History of Sound Church
2000-2003
In 1999, without any team, Betsy and Andrew and baby Josh moved to Bath from Exeter to plant a Church.
Evening meetings were held by the de T's to explain the vision of the new church throughout 1999 and Ben was born.
Having gathered a new small group of about 20 interested people, Betsy and Andrew started Sunday morning services in March 2000 at Hayesfield Lower School. By 2002 over 200 people who joined us, with only a small handful having come from other churches in Bath. Having sold all of their wedding presents to finance the new church, the de Thierry’s then sold their home in 2001 to give all they had to start the church. In 2002, Betsy gave birth to stillborn twins Charlie and Reuben whilst pastoring the church. Jonah was born in 2003.
2004-2007
Having consistently believed that the church would own buildings, Betsy & Andrew employed a land agent to find us some property. Subsequently, the church bought Roseberry Road. Despite the greatly needed renovation and structural changes, they knew it would be in the middle of a prime development site so the church would be able to sell it at a profit, to one day build an auditorium. Roseberry Road hosted our first college, with an art studio, decking for parties and outside meetings. It had significant office space and counselling rooms. In 2007 the de T's finally managed to buy a miracle home.
2008-2009
Betsy and Andrew looked around Freedom House and decided that the car park was perfect for a future auditorium, and so the site was acquired by the church. Architects were selected and instructed. The initial plans involved knocking down the large building attached to Albert Villa and renovating the listed Grade 2 building itself. Renovation started in 2009 on the listed building Albert Villa. Noah de Thierry was born.
2010-2014
The Church moved into Freedom House for mid-week life. We were able to host the first Trauma Recovery Centre during the day and Albert villa, the listed front building, became the new church offices. Simultaneously, Betsy received a death threat and 5 years of serious stalking and harassment started, and the de Ts had to move into hiding in 2013, with their 4 sons all having to change schools. Caroline Gelderblom and Kirsten Ottley were the right hands to Betsy who had to navigate the church and her family through a terrifying ordeal.
During these years we were given £270,000 by developers for the option of purchasing Roseberry Road, which they never used. This was extraordinary and such needed income for the church during tough years. In 2014 Andrew came off the leadership team of the church.
2014-2017
In 2014, one of the main perpetrators was arrested for his threats and stalking Betsy. News of the arrest helped the church begin to grow again after the devastating impact of the lies and slander against her slowed down.
Betsy’s trauma training was in demand and the local MP and City Mayor had attended and found it ‘life changing’. After 5 years of trying to get planning permission in BANES with no success, the then MP wrote a letter saying, ‘I am a big fan of Betsy’s work and so the building must go ahead’ and we subsequently got planning permission without having to appeal to a local planning committee.
Roseberry Road was sold for a profit of £500,000.
2018
Betsy led the church through the building of the auditorium, with Kirsten Ottley as church accountant and Claire Tinker & Jonah de Thierry as key supports throughout this time. Together as a church we managed to raise over £1m with much sacrifice so 'the button was pressed' to start the building process in July 2018. 6th September 2018 builders moved in to begin the works. Betsy and Kirsten spent hours in meetings each week with the builders, due to an absent project manager. On the 9th September we broke ground and buried prayers written from children in Kids Club and a Bible in a time capsule under the foundations of the auditorium.
We were told that the QS had misquoted by £200,000 and we had to pray for that amount to be given to be able to continue building. A large miracle gift enabled us to continue. The builders continued and then found asbestos which cost us a further £112,000 to remove.
2019
22nd May we got the keys for the auditorium.
24th May we had the first Kingdom builders meal in the auditorium cafe for those who had given more than £20,000.
2nd June Betsy opened the building & we had the first meeting in the auditorium with no chairs or sound system, but cushions and excitement.
“We choose to dedicate this auditorium to Jesus, to His purpose & to make His name Famous” Betsy & Andrew de Thierry, 23rd June 2019.
2020-2024
In the first 5 years of the auditorium, Betsy has been leading the church from being solely a local church, to an Apostolic Resource Centre (ARC).
Isaiah 61
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and to comfort all who mourn.
Isaiah 58:
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
The buildings have hosted:
Sound Global Collective Conference
Trauma Recovery Global Conference
Rebuild Pastors Retreats
Critical Incident Response Meeting Rooms
Training for Trauma Recovery & Violence Reduction
Additionally, this year we are launching:
Sound Church Pastoral & Creative College
House of Creativity
2019: Sound Auditorium Finished
We finished building our purpose built church auditorium in June 2019. It took us 11 years of working towards getting planning permission to be able to build it. Our doors are now open to everyone who wants to come and find out why we, as a group of people, have all sacrificed money to build somewhere that will last for generations to come as a place to find Jesus and the hope He brings. We meet here on Sundays and for larger mid week meetings and are excited about the way the space will be used for future projects too!