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United Pentecostal Church Oxford

A history by Paul J Goodhall

In 2007 the United Pentecostal Church in Oxford will be celebrating its 29th anniversary. These have been twenty nine wonderful years of proclaiming full Bible salvation in a city famous for its University. This is a cosmopolitan city that is vibrant full of energy and is open 24/7. This is a young person's city a place of learning young people arrive from the four corners of the world to seek the best education possible for themselves many of these young people will become the political leaders movers and shakers of the future. Some of the students are from Royal house holds around the world. Some parents are leading figures in industry, politics, education, religion. Oxford is also famous for the BMW MINI car factory that is located just three miles to the east of the city at Cowley under Lord Nuffield it was the largest employer in the area.

During 1977 a group of local Christians met for a weekly men's prayer meeting above a bookshop warehouse in wolvercote village a few yards beyond the parish church of St Peters this small group of local people would earnestly pray regarding missionary work overseas but they also prayed for a spiritual awaking in Oxford. This small group were spiritually hungry. The Lord was working in there lives no one in the group had received the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the initial evidence of speaking with other tongues. It was during September that it became clear to me during bible study that the bible way of water baptism was in the Name of The Lord Jesus Christ Acts 2:38. By the end of the December I had received the revelation of the oneness of God about this time a second member of the mens prayer group was also open to this new doctrine that had not been taught by man but God had revealed during personal prayer and bible study.

During this time we all continued to fellowship in our local churches attending both Sunday services and the midweek prayer and bible study meetings. It was popular among Christians? to tuned into the gospel radio station Trans World Radio and HCJB, HCJB is located in Ecuador and broadcast the programme Harvest time this is the radio broadcast of the United Pentecostal church International. In order to receive HCJB radio broadcasts you needed a radio that was more than the standard model that was available on the local high street. I have been a radio amateur since I was 14 years of age. More people in the world know me by my amateur radio call sign M3JFM than by my name. A group of Christian friends would join me to listen into the English Gospel radio service broadcast from HCJB.

We continued to pray and seek the will of God encouraging each other in the faith longing for a spiritual awaking in Oxford. It was during November of 1978 while reading an article in a Christian newspaper that I felt the Lord was working upon me and for some reason I felt challenged to enter into a course of bible study with London city mission I wrote to them explaining how I felt when I read their article they in return sent me in the post A Biblical preparation course for Christian workers which I started on the first of December I found the course most interesting and profitable. I felt that this was some thing that The Lord wanted me to be doing in fact I was convinced of it.

Christmas 1977 came with all its blessings soon followed by the New Year of 1978 the men's prayer group continued to meet and we prayed for mission?s world wide. That The Lord would bless us in Oxford with a spiritual awaking. We were longing, believing, hoping, that our prayers were going to be answered. Twenty eight miles away in a market town in Buckinghamshire called High Wycombe. A group of Christians had been praying and seeking the will of God for some months regarding opening a Church in Oxford. The Team was made up of The United Pentecostal church Home missions director and resident missionary Rev George Duke with his wife Sister Duke Son Mark, daughters Lorraine, and Becky. Their oldest daughter Debbie was at Bible school in the United States of America. Rev Mogg, Bro Fred Plum, Bro Mike Joules, and Bible school students at Rev Dallas church in London Sister Joyce Hill and Sister Helen Diamond and Sister Margaret.

On Friday the 3rd of January 1978 I was studying Acts chapter 2 I believed that the events that I read were true and had taken place I also felt sure this experience was for today however I did not have the experience myself nor had I meet any one who had. I was getting to the stage where I really need to meet some one to explain this passage of scripture to me who had the experience themselves. I felt lead of the Lord to close my studies and to pick up my coat and leave the house for some fresh air. I made my way towards the Summertown shops and I could see a young man who was handing out tracts to people who passed by. As I approached him he gave me a tract which said the Pentecostal are coming healing, speaking in tongues. I asked him about acts 2:38 the young man I was talking to was Bro Fred Plumb he told me he was an evangelist with the United Pentecostal Church and they were opening a new church in Oxford the first service was to take place that Sunday 8th January and of course he was inviting me along. He told me Bro Duke had only minutes earlier dropped him off in Summertown.

It was all a little to much to take in suddenly to become aware that your prayers were being answered that the will of God was unfolding in front of your eyes I could hardly contain my excitement I returned home and I can remember making myself a cup of coffee and I was thinking about the events that had just taken place. I still had loads of questions I still did not fully understand full bible salvation and I felt convicted of the Lord so I went back and this time I took Bro Fred home with me. We talked for hours and had dinner together and talk more. This was truly a day of great blessing for me and one I have never forgotten.

The United Pentecostal Church held its first service at the Summertown church hall Oxford. On Sunday 8th January 1978 many times during the following week Bro Fred visited me at home we talked about full bible salvation the baptism of The Holy Ghost. Midweek Bro Fred also brought along Rev Mogg from our first meeting I realised that Rev Mogg was a man of God until now I had only read about men like him. In 1938-1946 he and his wife were missionaries in Ceylon. When he prayed and ministered the word of God you could feel the presence of God. This was the beginning of a life long friendship.

We all meet up at my home again on Friday 13th January 1978 we had been talking about water baptism. I said that for some time I had wanted to be baptized like they did in Acts 2 Bro Mogg and Bro Fred could hardly contain there excitement Bro Fred telephoned Rev Duke and He came over to meet me I told him that I wanted to be baptized thinking that this would be done local perhaps in the river Thames. But the Lord had other plans instead we went to Rev James Dallas Church Life Tabernacles Battersea London. Rev James Dallas was the United Pentecostal District board superintendent. Rev F J Turley was the editor of Pentecostal truth the District Presbyters were Rev S G Sappleton and Rev C Price. By the time we arrived from Oxford the Church was full of people. Bro Duke baptised me in The name of The Lord Jesus Christ. This was a great time of blessing for me when I came up out of the water I was so excited some thing wonderful was taking place in my life I could feel the presence of God all over me. The saints in the church were more excited then I was they were sing and dancing and praying out loud speaking in tongues.

The following day I walked up to the shops in Summertown in the street was a whole team of young people witnessing and passing out tracts. Every one in the street either had or was soon going to receive a yellow tract similar to the one Bro Fred had given me over a week ago. During the day I contacted my friends and those who were in our men\'s prayer group and I invited them to attend the UPC church service on the Sunday afternoon at the Summertown church hall. After Bro Duke had preached he gave the alter call and a group of us went up to the front. I was encouraged to pray by Rev Mogg and Bro Fred and seek the baptism of The Holy Ghost as I poured out my heart, seeking The Lord with all my mind, heart, and strength I received the baptism of The Holy Ghost speaking in other tongues as the initial evidence. I was one of two people to receive the baptism of The Holy Ghost that afternoon in Oxford. From our weekly men\'s prayer meeting three quarters accepted fellowship with the United Pentecostal church with there wives all my friends were to accept full bible salvation. Later on my Brother Antony was also to accept full bible salvation.

Count your blessings, name them

One by one, and it will surprise you

What the Lord has done.

The Lord has answered in full our prayers for a spiritual awaking in Oxford He has blessed us more than we could ask or think. I give Him all the praise and glory on January the 8th 2007 the United Pentecostal Church in Oxford will be celebrating its 29th anniversary.

During may 2008 I brought the following domain names www.upcoxford.org.uk and www.apostolicfaithchurch.org.uk