Welsh Baptists - local history

[Covenanter]

Thanks to Tyndale1946 for giving me the information about my new locality.

The area around the English-Welsh border is beautiful countryside, fertile river valleys surrounded by wooded hills. Towards Wales they lead up to the mountains. We live in Peterchurch in the Golden Valley, about 6 miles from the Olchon Valley which is the location of Baptists claimed to go back to the first century, & mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:21 Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.

A very useful link is:
A Welsh Succession of Primitive Baptist Faith and Practice
By Elder Michael N. Ivey

The various valleys lead up towards Hay-on-Wye where we worship in an Independent Evangelical (Baptist) church. We drive 10 miles through the Golden Valley surrounded by farmland & hills, with views of the Welsh mountains to the west, & the vast plain of the Wye Valley.

Brother Glen has given us a whole new project which will be fascinating, and which should lead into community contact for the spread of the Gospel.

I've got a lot of reading & research to do !!

Most of the local roads through the valleys are single track, with passing places. Happily the drive to Hay is on a mainly 2-lane highway where speeds of up to about 50 mph can be reached in some sections.

Interestingly the historical information is summarised in the History section of the Hay internet guide -
Hay-on-Wye Holiday Houses
Luxury self-catering accommodation near Hay on Wye

The Olchon Baptist church is now derelict -

 

[rlvaughn]

Some other Welsh Baptist history online, that might be of interest:

Baptists in Wales by David Benedict, 1848
History of the Welsh Baptists by J. Davis
Joshua Thomas, Welsh Baptist Historian 1719-1797 from Biblical Studies.org.uk
The Welsh Baptists in The Baptist Encyclopedia, 1881

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Some other Welsh Baptist history online, that might be of interest:

Baptists in Wales by David Benedict, 1848
History of the Welsh Baptists by J. Davis
Joshua Thomas, Welsh Baptist Historian 1719-1797 from Biblical Studies.org.uk
The Welsh Baptists in The Baptist Encyclopedia, 1881

‘‘Tis my own ancestry ... and I’m very proud of it! We have many many who are Baptists and Anglican and Welsh Calvinistic Methodists, all great Christians and all dedicated to the Lord. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones could fill in the blanks in some of his writings. One I love is his explaination of the Elders view of things in times of trouble,
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This is how they looked at it, They said, “Why are things like this? What is the matter? We have offended God, He is grieving with us, He has turned His back on us. What can we do about this?” We must get down on our knees and ask Him to come back, we must plead with Him. And so they would use the kind of argument you find Moses using in praying to God in Exodus 33, or such as you get in Isaiah 63. They would argue with God, and say, “After all, we are your people, not those others. Why do you not come back to us? We belong to You, Your name is involved in all this.” They would plead the ‘promises’ with God, they would agonize in prayer until God heard them and visited them again.

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[Earth Wind and Fire]

‘‘Tis my own ancestry ... and I’m very proud of it! We have many many who are Baptists and Anglican and Welsh Calvinistic Methodists, all great Christians and all dedicated to the Lord. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones could fill in the blanks in some of his writings. One I love is his explaination of the Elders view of things in times of trouble,
————————————————————
This is how they looked at it, They said, “Why are things like this? What is the matter? We have offended God, He is grieving with us, He has turned His back on us. What can we do about this?” We must get down on our knees and ask Him to come back, we must plead with Him. And so they would use the kind of argument you find Moses using in praying to God in Exodus 33, or such as you get in Isaiah 63. They would argue with God, and say, “After all, we are your people, not those others. Why do you not come back to us? We belong to You, Your name is involved in all this.” They would plead the ‘promises’ with God, they would agonize in prayer until God heard them and visited them again.

————————————————————

 

[Covenanter]

In moving to a new area, I looked for an FIEC church, NOT a Baptist church. There is a Baptist Union church in the area, about the same distance as the church we go to.

Welcome to Ewyas Harold Baptist Church
Minister: Rev. Joy James
.....
Band: A group of musicians regularly lead the worship during the service.

The Baptist Union is recognised by evangelicals as a "mixed" denomination. It is NOT descended from the Welsh baptists. (Small "b") Spurgeon denounced the BU in his "Downgrade Controversy." They voted him out.

Ewyas Harold is the nearest village & baptist church to Olchon Valley. It seems though that the Olchon baptists assembled up the valley to Hay which is more suitable to settlement rather than a refuge.

 

[Covenanter]

We went to yesterday's "Bistro Service" at the local Anglican parish church. There were another 3 there - Vicar Simon & his teenage daughter Holly, Church Warden Julie.

Not a service - we chatted over our tea, coffee & cake.

Simon wondered how to proceed. The previous month there were 10, including an engaged couple & their baby. That proceeded with a reading, meditation & prayer.

I raised the antiquity of baptists in the area, predating Augustine & being persecuted as "Anabaptists" until 1689 by the Anglicans; Julie struggled to remember the word "Lollards;" I mentioned my last sermon (before we moved) on "Independents & baptists in the Reformation."

Before leaving we read through a short evening prayer liturgy.

I think, rather than seeing us as "Dissenters" Simon welcomes us as serious Christians.

I'm thinking in terms of a public history lecture - "Christians of the Welsh border valleys - back to the first century."

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Could you tell me the state of religion in Wales today, in the year of our Lord 2018.

 

[Covenanter]

Could you tell me the state of religion in Wales today, in the year of our Lord 2018.

The straight answer in "No!"

I think though that it is more healthy than England. AFAIK "the Evangelical Movement of Wales" is a good movement uniting for fellowship the Gospel churches across the country. We've had fellowship with them in various ways, & out previous church regularly sends youngsters to the camps.

I don't remember the details, but a Baptist Union church wanted to disaffiliate from the Baptist Union on doctrinal grounds. They lost the building & funds & had to start again.

You may notice from the EMW doctrinal basis that baptism is not specified. The same applies to the FIEC. The churches are united on Scripture & the Gospel, the mode & age of baptism are not specified to avoid what is considered needless disunity.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Then God still works there. If you come to the states, the varied positions on religion would perhaps shock you. If I go to eastern pa, I might find religious communities still struggling to survive but in NW New Jersey not so much... mostly post Christian now. But I still hold out hope. Yesterday I saw a 30 something Pastor begin a reschooling process to a congregation of 60’s and older. He started at Genesis and proceeded to the doctrine of the Trinity... a bold move to a congregation who is very comfortable in their own heresys. I can’t wait to see his commentary on The Doctrine of Election, I’m sure there will be fire coming out of their ears and nostrils.... that should be enjoyable! We will have to be prepared to loose 1/3 of them!!!!

But we are baptizing the new ones... the ones that embrace orthodox theology so there is growth.