A brief history of the Old Meeting House Congregational Church

As the current Pastor of the Old Meeting House, I bid you warmly welcome to our ancient Chapel. It has been my privilege, over the years, to greet hundreds of visitors, and to paint word-pictures of our long history – which is not only enthralling, but also culturally significant. I myself am still learning about it. You, too, may have questions; and I believe the following pages will answer some of them.

Question One for most visitors is: “What’s this Book of Sports I’ve heard about?” In this little guide, I will give a short explanation – as well as an overview of the Congregational Church, our beliefs, and significant aspects of our history. It will be a challenge with so few pages at my disposal; but I’m keen to spread the word about why this Chapel is such a cultural landmark – not only for Norwich and England, but for the Christian Church across the Atlantic.

I am not the first to point out that the word “history” is really “His-story”. The Old Meeting House is a rich spiritual well, wherein many have imbibed the Waters of Life. As you spend time here on your visit, I pray that you may experience God’s peace – and, at the same moment, receive a sprinkling of the faith of our Early Fathers, who lovingly built this Chapel during difficult days of our English Nation’s history.

To find out more about the Independent (or Separatist) Church and its birthplace, Norwich, please visit www.oldmeetinghousechurch.org.uk