Nazareth Welsh Baptist Chapel, Blaenllechau - Evan Roberts (1904)



The morning service at Ferndale was held at the Wesleyan Chapel. One scene was particularly affecting. Over half-a-dozen young men engaged simultaneously in earnest prayer for their comrades and relatives, and this was the signal for a general outburst of prayer and praise. The afternoon meeting was held at Blaenllechau. The scene here was a never-to-be forgotten one, and eclipses everything yet seen in the Rhondda Valleys. Long before the arrival of Mr Roberts the audience seemed to be "on fire". A feature of the meeting was the heartrending character of the earnest and fervent prayers, which were offered up. Some cried for mercy, whilst others not less fervently engaged in prayer on behalf of comrades and relatives, whilst yet others praised with a ring of triumph in their voices for His saving grace. One man prayed that they might have a "chat with God," and a man in the gallery besought the prayers of the congregation for a friend of his who stood by him and who had not been saved, and he accompanied this appeal with a prayer into which he seemed to throw his whole soul. The scene, which followed, was most impressive as men poured forth prayer after prayer. The meeting was at this fever heat when Mr Evan Roberts arrived, and then they burst out into singing "Cerdd yn miaen nefol Dan." Mr Roberts took "Faith" as the subject of his address. A minister from Bristol narrated a story in which he remarked that when a minister asked a member of his congregation how long he had been serving Christ the reply was "off and on for three years." That, remarked the speaker, was a candid and characteristic reply. It was often more off than on. Miss Rees, who remarked that she had to sing in rather a low tone as she had lost her voice, but it was "all for Jesus", sang very pathetically "Over the river", the congregation heartily joining in the refrain, "Looking this way," and when she came to the words "Tell mother I'll be there" a number of people were completely overcome by the scene. "Os caf Iesu, dim ond Iseu," sang Miss Rees, and here she broke down. A gentleman who described himself as an evangelist from Wiltshire said that he had come to Wales and prayed that he would be able to find out the secret of the revival. "There is no secret about it," rejoined Mr Roberts with alacrity and with just a tone if rebuke in his remark. "Ask, and ye shall receive!" The man thereupon prayed earnestly that they in Wiltshire might be the recipients of the same blessings as Wales. The followed a pathetic incident. Quite a young woman in the congregation prayed with remarkable eloquence. The burden of her prayer was that He should save her erring husband and her ungodly brothers and sisters - "if it were only for the sake of the little children whom God has given them," she naively pleaded. From, 'The Western Mail', 9th December , 1904. The pastor reported that there were, 'new members 55.' From, 'The South Wales Daily News', 10th December 1904. The pastor reported - There are 130 new members and 24 inquirers. The nightly prayer meetings and special meetings are still carried on with great fervour. Wonders indeed have taken place.

From, 'The South Wales Daily News', 31st March 1905.

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