1947 to 1997
The story continues. When the church was constituted in 1897 the number of members on the roll was 27. By 1946 this had grown to 252. At this time the minister was the Rev James Taylor who succeeded the Rev William Whyte. He commenced his ministry in 1945. His ministry lasted until February 1952 when Mr. Taylor accepted a call to Govan Baptist Church. During his ministry there was a movement among the young people of the church. In 1949 Miss Winifred Hadden left for Congo, the Rev James McLean was inducted to the church at Peebles and the Rev James Heron became Pastor of the Hermon Baptist Church. In 1950 the Rev William McLean was inducted to Larkhall Baptist Church and in that same year Brunton Scott and James Taylor entered into training for the ministry. The fruit of Mr. Taylor’s preaching and teaching ministry is to be seen in the fact that there were over 30 baptisms during that time. It was in this period of the church's history that difficulties arose resulting inevitably in defections.
The Rev James Duff, a retired minister, had served the church as Moderator and was doing so for a second time in recognition of which he was appointed Pastor Emeritus.
The Rev William Whyte was invited in 1953 to return to the church for a second ministry in the unusual circumstances of not requiring to preach with a view! Another faithful ministry was exercised until his resignation in December 1960. The highlight of his ministry perhaps was in 1955 when in that year alone there were 37 baptisms. This was the year of the All Scotland Crusade by Dr. Billy Graham and obviously the church reaped the benefit of that crusade. A major project of this era was the refurbishment of the church. This comprised a reconstruction of the pulpit and platform, the fitting of double windows, the replacing of wooden chairs, the laying of linoleum and redecoration of the interior of the sanctuary, a proposal which was readily agreed to by the church. The sanctuary was redecorated in 1958 at a cost of £673.8s.3d and a rededication service was held on the I3th April. By 1960 concern was being expressed about the falling away of attendance's both at church and in the organisations. The secretary in his report spoke of “lack of fervour and keenness" and went on to say "l would appeal for loyalty, which is sadly lacking today, faithfulness and above all prayer for the church for 1961". Words which are echoed today. By this time the membership had also declined to 193.
Attention continued to be given not only to the spiritual aspects of the church but to the church and manse property and a rededication service was held on 2nd April 1961 following the installation of new seats undertaken mostly by Mr. Charles MacDonald senior. In the same year the manse at St. Mary's Place was sold for £2400 and the present manse at 2 Ormelie Terrace was purchased for £2900. The difference was made up by a loan from the Baptist Union at 1.5% interest over 10 years. All of these figures provide an interesting comparison with today's prices and also provide a stark contrast. Following the resignation of the Rev W Whyte an attempt was made to call the Rev Andrew lnglis but he declined the invitation whereupon the Rev Ivan Milsted of Leicester responded to a call from the church and was inducted in November 1961. His biblical ministry was solid and reflected in large measure his training as a journalist. Mr. Milsted’s ministry lasted until April, 1967. During this ministry the Rev Ian Smith was inducted to Johnston Baptist Church, a ministry which came to an end with the early death of Ian. Mr. and Mrs. Norman Moxey were also appointed to serve at the Carey Press, Calcutta and were valedicted on 15th December, 1963, to be followed by Miss Marilyn Mills who left for Diptipur in 1965. Matters of interest during this period were the decision of the church not to have all age Sunday School, the acceptance of uniformed organisations and the commencement of Bible Study groups on a Friday evening; the groups being based on age ranges. On the property front the coke fired boiler was replaced by a gas fired boiler, the estimated running cost being £90 per year.
The ministry of the Rev Charles S Gellaitry began on IIth February, 1968 and was to last for 15 years until May 1983. Features of this ministry were an effort at outreach in the Magdalene area with an evening service being held once a month. These continued until 1973 when because of lack of support they were discontinued. Another event of note was a concert in the Town Hall by the Heralds as a result of which there was a considerable influx of young life to the church. A Coffee Bar in the basement of the church attracted many young people and despite the problems and difficulties associated with such a venture, lives were changed. 1972 ranked with 1955 in the number of baptisms in that 38 baptisms took place in that year. A noteworthy aspect of this ministry was the pastoral care and concern shown by Mr. and Mrs. Gellaitry not only to those within the membership of the church but to those outwith the church. 1977 saw the start of the Women's Auxiliary after having lapsed for a number of years and while it was pleasing to see the progress of the Coffee Bar and the starting again of the Women's Auxiliary it was sad to see the end of the Southfield Sunday School after 22 years. In 1980 Mr. Alex Temple and Mr. Fergus Stokes entered training as candidates for the Christian ministry and in 1981 Mr. Brian Marshall also prepared himself for entering the ministry. In 1982 one third of the membership were young people.
1984 saw the induction of the Rev George Mitchell, a lecturer in the Bible Training Institute, Glasgow. His preaching bore the hallmarks of a student of the Scriptures with a deep biblical knowledge and incisive exposition and many benefited from it. His illustrative material was unique and original, often coming from his own life experience. An outreach coffee morning was commenced at the instigation of himself and Mrs. Mitchell which attracted large numbers from outwith the fellowship of the church and continues today. His unmistakable involvement in the town made him a well known figure and had the effect of building bridges and putting the church more clearly on the Portobello map. Greater use is being made of the Church Hall than ever before. Under the auspices of the Council of Churches an Alzheimer's group meets on a Monday, Frail Elderly groups meet on a Tuesday and Wednesday. In addition an Alcoholics Anonymous group meets on a Tuesday evening and the flourishing Coffee Morning on a Friday. During this time the charismatic renewal movement which was at its height led to a serious division in the church and those of this persuasion who were mostly the young people left to join charismatic churches and fellowships. During Mr. Mitchell's ministry church weekends away, special missions, fellowship lunches all contributed to the enrichment of the fellowship. The Rev G Mitchell terminated his ministry in 1989 to be pastor of the new Baptist fellowship in Harestanes, Kirkintilloch.
The Rev Alan Montgomery who had been serving as Interim Pastor succeeded the Rev George Mitchell in 1990. During this ministry attempts were made to revitalise the youth work and a Vision for the Future group was established. Some house-to-house visitation was also undertaken. The work however was fraught with difficulty. Mr. Montgomery resigned in July 1995 to take up an appointment with the Salvation Army.
This history would be less complete if no reference were made to the Sunday School work. The Sunday School reached its peak in 1957 when there were 290 recorded scholars in the Sunday School and 57 in the Bible Class, the numbers in the Sunday School being divided between a work in Southfield and a work in the church. The position today, as is the case in many other churches, is that only a handful of children attend both Sunday School and Bible Class. While it is invidious to single out individuals, tribute must be paid to Mr. Charles MacDonald who maintained the Southfield Sunday School over 22 years and in addition ran a children's meeting midweek. Another meeting of note is the Women's Own which still goes strong as an outreach after more than 50 years. It meets on a Thursday afternoon with a good proportion of those who attend now having no connection with the Baptist Church.
While the changeless message of a changeless Christ is still our theme despite the passage of time, other changes within the life and organisation of the church have occurred exemplified in the music ministry. The orchestra of Rev D Merrick Walker's time has given way to a praise group and the Male Voice and Church Choirs are no more.
The church continues to maintain an active interest in and support of the Baptist Union of Scotland and the Baptist Missionary Society.
The picture which, one must admit, is of decline reflects to a large extent the culture of the age we live in and the irreligious state of the nation. We do not lose hope. We believe God will not leave himself without a witness and we are a witness in this community. We believe God will build his church. It behoves us as the congregation of Portobello Baptist Church to strive to that end - to be workers together with Him.