Our History

On Saturday 6th November 2004, Faith Chapel celebrated its 25th Anniversary. The theme for the celebratory service was “Maintain the Purpose…Exalt Jesus”. We were honoured to have our Diocesan Bishop, Dr. Norman L. Wagner as the guest speaker.
To mark our celebration we produced a souvenir book and below is an extract taken from it that gives a brief history of our church.

From humble beginnings God has brought us this far! The late honourable Bishop Benjamin Pitt, through the inspiration of our Lord took an enormous leap of faith and we purchased the Faith Chapel building, formerly known as Hanover Chapel. We moved from St. Paul's, Rectory Grove, Clapham, which was rented accommodation, to the present church building in 1978. The first church service in our new building was held on 5 November 1978. The building was in a grossly dilapidated condition, which took nearly a year to renovate. It was completed just in time for the church dedication the following year.

Faith Chapel was dedicated to the glory of God on 26 September 1979 by one of the former Presiding Bishops of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. (P.A.W.), Bishop Francis Smith. Over 30 international delegates were present from Jamaica, the USA and Canada. The High Commissioner of Jamaica and the Mayor of the London Borough of Southwark were also in attendance at the historical dedication service. General attendance was high and the building was unable to contain the total number of people who came.

The summer of 1981 saw a surge in membership, following a revival crusade in which a delegation from the USA ministered; Bishop Thomas Weeks and Bishop Noel Jones being the main speakers. Thirty three souls were baptised in the name of Jesus and many were filled with the Holy Spirit. It was a powerful and awesome time, with lives being changed forever. Faith Chapel moved from strength to strength with the church steadily growing in members.

The late Bishop Benjamin Pitt had a vision of growth and expansion and with this in mind he commissioned work on the erection of a balcony. Sadly, just after the balcony was completed a fire destroyed a major area of the church building on 18 November 1993. We were unable to worship in the building for over eight months as a section of the building had to be demolished and rebuilt. The building was renovated and the large hall that was destroyed was rebuilt. A loft extension provided additional rooms above the hall which now houses three of our offices, a lounge, the prayer tower, a kitchenette, a bathroom, a shower room and two additional rooms. Services recommenced in the sanctuary in July 1994.

In August 1994 at the Annual National Convocation held at Faith Chapel, Elder Lloyd Thomas was elevated to the office of District Elder by the late Bishop Benjamin Pitt. At the same time four of the brothers were appointed to the offices of Deacon, one was appointed Minister, two were appointed as Elders and one of the sisters was appointed as a Missionary. It was quite clear that the late Bishop Pitt felt that he was not going to be around much longer and he was setting the house in order.

The rededication of the building was booked for 14 January 1995. However, during the time of preparation for this event our dear Bishop Benjamin Pitt went home to be with the Lord on 11 January 1995, just three days before the church's rededication. Bishop Frank A Cuomo rededicated Faith Chapel to the glory of God as planned, despite the enormous loss that we had just experienced. Bishop Benjamin Pitt was greatly missed by all!

The passing of Bishop Pitt left a void in the hearts of many, not least of all District Elder Thomas, who had been used to working so closely with him and assisting him in many of the functions of the church. However, in accordance with the vision that Bishop Pitt had, the work at Faith Chapel went on. In May 1995 District Elder Thomas was appointed Pastor of the assembly by our Diocesan, Bishop Norman L. Wagner.

In January 1996, with the ratifying of their new constitution, the P.A.W. churches in the United Kingdom, now known as the District of the United Kingdom and Ireland, was officially incorporated into the European Council of Nations (ECN), which is the 31st Episcopal District of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. Being a part of the ECN has involved travel to various nations in Europe and the hosting of some of the Council Sessions in the United Kingdom. This exchange has served to enhance the skills and knowledge of both the leadership and the members in Faith Chapel and has allowed the church to continue sharing fellowship with the brethren in Germany, Italy and more recently France, Russia and Belgium.

Back at home, visions of growth and expansion burned in the hearts of many of the saints. Therefore, when the prospect arose of purchasing the premises next door, No. 200 Bellenden Road, there was no hesitation. The mortgage for this property has now been redeemed and to God we give the glory!
Over the years the assembly has seen continuous growth in numbers, with souls being added to the church and new converts receiving the Holy Ghost on a regular basis. This has been reflected in the fact that since 1996 to date over 200 souls have surrendered their lives to the Lord and been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and to Him we give the praise!

To accommodate this growth, strategic changes have taken place in the structure of the church, including the re-organisation of some of the auxiliaries and the launch of new ministries. In addition, there have been a number of training initiatives which have been undertaken over recent years. Courses have been run at the church and training has taken place in other parts of the UK and even overseas to further equip those in strategic areas of ministry. These have included courses in leadership training and development, counselling, first aid, training for intercessors, ushers, evangelism team members, children's church and youth ministry workers among others.

Periodically, upon assessing the growth and development of the assembly, Pastor Thomas has felt the need to appoint additional workers to the ministry. In 1997 a group of Mothers were appointed to give support, counsel and advice to the younger saints in the assembly and in 2000 five Missionaries were appointed. Since that time, with the passing of two of these Mothers, another two were appointed to the group.

One of the aims of Pastor Thomas throughout the years has been to see the saints spiritually develop through the Word of God. He feels strongly that we have been living in a day and time when many doctrines are being preached that do not have their foundations in God's Word. He has been so passionate about this area that in May 2001 he launched the 'Word Conference'; a three day event held over the first bank holiday weekend in May, which focuses on living by the Word. This has now become Faith Chapel's main annual event. To further inspire the saints to develop, each major department has hosted its own annual conference for the past two years, where they have been able to determine the format, structure and speakers for these events. All of these conferences have proven to be a blessing and have had a positive impact on those who have attended.

The dawn of the year 2004 brought a renewed vigour to work in the Kingdom of God. On the church's New Year's Day Fasting Service, Pastor Thomas informed the members that the theme for this year is 'Go Forward'. He then further motivated the saints with his New Year's Sunday message entitled 'Act on Your Vision'. It was clear to see that Pastor Thomas felt that it was time to put into action the things that God had put in our spirits. In keeping with his belief that it is now time for us to work, in March 2004 he appointed four Ministers and four Evangelists to the ministry.

Pastor Thomas' faithfulness and dedication to his call has been evident to all who know him. At the National Convention of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc., 2003 held in New Orleans, Louisiana, Pastor Thomas was elevated to the position of Suffragan Bishop, serving under the Presiding Prelate and his Diocesan, Bishop Norman L. Wagner in the ECN. He was officially consecrated as Suffragan Bishop in the ECN Council Session held at Faith Chapel in May 2004.

Since the beginning of this year 25 souls have been baptised and 18 have received the Holy Ghost. Lives are being transformed, individuals are identifying and fulfilling the call of God on their lives and the message is still being declared that today is the acceptable day of the Lord.

While the years have passed and the times have changed, Faith Chapel has still maintained the purpose of exalting Jesus. When Jesus is exalted anything can happen!