A seat in the Gogs: being church in the north of Cymru 3

Over the past few days I preached in two very different churches: Carmel Baptist Church in Penysarn, Anglsey, and The Hope Centre/Pioneer church in Pensby, Wirral. Two churches representing two very different traditions. The first a Welsh speaking church with its theological roots deep in the radical reformation of the 16^th century; the second a new church within a movement only a few decades old.

The Welsh Baptist tradition came to Wales specifically during the 17^th century when a church was planted on the Gower peninsula. From there the movement grew slowly for some 100 years before exploding during the Methodist revival. Those early Baptists were a radical bunch who knew what it was to experience persecution for their beliefs. Carmel itself maintained some of that radical edge, choosing to ordain a pacifist student during WW1. It must have experienced some of the fire of the revivals that were carried to the island in both 1859 and 1904-05 and grew to be an influence in its community.

Pensby Pioneer is a relatively new church plant – some twelve years old. In taking a lease on a former sports hall they are providing a centre for their community in which they are to provide free legal advice and debt advice, plus allow other community groups the use of their facilities. They see their role as being at the centre of community life bring the message of God’s hope, justice, and love to a broken society. In that they are a part of a growing church movement throughout the nations of the UK and beyond.

Today, Carmel, Penysarn, like many another Carmel, is but a shadow of its former self. On a typical Sunday evening some 7 or 8 people meet there. They are faithful folk – many of them my family – but they have lost the radical edge of old and will probably soon shut the doors of the chapel for the final time.

Like many other churches there is hope in Pensby Pioneer; there is vision and purpose. But how will they avoid what happened to Carmel happening to them? Partly it is through releasing the younger generation into their calling. The ironic thing is, Carmel did the same thing in its time; for it is there that I found faith and received the call to the teaching ministry.