Golcar Baptist Church History

GOLCAR:
Golcar Baptist Church History up to 1912.

The Golcar Church was formed in December, 1835. Mr. Thos. Sykes, a member of Salendine Nook, had bequeathed £100 for the erection of a chapel at Golcar, and Mr. Wm. Shaw presented the site. When opened in April, 1835, it had no debt. Rev. G. H. Davis-afterwards Dr. Davis, of the Religious Tract Society-was the first pastor (1835-7), and was followed by Revs. Wm. Colcroft (1837-43); Joseph Green (1843-4); John Ash (1845-6); John Whitaker (1847-52); Edward Franklin (1852-8); Henry Watts (1858-65); Thomas Bury (1866-81); Wm. Gay (1882-1908); G. Evans, B.A. (1909--). The first chapel did good service for thirty-four years, when a larger sanctuary became an imperative necessity.

The present building, seating 1200, was opened in August, 1869, having cost with its furnishing £5000. The old chapel was then converted into school accommodation. In the jubilee year a renovation scheme was carried out, and a large addition of land secured to the graveyard. Still continuing to expand, a new school was erected on the site of the old chapel at an outlay of £2736, which was paid in about five years. That this did not impoverish the Church is seen by the fact that Golcar raised £1000 for the Twentieth Century Fund. In 1901, the purchase of an organ, and improvements to the chapel interior, cost nearly £2000.

There is now at Golcar freehold property and premises covering nearly three acres; they have cost more than £13,000, and the whole is unencumbered by debt. In 1905, fearing that threatened building operations might be to the Church's disadvantage, a large space in front of the chapel property was purchased and laid out in ornamental grounds, forming a park-like approach to the chapel. Golcar has sent three of her number into the ministry-Revs. A. Walker (Bradford); Joseph Gay (London); George Hirst (London); and she continues to support a mission cause at Ley Moor.