The Old Church Building
The church was originally formed in 1933, one of 37 Bethel Churches in England and Wales. In the early days meetings were held at the Baths Assembly Rooms in Lower Bridgeman Street (formerly a dance hall). Rev. J. L. Smith was appointed first minister.
In 1938, Pastor Smith was approached by a member of Albert Place Methodist Church, which was due to close, and their building was acquired for the sum of £2,000. The opening service was held on 29th May 1938, with 300 people in attendance.
Following the demise of the Bethel Evangelistic Society, in 1974, Bethel Church became affiliated with the The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (F.I.E.C.).
Source: The First Fifty Years of Bethel Church Bolton (Fred B. Weall, 1984)
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| The old building from Palace Street in the early 1980s |
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| Inside the old building - main hall in the early 1980s |
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| The old Sunday School building in the early 1980s |
Ministers of the Gospel
As recorded in Fred Weall's 1984 booklet:-
| Rev. J. L. Smith | 1934 - 1935 |
| Rev. I. Wellington | 1935 - 1936 |
| Rev. J. L. Smith | 1936 - 1962 |
| Rev. L. A. Weaver | 1963 - 1965 |
| Rev. C. Mothersdale | 1967 - 1972 |
| Rev. R. Thorpe | 1972 - 1975 |
| Rev. V. E. Sargent | 1976 - [1986] |
The Rebuilding of Bethel Church (1990)
The old chapel building was demolished in the late 1980s when Bolton Council enacted plans to create Topp Way.
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| The new building - Progress at 30th June 1990 |
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| The new building - Progress at 25th Aug 1990 |
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| 1991 Programme - Opening of New Building |
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| Bethel Church Bolton pictured in 2018 |
