Epping Green Chapel

General information

The present building, an early Victorian brick structure, was erected in 1862 and a licence was granted to a Mr John Gingell, a lay minister, on 19th September for "Protestant Dissenters", but this was not the beginning.

The story of the Chapel goes back to the mid 1820's when prayer meetings began at the home of a Mr Brown and in 1827 a certificate was granted to the Protestant Dissenters from the Church of England to worship in the Browns' home.

One evening whilst Mrs Brown was reading her bible, "the Lord spoke through His word" that a piece of land must be bought and a Chapel built. This was duly erected at their own expense and opened on the 15th October 1834.

A gallery was added later, to accommodate the growing congregation and a room added at the side for a Sunday school. This building still stands and is now known as Briar Cottage, which currently forms part of a row of four cottages to the north of the existing chapel.

The current building has a beautiful rose window above the front door, which is best seen from the inside with the sun shining through. The main sanctuary was originally longer than it is today. This is because of alterations in 1991 which provided a school room and better kitchen facilities for the Chapel as well as living accommodation for a Minister, to ensure that the chapel remains an effective part of the area.

So what, or who prompted Mr & Mrs Brown to start a work for God here? Here is a quote from an old, hand-written history........

"Thomas Brown was working with one fellow workmen who was a Christian, they agreed to meet at Nazeing Chapel one Sunday morning and the Lord met them there.... feeling anxious about their neighbours, they decided to hold a prayer meeting in Mr Brown's cottage.... so they got some friends.... to assist them in the work of the lord, so God blessed their labours and filled their room."

"They got a neighbour, Mrs Joseph Thompson to go with them. She also found Christ."

The work of the Chapel was founded upon people coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ in a personal way and that remains our foremost goal.

Vision - Epping Green Chapel

Jesus said "come to me" (Matthew chapter 11 verse 28).

Jesus also said that "God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John chapter 3 verse 16).

The Chapel Today

In 1978-80 the Chapel suffered such a decline that by the late 80's there were only about 2-4 people meeting monthly.

The Chapel handed over trusteeship and much needed building work was carried out.

Today the Chapel is once again a vibrant work of God with many regular activities for all age groups with a great involvement and commitment in and to the community.