Surrey Chapel, Norwich, UK

About Our Church:

We are a church family of about 200 Christian believers. We meet together for Sunday worship and a range of midweek activities in a modern building on the inner link road, on the northern side of central Norwich. We aim to be welcoming and contemporary, with an emphasis on thinking through how God's word, the Bible, applies to our everyday 21st century lives. We aim for our worship to be both joyful and reverent.

The young church joins with the whole church on Sunday mornings for part of the service, before going to their separate groups. There is also a Sunday morning creche.

Technically, we are described as an Independent Evangelical Church and we are affliated with the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) which exists to encourage and advise like-minded churches. The FIEC Statement of Faith which we hold to can be found here.

We base our church life and teaching on the Bible itself, believing that the Bible is God's Word. We teach Christian conversion by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, believer's baptism and responsible Christian living. Our full vision statement can be found here.

In addition to Sunday worship and teaching services, we have a midweek meeting for prayer, a monthly Saturday prayer breakfast, and home-based fellowship groups.

Regular activities include:

• groups for young people of all ages, including an annual holiday club
• groups for seniors, women, parents
• recreational activities, such as the art group, rambling, bird-watching
• an instrumental group for Sunday services, open to all ages, all abilities and all instruments
• support for overseas Christian work
• hospitality for students, including international students

Please check out the Activities pages for more information.

All of us are at different stages in the Christian pilgrimage. Whether you are just a beginner or well on in the journey, you are truly welcome at Surrey Chapel. We will be pleased to welcome you on a Sunday.

The History of Surrey Chapel

This is a short summary of an excellent pamphlet prepared for our 150th Anniversary by Dr Ros Codling outlining the history of Surrey Chapel. The full pamphlet is available to download here.

SURREY CHAPEL was founded by Robert Govett (MA Oxon), who came to Norwich in 1841 as a curate at St Stephen's Church. His preaching soon attracted large crowds. But in 1845 - the year that the first steam train ran from Norwich to London - he withdrew from the Church of England, persuaded that the New Testament teaches baptism of believers by immersion. Followed by a large number of supporters, he began holding regular services in a large hall. In 1854, mainly at his own expense, a large grey brick and flint chapel was erected between Ber Street and Surrey Street. It was called Ebenezer Chapel, but soon became known as Surrey Street Chapel, and finally just Surrey Chapel.

Govett was a prolific author of tracts and commentaries. He was still preaching with great vigour at the age of 87, just a few weeks before his death in 1901. David M. Panton, who had assisted Govett, was invited to become the second pastor of Surrey Chapel. DMP (as he was affectionately known) was born in Jamaica to an Anglican family, but came to England to study, taking a law degree at Cambridge. He too was a great Bible teacher, drawing huge crowds at prayer meetings, Bible studies and Sunday services. Many were brought to faith through his ministry. The Sunday School at this time had over 600 children. Many of the church's young men and women were called to full-time missionary work overseas. DMP wrote numerous tracts and in 1924 launched the 'Dawn' magazine. In later years, because of his health, he preached only once a month at Surrey Chapel, eventually retiring in 1941. The Chapel was then without a pastor until John D Clark was appointed in 1948. However, after three years of faithful ministry, Clark returned to missionary work in Ecuador.

A period of decline in the life of Surrey Chapel followed, as the church was without a pastor until 1963. David W. Middleton, who had come to faith as a young man in Surrey Chapel and gone on to study at London Bible College, was then invited to become pastor. And so a third great Bible teacher came to the church and it began again to grow in numbers and spiritual life. His ministry attracted large numbers of students, many of whom went on to full-time Christian ministry.

In the 1980s the crumbling Victorian Chapel building and the surrounding developments led to the church's decision to relocate elsewhere in the city. Surrey Chapel moved to its present site in 1985. Although the church was no longer in Surrey Street, it was decided to retain the name Surrey Chapel, because of its historical significance.

David Middleton retired with ill health in 1995 and died in 1998. The Chapel will continue to be a centre for Bible teaching, with the appointment of Thomas Murray Chapman as the Pastor of Surrey Chapel from September 2002.

[Surrey Chapel does not hold copies of any of the publications of R. Govett or D.M. Panton.]