Pictures kindly supplied by  R.J.L. Smith of Much Wenlock

Chenies Baptist Church has been a place of Christian worship for nearly 250 years, and today continues to be a place to encounter Jesus Christ and to learn what it means to find faith in him and to live a life patterned on his life. 

In 1760, an independent Christian Fellowship was formed in Green Street, Chorleywood, in a room specially prepared for the purpose. In 1773, the congregation had leased a former orchard at the east end of the village and the chapel was built in 1779. In 1794 the baptistery was dug inside the chapel. Today, people continue to confess their faith by going through the waters of this historic baptistery. In 1799, the front of the meeting house was taken down and the building extended by 12ft to the south-west. A new façade was built, with one round-arched window either side of a central doorway and a row of three similar windows on the first storey, giving light to the gallery. The pulpit and benches date from the late 19th century. The vestry was extended in 1833 and a schoolroom was built over it about 1850. The front porch dates from 1838.

In 1999 the outside toilet was replaced and extended now providing a modern kitchen, prayer room, two toilets and a further toilet for the disabled. The current building has all the charm of what is considered by some to be the most attractive of the Baptist houses in the county as well as offering modern amenities to the local community.

Chenies Baptist Church was originally linked to the Baptist Church in St Albans, but by 1791 it had itself become a mother church and helped to establish Baptist churches in the surrounding villages of Chipperfield, Bovingdon, Flaunden and Mill End. In 1850, Church members living in Sarratt decided to build their own church, which was completed in 1855.

Sadly Sarratt Baptist Church closed for worship in 2007. The cross from Sarratt Baptist was symbolically given to Chenies Baptist Church at the Good Friday service in 2007 as a sign of the historic link between these two churches.

In 1851, an ecclesiastical census reported that Chenies Baptist attracted 120 worshippers for morning worship, 280 attended afternoon worship and Sunday school and 115 attended evening worship.

Chenies Baptist became a member of Baptist Union of Great Britain in March 2002 and enthusiastically engages in Churches Together in the Chess Valley joining in prayer and worship with Methodists, Anglican and Roman Catholics during the year. The Church community is lively, committed and outgoing. It welcomes all members of the community.
 

The pond is now five years old since it was restored and this year saw newts for the first time. This summer four call ducks (two breeding pairs) are now in residence with their own duck house made by the Men's Group at Chenies Baptist Church. Do have a look when you are passing.

The Sun Room

       
After four years in the planning The Sun Room at Chenies Baptist Church was opened on Sunday 28th Feb 2010 by Robert Grundy, Chair of the Chenies Village Community Fund. Robert thanked the church for their hard work in making the Sun Room a reality and commented on how pleased the Trustees of the Community Fund were to contribute towards the costs of the project. After the commissioning service, that Robert referred to as "great fun", he kindly cut the ribbon into the new room.  Sir John Quenton joined us for opening, John is the Treasurer of the Chenies Village Community Fund.

     
    
The Sun Room will be available for all ages in the community to enjoy whether it is at Toddlers on a Monday, Coffee Break for older folk on a Tuesday, the youth group on a Friday or even for a Parish Council meeting. If you would like to see the Sun Room do feel free to walk to the back on the church or if you want to see inside come any Sunday at 10.30 am when the church meets to worship or join us after the service for coffee at about midday.  Since the opening we have learned that Nan Howe from the Village loved the room and is planning an art exhibition there