About Us

The Baptist Church in Harlington was officially formed in 1798, but was already starting to take form some forty years before that, during which time John Atlee gave a piece of land to the dissenters for the building of a chapel.  That building now forms part of the present Hall.  A plaque over the door (now inside) bears the date 1775.  The present chapel building went up in the 1870s with an adjoining manse for the minister’s family. 

See also https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol3/pp273-274 and Around Heathrow Through Time by Philip Sherwood for more information.

The chapel building is Grade 2 Listed: historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1080195.

When the Baptist Church was formed, in 1798, Harlington was a stopping and 'watering place' for horses en route from London to the West Country - a place where the weary traveller could rest.  In those days, the journey from Bath to London took upwards of two days - a far cry from the one-and-a-half hours it now takes by car, or the three hours it took Concorde to fly from Heathrow to New York until its last flight in October 2003. 

Harlington is one of the oldest villages in Middlesex, known as far back as AD 831, when its name is given in the Saxon Cartularies as 'Hygereding Tun', meaning 'farm associated with Hygered', and again in the Doomsday Book as 'Herdintone'.  Before the present day, 'Harlington' was known as 'Arlington', when that title was taken by Sir Henry Bennett, on ascending to the peerage.  Until recently the name still existed at the Arlington Hotel, off Shepiston Lane.  Today's Harlington bears little resemblance to the Harlington of yesteryear.  No longer a quite agricultural village famous for its cherry orchards, it has become a densely populated suburban area of West London, with housing, hotel and office accommodation now the hallmark of the area.  No longer a network of country lanes and roads, it is surrounded by the A4 on one side (the busiest stretch of 'A' road in the country), and the M4 Motorway on the other.  Yet the greatest change came about through the development of Heathrow Airport which began in 1946.  It has altered the whole character of the area, from one that was truly rural England into one that has become widely cosmopolitan.  Since the formation of the Airport, which is the busiest International Airport in the world, catering for 64,000,000 passengers a each year, Harlington is now very much 'on the edge of the world'. 

The London Borough of Hillingdon is located in the west of London. Heathrow Villages ward lies in the south of Hillingdon, and Harlington is a district of Hillingdon on the northern perimeter of Heathrow Villages. The 2011 census shows Heathrow Villages’ population as 12,199 residents, of whom 50% are white.  The largest ethnic minority groups are Asian (33.1%) and Black (7.9%).  Heathrow Villages ward is one of the least densely populated wards of the borough. There is a higher proportion of men to women in the ward (52.5% to 47.5%).  The community has a high number of people aged 25-59 (54.2%), with the second largest being the 5-15 age group (12.1%). 

The Church has a membership of about 30 people, and a regular Sunday service sees an outcome of around 40 attendees. It is not the same attendees and members that show up every Sunday, however.  So, in total, there are around 40 regular attendees who congregate on different days.  There are slightly more women than men, and the majority of the fellowship are from ethnic minority groups, including Black and Asian. Anyone who desires to become a member attends a course of bible studies and is interviewed by two leaders of the Church to establish their faith in Christ, before their public baptism. (John 3:5) 

We have a leadership team comprised of a Moderator and Deacons (one of whom also fills the roles of Church Secretary).  The Church does not employ any professional children’s workers, but uses volunteers in this area.  The leaders are of much help to the Church, during this Interregnum period, and help with the Pastoral Care of the members (i.e. visiting sick members, praying with members after the service); the oversight and direction of ministry; the day to day administration of the Church; Evangelism; Worship; Prophecy; Hospitality; Teaching / Preaching; Finance and all other matters of leadership. (Acts 20:28)

We are a part of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the London Baptist Association. In our church the Bible is considered to be the literal Word of God. The Bible says we were “made by God, and for God” (Isaiah 43:7, NIV) and we were put on this earth for His purposes. We as individuals, and jointly, must understand that truth so that life will make sense. At Harlington Baptist Church, our goal is to assist believers in using their time on earth to fulfil God’s purposes for their life, and lead others to faith in Jesus Christ. The following are a handful of the purposes that we believe God created us for: worship (John 4:24); fellowship (Acts 2:42); discipleship (Luke 14:27); service (Romans 12:11); outreach (Acts 1:8). 

Girls' Brigade

The Girls’ Brigade was founded in 1893 and is for girls aged 4-18 years. The Girls’ Brigade meets every Wednesday during term time from 6:45pm in the Chapel.  See the Girls' Brigade website for more information on this ministry.

Ladies' Ministry

Our ladies' ministry is led by Deacons Luci Counago & Yvonne Owen.  Ladies of all ages and backgrounds meet once every month in the Chapel to study the Bible, take part in devotions and studies, and get to know each other.