Eglwys Efengylaidd EBENEZER Evangelical Church

50th Anniversary 1969-2019

‘Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer (Stone of Help), saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”’ (1 Samuel 7:12) 1 2 Setting the scene - Bangor in the late 1960s

Bangor is the oldest city in Wales and can trace its history back to the 6th Century AD when a monastic settlement was established (on the site of the present cathedral) by the Celtic Saint, Deiniol. ‘Bangor’ is a Welsh word for a ‘wattled enclosure’, which will have aptly described it all those years ago. Because of the long-standing cathedral, Bangor has been recognised as a ‘city’ by ancient perspective right. However, official city status was conferred upon in by the Queen in 1974. Despite the city’s age, Bangor remains one of the smallest cities in the United Kingdom.

As a University City, Bangor continues to draw students, from all over the world, which swells the population considerably. Yet, despite this influx, Bangor continues to retain a strong Welsh feel.

In the 1960s, most places of worship in Bangor provided services through the Welsh medium. In common with the rest of Wales, Bangor had many chapels and churches in every district, but the tide was turning. The blessings of the 1859 and 1904 revivals in Wales were no longer being felt. Churches and chapels were drifting from the truths of the gospel, congregations were dwindling and beginning to close. It seemed that for all intents and purposes the apostolic gospel had ceased to be proclaimed from the pulpits of Bangor.

Born-again believers, not those considering themselves ‘Christian’ through their heritage or church attendance, place a high priority on Bible-centred churches. This meant that many a Christian

Gospel Hall, Llanfairfechan student coming to Bangor

3 struggled to find a ‘spiritual home’ where the gospel was faithfully preached. Local churches and chapels were often felt to be liberal, or, unaccommodating to those of an evangelical persuasion. It was not uncommon for believers from the University’s Christian Union to feel thoroughly frustrated and spiritually malnourished in some of the denominational churches of Bangor. Those who could travel would attend places of worship where they knew the Bible was preached consistently. Several in the 1960s found fellowship at the Gospel Hall in Llanfairfechan with some travelling as far as the Elim and Baptist churches in Holyhead.

It must be noted that some local ministers were known to be ‘evangelical’ even if their denominations were no longer so. Yet the issue for many believers was to find a true spiritual home, where they could be fed and nurtured from the Word whilst being a part of a worshipping and serving body. There was also a real fear that the work of the University’s Christian Union was being severely hindered by the lack of a clear evangelical witness in the city.

Was now the time to commence an evangelical witness in Bangor, so that the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ could be faithfully preached? A Bible-believing church where believers could be built up in the faith and equipped for of Christian service? In wonderful works of providence, our Sovereign God was doing just that.

Beginnings of the Welsh aspect of the work in Bangor

In the mid to late 1960s a small group of believers had met in the home of Mrs. Betty Williams on Caernarfon Road for Bible study through the medium of Welsh. Although this group had lapsed by the autumn of 1969, it nevertheless revealed the appetite amongst local believers, as well as Welsh-speaking students, for such a meeting.

4 Geraint Elfyn Jones, who had been converted during his time at Cardiff University, attended a prayer meeting where a colleague prayed for the city of Bangor as there was no evangelical witness there. Prior to this, Geraint had shown little interest in the wider work of God in other places, not least Bangor. Sensing that the Lord may be directing him there, he shared this with his fiancee, Elisabeth (now his wife). Confirmation of this came when Rev. Vernon Higham and Rev. Elwyn Davies approached him as to whether he would be willing to go north and help the Bible study group that had been meeting in Mrs. Williams’ home. Having only shared his thoughts with Elisabeth, the approach of two godly men further confirmed this was God’s will. Feeling his inexperience and spiritual immaturity, he prayed for more confirmation and found it in the scriptures. Mordecai said to Esther, ‘Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’ (Esther 4:14b). Over the next few months, Geraint set about making arrangements to relocate to North Wales. Although currently engaged in a research project, his tutor was happy for him to relocate. Elisabeth was successful in finding employment in a post she had thought not sufficiently qualified to obtain.

Upon arrival in Bangor, Geraint and Elisabeth had intended to visit various local churches and ‘survey the scene’ spiritually. However, during their very first week in the city they met another Christian couple, Barrie and Maureen Griffith who were able to explain the local situation.

Their first Sunday in Bangor saw the group meeting together in ‘Green Bank’, Barrie and Maureen’s flat near the pier. Interest in this Welsh venture grew and the work was established. Another couple were identified as keen Green Bank, Garth Road, Bangor

5 to join their group, Dewi and Maggie Hughes who began attending from the second week of meetings.

Unbeknown to this group, there were like-minded Christians meeting elsewhere in an English group.

Beginnings of the English aspect of the work in Bangor

Hugh Michael and David Norbury were friends from school and had both been converted in their mid-teens. Hugh had come to Bangor to complete a diploma in Theology, whilst Dave was studying Chemistry. Both friends shared a house together at no. 38 Caellepa.

In common with their peers in the Christian Union, both friends travelled out of Bangor for Church services on a Sunday. Dave joined with the Brethren in Llanfairfechan, whilst Hugh travelled by motorbike to Elim Pentecostal Church in Holyhead. Something local was needed, perhaps even in their front room!

The first meeting, of what would become Ebenezer Evangelical Church, took place in Caellepa one Sunday in early September 1969. There were only two present, Hugh and his Indian friend, Gururaj. The format was very simple, both men shared from the Word and prayed together. Interestingly, the pair were bare-footed, a cultural reference to

Gururaj’s background. The following 38 Caellepa, Bangor week, Dave joined them for a similar format of an open forum, each contributing from Scripture then climaxing with breaking bread together. The nearest comparison to those early meetings would be a

6 Brethren-style service, but there was never any formal affiliation with a Brethren group.

It was not long before that members of this English group discovered they were not alone in Bangor, and that a Welsh group of evangelical Christians had commenced meetings in Green Bank.

A church emerging – Bangor Evangelical Church

Both groups were now aware of the other’s existence and decided to meet to encourage one another. So, Geraint and Elisabeth invited Dave and Hugh round for ‘Tea’. Unbeknown to Elisabeth at the time, the reason Hugh hadn’t eaten much of the large meal she had prepared was because of a confusion over the term ‘Tea’. Earlier that afternoon, the young men had argued over what was meant by ‘Tea’. To Dave, this was an evening meal. To Hugh, ‘Tea’ meant cake and a cup of tea and so he took it upon himself to stock up on jam sandwiches beforehand!

Despite the difference in interpretation of ‘Tea’, it became clear to the four as they met that they were of the same mind. They agreed that there should not be two separate efforts but that they should work together, bilingually, catering for the English and Welsh aspects of the community. A format was ratified of two services on Sunday morning: The Welsh service at 10:00am in ‘Green Bank’, and the English service held at 11:15am in 38 Caellepa. Then there should also be a combined service in English at Caellepa.

From the October of that year, both groups experienced growth and encouragements as they followed this format. Chairs had to be loaned from the ‘Tin Tab’ (Independent Evangelical Church) in Llandudno, along with hymn books. Dave would play a cheap plastic keyboard, from Woolworths, although his repertoire only consisted of four hymn tunes.

7 So many were cramming into the terraced house on Cae Llepa that it was common for people to be sitting in the kitchen, on the stairs, and on the upstairs landing (where a speaker had been wired to relay the service). On some busier Sundays, a plank of wood would span the bath to allow two more to take a seat during the service!

A question was raised over noise; were the services disturbing the neighbours? Fears were allayed when it was realised that on one side of 38 Caellepa was an old lady, who was deaf, and on the other side, students. After the English service on a Lord’s Day morning, Dave and Hugh would often encourage folk to stay for lunch. Mince in gravy, served with rice, was all that the budget would stretch to. One particular Sunday morning, so many stayed back for lunch that Messeurs Michael and Norbury realised there wouldn’t be enough! A cunning plan was devised. The remains of the Hugh’s home-baked communion loaf were crumbled into the mince. Extra gravy and lots of humour was served to distract people from realising the secret ingredient!

In addition to the Sunday services, Prayer Meetings and Bible studies were also held at Caellepa. A weekly discussion meeting was also convened that October, for the core nucleus of the newly formed group. They were: Barrie Griffith, Jerry Griffiths, Dewi Hughes, Geraint Jones, Hugh Michael, David Norbury, Gururaj, David and Hiltrud Stuffins. The purpose of this discussion was to evaluate the developing situation and ascertain what further steps to take.

Two key questions emerged: Firstly, whether to adopt a Confession of Faith. Secondly, whether to look for, and purchase, a building in which to worship. The weekly discussions centred around these matters, and both were identified as worthy of pursuing.

During the second meeting Geraint Jones was appointed ‘Temporary Leader’ of the group, to chair the meetings and also take responsibility

8 for booking preachers. His role was defined as thus: ‘to follow up about getting a permanent place of worship; liaison between students and local Christians, and to incur their interest as to starting a church; to look after pulpit arrangements.’

Initial numbers at the weekly Bible studies were about half a dozen in October 1969 but rose to over twenty by the end of that year. The weekly discussion group lapsed towards the end of the year so as not to distract from the Bible studies. When they reconvened in January 1970, work began on adopting a doctrinal basis and formulating a Constitution for the church that was emerging. Some of the group inside 38 Cae Llepa This involved much in the way of theological study, discussion and prayer. The group persevered and testified to a great unity amongst them.

To adopt a doctrinal basis for the church, the Westminster Confession was worked through paragraph by paragraph. Some of the group were from Arminian backgrounds and others were of a Calvinistic persuasion. The discussing of theology proved useful to clarify in their own minds what they believed.

The Westminster Confession is by nature Presbyterian and this could have been a stumbling block for the group. Tension grew as they reached the subject of baptism. Prior to the meeting, in which this subject was to be discussed, two of the group had decided between them that they could not agree to infant baptism. Dewi Hughes held to a strong paedo-Baptist view. At the commencement of the meeting, to the surprise of the group, Dewi stated, ‘I will be subject to the Brethren on this matter’. It was this humble attitude that was to characterise the 9 group helping them move forward and eventually adopt their own modified version of the Westminster Confession of Faith. A church constitution followed when the name ‘Bangor Evangelical Church’ was adopted, ‘Eglwys Efengylaidd Bangor’ in Welsh.

As the Lord blessed the work, it became apparent that meeting in ‘Green Bank’ and Cae Llepa was too restrictive. It was time to pursue the second objective that had been identified by the core group. Further down the street in Cae Llepa was ‘Capel Ebenezer’, a redundant Welsh Congregational (Independent) chapel. Having closed in late 1967, the statutory two-year period had passed, and so in early 1970, the chapel Trustees were in a position to market the property with an asking price of £5,000. Although some were lukewarm about the demands of a large, 19th century chapel upon the church, they agreed to pray and seek the Lord’s will. The weekly discussion meetings provided an ample opportunity to pray earnestly about this next phase in the genesis of the church.

Having followed the development of the church closely, two businessmen from Heath Evangelical Church, Mr. Keith Lewis and Mr. Roy Lee, came to Bangor to view Ebenezer Chapel. Advice was also given from Dr Geraint Gruffydd. Having inspected the building, believing it was God’s will, they promptly offered £4,000 for it. Dewi Hughes reflected on these momentous events, ‘We thought, how nice of them, going to buy a building for Ebenezer Chapel 10 us! But when the offer was accepted, we realised they weren’t going to pay for it, we were actually going to pay for it!’

Despite receiving a higher offer, the chapel Trustees were willing to sell to the newly formed church. A meeting with Rev. Elwyn Davies and Rev. Vernon Higham was arranged for 6th February in Shrewsbury, mainly to seek their counsel. Several made the trip to the meeting, namely: Barrie, Jerry, Geraint and Mrs. Nancy Hayden (a local believer who had joined the fellowship). It was decided to step out in faith, with the two ministers pledging their full support in a private capacity. This decision was ratified at a Church Meeting.

Knowing that none of the group had that sort of money, Maggie Hughes realised the next step would be to write to former students from the Christian Union, telling them what was happening and seeing if they were interested in contributing. Friends of the cause also received a letter seeking their prayerful and practical support. A newsletter was produced in February 1970 outlining recent developments and highlighting the financial need. The Lord honoured the endeavour and gifts flooded in, ceasing when the target of £4,000 had been reached, all within a period of 12 weeks. Contracts having been signed, completion took place and the funds transferred. Geraint Jones reflects, ‘This was not without some anxiety, and even more earnest prayer. The Lord was gracious to us and we felt encouraged to proceed’.

Having purchased the chapel building outright, with no debt, considerable repairs and renovations were needed both inside and out. During the summer months, work was completed on the roof and later, the mammoth task of painting the outside of the building. Inspiration for the colour scheme Repairs to school room roof came from pictures of Russian cathedrals! 11 The colossal task of preparing to reopen a redundant chapel was done with great commitment and enthusiasm. Trustees were appointed as custodians of the building, and these were: Barrie Griffiths, Jerry Griffiths, Dewi Hughes, Geraint Jones, David Norbury and the Evangelical Movement of Wales. ‘Ebenezer’ was Ebenezer Chapel during renovation registered as a ‘Place of Worship’ and religious services could be held there from 17th September 1970. Despite such work on the fabric of the building, the real church continued to meet, holding their services, Bible study and Prayer Meetings. Whilst some students moved on (such as Hugh Michael to work for the ‘Tin Tab’ in Llandudno) others joined them.

During the renovations, inside and out, one of the former trustees of the chapel came to retrieve some items belonging to Bangor Congregational Church. However, seeing the great enthusiasm to reopen the chapel, he was happy to donate the items to the new church. The first services were held in the upstairs vestry whilst cleaning and renovations continued in the main chapel. A reasonable, yet encouraging number, were present for those first services in the chapel.

Dr. Eryl Davies, a minister in Maesteg, was one of the first invited preachers to the newly reopened chapel (he would later become the first minister of the Bangor Evangelical Church). A bilingual, evangelistic newspaper was produced as an opportunity to introduce the church to the wider community. ‘Open Door’ / ‘Drws Agored’ was distributed widely and led with the headline, ‘What’s happened to The first church newspaper 12 Ebenezer?.’ The paper sought not only to explain the background to the reopening of the chapel, but also to explain the term ‘Evangelical’? The explanation continued as follows: ‘Excuse me but… What does Evangelical mean? It means believing: 1) The Bible to be God’s Word. 2) Jesus Christ died on the cross in our place. 3) That belief changing and governing our life’. The brief section also helped address some FAQ’s (frequently asked questions). ‘What church are you associated with? All evangelical churches of any denomination. Do you have a minister? Yes, three, but they are not paid. Are you a bilingual church? Yes, with services in Welsh and English’. The three ministers referred to, were the Elders, as those pastoring the fellowship.

Articles were also placed in the local newspapers as an opportunity to raise the profile of the gospel work at Ebenezer. But interest in the church’s development was not confined to locals. Other believers expressed great encouragement as to what was happening in Bangor and rejoiced that there was now an Evangelical Church established.

Ebenezer’s reopening made the front page of the Evangelical Times in their February and March edition of 1971. The headline, ‘Revival Church Reborn’ was a reference to the fact that the chapel had opened a year before the events of 1859 and had witnessed the rise and fall of Evangelicalism in Wales. ‘But now once again vibrates to the praise of those whose hearts God has touched’. Feb-Mar edition of ET, 1971 13 Brief History of Ebenezer Chapel

The Welsh Congregational cause in Bangor goes back to 1805 when a chapel, ‘Ebenezer’, was built. As the congregation grew, this building became too small and a decision was made in 1859 to erect a new chapel on the corners of Caellepa and Ebenezer Chapel, from Bangor Mountain York Place. The new building would be called ‘Ebenezer’ but the ‘Old Ebenezer’ chapel (situated behind the High Street, now called ‘Blue-sky’ Bistro) was retained and rented, providing useful funds for the church (which continued until the sale of both buildings in 1970). In 1935, the church purchased a house on Upper Garth Road to be used as a manse. This was occupied up until 1965 when their last minister left to take up a pastorate elsewhere. In 1881, a sizeable contingent left Ebenezer Congregational Chapel to establish a new work, Pendref Congregational Chapel. Both churches continued independently until the 1966 until a decision was reached to combine efforts. A new, combined church was established and would be known as ‘Bangor Congregational Capel Pendref, High Street Church’. All banking accounts were united and from 1st January 1967, they were one church. The decision to unite had come about after lengthy discussions between members of both chapels. Large majorities from both causes agreed to the merger, although it was noted that a few did not join the united church. The union seemed to be, on the whole, a happy one with noticeable success. The minister of the amalgamated church took up residence in the Ebenezer manse from December 1967.

14 Bangor Congregational Church would meet in Capel Pendref, leaving Ebenezer redundant. The last service was held in Ebenezer on Christmas Day, 1966. Legally, two years had to elapse before the building could be put up for sale. There were those who wished to see Ebenezer reopened, and perhaps even an independent cause once more, although this never came about. Both the ‘Old Ebenezer’ and ‘New Ebenezer’ buildings would be marketed and revenue from these would finance the building of a vestry at Pendref. A delay in marketing the properties was due to the transferring of the trust deeds to the united church. This involved lengthy involvement from solicitors. Unfortunately, some of the wording on the deeds for each building differed slightly and it was questioned whether the Welsh or English Unions of Congregational Churches should be referred to. Eventually, this was resolved upon legal advice and the buildings were placed on the open market.

Early years of Eglwys Efengylaidd Bangor/Bangor Evangelical Church

A provisional governing body had been recognised to oversee the church during these early months. It was emphasised that this was temporary. Members of this committee by mid-1970 were: Peter Bradley, Barrie Griffiths, Jerry Griffiths, Dewi Hughes, Geraint Jones and David Norbury. Responsibilities were shared. Geraint acted as Chairman, Barrie as Treasurer, while Jerry fulfilled the role of Secretary. Other tasks were delegated amongst members of the Church Committee. Advert for services at Ebenezer There then followed a very ordered 15 chain of events in order to appoint members, in line with the constitution, and then Elders to oversee the work. This took time because there was a commitment to doing so in a God-honouring manner.

The chain of events was explained at the Church Business Meeting following the evening service on Sunday, 7th February 1971. Almost 50 people remained for the business meeting, mostly students. The temporary Church Committee would resign as the governing body. The members of the Committee would become the first recognised members of the church. The church members would meet on Thursday, 4th March, after the prayer meeting, to formally adopt the constitution and appoint Elders. After which the two who had asked for baptism, could be baptised. Eight members were present for the first Members’ Meeting where Barrie Girrifth summarised the biblical teaching on Eldership. Dewi Hughes and David Norbury were unanimously appointed the first Elders of Bangor Evangelical Church.

Jerry Griffiths was also appointed unanimously to the Eldership at a Business Meeting on 11th March. Members discussed appointing Geraint Jones as an Elder, but he had requested that his consideration be delayed for a short while. Another meeting of 18th March saw Geraint Jones unanimously appointed as an Elder. The Elders were the pastors of the fellowship, seeking to minister to and nurture the flock of God’s people. As well as the teaching aspect of the role, visitation was also given due attention.

During the autumn of 1970, a Christian Training School was convened under the auspice of the Evangelical Movement of Wales. Other schools were held at the time in Heath Evangelical Church (Cardiff), Tabernacle Baptist Church (Swansea) and Bradley Road Baptist Church (Wrexham). Lecturers at the Bangor branch were, Rev. Tudur Jones, Rev. T. A. Pritchard, Mr. Geraint Jones and Rev. Geraint Morgan (who would later 16 become the second minister of the church). Lectures were held each Saturday morning in two terms, October - December, and January - March. The syllabus included, Christian Doctrine, Christian Life and Service, Biblical Instruction and Church History. The purpose of the School was to help in the training of leaders at every level of church life. Sadly, because of poor attendance, the Bangor branch was terminated

Christian Training School Timetable before the end of the second term. The first baptism was held on Benllech’s beach in 1970. After a meeting on the beach, the candidate was baptised. Owing to the tide being out, this had to be done a considerable distance away from the group. Later baptisms were conducted in Penrallt Baptist Church (their original chapel on Penrallt Hill, now Capel-y-Ffynnon) and then in the local swimming pool.

Baptismal Service on Benllech Beach Evangelism was an integral part of church life. Open-air services were held regularly near to the pier on a Sunday afternoon, and in the High Street outside ‘Woolworths’ on Saturdays, sometimes a book table would also be used to share the gospel in the main shopping area. These

17 meetings comprised of gospel preaching, tract distribution and one-to-one conversations. There were also occasions when the church held Open-air meetings in Caernarfon. In recent years, a former student came to make himself known in the Christian Bookshop whilst visiting the area. He remembered the services down by the pier in the early 70s very well because it was instrumental in his conversion. Unbeknown to those conducting the service, he was listening, captivated by the theme of God’s love. He was converted soon afterwards. Advert for open-airs by the pier

Open-air meetings on the High Street It was always an encouragement for the church to see a good number coming out onto the High Street to share the good news of Jesus with others. Seldom did the team return without having had profitable conversations with people having stopped to listen to the preaching.

An International Varsity Fellowship Mission, led by their Travelling Secretary, Alan Tovey, brought a team of students to help evangelise Bangor in September ‘73. Following prayer and Bible study each morning, the team would be deployed in the town for open-air meetings and a book table. Two children’s meetings were run in a local park and 18 a service in a local residential home. The team also took part in the church services and home groups. Preaching meetings were also advertised during which Rev. Vernon Higham and Rev. Emyr Roberts (Rhyl) preached the gospel. Tremendous encouragements were seen during IVF team outside Ebenezer chapel this Mission, not least in spiritual growth amongst the team.

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Rev. Vernon Higham conducted preaching meetings over the course of three years to a packed chapel. On one occasion, the heating failed because of electrical work being carried out in the chapel throughout the day. Despite the extreme cold, the evening preaching meeting went Report of IVF mission in the Christian press ahead as planned to a packed chapel. The only heating came from the sizeable congregation as Rev. Higham preached, whilst Dr. Lloyd-Jones sat with his very large coat over him!

A Christian Bookshop was opened above an Insurance Brookers at 210 High Street in February 1971, and Dewi Hughes was initially responsible for this. £700 worth of books stocked the shop on opening, provided by the Evangelical Movement of Wales, who owned and financed the Poster advertising preaching meetings 19 Old Christian bookshop sign still visible concern. Helpers were all volunteers and it was in those early days, strictly non-profit making. By October that year over £500 worth of books had been sold. Any profits that were made were set aside to invest in more stock and to develop the shop.

Local paper report on the new Eventually, the bookshop was moved to the Christian bookshop Ebenezer School Room, before moving to the Wellfield Shopping Centre. Interestingly, despite over 30 years of weathering, the remains of the sign pointing up the Ebenezer Place steps from the High Street, can still be seen!

The United Beach Missions (UBM) operate around the UK, Ireland and Europe. Each summer, they seek to reach children and families with the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their centre at Benllech was started by some of those involved with the beginnings of Bangor Evangelical Church. It was rather an unorthodox beach mission as it didn’t start during the summer holidays. Hugh Michael and others realised that there was a gap in the student’s itinerary between exams and the end of term. This could be used for evangelistic outreach. Benllech wasn’t far from Bangor, and the beach was busy at weekends during June and 20 early July. An appeal was made to the UBM Executive Committee (namely the founders, Prof. Verna Wright and Mr. Lance Pibworth). The Committee was pleased to support the work by suppling uniforms and the Beach Mission began. Recognising the potential in Benllech, it was not long before this work expanded over the summer holidays. The work continues at Benllech each summer and it is one of UBM’s best venues for contacting families.

Bangor Evangelical Church also hosted some African Trainee-Pastors, who were sponsored by the church in Maesteg (where Dr. Eryl Davies was the Minister) to study in the UK. As part of their studies, they came up to Bangor for some ‘hands-on’ experience. They would preach and be involved in church life. Dewi Hughes Joseph & Hannah Muhota reflected on some evangelism with one of these brothers, ‘I never forget going round door-to-door down in the bottom of Bangor with Sam. Thinking, ‘How are these people going to react to this African man?’ But I don’t think we did more than five or six doors because he had long, deep conversations with most people we met’.

From the outset, Bangor Evangelical Church sought to be evangelical by nature, as well as in name. That meant a commitment to the Bible, as the inspired Word of God and the communicating of the gospel. During the 1970s an alarming number of churches abandoned their services on Sunday to meet in a combined, special service at a Welsh Independent Church where a Catholic Priest would take part. It was widely noted in the local press, the only exception to this, were the Christians at Ebenezer, who did not join with them and held their services as normal. The students of the Independent Welsh Theological College raised a protest against this ecumenical service. Their Principal, out of sympathy with them, preached at the Welsh service about ecumenism.

21 Throughout this period, the elders, members and adherents of the Church recognise the scale of the work was too much for them. The elders were either studying or working and felt somewhat overstretched and unable to adequately fulfil their responsibilities with the time they had available. They were concerned that the church would suffer as a result. Members were keen to show their love and appreciation for the sterling efforts of the elders, seeking to encourage them in the oversight of the church. But the question had now been raised, was it time to set aside someone as a ‘Paid Elder’ to shoulder the burden?

It was during a General Meeting of the church members, in January 1972 that this idea gathered momentum. The elders shared their frustrations to the Church and suggested a paid elder could devote more time on these duties, but any such appointment would have to be supported, either fully or partially, by the church. Three main practical points were discussed: A) The need; B) The practical aspects of supporting a man; C) Who to ask? It was agreed to proceed in that order. It was noted that a paid elder would not be a ‘general dogsbody’ but would be able to give his time to the Word and involve himself with people in prayer and in visiting. The other elders would also continue in this work. However, even a part-time man couldn’t be considered at the time owing to the financial position of the fellowship. Members were encouraged to pray and would consider the matter again in the future after the church had some Bible studies on the theme of ‘Eldership’.

By June of that year, church members had been instructed on the Scriptural basis for eldership. It was noted that it was essential that the government of the church should conform to Biblical teaching concerning this. A paid elder would be one of a plurality of elders, but privileged to spend part, or all, of his time in work specifically for the church. Between these meetings in January and June 1972, the Elders had sought the advice of Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Rev. Vernon

22 Higham. These men recommended that the church should consider a man who was a clear preacher rather than a teacher, though this distinction would be very difficult to make. Having seen such great harmony working together since the beginnings of the church, they should proceed with extreme caution so as not to upset this.

Yet, it was not to be at present. A paid elder would not be pursued because the need was not felt by all, but all agreed the need to prayerfully consider the matter further. Nevertheless, a ‘Paid Elder Fund’ was created in faith and a list of six names was drawn up. The fruit of that prayer would be seen in 1975 when an invitation was extended to a man identified by the church.

First Minister – Dr Eryl Davies

Having preached at the newly reopened Ebenezer Chapel (Bangor), Dr Eryl Davies walked down towards his parked car on the High Street. It was going to be a long journey home to Maesteg and he was looking forward to getting home to the family. Eryl recalls, ‘I was suddenly Dr Erlyl & Magwen Davies overwhelmed by a sense of call. It was powerful and audible, at least to me. I knew the Lord had just called me to pastor the church in Bangor sometime in the future’. Although a North-Walian, Eryl was settled in Maesteg and had not been inclined towards moving to Bangor. He told no-one, only his wife Magwen and it remained a secret for some time. Although aware of a call to Ebenezer, Eryl felt that the church would call someone else to be the first minister before calling an older man to further the work.

23 In 1974, Bangor Evangelical Church invited Eryl to come and preach with a view. He did so, but was daunted by preaching in Welsh for the first time. Eryl remarked, ‘It is one think to converse in Welsh, it’s another thing to preach in Welsh publicly, especially when your preaching for fifteen years has been in English and you’ve been reading mostly English books and using an English Bible’. Lloyd Jones enquired as to how he had got on before passing on this advice, ‘My boy, you tried and now you’ve got to develop your Welsh, and you will make it’.

The church officers approached Eryl to seek permission to present his name to the members for consideration. He agreed, and, in due course, a call was extended to him. On the 30th September 1975 the family moved from Maesteg to Bangor. The church at Maesteg had been a warm and dynamic fellowship with, relatively Invitation to induction and speaking, few pastoral issues. Coming preaching services to Bangor was a big difference, but the sense of God’s call was strong. An induction service was delayed slightly so that Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones would be able to preach at it. Although not Eryl’s first choice, it was mentioned that Dr Martyn would have been very disappointed not to have been invited!

24 To quote Eryl himself about the church at Ebenezer, ‘I was not impressed!’ The church was small in membership, with barely a handful committed to attending the prayer meeting. Sadly, one of the first priorities upon his entering full-time ministry in Bangor was to exercise church discipline against a member. The congregation saw an immense boost in term-time with almost all members of the Christian Union attending. Some of the first sermons preached in the Welsh services were based on Psalm 23 and were enthusiastically welcomed by the Welsh-speaking students in the congregation. They wanted to print the notes, but Eryl, feeling his inadequacy, wanted to burn them!

Initially, the old format of invited preachers and other Elders continued. But Eryl had been called to preach and so, he assumed most of the preaching responsibilities. This was for many of the congregation, the first time they had sat under regular expository preaching. The Lord blessed, and there were conversions, many of these new believers were students. There were also those restored to the Lord under Eryl’s ministry in Bangor. However, Eryl wanted to bring the church away from merely being a ‘preaching station’ and to reach locals too.

Realising that a church is not built on students whose presence was only temporary by nature, Eryl set about integrating with the community. Bridges were built by visiting house-bound individuals, even if they had no connection to Ebenezer. Door-to-door work in local council estates also yielded many good contacts. Few in Ebenezer’s membership lived in Bangor and so much time was spent in visitation. Eryl would often joke he needed a helicopter to get around members who lived in the outlying villages.

During Eryl’s tenure as Minister there were several attempts to reach smaller towns and villages where there was no clear gospel witness, especially on Anglesey. Evangelistic efforts would culminate in Bible study groups being formed. 25 Most memorable from this period of Ebenezer’s history were the ‘Faith For Today/Ffydd i’n Dydd’ meetings, which continued for many years. These were held in the ‘neutral’ territory of Bangor’s Theatr Gwynedd attempting to draw more in under the sound of the gospel. A bilingual booklet containing articles, testimonies and adverts for the events were distributed widely. Attendance was generally very good, and some fruit was seen as a result.

Despite difficulties and hindrances with the building, the church began to grow both spiritually and numerically. It became clear that evangelising Llangefni was difficult from Bangor, therefore 24 members and regular adherents were helped to establish an evangelical cause there. One of whom had been identified as the Minister. The church was also instrumental in encouraging and nurturing a joint pastorate in Talsarnau and Waunfawr. Major house-to-house visitation was undertaken in surrounding villages with the help of Rev Ioan Davies from Caernarfon. Gospel literature was passed on and one-to-one Bible studies offered. Ioan was assisted with this work by John Gough when he was assistant to Eryl Davies for a period from 1982.

During Eryl Davies’s time at Ebenezer, Miss Linda Baynham was sent to Brazil to help form an Evangelical Library in Sao Paulo. A work that was blessed by the Lord. The Davies’ home often played host to ‘open house’ on a Wednesday afternoon for Students. Sometimes on a Sunday up to fifty students would be there for tea. Their Linda Baynham

26 home was also the venue for a ladies’ Bible study, led by Mrs. Davies. Fond memories remain of these gatherings.

Door-to-door evangelism was a priority for Dr. Davies. So many had commented that the church was a ‘student’ or a ‘young people’s’ church which grieved the Minister. As much of an encouragement these students were, the church couldn’t be built on students and so local evangelism had to be a priority. Eryl sought to contact locals, especially the lonely. He sought help from a sceptical local councillor who reluctantly provided a list of names. These were duly visited and many appreciated the call from the Pastor. One couple remarked, ‘It’s been years since we’ve had a visit from a Minister’ and so these proved to be a good opportunity.

In the early 1980s, some of the students attending the morning Welsh service at Ebenezer expressed a desire to hold their own services in the evening and establish an Independent Welsh language church. As the minister, Eryl wanted to both encourage and help, but also discourage any rash decisions. Thankfully, those involved trusted the Minister’s measured and careful approach. Services were held over the next few years in the Hirael area of Bangor. Eventually, a Welsh language church was emerging from Ebenezer, with general acceptance from both English and Welsh members.

The church was being built as the people of God worshipped and served the Lord together. However, the chapel building, where the church met, became somewhat of a burden. Being a large building, keeping on top of the repairs was a difficult task. Thousands of pounds were being spent annually on maintenance, and some repairs simply couldn’t be afforded. The church began looking for other suitable premises. Dr Eryl identified a hotel complex on the High Street near the Station. A viewing was arranged and some of the Deacons were taken along also. Eryl recalls,

27 ‘I had a vision that it could be a good place but one of the Deacons rightly said to me, “It is not a vision you need here, it’s an hallucination!” And he was right’. The building in its current state was not suitable and in God’s providence, St Paul’s Chapel became available.

It was in the August of 1984 that Huw Morgan, the Chairman of the newly established Bible College in Bridgend, asked how things were going in Bangor. The college needed a Principal and Huw enquired whether Dr Eryl would be willing to come to Bridgend. Being happy and settled in Bangor, ‘No way!’ came the response. However, Huw made Eryl promise that if he changed his mind, he should get in touch. Just a matter of days later, Eryl became convinced this was of the Lord and that the direction of his ministry was now changing and a week later he contacted Huw. By the Christmas of that year, it was time to move on.

Brief History of St Paul’s Methodist Chapel

Etching of the newly built chapel and manse in 1858 28 St Paul’s Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built in 1858, along with a manse next door. The architect was Mr. J Lloyd from Caernarfon. The complex was expanded with the building of a large school opposite the chapel. A school room was erected on land between the St Paul’s School Room chapel and St Paul’s Terrace in 1876. The chapel saw regular preaching meetings, often to large congregations with collections going towards home missions.

In 1958 a decision was made to demolish the large chapel building. The school room was to be the new meeting place, with a platform, pulpit, Communion table and rail (from where this sacrament were served).

By the mid-1980s, the congregation had dwindled, the minister had retired and so a decision was made to close and sell the school room, manse and land (the school having been sold some time before). The school room was then marketed for sale by Dafydd Hardy estate agents.

1985 – New Beginnings

St Paul’s school room was ideal, it provided a suitable building comprising a meeting room, kitchen, toilets, a library and adjoining land. Members discussed and prayed about purchasing it, then trusting the Lord proceeded to make an offer of £50,000 which was duly accepted. A week was spent preparing the building for use under the coordination of the Moving Committee that had been convened for that purpose. Members had decided that the church should be renamed, ‘Ebenezer

29 Evangelical Church’ upon the move. On Sunday, 19th May 1985, the church first services were held at the St Paul’s site.

In vacating Ebenezer (Caellepa), the church had accepted an offer of £25,000 from a local solicitor with certain covenants & restrictions placed on the chapel. After legal and estate agent fees were paid, the residue was earmarked for renovations and towards the purchasing of the St Paul’s building. This meant the church faced a deficit of £20,000. Yet, in God’s gracious provision, the church was able to proceed.

It was around this time that the Welsh aspect of the work became independent. Eglwys Efengylaidd Bangor was established and issued a call to Rev Dafydd Job to be their minister. Sadly, this ‘parting of the ways’ had been reported in a local newspaper as

Local newspaper article a church split, implying serious disagreements. This was far from the truth, and efforts were made to show the positive nature of two evangelical churches in Bangor. Both churches enjoyed happy fellowship together, partnering in gospel opportunities such as the ‘Faith for Today’ meetings and other events. Move to St Paul’s and establishing of the Welsh church article 30 Second Minister – Rev. Geraint Morgan

During the intervening period, several men came to preach ‘with a view’. A few of these were discussed by the membership, as to whether or not to invite them to serve as Minister. Exploratory conversations were held with two candidates and an invitation was extended to one. But alas it was not God’s will, and the Minister declined. In His providence, the church was led to prayerfully consider Rev. Geraint Morgan.

Geraint had been brought up in Pontraddulais, near Swansea, but moved to Colwyn Bay in 1961 to teach Religious Education at the Colwyn Bay Grammar School. It was not long before he was introduced to the Christian Union in Bangor and came over to speak at their meetings on several occasions. Eventually, this led to meeting Dewi Hughes and his wife Maggie, who came to live in Colwyn Bay. Consequently, Geraint and Idwen Morgan were well aware of the developments in Ebenezer. Geraint & Idwen Morgan Geraint preached at Ebenezer on several occasions. One of the first occasions Geraint preached ‘with a view’ at Ebenezer, he preached on James 1:1-18 on the need for wisdom. The next time Geraint occupied the pulpit he preached on the subject of guidance, which many appreciated and sensed to be quite opportune. Geraint recalled, ‘While preaching in Ebenezer in November 1985 and again in February 1986 I became aware that the Lord was drawing me to Ebenezer and so I was not surprised when I was invited to be its Pastor. Both Idwen and I had a deep sense of peace about this’.

31 Following much prayer and discussion, Geraint was invited to become the second minister of Ebenezer. It was his wish that he and Idwen be treated like any other Christians coming into church membership. As the church constitution required an interview with candidates for membership the two Elders at the time, Steve Berry and John Gough travelled to Colwyn Bay and meet with Geraint and Idwen in May 1986.

Geraint was inducted on Saturday, 7th June 1986. The Induction service was held in Pendref Chapel, chaired by Rev Elwyn Davies of the Evangelical Movement of Wales, and Rev Eryl Davies returned to lead the induction itself. Rev Vernon Higham was the preacher and various other local Ministers, along with church officers, took part. Refreshments were held in Ebenezer afterwards.

Ebenezer in 1986 was a young congregation age-wise, evidenced by the fact that eight thanksgiving services for the birth of children were held in the first five years of Geraint’s ministry. During this period there were also six weddings and no funerals. Not only was it a period of growth, with a number of converted through the witness of the church, it was also a period of consolidation. A more readable version of the Westminster Confession of Faith was produced, with amendments, as the church’s official confession. Changes were also made to the Constitution.

The 21st Anniversary of Ebenezer was celebrated on 24th-25th October 1990, an occasion that stood out in Geraint’s memory. Rev Vernon Higham was the guest preacher. On the first evening, he spoke from Revelation 16:17 on the Fear of God, the Face of God and the Favour of God. On the second evening, he preached on the Power of God, the Presence of God and the Peace of God from Romans 1:17.

Open-air meetings continued regularly along with the ‘Faith for Today’ meetings. Monthly Bible studies were held in Rhiwlas and towards the

32 end of Geraint’s time as Minister, from 1993 to 1995, Rev Alan Spencer came to help in the work at Bangor. This was enabled by financial assistance given by other AECW churches. The church enjoyed encouragement, but it was not without opposition to her testimony. One day, someone pinned to the church door ‘Ninety-Five Thesis against Ebenezer’. On numerous occasions windows were also smashed. But by the grace of God, the work continued, much to the encouragement of members.

For a time, the Sunday School grew; it outgrew the Kitchen at Ebenezer where it was held. Owing to the number of families in the church during this period, the Sunday School was relocated to a house in St Paul’s Terrace.

Geraint’s ministry was widely appreciated. His series on Genesis 1-11 and Deuteronomy are still remembered as helpful along with his historical lectures. September 10th 1995 was Geraint’s last Sunday as Minister of Ebenezer. Upon retirement, Geraint and Idwen remained as members seeing Ebenezer as their spiritual home. At this point Ebenezer had an Associate minister and some wondered whether he would be the likely successor to Rev Morgan, but sadly this was not to be. A number of men were considered during this time, making member’s meetings quite interesting!

Third Minister – Rev. David Finnie

Unlike his two predecessors, David was not a South-Walian, in fact he was a Scottish. David was a student at the Bryntirion Bible College in Bridgend. It was here that he met Kyung-Ju, who was also studying at the college. It was common for the students to have a summer placement, working alongside a church for helpful experience. The principal, Dr Eryl Davies, was instrumental in arranging a placement for

33 David at Ebenezer. David and Kjung-Ju visited in April 1996 and the church were happy to welcome them over the summer of 1996. However, Dr Eryl was told that the church would not consider a student on placement for the pastorate! Despite this, it was not long into the placement that members began to recognise David & Kjung-Ju Finnie a preaching gift in David and observed how well they both integrated into church life. Following their departure, conversations were had amongst officers and members of the church, and they recognised God’s leading to call David as Ebenezer’s third Minister.

The following Spring, David and his wife Kjung- Ju, moved to Bangor. The ordination and induction service was held on Saturday, 19th April 1997 and Ebenezer was full to capacity. The service was

Induction of David Finnie led by Mr. John Gough and various others from the church took part. Rev Geraint Morgan led the act of ordination and induction and Dr Eryl Davies preached. This time, refreshments were held at Pendref Chapel in two sittings, with guests having tickets to determine which. As so many were present, extra seating was put in the aisles and on the platform, but Ebenezer only had two toilets! It fell to the Church Secretary Wyn Thomas, in the notices to explain extra toilets were available by walking through the fence and through the back door of the old St Paul’s School opposite! 34 The induction service was not the only test to the capabilities of the building. The Bible Club and ‘GOAL’ (God of All Life) youth club were limited to using the main hall area, which was restricting. Having The Annexe under construction sold some of the land behind the building for the council to extend the city’s car park, some funds were available to extend. In 1998 the annexe and entrance porch were built, at a cost of around £48,000. It has proven to be worth every penny!

The congregation at Ebenezer is boosted by students who spend a few years in the city before moving on. Whereas some graduates may wish to stay, sadly there has a lack of employment opportunities meaning they must find work elsewhere. Up until now, only one student has remained and settled in the church upon completing their studies. This is a further reminder that the church is not built on those who are in attendance for a brief while, it was therefore vital that every effort was made to communicate the gospel in the locality.

In addition to the regular activities of the church, other opportunities such as apologetic evenings were pursued. The Christianity Explored course has been run on numerous occasions, along with international events, testimony evenings, which are just some of the ways the church has sought to reach out with the gospel. Sadly, the weekly children’s club has now ceased and Sunday School attendance (outside of holidays when visitors swell the numbers) has fallen. However, although fewer children are coming into contact with the Bible inside Ebenezer the

35 church has been able to forge closer links with local primary schools. Reaching far more youngsters than would ever be contacted inside the church building; school assemblies are conducted regularly in several local schools. In addition to this regular input around 400 pupils are contacted annual with the use of the Bible Exhibition.

One of the significant changes in recent years has been the establishing of the Fellowship Groups. Historically, there had been one Prayer Meeting and Bible study held in the church. Recognising this involved several travelling a distance to attend, two Fellowship groups were formed – one meeting in Bangor and the other on the Isle of Anglesey. Attendance has been encouraging and has further strengthened fellowship as the church meets to study God’s Word and pray. Since then, two other Bible study groups have been developed in Benllech and Pontllyfni.

In terms of Evangelism, the church had a witness on the High Street as the Olympic torch was carried through the city, which sowed the seeds for the establishing of a market stall each week in the market. This stall on the High Street continues as point of contact with the Market stall on High Street people of Bangor and, through the offering of free Christian literature, is the means of introducing them to the Christian message. Open-airs and school assemblies are also used to reach out with the gospel of Christ. In more recent years English Language Classes have been conducted in the church with the aim of helping English learners and sharing the gospel.

36 As the church looks beyond the 50th anniversary, one of the challenges that will be faced by the church is the development of the work in Benllech. For a number of years evangelistic services and events have been held in the Community & Ex-Servicemen’s Hall with varying results. Rather than seeing converts, we have identified a number of professing Christians who have a desire to study the Bible regularly. With no clear gospel witness in the village the church has sought to meet the need by holding fortnightly Bible studies there whilst continuing the summer Sunday evening services in conjunction with the Beach Mission. As daunting as it may seem, it would be lovely to see a Bible-believing, gospel-preaching church established in Benllech. This will require much prayer and guidance.

By God’s grace, the story of Ebenezer continues. Yet, the church must never be complacent. Yes, ‘Thus far has the Lord helped us’ (1 Samuel 7:12) but we must continually look to Him as we persevere in our worship and service of the Lord. Unless the Lord builds the house, we would labour in vain.

37 Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content of this booklet. However, inevitably, there will be some omissions or variations in people’s memories of this period. Time and space do not allow for mention of all who contributed to Ebenezer’s history, nor every incident in the experience of the church.

What has been written is intended to outline how the Lord, in His gracious providence, established a church in Bangor which continues today, to the glory of God.

38 39 Eglwys Efengylaidd EBENEZER Evangelical Church Ebenezer Evangelical Church Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 1LB www.ebenezerbangor.org.uk 40