The opening of Bethel was the culmination of much thought, planning, and prayer by a group of worshippers at Calvary Baptist Church, Treforest. These folk were concerned about the lack of an English Baptist Chapel between Treforest and Taffs Well. At a church meeting at Calvary on 12th November 1903, it was decided to secure a piece of land between the two places and build a Baptist Mission House. Their efforts were met with many problems, so it was decided to hold a series of prayer meetings at the home of a Mrs Wells, a member of Calvary, who lived at Williams Place, Upper Boat. These meetings started on 4th December 1903 and six people attended. The meetings were led by Rev. Evan Lewis, minister of Calvary, and they continued for about six months.
A house at 13 Williams Place became vacant and was rented for 16 shillings a month. It was converted into a place of worship. The two downstairs rooms were knocked into one, and the upstairs made suitable for a Sunday School.
The first services held at Williams Place were on Sunday 5th June 1904. The Rev. Evan Lewis conducted three services that day, and so many attended the evening service that it had to be held in a field at the rear of the house. During the afternoon of the following week a Sunday School was started and sixty-two scholars and teachers attended.
For three years the work progressed in this tiny chapel, and several people professed their faith. Five people were baptised at Calvary on 29th January 1905.
In 1906 a freehold site was found in Hawthorn and was purchased from Mr Miles of Fairfield, Hawthorn for £176. There the chapel was erected by Mr Luther Jenkins, builder of Treforest at the cost of £420 and seated 180 people. Apart from private donations and loans, the Glamorgan and Carmarthen Twentieth Century Fund and Baptist Union of Wales made generous loans.
The opening services of Bethel were on Sunday 14th and Monday 15th April 1907. Rev. Evan Lewis conducted worship at the morning and evening services, with Rev. W. Davies, of Bethlehem, preaching in the afternoon. Rev. W.G. Davies of Penarth, the Association Secretary, preached on the Monday evening. Rev. Evan Lewis continued his pastoral oversight and mid-week activities were Prayer Service and Band of Hope.
In February 1910 two deacons were elected – the secretary being Mr Benjamin J. Wicks and Mr William Parry the treasurer.
By July 1910 it was decided that the people of Bethel were able to undertake the upkeep of the church and bear the financial burden of the debt of the building. It was then that thirty-nine members of the mother church, all living in the vicinity of Bethel, and many of whom had helped found the church, were transferred to Bethel.
The deacons from the early part of the Twentieth Century
Previous Ministry
Mr W.E. Fellows 1914-1916
Rev. Evan Lewis 1916-1927
Rev. James Arthur Jones 1927-1929
Rev. Richard Jones 1930-1964
Rev.E.H. Bowen 1968-1982
Rev. Michael Hawden 1982-1992
Rev. Gareth Dyer 1996-2001
Rev. Michael Edwards 2004-2007
Rev. Andrew McLaughlin 2009-present
Bethel Baptist Church has survived over 100 years and has seen its ups and downs, and also joys and sorrows. We have much to give thanks for, in the past and present. We are faced with many challenges and we are aware that we live in an increasingly secular society, with congregations in decline and children and young people continuing to drift into the ‘world’. We must try to find new ways of showing Jesus to those living around us.
Celebrating 100 years of Bethel
The challenge to our church is to become relevant in the 21st Century. Our ways of presenting the Good News of Jesus Christ, and our worship, must inevitably change and move forward. We want people to know the great and loving God we serve. Our buildings need to become multi-purpose and accessible to all, both to those who are part of our fellowship and also to those we would wish to welcome into God’s family.
Our focus must be on a prayer-filled church and prayer-filled lives, asking God to fill us with the power of His Holy Spirit. We pray that He will lead us and guide us, so that we might be His ambassadors in this community and the world. We look forward, prayerfully, to great blessings from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
We have wonderful opportunity to see great things done in His Name. Let us put our renewed faith into action to ensure the future of Christian witness and discipleship in Bethel Baptist Church.