Charlotte Chapel (Edinburgh)

Charlotte Chapel, 2012

Charlotte Chapel, often referred to in the past as the Charlotte Baptist Chapel, is a church in Rose Street in central Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. It is an independent Baptist church, and is not a part of the Baptist Union of Scotland.

History

The church was established in January 1808, when Christopher Anderson, a young Edinburgh businessman, began evangelical work in the Pleasance area of the city. By 1816 his Pleasance church was too small and he bought Charlotte Chapel, recently vacated by a Qualified congregation which had joined the Scottish Episcopal Church and then moved to St John's Church, on Princes Street. This original two-storeyed building seated 750. Anderson was pastor until 1851 and membership peaked at 232 in 1873, although many more attended services. Membership began to fall due mainly to emigration, and by 1901 the church had no minister and only a small congregation. Joseph Kemp, of Hawick, who was appointed pastor, began a revival, holding open-air meetings in Princes Street. Membership rose once more and in 1907 plans for a new building were prepared. The present church was built at a cost of £7,250 and opened in 1912 with seating for exactly 1000. The only alteration since has been the creation of a lounge in 1984.

Senior Pastors of Charlotte Chapel

Worship

There are two services every Sunday: the first at 11:00am and the second at 6:30pm.

Building

The building has 5 floors. In the basement are toilets and an area usually used for babysitting during worship. There is a meeting room with a small kitchen on the first floor. The main worship hall and the balcony are on second and third floors. The fourth floor is used as another meeting room.

New building

In June 2012, the decision was made to acquire more suitable accommodation for the congregation's needs, and in March 2013 the former Church of Scotland at St. Andrew's and St. George's West in Shandwick Place was acquired. The move is expected to take place in 2016.[1]

Belief

The doctrinal basis of Charlotte Baptist Chapel is the fundamental truths of Christianity, as revealed in Holy Scripture, including:

References

About

Charlotte Chapel has several 'daughter' churches:

External links

Coordinates: 55°57′5″N 3°12′18″W / 55.95139°N 3.20500°W / 55.95139; -3.20500

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