History of UBC – The Debt
It was left to Mr Dunckley to do something about the debt that had been hanging over the Church since the enlargement of the church building in1864. He proposed in February 1875 that every effort should be made to raise the £461-10-0, comprising the loan and interest, to clear the debt, ‘which for many years had been the occasion of much anxiety and trouble.’ He suggested that this should be accomplished within two months. The Church responded to the challenge and on Good Friday 1875 the Minister announced that the money had been raised. A vote of thanks was proposed to the Minister for all the work he had done to bring this about and we are told that this was carried by great acclamation. As the minute book records ‘this was a ‘Good’ Friday long to be remembered.’
The strain that this debt imposed on the Minister can be seen in his speech of resignation in 1881. ‘I have decided to resign my office as Pastor of the Church. I propose to stay with you, if all be well, until the 25 th March which will be the close of the financial year: and it will give you time to arrange for the future. I hope this change will be for the good of the Church and congregation. A new man coming among you may be able to accomplish what the old one cannot. He will doubtless have many difficulties, but he will not have a heavy debt to depress him as I had when I became your Minister, now nearly 14 years ago. I hope and pray that, when you have another Pastor, the Divine blessing will rest on him abundantly. It may be given to him to reap where others have sown, and if so, we shall one day, according to our Master’s word, ‘Rejoice together.’ And now brethren I commend you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.’
On 23rd March 1881 Mr Dunckley resigned from the Pastorate. He has recorded in the minute book the texts from which he preached on his last Sunday. They are as follows’;
‘Be watchful, and strengthen the things that remain, that are ready to die.’
Revelation 3:2
‘What could have been done more?’ Isaiah 5:4
‘Repent ye, and believe the Gospel.’ Mark 1:15
It does not take much imagination to work out what might have been the content of the sermons that day.
To be continued…