Church History

In 1909 Mr. Dexter erected Milland Mission Hall as he sought to share with the village and the valley the message of the Gospel. The first Pastor was Mr Harry Page who served from 1929 to 1949. Assisted by his wife, Mr. Page worked tirelessly within the village and guided a large Sunday School through the war years.

In 1949 Lady Ogle bought the Church together with the Manse which she extended. Mr. Frank Davies then came and served as Pastor for eleven years.

Mr. Tom Carter came as Pastor in 1960 and then left in 1966 he was led, with others, to plant an Evangelical Church in Haslemere which is now called 3 Counties Church. Mr Stanley Woodhams followed Tom Carter as Pastor in 1966.

In 1972 Rev. John Hendy became the part-time Pastor and it was during his time that the diaconate was formed and the Church hall built. He served for 12 years before accepting the pastorate at Wantage Baptist Church.

Dr. Paul Standley became the next pastor in 1987. As with our previous Pastors he worked very hard and built up many links with the village, especially amongst the youth.

In August 1995, MEC appointed its next Pastor, Rev. Robin Merrifield who was with us for three years. During his time much time and money was spent refurbishing the Church.

Our eighth and current Pastor, Rev. Gareth Jones, was appointed in April 2000 and came to us from Mitcham Baptist Church. He seeks not only to be our Pastor but also to take an active role in village life.

In 2009 we celebrated our Centenary and a report of our activities can be downloaded here. A book entitled “Centenary Story” was written by one of our members, Gail Eiloart, and copies are available at £8 each. Please contact us if you would like a copy.