Horeb Welsh Baptist chapel, Tylorstown - Evan Roberts (1904)
In some aspects the revival meetings held at Tylorstown have been the most remarkable of the series, incidents having occurred which broke the even flow of religious fervour and enthusiasm, and caused pain not only to the revivalist but to all who believe in his mission. Mr Roberts was addressing a crowd meeting at Ebenezer Independent Chapel this afternoon. In his most earnest tones he proclaimed that Christ had died for sinners. Collapsing under emotion, he fell back into his chair and wept loudly for ten minutes. The scene was a touching one, which moved scores to tears. Prayers and songs of praise intermingled for some time, and Evan Roberts, having recovered himself, spoke again. At one o'clock in the afternoon ministers and miners, with their wives and children attended a service at Horeb Chapel. Evan Roberts was announced to be there, but he did not make his appearance until two o'clock. He was preceded by Miss Annie Davies and Madame Kate Morgan-Llewelyn, who were accommodated with seats in the pulpit. Behind them sat about a hundred men - mostly miners of rough, rugged exterior. A stirring rendering of "Gwaed y Groes" ("The Blood of Christ") brought three men to their feet simultaneously. Two were praying in Welsh and the other in English, and each was so wrapped up in the intensity of his own feelings that he seemed oblivious of the utterances of the other. Up to this point the service had been conducted quietly and on orthodox lines, but the "tan" ("fire") was beginning to tell, and under its influence men clapped their hands and gesticulated with joy. A collier, who had been the victim of an accident in the mine and who carried his arm in a sling, sprang to his feet. He was pale with excitement, and, roughly attired as he was, with a muffler round his neck, he present a strange figure, indeed. He prayed fervently, and another man who sat near him was so moved that he too rose to his feet. In a voice quivering with emotion he cried aloud, "Ring the bells of Heaven and frighten the devil to fly away from these valleys." "Amen" and "Diolch iddo" made the building vibrate. A dozen men jumped to their feet simultaneously. There was a perfect Babel of Welsh and English prayer, and the signs were unmistakable that the phlegmatic, stoic Saxon was affected. Some of the ministers present essayed to speak, but their efforts were swept away by the torrent of song and prayer. The sweet and clear soprano of Miss Annie Davies and the rich contralto of Madame Llewelyn produced a thrilling effect in the beautiful Welsh hymn, "Mae'r etifeddiaeth in ni'n d'od," and the refrain was in full swing when Evan Roberts, muffled in an overcoat, entered the pulpit. One young convert led off with, "I need Thee, oh, I need Thee". Standing erect and swinging his arms, the revivalist joined in the singing, and the last note having died away he asked the congregation, "Where are you going to?" A moment's silence and he asked again, "To Christ on His Throne or to Christ on His Cross?" The effect was electrifying, and Evan Roberts himself was the first to succumb under its influence. He was speaking of the Crucifixion when suddenly the tears welled up into his eyes and his voice failing him he sank back into his chair. The tension of feeling, almost at breaking point was relieved by Miss Annie Davies, who sang with exquisite tenderness, "Wrth gofio'I ruddfanau'n yr Ardd," and in the circumstances there was a peculiar appropriateness in the words, "Pa galon mor galed na thodd?" ("What heart so hard that won't melt?"). The whole congregation was in tears when the soft cadences of "O, yr Oen, yr addfwyn Oen" ("Oh, the Lamb, the gentle Lamb") broke upon the ear. Young miners, nervous with emotion, thundered out their prayers. During a moment's silence Dr Phillips asked someone to pray for a man, who is well known in the district. Two or three dozen people jumped to their feet simultaneously, and the only voice that rang out above the others was that of a mere lad, who prayed earnestly and long. ...To that extent Tylorstown and Pontygwaith, with their population of about 5,000 people, are affected by the revival is best illustrated by the fact that four chapels, each capable of accommodating nearly a thousand people, were crowded in the evening. Mr Evan Roberts, who is looking much stronger than he did when he left Pontycymmer, decided upon attending the Methodist Chapel. The service had been in progress here for an hour and a half before the revivalist appeared. He found the meeting seething with ecstatic emotion. An American evangelist, who had some knowledge of Welsh, was speaking with considerable eloquence. "Some people", he exclaimed, "think this revival is the fizz of a bottle of pop. No, no; it is the fizz of a fuse, and the dynamite is at the end of it". The hit went home. And then he went on, "We don't come here to see Evan Roberts. I have seen him long enough in my visions". This fuse, of which he had previously spoken, had now touched the dynamite, and there were "explosions" in all parts of the chapel in the form of praying and singing. Stories of wonderful conversions were also related. "God is going to save the masses", shouted the evangelist, "and He must do it in His own way. He has told the ministers to stand on one side and let Him have a try".
From, 'The Western Mail', 13th December 1904
Additional Information
It was burned down through arson in 2009.