1847 –1880
William Garrett Lewis
THE FIRST Pastor of Westbourne Grove Chapel (now called Westbourne Grove Church)
So, who is William Garret Lewis? He was a Baptist minister who led Westbourne Grove Church from 1847 –1880.
When Lewis became the pastor of the church, the congregation was still meeting at its Silver Street building. Under his skillful leadership, hundreds of people found faith in Jesus, and soon the small Silver Street building was overflowing. So, in 1853, with Lewis’ leadership, the congregation built a new and larger church building here on Westbourne Grove.
This oil portrait of William Garrett Lewis is still owned by the church and is on display in the church office.
Westbourne Grove during the late 1800s
Supporting local people
Under his ministry the church flourished, it grew to have over 2000 members and was described as,
“The first of West London Churches for member, wealth and influence and multifarious Christian labours.”
Lewis encouraged the church to find ways to support local people. The church set up large Sunday Schools to help local poor people with education. The Sunday School soon had 632 scholars of both sexes and all ages. They also ran a soup kitchen giving out coal and bread and the Mothers’ Meeting provided clothes for hundreds of poor local women and their families.
He also worked closely with other Evangelical Christians across London who were involved with social action at a national and international level, and for missionary work and evangelism. Whilst you may not have heard of William Garrett Lewis before now, you may well have come across James Hudson Taylor, Charles H. Spurgeon and maybe even Benjamin Broomhall. These men were encouraged, supported, and influenced by the ministry of William Garrett Lewis and the congregation of Westbourne Grove Chapel (now called Westbourne Grove Church).
William Garrett Lewis with the Westbourne Grove Chapel Elders
