About us
New Life Christian Community (NLCC) is a UK registered charity: 1185214 (THBC - Temple Hill Baptist church). Our vision is TRANSFORMING LIVES FOR A NEW START. We focus on impacting lives at a community level by providing impactful services and support for people in our locality.
Temple Hill Baptist church is a community that embraces all because of (AGAPE) love.
AFFILIATION AND RELATIONSHIPS:
The Church is a member of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (Baptist Union) and The London Baptist Association (Association). The Church will normally promote, encourage, support and advance the work of the Baptist Union, the Association and BMS World Mission through prayer, through financial contributions and, where appropriate, by making personnel available from the membership of the Church.
A presence in the community since 1956 with a new trajectory for the future.
Over the next 3 years the ministry will build a multipurpose complex with luxury residential flats, a conference and banqueting facility with a café that serves our community.
History
Plans for the church were first proposed in 1947 when the council told the Free Churches Federal Council that a site on the Temple Hill Estate had been reserved for a Free Church. The possibility of forming a union church, one for members of all Nonconformist churches, was discussed, but the idea was dropped. Eventually in 1951, the pastor and deacons of Highfield Baptist Church were asked to accept responsibility for overseeing the building works.
Part of the cost of the new church was met by a war damage claim on a church at West Norwood. Music at the laying of the foundation stone was provided by the Dartford Salvation Army band. The total cost of the building and furnishing was £1023. The new church was opened by Sir Herbert Janes, President of the Baptist Union in May 1956.
The church as it stands today was originally designed to be the church hall. The main church was never built and land reserved for its erection was used to build warden assisted flats (now known as Norwood Court). These flats were managed by the Church and owned by the Baptist Men's Movement Housing Association but have since been sold to private management and are no longer a part of the Church.