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Springbank
is an independent Evangelical Church with its
roots in a movement known as the Christian Brethren.
This movement originated around the year 1825.
In
the early part of the nineteenth century the barriers
separating the various Christian denominations
were not so easily overcome as they are today.
The founders of the Brethren movement were a group
of young men, mostly associated with Trinity College
(an Anglican Theological College), Dublin, who
tried to find a way in which they could come together
for worship and communion simply as fellow Christians,
regardless of their denominational barriers. They
wanted to meet informally to show the unity of
true believers of different denominations and
to worship in apostolic simplicity uncluttered
by liturgy or other traditions in services.
From
Dublin the movement spread to England. In England
the first Brethren assembly was established in
Plymouth in 1831.
The
Brethren have no central organisation. They belong
to a number of local churches spread throughout
most parts of the world today. Each of the local
churches is independent so far as administration
goes; there is no federation or union linking
them. Yet there is a recognisable family likeness
between them, and their sense of a spiritual bond
is strong.
Springbank
Evangelical Church began its life in the 1920's
when a small group of believers gathered together
to worship and witness in the community. The oldest
part of the church building used today was opened
in 1928 and was known as the Gospel Hall.
The
original Gospel Hall has been altered over the
years and extended. The hall and upstairs area
being completed in 1997 . The car park and recycling
building being purchased in 2002. The ministry
of the church has broadened to reflect a desire
to have a greater impact and involvement with
the local community.
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