Cowper Memorial Congregational Church

We are a traditional evangelical Congregational Church seeking to exalt and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. Following in the footsteps of our Reformed Congregational forebears, we hold to the full and final authority of Holy Scripture in all matters, both spiritual and temporal, and seek to honour God through the faithful preaching and teaching of His Word.

Our services of worship are traditional in style, with hymns, prayer, and biblically faithful teaching, centred upon the worship of God and the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Cowper Memorial Congregational Church has been witnessing to the gospel from its position in Dereham Market Place since it was founded in 1874 on the site that had previously been the home of William Cowper.

In 1795 Cowper moved to Norfolk with Mary Unwin. They originally stayed at North Tuddenham, then at Dunham Lodge near Swaffham, and later at Mundesley before finally settling in East Dereham, where both died and were buried side by side in what is now known as the Cowper Chapel in St Nicholas Church.

William Cowper is perhaps best known today as a hymn writer, particularly for his work with his great friend John Newton in producing Olney Hymns. Through this collection and his other writings, Cowper made a lasting contribution to evangelical Christianity. Many of his hymns remain widely loved and sung today, including the well-known hymn, “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform.”

Today, mindful of this rich evangelical heritage, we continue to bear witness to the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ, proclaiming the unchanging truths of Scripture and seeking to serve our community to the glory of God. As a church, we look forward with confidence and hope to the promised return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when He will fulfil all that God has purposed and restore all things according to His Word, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures.