Baptist Church, the Little White Church on It Sud

Baptism in Workum

It was the “cow doctor” Bouke Haagsma who invited De Neui to come and speak in Workum. On August 1, 1866, Jellema’s inn was packed. But when De Neui wanted to start, the police, under orders from the mayor, forbade him. There were far more people present than the 19 legally allowed. However, that law had long been repealed, as De Neui knew. Yet the mayor, who was called in, insisted—the service would not proceed. De Neui, filled with holy anger, said to the mayor: “I hold you accountable before God for your hostility towards His Gospel. I will accuse you before God for the souls who, due to tonight’s interrupted sermon, will end up in hell…”. Three weeks later, when De Neui returned to Workum, he faced no further obstacles. Jellema’s inn *) was located at Noard No.16 (district A100), the former pharmacist’s house. It was then agreed to hold regular meetings. In the first years, these were held in Bouke Haagsma’s house (district B 94 = Súd 103). When this became too small due to growing interest, they moved to the wagon maker Dirk Jans Driebergen’s workshop (district F 7 = Súd 134). From 1876, meetings were held in the house of merchant Hendrik de Vries (district C 12 = Súd 106 “De Smidte”). Ulbe Zwolsman, the well-known shipbuilder, also played an important role at the end of the 19th century as leader of the Sunday school. On April 30, 1898, the Baptist congregation of Workum separated from its mother church in Franeker and became independent. In 1900, a new hall was acquired, equipped with a baptismal pool. The first baptism ceremony in Workum took place there on February 10, 1901; before that, baptisms were held in Makkum. The location of this hall is unknown. On November 21, 1904, three brothers signed the purchase deed for “a house with garden.” Six years later, this house was converted into a church named “BETHEL,” meaning “House of God.”

*) It is known that in the second half of the 19th century, an inn called “Het Wapen van Friesland” was located here. On May 5, 1866, Pieter Minnes Jellema settled here. No profession is listed in the population register, so whether Jellema started an inn remains unclear. At that time, there was another Jellema in Workum: Murk Johannes Jellema, who lived on Súd (district C 52 = Súd 28) and worked as a barber.