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Worthing Tabernacle is an independent Evangelical Christian church in the town and borough of Worthing, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. The present building, with its distinctive pale stone exterior and large rose window, dates from 1908, but the church was founded in 1895 in a chapel built much earlier in the 19th century during a period when the new seaside resort's population was growing rapidly. In its present form, the church is affiliated with the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches. English Heritage has listed the building at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance. ==History== Many places of worship were founded in Worthing after its incorporation as a town in 1803: the following decades were a period of rapid growth as a prestigious seaside resort. One such chapel was built in 1839—probably by Charles Hide, a locally important architect and builder—on Montague Street (the old road to Heene), for independent (non-denominational) Christian worship. The chapel was known as the Tabernacle. It later became associated with Calvinism and Congregationalist worship, and was also used briefly in 1854 as an Anglican church (during which time it was temporarily dedicated to St John the Baptist). By 1893, when local architect Resta Moore had designed a new Classical-style façade, the building had been renamed Montague Hall (and later St James's Hall) and had been used for many purposes: it held concerts, theatre productions and lectures as well as the religious services of various Christian denominations.〔〔 C. Douglas Crouch, originally from Bromley in Kent, was a pastor at Worthing Baptist Church, which was founded in Montague Hall in 1879 and moved to a new building two years later. He left the church in 1895 and founded a new independent church—the Worthing Tabernacle—in Montague Hall.〔 This was the building's final religious use: in 1908, it was bought by two musician brothers who turned it into a shop and concert hall.〔 In that year, architect James Lund was commissioned to design a new chapel for the congregation. A site on Chapel Road, near St Paul's Church, was chosen. The new building was registered for worship in 1908 in accordance with the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855, and has been used since then. Its number on the Worship Register is 43179. The chapel was registered for the solemnisation of marriages from 6 August 1908, and the Montague Street chapel's registration was simultaneously cancelled. Worthing Tabernacle was listed at Grade II by English Heritage on 2 December 1988. As of February 2001, it was one of 198 Grade II-listed buildings, and 213 listed buildings of all grades, in the Borough of Worthing. (These totals have since changed because of new listings and delistings.) Sunday services, meetings and other social events take place in the chapel, and groups meet for worship in private houses in the Worthing area. The Tabernacle is also associated with the Maybridge Christian Fellowship, an Evangelical church founded in 1954 in Worthing's Maybridge estate. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Worthing Tabernacle」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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