In 1887, when Fuller Baptist was without a minister, two Town Missionary Leaders were appointed. These were Mr & Mrs G Boyden. Their work was mainly around a hall in Tanners Lane.
In 1892, the new minister of Fuller, the Rev Thomas Phillips, felt the need to extend the mission work to the north end of the town, around Oakley Street. Open air services were held at nearby Sackville Street, with a brass band, lead by Fred Smith. Sunday evening worship was held in Ellen Butler’s cottage in Sackville St.
In January 1893 land between Oakley Street and Rockingham Road was purchased (which is the site of today’s
church). A ‘Tin Hut’ was purchased in September 1893 and opened in October that year.
The work started with a ready-made congregation of over 200 and a Sunday School of 100. The main service at that time was on Sunday evenings.
The Reverend Frederick Lusty became an assistant Minister to Fuller Baptist Church with responsibilities to the Oakley Street Mission, as it was then called. In effect, the first minister of the Mission and Rockingham Road Baptist Church.
Sometime before the first world war a brickbuilt suite of rooms were added to the Oakley Street frontage which today serve as meeting rooms and a church lounge. It boasts a small kitchen.
The next major step in the history of this Church came in 1926/27 when, under the ministry of the Rev Charles Ellis, the current church building was built and opened. Initially it was to be for the Sunday School, and to be later extended over what is now the car park, with a large Worship Building. However, with the advent of the World War II in 1939, funds were never enough to do this. The layout of the building today retains the style of a main school hall with 10 small anterooms leading off for teaching.
It wasn’t until 1945 that the ‘Oakley Street Mission’ became a self-supporting church in its own right under the ministry of Rev Keith Hobson who was minister from 1943 to 1949. Up to this time all members of the mission were in
effect members of the Fuller Baptist Church with communion services and baptisms held at Fuller.
In the 1960’s the old Tin Hut was replaced with the current hall and later linked to the main building.
Roger Griffith,