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Origins

Envelope posted to Mr A Fawcett, (later Rev Dr) the first Minister of the Holiness Tabernacle

in the first three months of the church's life.

More details of the work in Daubhill

Revival came to Daubhill in Summer 1931 with the arrival of a rather special group of "Cliff College Trekkers" to hold open air meetings outside Tootall's mill as the spinners arrived in the morning and to set up a tent on the disused market site in Daubhill.

Cliff College regularly sent out "Trekkers", so called because they "trekked" from place to place with basic supplies and sleeping bags on a cart, preaching on street corners and town squares and holding evangelistic meetings in mission Halls and Methodist churches. It was regarded as an essential part of the training of an evangelist and gospel preacher. Each Trek consisted of a number of students overseen by a college member.

In 1928, however, a trek with a difference had taken place. It was led by Maynard James, still a student and all its participants were associated with the International Holiness Mission (IHM). Also, it lasted thirteen months from August 1928 to September 1929 and it created the enthusiasm for two more treks in 1930 and two in 1931, one of which, again led by Maynard James, created such a stir in Daubhill.

The ground had been laid by holiness believers from Westhoughton distributing literature. But such was the power of the preaching and the overwhelming movement of the Holy Spirit that the tent in which they had began their meetings soon proved to be too small and a larger one had to be obtained.

The Daubhill Church was formally established as a Mission Church of the IHM on 11th July 1931, still in the tent. A permanent building was envisaged and Albert Lown (one of the trekkers, later Rev Dr A Lown and the fourth minister) spent hours in a house in Southend Street drawing up plans. The resulting building, "The Holiness Tabernacle" known to two generations as "The Tab" was opened on 31st November of the same year.

Before the second world war the church grew numerically and spiritually and the Sunday School, choir and other groups were set up. The war years depleted the congregation and times were hard but the Daubhill church kept in its prayers the needs of lost souls at home and abroad and reflected this in their giving, faithfully supporting a work on the Mission Field in Africa.

In 1952, the minister’s stipend was £5 14s 8½d (£5.73) a week.

In this year the most crucial change since 1931 took place when the IHM and the Church of the Nazarene in the British Isles joined with the worldwide Church of the Nazarene (at that time chiefly in USA and Canada but with a missionary presence in many other countries). The Union was formally ratified on 29th October, 1952 with the Calvary Holiness Church (CHC) joining this denomination a little later. This brought a change of name and a change of organisation at Daubhill, out went the deacons and in came the board, but no change to the spirit and witness of the congregation.

Our own missionary interest was enhanced in 1953 when an independent missionary to Thailand, Lilian Hamer took the Nazarene church at Daubhill as her home base. She was supported by prayer and giving until her untimely death in her beloved Thailand in 1959. She was remembered in the naming of an old people’s home on Deane Road where for many years a board displayed newspaper cuttings of some of her activities and a report of her murder.

A small extension was built in 1953 but sacrificial giving over the next decade saw that building removed and the present sanctuary opened in 1963. The “tabernacle” was retained for the Sunday School and use by the youth and the uniformed organisations. The lounge and kitchen were added in 1975 then in 1984 the “tabernacle” was finally demolished to make way for the Sunday School Hall and education area.