History of Emmanuel Hall
In 1922 a group of evangelical Christians, who had formed themselves into a church and who were meeting together in a rented upstairs room in the back way between Church Street and Stratford Road, decided to acquire a permanent place of worship. They purchased two adjacent properties in Church Street and built a meeting room across the rear gardens. This small meeting place, originally known as Emmanuel Chapel, was later referred to as a gospel hall rather than a chapel, but today it is called Emmanuel Hall.

This group had come together, having withdrawn their membership from the other free churches of the town whose doctrinal position was becoming increasingly influenced by liberal theology. These believers maintained an active gospel testimony in the years that followed and were supported both by The Mission Hall at New Bradwell (in Caledonian Road) and the Mission at Stony Stratford (linked to Fegan's Homes).

Mainly due to the disruption caused by the outbreak of war, the fellowship disbanded and transferred its allegiance and trusteeship to the Bradwell Mission Hall. Emmanuel Hall was taken over by the Wolverton local authority for use as an employment exchange. Under the new city reorganisation, a job centre was established in the Agora centre in 1979 and Emmanuel Hall put on the market by its trustees.

History of Wolverton Evangelical Church
In 1972 a new and independent Baptist church was formed under the leadership of a missionary from the USA who chose to settle in this area because of the construction of the city of Milton Keynes. The believers who joined this cause first met in the Scout Hall in Furze Way and then later in the then disused West End Methodist Chapel. Door to door visitation, evangelistic services and children's missions were the main means of outreach and a number of people were converted in these early years.

In 1981 the New City Baptist Church, as this new work was called, purchased the now vacated Emmanuel Hall. Later a manse was purchased and a full time pastor called in 1984. A second property was bought in 1988 to give more space for the church's operations, particularly Sunday School work.

In 1990 the church became involved in the planting of a new church in Buckingham. There was at the time no Evangelical cause in the town and many Christians living there were travelling to find fellowship. There was also a need to provide pastoral care for students coming to study at the expanding university.

Also during 1990, conscious that it needed to re-develop an interest in overseas mission, the church began to support Toni Hermano in his work as a church planter and Bible teacher in the Philippines. Toni had studied at London Theological Seminary and had visited the church on a number of occasions and strong ties were established. Our pastor visited Toni in the Philippines in 1998. Click here to see the missionary page.

It was in 1992 that one of our members, Michael Jeary, sensed God's call to involve himself with overseas missionary work. For one year he worked as a volunteer with the Africa Inland Mission using his practical skills to refurbish mission property in Mozambique. In 1999 he returned to Africa to work with a pioneer missionary and then with Flying Mission in Botswana. Click here to see the missionary page.

In 1999 the name of the church was changed to Wolverton Evangelical Church in order to give it a clearer identity both theologically and geographically. At this time too, the church became associated with the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches to express its solidarity with other Bible based churches across the country.

Over the years we have undertaken various forms of outreach: door to door visiting, open air meetings, leaflet distribution. We hold barbeques and guest suppers on a regular basis. Each summer a children's mission is conducted at Greenleys where many contacts have been made with children and families. The year 2000 gave us the opportunity to hold an AD exhibition involving a number of schools in the area.

In 2002 one of our members was set aside to study for the pastoral ministry and began a course of studies at the London Theological Seminary. From that time he has taken an increasing role in the ministry of the church.