Where Prayer Meets Justice: 200 Years of Adelaide Place Baptist Church

A Foundation Built on Prayer

Two hundred years ago, Glasgow was an industrial city groaning under an 80-year population boom. Over 147,000 people were battling chronic employment insecurity, poor housing, and political disorder.

In the midst of these challenges, Dr James Paterson began gathering like-minded friends to meet and pray for their struggling city. What began as eighteen committed friends in a small city-centre room quickly grew into the thriving Adelaide Place Baptist Church.

From that first prayer meeting until today, the church has always been committed to supporting the social and spiritual needs of the local community. Initially, congregants provided evening classes to local people, only stopping after the introduction of compulsory education in Scotland.

A Step Into Justice, and the 20th Century

During the Second World War, women in the congregation made care packages for members of the church in active service. They also volunteered to assist with air raid precautions. Members like Marjorie McInnes OBE regularly carried out fire watch shifts from the roof of the building during the blackouts. Alongside this practical support, the church remained open daily for prayer, becoming a central hub for intercession throughout the conflict. 

In more recent history, the church has supported the establishment of The Elpis Centre, which supports "young women aged 16 – 25 years, mothers and babies – who are homeless, have experience of living in care or are seeking asylum." The 90s brought a renovation that allowed the church to be used as a guest house and a nursery, ministering practically to the needs of the local community.

Active Service in the Community Today

Today, Adelaide Place has renovated its facilities again to transform them into a hub for justice. With weekly English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes, a community cafe, clothing bank, art space, and film club, everyone is welcomed unconditionally into the space.

Alongside some of the regular users of the venue space, this beautiful community came together in May 2025 to share a meal as part of the "Reimagining Horizons" project, where stories of hope and justice were shared.

In the coming months we are excited to welcome and continue developing relationships with our regular venue guests and community cafe family, showing them the love that Christ has shown us. Our space is one that brings people together, in particular as a rehearsal space for our friends at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and through deepening the partnership between ESOL and our cafe as a home for conversation groups.

Prayer is vital in our pursuit of justice. Time is taken before every Sunday service to pray specifically for mission partners, and our monthly prayer gatherings often involve local justice-oriented organisations. Recently, a prayer meeting in partnership with IJM, 24-7 Prayer Scotland, and Restore Glasgow (a charity tackling human trafficking) equipped and enabled the congregation to pray deeply into current issues of human trafficking and online sexual exploitation.

The Future of Justice at Adelaide Place Baptist Church

It feels fitting that a church built on prayer for a struggling city will now host a gathering that calls the whole Church to Pray Boldly.

When you join us for Just Love's National Gathering: Pray Boldly this November, you'll be welcomed into a community with almost 200 years of prayer at its centre. What began with eighteen friends kneeling in prayer for a city in crisis, and later served as a haven for intercession during a world war, is today a place where people gather to pray boldly against injustice and exploitation. Now, the whole Church is invited.

We've already had the joy of hosting Just Love Glasgow's 10th anniversary, and many in the Just Love network have walked through our doors over the years. Now we're looking forward to welcoming Just Love's National Gathering, and sharing a little of Glasgow's rich, prayer-filled history with all who come.

Written by Megan Chalmers, a member of Adelaide Place Baptist Church. Her passion for Christian witness and social justice was shaped through her time with Just Love Glasgow, and she continues to put this passion into practice as part of the Just Love Network.

Adelaide Place on a map, 10 years after moving to the current building.

Bartholomew, John Junior, 1831-1893, New Plan of Glasgow with Suburbs, from Ordnance and Actual Surveys, Constructed for the Post Office Directory by John Bartholomew. F.R.G.S. 1886 - 1886