Years of Faithful Service (continued)
Philip was a steadfast but quiet servant of the Church all his life. Mr Parker said at his funeral service “We thank God for all that Philip has given Zion and rejoice in his faith and witness”. Philip’s wife Lilly lived to be the second Surridge centenarian, passing just two days before her 102nd birthday.
Reuben(2) was Zion’s longest serving Church Treasurer. He was a deacon from 1939 to his death in 1974. Folk said he was a quiet and serious man, but his love for Jesus was clearly seen by all. In his obituary Harold Freeman said “Reuben was brought to the Chapel as an infant in 1902 and served as a man of God for a lifetime of service at Zion. He gave freely of his time and talents in the work of the Sunday School as teacher and Superintendent”.
Throughout his lifetime John(4) was a very energetic manual worker who applied his energies and skills in many ways in the maintenance of the Chapel and hall buildings. He fully supported the witness and ministry of Zion in many outstanding ways that showed his absolute faithfulness to the Gospel of Christ.
Surridge men filled the roles of Church Treasurer and Sunday School Superintendents for over sixty years, but it wasn’t only the Surridge men who served Zion well. Sadly, the Church records make no mention of the women’s contributions to the Church except that they served as teachers in the Sunday School and later as officers in the Women’s Fellowship. At least seven Surridge ladies became officers of the Women’s Fellowship and although there are no surviving records, it is inconceivable to think that they did not make significant contributions to the Sunday School, Bible Classes and Fellowship of Youth meetings.
Before dealing with the Freeman family we need to recognise that the lives of the Surridge and Freeman families were not only linked by sharing the same trust in Jesus Christ and their work at Zion. The two families were neighbours in Church Lane, Kings Langley in the late 1880s and they became legally related when Mercy Grace Surridge was married to Joseph Freeman in 1894. Later Lillian Freeman, whose membership at Zion lasted for 59 years from 1921, married Reuben Surridge who passed into Glory in 1974. The other Lilly, who was the wife of Philip and was known affectionately as Auntie Lilly, lived to be the second Surridge centenarian.
The Freeman FamilyThe Freemans have been a Kings Langley family for several generations. John Freeman (c1845-?) and Sarah are the first mentioned and they had a son Joseph (1872-1947) who ran away to sea in 1891. It appears he did not enjoy that first voyage for on his return home he soon married Mercy Surridge and settled down in Kings Langley. The family records say that Joseph was “a bit of a dreamer and rather hot tempered”. Consequently he often moved from job to job, so to maintain some source of steady income Mercy kept chickens. Both Joe and Mercy attended Zion and seemed to enjoy the Sunday School outings especially.
This picture shows some of Joe Freeman’s family in 1920 with George, Olive, Ted, Len, Ivy and Lilly, at the back and Grace and Joe Haggerty, Ivy (Len’s wife), Joe and Mercy seated with the youngest children, Harold, Len and Ralph on the ground.
The first mention of a Freeman in the Church is Lois, near the end of the 1800s but it is probable that through their relationship with the Surridge family, and the union of Joseph and Mercy, that some of the family were in attendance earlier. In those days the Church minute book did not record personal attendances at meetings. Joseph (1872-1947) and Mercy (1870-1926) had eight children. The oldest Francis ‘George Freeman’ was born in 1896. When a new diaconate was appointed in 1932 George (back right) was made a deacon together with F. Butler, J. Butler and F. Rose.
Unfortunately due to certain circumstance, and after a decade of good service, George’s membership was withdrawn during the tenure of Pastor Parker in 1946. George’s elder sister Grace Mercy Elizabeth Freeman married a Zion member, Mr Ronald Haggerty, in 1920 and Ronald and his brother Claude served as trustees of Zion from 1922 through to the early 1940s. The next Freeman sister Lillian May became the wife of Reuben(2) Surridge. Lillian was a member of Zion for 59 years and was founder member of the Women’s Meeting in 1945. She remained a committee member until a short time before her passing into Glory in 1980.
The youngest child of Joe and Mercy was Harold Walter Freeman. Harold became a stalwart of Zion, organising and managing all the affair of the Church right up to the time of his operation and serious 
illness which preceded his death in 1992. He and his wife Winnie joined the Church in November 1943 and he was appointed deacon a year later. He served as Sunday School Superintendent and Church Secretary. He held the post for an uninterrupted period of 46 years and had the joy of calling Mr Parker and Mr Miles to be Pastors of Zion. Sadly he also suffered the pain of both men resigning after short periods of service because of doctrinal differences with the Articles of Faith. Some say that the hurt occasioned by these resignations never left him and he was therefore reticent to call another. However, entries in the Church minute book deny any such attitude by showing that Harold was always proactive in encouraging the dwindling membership to call another to the ministry. He was disappointed that his dear friend and brother in Christ Mr Don McDonald felt unable to accept the Church’s call.
Harold dealt with the land negotiations for the building of the hall and when the building was complete, instituted a Youth Club and Men’s Club. The latter encouraged a number of local men to meet socially on Friday afternoons and provided the opportunity for Harold to tell them of Jesus Christ and His love for them. It must have been very sad for Harold, after all his hard work of maintaining the preaching ministry and steering the works of the Sunday School, Play Group and the other clubs, to see the fellowship so rapidly decline in the early 1980s. The decline continued and when Harold passed into Glory Zion was left with no male member.
Many other faithful people worshipped and gave valuable service to the Lord’s work at Zion. Space does not permit more than the briefest mention of valiant servants like the Charge and Homans and Rose families, the work of the Soper ladies, the Michaels and Jones’s. All these and others have been “The Church” at Zion. We trust and pray that they will have received that great appellation “Well done thou good and faithful servant … enter thou into the joy of the Lord (Matthew 25).
Postscript to the Surridge and Freeman families. In 2007 at Zion’s Anniversary Service plaques were placed recognising the many years of service given by those two families who served as deacon during the 1900s. The plaques were unveiled by two of our members Mrs Sheila Coster (née Surridge) and Mrs Carole Mallord (née Freeman). Sheila and Carole are still members of the Church (March 2024)
Activities at Zion
Possibly the best indicator of the spiritual strength of a Church is the way in which it seeks to spread the Good News of Salvation. From the earliest days Zion regularly distributed Gospel literature in the form of leaflets and tracts in the locality. An account of 1919 records that “Missionary gifts in a year sometimes averaged more than £1 per head of the membership”.
There has always been a real desire at Zion to teach children about the love of Jesus Christ. Consequently the Church has taken every opportunity to draw young people in and show them the truths of the Bible.
Sunday School
Teaching of the Bible to children commenced in 1845 when it is recorded that “a great number of eager children” attended. Classes were held in the afternoon on the Lord’s Day whilst a Bible Study was held for adult members. It was therefore quite common for the young people to attend Chapel three times every Sunday. Despite all the highs and lows in general membership at Zion, the Sunday School continued to be well attended. Earliest records at about the turn of the century in 1900 show about 30 to 40 children attended and registers show that there was very little absenteeism. Annual Sunday School outings were always a special treat and much looked forward to by the children and their parents, as the picture below shows.
Sunday School outing at Bricket Wood 1922-3
Back row: Jack Sunderland (driver), Ron Butler, Lionel Atkins, John Timberlake, Ted Freeman, Gertie Hodges, Mrs A Butler, Mr G. Bullock, Mr A. Butler, Elsie Bishop, Eva Jackson, Mr and Mrs J. Freeman.
Standing: Unknown, Mrs Hodges, Mrs J. Butler, Mrs R. Haggerty, Lily Freeman, Mrs Rose, Maurice Butler, Mrs M. Butler, May Butler, Arch Bullock, Mrs O. Butler, unknown, Cyril Cripps, Mrs R. Surridg, Rose Timberlake.
Seated: George Freeman, Olive Freeman, Ron Haggerty – on lap John Haggerty, Mrs Jelly – on lap ?Jelly, Len Freeman – on lap Len Freeman (junior), Ivy Freeman (senior), Mr J. Butler, Molly Jackson, Ivy Freeman, Mrs Cripps (Lois), Mrs Weedon, Mrs Stevens, Amy Brownsell. Children – back row: ? Whiting, Gladys Atkins, Frances Crawley, Len Jelly, Colin Butler, Horace Jelly, Frank White, Ralph Freeman, Jim Timberlake, Dorothy Deighton, Bill Hodges, Sophie Crawley, Margery Waller, ? Towersy, unknown, Joy Butler, Doris Atkins, Dorothy Hodges. Children – front row: Phyllis Nelson, Lizzie Whiting, Anthony Towersy, Harold Freeman, Frank Herbert, Jack Waller, Ken Herbert, Bella Hoar, Gordon Hoar, Gladys Goodman, Olive Hodges, unknown.
Many children were successful in the annual Scripture exams and these proudly received their certificates from the Sunday School Superintendent each year. Zion’s Sunday School was blessed with many Bible believing teachers who diligently fulfilled their duties as their work for Jesus.
In the period following WW2 the School flourished well into the 1980s but then slowly reduced to about 5 or 6 by 2005. This was partly due to lack of available teachers as Church numbers declined, but was mainly, and sadly, due to the growing secularisation of our society where parents no longer considered it important to bring up their children to embrace Christian beliefs. We, however, continue to live in the great hope that once again the children of Kings Langley will be encouraged to have a thirst for the Good News of Salvation.
This rather feint picture is one page of the Class Register for 1948. Sheila and Carole (listed here) are still members of Waterside today (March 2024)
Women’s Meeting
Mrs Parker, the wife of Zion’s second pastor, initiated a fellowship for the women in 1948. We are told the first meeting was a joyous and productive occasion. Officers were appointed and a programme of meetings and speakers was arranged. Meetings at Zion provided Bible based ministry to many local ladies who were free to attend on Tuesday afternoons, but family commitments prevented them from worshipping on the Lord’s Day. Some of the ladies involved themselves in providing invaluable support to Zion’s other activities and also undertook visits to the sick and lonely to give out “Sunshine Gifts” of flowers. Zion’s Women’s Fellowship was actively involved in the Grace Baptist Women’s Fellowship and regularly met with other Churches in the District and at the annual Regional Rally. The passing of a number of stalwart members meant that it was not possible to continue the meetings and eventually this valuable ministry ceased in 1990.
Fellowship of Youth
The Fellowship of Youth really emerged from the earlier Bible Classes for young people and changed to the formal FoY during Pastor Parker’s time. Initially Pastor and Miss Joy Butler took the lead and then Mr B. Jones and David Butler became the main leaders. FoY undertook a discipling role of young people between the ages of 11 and 18. Visiting speakers and regular fellowship with similar groups from most of the district’s Strict Baptist Churches provided sound gospel teaching, but it was not all spiritual. Recreational activities and an annual outing were much appreciated by the members. The Junior FoY for 8 to 11 year olds which started in 1954 closed in 1961, because of lack of numbers. There is little evidence of what happened after 1962 until a terse entry in the minute book says “FoY is no longer operating”.
The changing face of British society during the 1960s heralded the start of new ventures. Zion’s response to this need was to provide for the growing number of retired men to have a weekly Men’s Club; for young teenagers a Youth Club was set up and for young families the Church agreed to Mrs Mallord having a daily nursery group, which was called the Play Group.
Pioneer Club
This seems to have started immediately after FoY finished. Rather unflatteringly it is recorded that it started as an attempt to counter “this era of ill-discipline and rowdy behaviour of children we now live among”. In practice the club, under the leadership of Harold Freeman, Brian Sears from Watford, and Jack Hammond provided a good programme of games and social activity for up to about 20 boys. The Pioneers took part in the District Church sports day with a lot of enthusiasm but unrecorded success. We are told that Harold was very inventive in the games he organised and they made much use of the playing field in Primrose Hill. Once again falling numbers signalled the demise of this club in 1982.
Play Group
This was the initiative of Mrs Carole Mallord, daughter of Harold Freeman. Initially her proposal was not accepted but the group did start in 1973 and it continued under the same leadership right through to 2005.
No formal aims were set down, but through the loving dedication of the leader and her helpers it did achieve commendable standards, providing a safe and happy playtime for pre-school children, helping them to learn drawing, colouring, reading and writing, as well as teaching them to share and play together.
Easter and Christmas stories from the Bible were taught and children acted them out, much to their 
parents’ delight. Parties at Waterside Play Group (that was the official title) were a real excitement to the children, especially the one in 1988 (pictured here) which marked the 25th Anniversary of the group.
Sadly the simplicity of this type of group did not comply with the government’s view of pre-school education. The introduction of the Children Voucher scheme of 2003 and the quite stringent rules for child care struck the death knell for the Play Group which closed in 2005 after 32 years of valued service to the community.
