Recent Activities Mostly in Wales

In recent weeks it has been quite busy. I am working on a big project for May and besides the regular work in the church I have been speaking elsewhere. A week back from last Friday I was down in Sussex. Firstly, I was in Halland where I had been invited to eat with a ministerial friend and his wife and then I spoke in Hailsham Baptist on the missionary David Brainerd. It was gratifying to see such a large number gathered and I think I was able to get across something of that great man.

Then over this last weekend it has been a great weekend of blessing. It began last Thursday night with the journey to Aberystwyth (Eleri, my youngest, the dog and me). There we stayed with my oldest son and his family. We arrived late but we had much of the day with them Friday. Another son, currently studying in the university, also came over.
Around 4 pm Eleri and I headed east again, this time to Bala where Eleri was taking part in a ministers' wives conference organised by EMW. My daughter-in-law and an old friend up from Pembrokeshire came with us. There was a good turn out at the conference with something like thirty or so by the Saturday.

At that point I left Bala and went further east to Pentre Halkyn near Holywell in north east Wales. North Wales can look pretty amazing in the Spring sunshine. It was a lovely trip. I was heading for a friend's house but it's a while since I last went there so it took me a few tries to find the right door. Chris and Carol, who are members in the church in Denbigh, treated me very kindly to a lovely Chinese meal. Carol disappeared at some point but Chris and I carried on chatting away and listening to music. Suddenly it was 2 am and past time for bed.

In the morning we went for a MacDonald's breakfast and then I was away back west to Bala, over the hills and past the rocks and sheep. That morning Eleri was speaking in the conference - not something she has really done before. She spoke on how we use our tongues and got on well, I'm sure, despite a cold that with unhelpful timing had begun to come on back in London.

I arrived around twelve and had a brief cuppa and then lunch with Eleri's cousin. He and his wife have been running the conference centre Bryn-Y- Groes in Bala for some time now, and very well. A big building project begins in September.

Having had a little break after lunch the ladies reconvened and it was my turn to be introduced and to speak. I managed to convince them that Eleri and I know one another quite well, despite some slip ups. I spoke on the second half of Proverbs 31 seeing the woman there not as an impossible challenge for women but a description of wisdom, wisdom found only in Jesus Christ.

After a cup of tea and cake the conference slowly dispersed until only our hosts and Eleri and I were left. We had a lovely evening with them talking.

On the Lord's Day I preached in the local church in Bala. I decided to go for texts - Hebrews 2:3a and Romans 8:28. The Word was much appreciated.

Eleri and I then headed back to Aber where Rhodri was busy with the students, including his younger brother. Also with them was a girl I knew is the daughter of an old friend from my youth. It was nice to chat with her. Earlier on I got the change to read a bed time story to my grandsons. I used the two books I wrote for them a few years ago (The boy with four uncles and The boy with a Z in his name).

This morning we (Eleri, Owain, the dog and me) left at a not too early hour. We drove to Watford Gap services where I joined my father-in-law, Geoff Thomas, for the drive to the Banner Conference in Yarnfield.

Ecclesiastes 9:4

Yn Y Bala

Speaking in Bala to Pastors' Wives

I am due to speak along with my wife to pastors wives in Bala, North Wales, on April 21. Do check it out here. I speak only at the end on the famous woman of Proverbs 31. I hope numbers will pick up soon.

A couple of days in Bala

Eleri's cousin and his wife run the EMW's residential centre in Brynygroes, Bala, in North Wales. One of the advantages of this is that they can invite the whole extended family and one or two others over when it is not otherwise in use, thus filling up the already quite busy programme and spending some quality time with their nearest and dearest. Such a gathering took place recently somewhere between May 28 and 30. There was some fluctuation but at its height I think there were well over thirty around (that still leaves 18 not there but it's still a big and varied number). We played games, ate, talked and talked, played games (codenames is our current favourite), celebrated the eightieth birthday of Eleri's Uncle Keith,etc, etc. I enjoyed dipping into some Thomas Charles and doing some drawing. It is wonderful to belong to such a varied family (ages nought to eighty; monoglot Londoners to those more at home in Welsh; ministers, teachers, housewives, artists, medics and a police community support officer) where so many have trusted in the Lord.. Great time.

More on Brynygroes here.

10 Place names worldwide that take the definite article

1. Y Bala (the place in Wales that inspired this list)
2. Den Haag or The Hague (Netherlands)
3. Den Bosch (Netherlands)
4. Le Mans (France)
5. Le Havre (France)
6. La Mancha (Spain)
7. Los Angeles (USA)
8. Las Vegas (USA)
9. La Paz (Bolivia)
10. The Pas (Canada)

Thomas Charles and Mary Jones

 

 

We went today to Byd Mary Jones World just outside Bala. When St Beuno's church closed a while ago the Bible Society ought it up and have put a nice little exhibition together in the church. I noticed that the head of the Bible Society these days is James Catford, a fellow student in Aber many moons ago (see here, especially this one). Above I have included a pic of the statue of TC in Bala.

For Thomas Charles see here. His grave is next to the church building. The inscription reads as follows (I particularly liked the note on his wife Sally).

 

Underneath lie the remains of the REV. THOMAS CHARLES, B.A., of Bala. Who died Oct. 5th. 1814, aged 59. By his indefatigable endeavours when in London (A.D. 1804) to procure a supply of the Holy Scriptures for the use of his native countrymen he became the' means of establishing The British and Foreign Bible Society. He was the reviver of the Welsh Circu lating Charity Schools, and a most active promoter of Sunday Schools both for children and adults and North Wales (the more immediate field of his ministerial labours for 30 years) will probably retain traces of his various and strenuous exertions to preach the Kingdom of Christ till time shall be no more.

Also Sarah, relict of the above, Died Oct. 24, 1814, aged 61. She was possessed of every natural endowment and divine grace, and was a helpmeet indeed to the man, the Christian, and the minister.  

Yn Y Bala

Having a nice family holiday here in Bala. Good weather.

Evangelicals In Wales

Some time in the early 1990s I attended for the one and only time the Bala Ministers Conference. I did not like it. In fact it is hard to think of any aspect I liked (the ministry was fine and the food okay). I didn't like the way we were all squashed into the lounge at Bryn-Y-Groes. I didn't like the noisy prayer meetings or the noisy singing. I didn't find the discussions at all helpful. The emphasis on revival seemed counter-productive to me. To cap it all, sharing a dorm with five snoring men is no joke when you're the last to sleep. So I never went again. I am aware that some of my dislikes have been addressed and I found this new book by Eryl Davies charting the long history of the conference and its distinctives mollifying as it sought to explain and sometimes apologise for some of the failures. Even if you know nothing about the Bala Conference it is worth a read as its apologia for Lloyd-Jones and the things he stood for is winsome, persuasive and well argued and even concessive at some points. I liked the quote from Sulwyn Jones explaining how difficult it is for some men not to refer to Lloyd-Jones when speaking of certain things. It was also good to consider the whole word and Spirit matter again. The reminder about revival was timely for me. It is an odd book in some ways, a hybrid as Dr Davies explains. It would be nice to see a similar book on the Banner of Truth Conference perhaps. Do check it out.