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'Here be no person a stranger'
Registered Charity Number: 511188
Worship: Sunday Services
These are held at 11.00 a.m., including
Sunday School. Other services as announced.
Our Sunday School
We are a group of about 14 children and we meet on the second and fourth Sundays of every month from 11.00
a.m. - 12 noon. Our ages range from 12 months to 11 years old.
We go into Chapel for the first 15 minutes and join in the service with the other members of the congregation. We take the collection before we come across to the School Room for our own session. Our mums or dads can come with us as well if they want to.
Every week we have a 'news & views' session when we can share with everyone what we have been doing. Then one of the Sunday School leaders tells us about our topic or reads a story. Then we usually make something or get involved in an activity'.
At the end of our session, we light our chalice candles, sing our song and say a prayer. Then we can play.
We always have fun and enjoy playing with our friends. We try to learn about the world so that we can work out for ourselves what we believe in.
These are some of the things that we have done in the past:
Learned about Fairtrade
Studied wildlife
Played with drums
Held a teddy's bear picnic
Written our own prayers
Filled shoeboxes at Christmas to send to refugee camps
Drew some pictures of our Chapel's history.
History of the Congregation
The congregation was founded before 1672, and the chapel built in 1713. In 1662 the Act of Uniformity required all clergymen to use the Prayer Book of the Church of England. The Presbyterians of Walmsley were not allowed to worship in their chapel or in their homes.
Under cover of night they used to assemble in a wild and lonely spot named Yearnsdale Holmes. A watchman had to be appointed to warn of the approach of any hostile party! This state of affairs continued until the Toleration Act was passed in 1689 and they were able to build their own place of worship. Even then their troubles were not over, as they met with staunch opposition from the Anglican clergy and later still from the Congregationalists. The chapel witnessed some pretty stormy scenes - hard to imagine now in that peaceful, serene spot!
The first Minister to be appointed to the congregation was the Rev. James Milne. The longest serving minister was the Rev. William Probert - 50 years from 1821 - 1871. Indeed, it was known locally as 'Probert's Chapel'.
Profile of Minister
Present Minister - Revd. Desmond H. Porter. Installed 1993.
Born and educated in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he worked for many years as director of the family coal business.
Entering the ministry as a late vocationalist in 1974, he served the country congregation of Ballee in Co. Down during his ministerial training, then the congregations of
Newry, Warrenpoint, and Banbridge. He moved to England and the joint ministry with Halliwell Road Free Church and Walmsley Unitarian Chapel in 1993. Since July 2007 he has devoted his time solely to Walmsley Unitarian Chapel.
Contact Persons:
Minister: Revd. D. H. Porter,
366 Darwen Road, Bromley Cross, BOLTON, BL7 9JD.
Tel. 01204 304 395
Secretary: Mrs Lynne Cubbin,
Hillcrest, Sweetloves Lane, Bolton BL1 7ET.
Tel: 01204 307556
How to find our chapel:
To find our chapel take the A666 out of Bolton, following the Blackburn
signs. Passing through the village of Egerton you will see the Cross Guns
public house on your right. A few yards further up the road on the left
hand side you will see a sign to the chapel, which is situated at the bottom
of the drive. Approaching it from Blackburn look for the Borroco's Italian
Restaurant on your right, and the chapel is signposted a few yards further down
the road.
Unitarian links
Other links
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