Welsh Baptists - local history

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 -

 

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.

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.

 

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."

 

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.