Kenneth Fernand Taylor Matrunola MA BD, pastor of Salem chapel, Portsmouth from 1971 to 1994, came to the things most surely believed among us from outside the Strict Baptist denomination, as a brand plucked from the burning. Having once come to these great doctrines of the faith and being fully persuaded of them, he ably expounded them and it was often the testimony of those who heard him that their hearts did burn within them as he set them before the people. Those who sat under the ministry at Salem during the years of his ministry, were a well taught people. As a church member of Salem acknowledged, ‘During the ministry of Mr. Matrunola, we were fed, “With the finest of the wheat.” (Psalm 81: 16)’
Introduction
Sermons on this website
The sermons which have been selected, were all preached at Salem Chapel Portsmouth, where Mr. Matrunola ministered faithfully between 1971 - 1994. They were preached from 1983 onwards. Although the sermons were not recorded at Salem Chapel Portsmouth from the outset of Mr. Matrunola’s ministry, they increasingly came to be recorded, primarily however for the sole use of the members of the church and congregation.
Many of the sermons included are on a single text of scripture, but Mr. Matrunola often preached consecutively through portions of the word of God. While at the commencement of his ministry he preached mainly, if not exclusively, from single texts, as he continued in the pastoral office, he increasingly felt a burden laid upon him which constrained him to start preaching consecutively through large portions of the word of God. However, many of the sermons even within a series can stand alone.
Consecutively preaching through large portions of the word of God meant that Mr. Matrunola did not neglect to cover ‘difficult’ topics, such as the head covering of women or church order. In this way he covered large portions of the Bible, often preaching through entire books including Colossians, Ephesians, Ruth and 2 Peter. He also preached on subjects, including a remarkable and most instructive series on the life of Moses. Other series included the life of the Resurrection appearances, the events leading up to the crucifixion and the parable of the ten virgins. He also left unfinished a series on Hebrews which, begun in September 1992, had reached as far as the beginning (verse 5) of chapter nine. In the Bible on his desk in his study, he had underlined the words of the apostle Paul to the elders of the Ephesian church, “I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” (Acts 20: 2) He died on December 9th, 1994, aged 57.
Early Life
Kenneth Fernand Taylor Matrunola was born in Glasgow on 11th February 1937. He was the only child of Fernand and Katherine Matrunola. His paternal grandfather (Roberto Matrunola) had come over from Italy to look for work in the early 1900s, and had settled in Glasgow, where he met and married a Scottish girl. It was the mother of the latter who brought up Kenneth’s father (Fernand), who was the eldest of several children, and so in the providence of God it came about that one of the family was raised as a nominal Protestant. Probably disappointed that her daughter had ‘converted’ to Roman Catholicism to marry Roberto, she is said to have declared, ‘At least this one (Fernand) will be a Protestant!’ The others in the family remained Roman Catholics, although his grandfather (Roberto) was a Roman Catholic in name only and made no secret of his disregard of the Roman Catholic system, so much so that when he died, in 1944, the family had to pay a considerable sum of money to the Roman Catholic church to have him buried. Kenneth had memories of Sunday evenings spent at the home of this Italian grandfather who was a well-known figure among the Italian community in Glasgow and who was renowned for his hospitality.
As a child, however, Kenneth was much influenced by his maternal grandparents (Gavin and Catherine Taylor), particularly his grandmother with whom the family lived. He was a product of the Scottish educational system of the day and as a result learned The Shorter Catechism and the Ten Commandments at school. There was, however, little religious influence in the home save that, when he was five, he was sent to Sunday school at the local Church of Scotland. As a result, he wrote,
“The only soul impressions I can remember were after the sudden death of a school friend when I was about twelve and an overwhelming sense of my own mortality when I was fourteen. In the latter case I had a profound sense of the transitory nature of created things, and that I should one day die.” In 1990 in one of his sermons, Mr. Matrunola referred to this, which took place in the school playground when, surrounded by friends, suddenly - from nowhere - the thought came to him where would they all be one hundred years from now. They would all be dead, every one of them! The thought solemnised his heart for many days.
Attendance at Sunday school led to regular church going, where he, “Listened carefully to the preaching, even when quite young.” Like many another Church of Scotland congregation it was mere formal worship, the gospel was never proclaimed, and the emphasis was on the need to do good works. At the age of 16 he was expected to attend the minister’s communion instruction, go before the “Kirk Session,” and become a member. This did not, however, take place because his teacher in the Senior Bible Class, who was a school mistress by profession, announced that the book of Genesis, which the class was about to study, was merely myth! He was amazed to hear her so speak and, after returning home and giving the matter some thought, he told his parents that he would no longer be attending either the Bible class or church services. His reason being, that if one part of the Bible was untrue, then there must be some doubt as to all its content. Native unbelief was therefore stimulated by this teacher's foolish words.
“To my young and developing mind there was no truth in the Bible or in Christian things ... I wrote out an account of my ‘religion’ at this time - I would believe that there was a God, but I could see no need for Christ or the church. These were my impious, perverse words. I thank God that I was not left in darkness for ever because of them!”
(It can be seen, therefore, that, even in the days of his unregeneracy, Mr. Matrunola never questioned the existence of God. Who made God, he believed to be a question which should just not be asked, “If there were no God, who made us and how is it that we live and function as we do, with such experiences as daily occur. There could be no answer to, or explanation of, the great questions of life and our existence, apart from God- a supreme self-existent Being.”
Some years passed without any change in his opinions, during which he never once entered any place of worship or felt any inclination to do so. But in Kent’s words,
The appointed time rolls on apace,
Not to propose but call by grace;
To change the heart, renew the will,
And turn the feet to Zion’s hill. (Gadsby’s 76)
University Years
In 1954 Mr. Matrunola entered Glasgow University to study law, and it was in 1955 that it pleased God to reveal himself to him. His closest school friend unexpectedly professed conversion, and over the winter of 1954-55 there was scarcely any subject of conversation between them other than personal salvation. While he argued with his friend and attempted to overturn his friend’s beliefs and often ridiculed his Bible-based religion, he was, all the time, under deep persuasion of his own sinful state. In fact, he became so distressed because of conviction of sin that he almost gave up his studies and sometimes he felt he did not want to live, but then the fear of judgment would come upon him. His friend spoke of the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ and gradually the gospel opened to him.
“Over these months God had worked, I am persuaded, in regeneration and applied the law to my heart. By the same effectual work of the Holy Spirit, I was brought to hope in Christ. On the evening of 2nd April 1955, about 10.30 pm, it pleased God to manifest pardon to my soul. That was a Saturday and the following day, which was Easter Sunday, I had confirmation in public worship that Christ died and rose again, in which work God had granted me a place. I believe that in this way the God of grace met with me and began that work that he will perform until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Mr. Matrunola had started to attend a General Baptist church with his friend. Some other young people had professed faith, and the minister was seeking to instruct them concerning New Testament baptism. However, his early church contacts were Presbyterian and paedobaptist.
“I had been brought up in a paedobaptist environment. I never had any knowledge of the way of the Baptists until after God was pleased to call me by grace, and even then, I thought they were a most unusual people who should be avoided. But my friend, who had been instrumental in praying for me and speaking to me over many months, said you must settle the matter from the word of God, and he gave me a leaflet which simply listed all the places where there is reference to baptism in the New Testament. I went through all these, as best as I could, praying that God would enlighten me and, in the end, I was satisfied that immersion is the God-prescribed mode. There was no place where I could see a sanction for infant sprinkling. And although I had been sprinkled in the normal fashion, I did not feel that that had any meaning whatsoever. It was not long after that, before I submitted myself and desired that I might be baptised and added to the church.”
His parents, who were without personal religion, were very opposed to his being immersed, and many arguments at home followed. He early learned that it was not simply a matter of telling others about the gospel but, unless God was pleased to do for them that which he had done in his own case, all was foolishness unto them. These are truths which are only spiritually discerned. Objection to baptism was at length removed and this took place on 19th June 1955, with eleven others. He said,
“I felt the Lord’s blessing in the waters of baptism, although I still knew so very little about it, except that it was in obedience to his will. I understood very little then about it and have come to understand much more since, but it was nonetheless precious to my soul. I look back to it.
“Another truth God showed me at this time was that of strict communion. Prior to my baptism, I had been invited to partake of the Lord's Supper, according to the practice at the church I attended. This I declined somewhat to the annoyance of the minister and members. I did not know then what Strict Baptist teaching was at all. I had never heard of it! But I felt instinctively that there was an order, you were baptised and then you came to the Lord’s Supper.
“Only after my baptism on 19th June 1955, with eleven others, did I feel free to sit down at the Table, one week later. For three weeks after being baptized I felt to be on the mountain top of spiritual experience! Then I was brought down into the valley to prove the reality of corruption within. That sinless perfection this side of heaven is impossible, I soon and painfully discovered! Thirty-seven years later the power of indwelling sin is no less, and sanctification known not to be gradual betterment. How true the words, ‘Not a growth in conscious goodness, but in felt necessity’ and, ‘The want and worth of Jesus Christ.’
Call to the Ministry
“Conversion to God gave me a hunger for the word of God. I read the scriptures almost every available moment. There was so much to learn! Now a desire to open my mouth in the name of the Lord began to be felt. Opportunities to speak came through the church, which maintained an open-air meeting in a large park. There I was to be found in the crowd and was sometimes asked to come up on to the platform and address the assembly, often more than 100 persons. The minister and deacons next asked me to preach in the church at an evening service. I attempted to speak from, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature,” (2 Corinthians 5: 17) for this I had known and felt. Poor as it must have been, it caused the church officers to approach me about the ministry and ask me to undergo ministerial training at the Baptist College. I would not agree to this at first. I felt I had to know God's will in the matter. Was this of the flesh and nothing more?”
This matter became a heavy burden to him and for months when he should have been studying for an examination, in Anglo-Saxon language and literature, he was instead reading the Bible and begging God to direct him concerning the ministry. He writes,
“One night I felt that I had to have it settled one way or the other and I determined to wait up until the Lord showed me what I should do. In my room I waited, trying to pray over and over, seeking guidance. What happened is with me still, as though it had just taken place. About 3 a.m. the room seemed to fill with light, and I seemed to hear these words, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12: 9) Immediately I knew that this was God's call to preach and that I must obey. Such peace filled my heart that I knew all immediate difficulties would be overcome. It proved to be so in a remarkable way! Even in the examination which I had scarcely prepared for, I had no difficulty with the questions and passed it aware that it was a token of the promise given.”
In consequence Mr. Matrunola dropped law and majored in the M.A. Until then he had been studying for a degree in law as well as the M.A. His ambition was to have become a barrister but, as that required connections and financial backing, his father had suggested that he study for both degrees simultaneously, believing an M.A. would give him an alternative profession as a teacher.
Having graduated from Glasgow University in 1957, Mr. Matrunola went before the church and Baptist Union Committee and commenced three years study at the Theological College in Glasgow. This training was modernistic and of little value. In one of his later sermons, he admitted that he would have been far better carrying on with his studies in law and said,
“I was instructed in the Old Testament where the early chapters of Genesis were not believed to be true, but were thought to be merely myth or, at best to be symbolic or allegorical - merely ways of putting things in order that we may learn certain principles.”
The students were in fact told that they did not need the Bible; all that was required was to believe in Jesus! He said of this later,
“This sounds very plausible, but you do not know of Jesus apart from the Bible! If you had no Bible, and you were seeking to know of Jesus of Nazareth, you would have three tiny, fragmented references in Latin authors, one in Tacitus, one in Suetonius and one in Pliny, which mention him. Without the Bible, there would be no knowledge of salvation; there would be no awareness of how God forgives sinners; there would be no church. This Book is vital. God has meant it to be vital to us. God has caused what was preached and what was revealed to be written, that his Book should be central in our lives and in our churches.”
Mr. Matrunola always maintained that although men may have qualified from theological colleges, if they are not sent from God these credentials are invalid - the only degree that matters is that of ‘Approved unto God.’ It was his earnest desire that God would raise up men to preach, “The everlasting gospel.” (Revelation 14: 6) And that it was a great loss and a sign of God’s manifest displeasure upon the churches, if God should take away the staff of the (spiritual) bread of life.
Pastorates in Scotland
Having completed the training course, in 1960 Mr. Matrunola was called to the pastorate of a small (the congregation numbered over 100, which was considered small in those days!) Baptist church - at Saltcoats - on the Ayrshire coast.
From the circumstances of his call by grace, he was ever of the persuasion that God had wrought in a most sovereign manner. There was no feeling of creature power. Thus, it was that he was always of Calvinistic convictions.
Even in his early days in the ministry, he had to take a stand for the truth and earnestly contend for what was scriptural. During his first pastorate he encountered fierce controversy over the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints which, even in the 1960s, he had a clear grasp of, perhaps clearer in those days than other similar points of doctrine. Those who were invited to preach from the pulpit, denounced the saint’s security and alleged that one may be truly brought to Christ but then lose their salvation: ‘saved today and lost tomorrow’ as it was expressed. He believed the truth of God was at stake and believed that the stand he was enabled to take then was instrumental in making him subsequently so convinced in holding to these great doctrines of the faith.
Two subsequent pastorates occurred, the first in Drumchapel, a housing estate in the west of Glasgow, and then at Larkhall in Lanarkshire. It will be apparent that in all these events he was acting according to the light he had been given, and in submission to the way of the Scottish Baptist churches. With time, however, his views changed significantly as the Lord led him through the study of the scriptures and in providence. Although it was very far from the standpoint of the Baptist College, time only served to confirm him in the truths of sovereign grace. In his own words, he says,
“I remember that when I first came to learn of these five great points of Calvinism, the knowledge of these things was better than anything I had ever known before. I wanted to know as much as I possibly could. Because this is free grace: this system of Calvinistic theology, which is biblical, is free grace. This is religion all of grace. The other, is religion which is determined by man’s free will. There is, therefore, a collision between free grace and free will. Free grace: particular redemption. Free will: general redemption - Christ died for everybody, and it may well have been that, though he died for everybody, no one was actually saved, because it all depends upon the will of man whether they will let him save them or not.”
His love for these doctrines never wavered and not long before he died, he said,
“I certainly rejoiced when God brought me to see the doctrines of grace, gradually bringing down every barrier of opposition that was in my heart against them, and I cannot say that I have found anything wanting in them. If there has been anything wanting, it has been in my embracing of them, but I love these truths with all my heart.”
Mr. Matrunola vividly remembered coming across, in the 1950s, a copy of Spurgeon’s reprint of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith and thinking he had never read anything like it! He knew very little about it, but he determined then to get it printed in Scotland and was in the process of negotiating with a printer, when he found it had just (1959) been reprinted in England. He writes,
“In the early years of pastoral ministry, experimental Calvinism warmed my heart. Encounters with others of like mind were however rare. (While still at Saltcoats, he had obtained a copy of the Autobiography and Letters of Thomas Godwin of Godmanchester.) Then in 1964 I read the paperback abridgement, The Seceders by J. C. Philpot. I then obtained the two volumes and read and re-read them. Next came, The Mercies of a Covenant God by John Warburton, closely followed by John Kershaw's Autobiography. Were there any in these days who knew this felt religion? I longed to find out and began to pray that God would direct me.”
Mr. Matrunola came to the realisation that he could no longer continue in the errors of the Baptist Union: fundamental errors, such as disbelief in the Lord’s miracles and the denial of the virgin birth. In 1990, he said,
“When I was in the Baptist Union of Scotland there was only one other minister of all those on the Ministerial Recognition Committee, apart from myself, that accepted the virgin birth. The others, all of whom claimed to be evangelical, said they did not see the need for the virgin birth. Christ could, they said, have been the natural son of Joseph. But that takes away the whole atonement! We cannot be saved by one who is himself a sinner … Christ was ever the Son of the Father. His human nature - because of the virgin birth - is a spotless and an immaculate human nature, free from any contagion of sin. You must be brought to see the absolute necessity of the virgin birth!”
In 1969 he, therefore, resigned from his pastorate and Baptist Union ministerial status. He recalled this time in his life,
“I came out of the General Baptists, and came from Scotland, to identify with Particular Baptists. I had an early meeting, in 1968, with some leaders of certain sections among the Strict and Particular Baptists, which I will never forget. I was coming to say that I wanted to be numbered with them, and their approach to me was don’t be put off by us! We do not all hold to this position; we do not all practice strict communion; we do not all hold to the doctrines of grace. These men let the side down! They were speaking against the very things which were bringing me and my family 400 miles, in order that we might find people that embraced these things. It was a shameful thing, which explains the demise of so much of the Particular Baptist testimony. It has been a loss of conviction and a loss of love for these things, which has led to an apologising for them. I do not apologise for them! I had rather be with a little company that hold to these truths, than to be in the largest Baptist congregation in the land.”
It is noteworthy that the last place at which Mr. Matrunola preached before leaving Scotland was Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh, to a congregation which numbered over 1000!
Although he was now to leave Scotland, Mr. Matrunola always retained an interest in Scottish things, and had a love for the godly men of a former generation in the land of his birth
Family
On 4th October 1960 Mr. Matrunola had married Elizabeth (Betty) Smith. Like her husband, she had not been brought up in a Christian home but had attended a Methodist Sunday School. She proved a loving, able and faithful helpmeet to him. They were united in their love of the great doctrines of the faith once delivered unto the saints and in later years she accompanied her husband on many of his frequent preaching engagements. A few years later twin daughters were born to them.
In 1969, God's providence brought the family south to Suffolk for twenty months, where a farmhouse was provided rent free. Mr. Matrunola sought to obtain work and worked with a deacon of the church on his grocery round. He would speak with affection of this man, who would often stop the van, and they would sit on a grass verge and talk on ‘better things.’
In 1970, after several visits to Salem Chapel, Portsmouth, he preached with a view to the pastorate, and was called there, beginning his ministry in January 1971. .
Pastorate at Portsmouth
At the commencement of the pastorate there were only three members at Salem in addition to Mr. and Mrs Matrunola.Mr. Matrunola felt knit together in the things of God and the work at Salem with the one deacon, Mr. W. H. Hitchens. Recognition Services for the settlement to the pastorate were held in September 197 and at this service Mr. Hitchens spoke of how the call to the pastorate had come about,
“In 1969 the previous pastor Mr. Baldwin resigned … it was about that time that we first heard of Mr. Matrunola. We had heard that a minister from the Baptist Church of Scotland had left that connection and come south. Our first acquaintance with him was one week evening when he was appointed to speak at Chichester and some of the friends from Salem went to hear him. We were pleased with the ministry we heard and felt that was the ministry we were used to at Salem. After the service I was enabled to speak to Mr. Matrunola and to ask him if he would speak at Salem Chapel, Portsmouth if he were in the area. He readily consented. It was just at that time when Mr. Baldwin was preaching amongst us for one of the last occasions and in a rather prophetic kind of utterance he said, ‘Mr. Matrunola may be your next pastor.’ We hadn’t then asked him - but we shortly did and he was quite willing to come. He commenced his ministry amongst us as our pastor on the first Lord’s Day in 1971. And I may honestly say that we have not regretted the step. We have seen the Lord’s hand in the matter, so that with our hearts we can praise the Lord for Mr. Matrunola’s ministry amongst us.”
The procurement of a house for the new pastor and his family was a matter of some concern. Mr. Matrunola spoke of these events in a sermon in April 1993
“We came to Portsmouth in 1971 and, still thinking in terms of my background of a chapel house, we managed to procure a house. The church managed to raise the capital for a house, which was a wonderful thing, for they had £120 and that was all, in the bank! Yet we were able to get that house with quite a small mortgage, which after two years we were able to pay off. (This occurred because of an unexpected and very generous personal gift to Mr. Matrunola from a person who greatly esteemed his ministry.)"
Many people passed through the manse at 128 Baffins Road. These included people from other churches in the area, who desired to understand the doctrines of free and sovereign grace more fully and who assembled on a number of occasions for a series of Bible studies. Mr. Matrunola also held classes in New Testament Greek on several occasions to those who were desirous to learn, including a German Jew. Hospitality was shown to all who came, including, over the years, many students and a Chinese national who arrived unannounced one Sunday evening and who subsequently stayed for several weeks, until eventually a home was found, by one of the elderly members of the church, for him and his wife who by this time had joined him. Another encounter was typical, a Jehovah’s Witness and his wife called at the house one evening and, after much discussion on the doorstep, subsequent visits took place. These were only curtailed by the family emigrating to Australia about 6 weeks later, much to Mr. Matrunola’s regret as both the parents and the teenage son had shown much interest in the gospel. Many years later - long after Mr. Matrunola’s death - a former member of Salem, who had also emigrated to Australia with his family, met the, now grown up, son at a meeting in Australia and was told how the family had been converted through the instrumentality of Mr. Matrunola’s witness, “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.” (Ecclesiastes 11: 1) Mr. K.W.H. Howard was another who was frequently found in the manse in Portsmouth. For many years he lived in the house in Baffins Road and took the services at Salem during Mr. Matrunola’s annual family holiday to Scotland.
In 1986 Mr. Matrunola purchased his own house jointly with his two daughters, at Widley: a frequent visitor was Mr. Sidney Norton, one of the co-founders of the Banner of Truth magazine in 1955, who spent his last days at Portsmouth and greatly appreciated the ministry of Mr. Matrunola. Interestingly it was Mr. Norton who, in the 1960s, had encouraged the Banner of Truth to publish the paperback edition of J. C. Philpot’s The Seceders which had had such a profound influence on Mr. Matrunola.
Mr. Matrunola truly valued the study of scriptures and read extensively and widely, as is apparent from the numerous quotations which are to be found in his sermons. He also was very well acquainted with Puritan literature and wrote a few pamphlets on Puritan preachers, such as Abraham Booth (1734-1806) and Joseph Alleine (1634-1668). He valued the study of history, particularly church history, and frequently encouraged others, the young especially, to make a study of it. Over the years he built up a substantial library, where he spent much of his time reading and preparing for the ministry of the word.
One book, however, mattered above all to him and he stressed the importance of the public reading of the word of God at the services. His public reading of the scriptures was profitable to his hearers, as he read clearly and with understanding. It was his practice to carefully prepare the readings every Saturday evening, in both the English and the Greek testaments, the latter of which he knew verbatim. When he first moved to Portsmouth, in 1971, many of the elderly people in the congregation expressed their appreciation of the way in which he read the scriptures, which enabled them to comprehend their meaning merely by the way in which he read. Early in his pastorate, feeling that the reading of some scriptures was neglected and that, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable …” (2 Timothy 3: 16), he introduced the consecutive reading of the scriptures at the services each Lord’s Day, with the intention that the entire Bible would be read over the years. A chapter from the Old Testament was therefore read at the morning service and a chapter from the New Testament at the evening service.
Again, early in his pastorate he introduced the singing of one metrical psalm during the worship services each Lord’s Day. Possessed of a fine singing voice, he especially loved Gadsby’s Hymns, which he believed to be, “In keeping with the truths and the experience of people like ourselves.”
He believed in the centrality of preaching and sounded the great trumpet of the gospel with no uncertain sound. As a pastor to the flock over whom God had made him the overseer, he was one who embodied the words of the apostle to, “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.” (1 Peter 5: 2-3) His was a Christ exalting ministry: like the apostle Paul, he could say, “I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2: 2)
Mr. Matrunola ever showed a pastor’s love for his people and, being one who required little sleep, he invariably rose early and prayed much in the secret place for the little flock which God had placed under his care at Salem. He regarded intercession - the desire that many would see Jesus in the means of grace - as much part of the work of the pastor as preaching. One of his favourite verses in the scriptures was, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” (Romans 10: 17) He had a real burden for the souls of his hearers. It was a grief to him that some who sat under his ministry did not seem to have a sense of their accountability before a holy God and often in his sermons there was the pressing home of the word preached. He preached as one who would have to give an account of his ministry - as one who had received a mandate from God to preach plain truths and to deal honestly with the souls of his hearers - and as a watchman sent to awaken those dead in their sins. He said, in a sermon on the subject of eternity, in February 1986,
“My ministry will be appraised one day. One day I shall have to stand before the one who sent me to the work and he will demand an account. Will it be wood, hay and stubble that I have to show or will it be gold, silver and precious stones? Will he say, in that day, “Well done, good and faithful servant; … enter thou into the joy of thy lord?” (Matthew 25: 23)”
He had, nevertheless, many seals to his ministry and it is unknown exactly how many persons he baptised over the years.
Labours More Abundant
During his time in Suffolk and before his call to take up the pastorate at Portsmouth, Mr. Matrunola was involved in the work of the Sovereign Grace Union. Mr Philip Tait in his A Brief History of the Sovereign Grace Union: To Raise a Testimony writes of his time there,
“Mr. Matrunola had been asked by the Committee of the Sovereign Grace Union to examine the state of affairs at Redhill … Kenneth Matrunola resigned in 1974. He left the Sovereign Grace Union fitter and stronger than it had been at any time since the war and laid the foundations of the remarkable resurgence in S.G.U. activity.” The history ends with numerous acknowledgements and concludes, “Particular thanks are due to … and above all to K. F. T. Matrunola, without whose sterling work in the early 1970s this leaflet would have been not a history but an obituary.”
Mr. Matrunola was always a man of principle and a bold defender of the faith. His involvement in the Keep Sunday Special Campaign in the 1980s is testimony to this. He was instrumental in arranging a public meeting, which was held in Portsmouth Guildhall, at which he was to be one of three speakers. The other two speakers were a member of the local tradesmen’s guild and the (Liberal Democrat) M.P. for Portsmouth South. At this meeting he earnestly contended, “For the faith which was once delivered unto the saints,” (Jude: 3) and was unashamed in his defence of the fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20: 8)
After taking up the pastorate at Portsmouth, Mr. Matrunola preached tirelessly throughout the country. The small numbers he often preached to, particularly in his later years, were never an issue with him, although often during his time in Scotland he had been used to addressing congregations of more than several hundred people. Father had a great burden for souls: he had a particular love and burden for the cause of Christ in the British Isles. Even after he moved to the south of England, he preached throughout the entire country - Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England, as well as Guernsey.
One place where Mr. Matrunola preached frequently was at Bethel Chapel, Guildford and he was asked to give a monthly series of lectures entitled, ‘What we believe and why.’ Mr. Matrunola, although initially reluctant, was felt to be well qualified to give these lectures because, over the years, he had had to evaluate and put to the test almost all of his beliefs. The lectures continued until 1994 and, over the years, covered a wide range of subjects - the subjects covered were suggested by those attending the lectures - which included guidance, the local church, Christian worship, the head covering of women and latterly the Gospel Standard Articles.
Mr. Matrunola particularly valued his visits to the north of England. For many years he preached twice annually at chapels in the north of England, including Haydock, Hindley, Garstang and Manchester. It was in connection with preaching at Haydock in 1983 that he was asked, by Mr. Tom Melling and Mr. Wilfred Cooper, where he stood as regards the Gospel Standard Articles, and he began to study them, concluding that they did indeed set forth what the Lord had enabled him to believe. The explanation of J. K. Popham in the 1906 volume of The Gospel Standard magazine satisfied him as to the understanding of the added Articles, which serve only to clarify Article 26. His name was proposed for addition to The Gospel Standard list of ministers, by the causes at Haydock and Guildford: proposed by Mr. Tom Melling and Mr. Arthur Risbridger respectively.
On leaving Scotland, it had been his intention to seek those of ‘Gospel Standard’ connections. That this did not immediately come about, was because some sought to dissuade him and others, who had been brought up within the denomination, even spoke very adversely of it. However, ministerial trials at Portsmouth brought him to see the declension among the Strict Baptists of Earthen Vessel origins and to feel a drawing to those friends of Gospel Standard convictions. Mr. Leonard Broome, the pastor at Southampton, was made a great encouragement to him and more than once said - once with great solemnity - that he would have to come over and join those of Gospel Standard persuasions. How this might come about, Mr. Matrunola made the burden of much prayer, for it seemed that once again he should have to separate from the church and people where he had been placed, believing that it was God's will for him in 1971.
However, this did not come about for a study of the church records, which had survived the loss of the original chapel by enemy action in 1941, indicated that there was no reason why the church at Salem should not make application for restoration to the Gospel Standard list of causes: provided the members were all of one mind. Mr. Matrunola made aware his position and began to preach through the Articles of Faith. Although some, who had never really supported the ministry, left the church, those who remained were brought to like-mindedness, which culminated in the unanimous decision of the church at Salem to re-adopt the Articles and to identify with the Gospel Standard position in January 1991. Mr. Matrunola considered it a remarkable thing that of the 23 members who comprised the church at that time, scarcely any had been raised in Strict Baptist homes, but they had all been brought to these truths. Later that year Salem’s name reappeared on the list of chapels in the May edition of The Gospel Standard magazine. Mr. Matrunola’s name was also added to the list of ministers.
He was the ninth pastor of the little cause at Salem, Portsmouth and delighted in the continuity of the preaching at Salem since its formation as a church in 1813. From 1980 onwards it was his custom at the annual church Anniversary services to give a synopsis of the history of the church. His remarks in 1992 on the occasion of the 179th Anniversary Services, at which Mr. B. A. Ramsbottom preached, were typical,
“This work was commenced on 21st March 1813. Seven members of the Particular Baptist church in Portsea together with a few others were formed into a gospel church by the pastor of Forton, Gosport, Thomas Tilley. On 26th January 1814 there was a chapel opened near to where Portsmouth Guildhall presently stands. The cause here at Salem has been maintained for 179 years, although the original chapel was destroyed in 1941 through enemy action. According to the early trust deed of Salem the old chapel and this present chapel were for the promoting of the Christian religion as it is professed by, ‘Protestant dissenters of the denomination of Particular Baptists.’ We are still a congregation of Protestant dissenters who are Particular Baptists!
Last Days
Although Mr. Matrunola received, over the years, several ‘calls’ to the pastorates of other churches, he always felt it was the Lord’s will for him to remain at Salem. He continued in the pastorate until his resignation in the summer of 1994 due to ill-health. He was taken ill in May 1994. The last Thursday evening Bible study he completed (from Hebrews chapter 9) was on 26th May. The very last occasion of his preaching was at Manchester on 29th May and although he attempted to preach at Salem the following Thursday (2nd June), he was unable to continue and had to stop. Shortly after, his power of speech was largely affected. His condition, which was diagnosed as a brain tumour, deteriorated steadily over the summer and autumn until he passed away, in his sleep, surrounded by his family, on December 9th, 1994.
During his last illness he was privileged to have much communion with the Lord, and to be shown much of his glory, so that we can truly say that his last days - particularly his last Sabbath on earth - were indeed his best days. Certainly, all fear of death had been removed from him, as he said to his wife, on another occasion, “I didn’t know how peaceful dying would be.” In a sermon a few years before (1986), he had said he felt - like the prophet on his watch tower - that although the vison is yet for an appointed time … it will surely come,
“I am hastening to that eternal state and begin to long after it with strong convictions and to have no fear of the change from this state to that. Indeed, I welcome it and readily embrace it; because this world is not my home. Heaven is my home: where God is, where Jesus has gone before to prepare a place for me … my dearest friend who is not with me in the present as he will be with me in the eternal state. There is that longing after him, “Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a young roe or a young hart upon the mountains of spices.” (Song of Solomon 8: 14) The Lord says, “Surely I come quickly. Amen.” And the response of the exercised church of God is, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22: 20)
Although latterly his powers of speech were very limited, he did declare that, ‘It was all just as he had preached!’ On his last Lord’s Day upon earth, he was heard to say, “I have been shown his glory. He is all glorious!” A ministerial friend said that he hoped, ‘Ken would be raised up to tell something of the excellencies which he had seen,’ but, like the apostle Paul who, “Was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter,” (2 Corinthians 12: 4) it was not to be.
If such the sweetness of the streams,
What must the fountain be?
Where saints and angels draw their bliss
Immediately from thee! Gadsby’s 472
The funeral service took place on 16th December 1994. It was conducted by Mr. Henry Sant, who preached from the words, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1: 21) Gadsby’s hymns 64, 263 and 696 were sung - the last being a prayer for the church and people at Salem. We read that, “Devout men carried Stephen to his burial,” (Acts 8: 2) and so his widow requested four God-fearing men to lower the coffin into its last resting place, where he awaits the day of resurrection when, “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” (1 Thessalonians 4: 16)
His grave in Kingston Cemetery Portsmouth (almost adjacent to that of his father Fernand Matrunola) is marked by a simple white stone. On this stone are engraved the words, which were deemed to be most suitable, “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant.” (Psalm 25: 14)