, including Organ Recitals, Sports Day, and evangelistic outreach. Outreach continues through church activities, town centre chaplaincy and the Fuller Coffee House. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

References

• Ashley and Jenny Butlin, Fuller Baptist Church - An Outline History 1696-1991

External links

• The Fuller Baptist Web Site
• More History from Kettering Borough Council's Web Site