In 1902 an Education Act was passed which provided aid to the Established Church schools from the local rates.  This aroused opposition from Non-Conformists who had often in the past provided the nucleus from which the State schools had come.  Henry Taylor led local opposition through the Press and also directly by refusing to pay that portion of the rates to be allocated to this support. It seems he appeared before the magistrates on at least two occasions, together with some of the deacons and other prominent non-conformists as a result.

	Outside St Albans Police Station charged with refusing to pay education support rate - 1902
Mr Howard, Alderman Edwin Lee, Mr BC Edwards, Edwin Gentle, Rev. Henry W Taylor, George Day, George Myers, Mr Avery, Rev. Hardy (Dagnall Street Baptist), Unknown

Despite this he wasn’t excluded from public life, for in 1907 he was a prominent member of the committee organising the St. Albans Pageant, a five day event which seemed to have involved most of the inhabitants of the City.  He was also an ardent worker for further education for adults through his work on the City Public Library committee.

Mr. Samuel Ryder who was a great supporter of the Free Church causes in St. Albans had previously presented a piece of land at Bernards Heath to Tabernacle against the possibility of opening a branch church there.  In 1907 it was agreed that since it was unlikely that the church could use the land in the foreseeable future, it should relinquish in favour of the Primitive Methodists who eventually built Boundary Road Church.

After a ministry of 33 years Henry Taylor retired in 1913 and was made Pastor Emeritus of the church.

The new minister called to the chuch was Rev. E.J.Debnam who came from Woolwich and commenced his ministry in March 1914.  In 1915 he initiated urgent action to increase the accommodation for the Sunday School which was now second largest in the City.  This was to be thwarted, for a little while after, the schoolroom was taken over by the military to provide billets for soldiers training in the area.

The Sunday School and midweek meetings then had to fit in where they could using other meeting places such as the Railway Mission Hall in Clifton Street and, on occasions, Dagnall Street’s premises.  A number of the men of the church were now serving at the front and mention is made a number of times of parcels and greetings being sent to them by the members.

In December 1915 Rev. Debnam took up a position as Superintendent of the North London Homes for Aged Blind and the church was again without a minister. As can be imagined there was a shortage of ministers in the denomination at this time, many serving as chaplains to the forces.  It was therefore eventually decided to invite a student Minister Mr. R Gray Smith of Spurgeons College to serve the church temporarily.

This period at the latter end of the Great War was difficult, the schoolroom was still requisitioned by the military, many menfolk were in the Forces and the pressures of rationing and shortages were on everyone.  In November 1918 in common with the day schools the Sunday School was closed for several weeks because of an epidemic of a virulent influenza particularly among the school children.

It was not until April 1919 that the schoolroom was returned for use by the church. It required considerable renovation which in the end cost far more than the compensation that could be obtained from the Army authorities.

Mr. Gray Smith had held the church together during this difficult period but it was now time for him to resume his studies.