Pastor for Bulford
A wait of nearly seven years since Rev. Peter Beale’s retirement in 2003 has come to an end for the independent Congregational church at Bulford in Wiltshire.
On 27 March, the church inducted Barnaby Alsop into its pastorate. Mr Alsop and his wife Verity had moved into the vacant manse several months ago, initially because they needed somewhere to live. However, they immediately took a full part in the life and witness of the church. One thing led to another and, in due course, Mr Alsop received a unanimous invitation to become pastor.
Prior to coming to Bulford, Barnaby had trained at London Theological Seminary (LTS) and served as a youth worker at Fressingfield Baptist Church in Suffolk.
The chapel was filled to capacity for the service, which was led by Pastor Nigel Graham from Warboys, a contemporary of Barnaby’s at LTS. Mike Plant, General Secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches (EFCC), conducted the induction and ordination, and Paul Oliver, pastor of Bradford-on-Avon Baptist Church, preached powerfully from 2 Corinthians 1:3-7.
Two former pastors took part in the service – David Godfrey (1963-73), under whose ministry the church voted against joining the Congregational Church of England and Wales because of its unbiblical ecumenism and became part of EFCC, and Peter Beale (1980-2003).
