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| By William Roos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons |
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| Built 1866 |
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| Also by Jaggery, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons |
I thought I might be complete for now on Caerffili and its church history but I forgot that for two years (1826-1828) the renowned one eyed Welsh Baptist preacher Christmas Evans (1766–1838), often called the "Bunyan of Wales" due to his vivid, dramatic storytelling, spent a brief but powerful period of his ministry here.
In August 1826, after serving for over three decades as the "bishop of Anglesey" in North Wales, he accepted an invitation to become the pastor of the small, struggling Tonyfelin Chapel in Caerffili.
When Evans arrived, the Tonyfelin church had only about 65 members. However, his unique, highly imaginative preaching style quickly ignited a massive spiritual awakening in the area.
In his letters from Caerphilly, Evans famously wrote about the local awakening, stating, "the breeze is blowing". (See here).
Large crowds of people travelled across the surrounding hills from all directions on Sundays just to hear him speak and his two-year ministry transformed the small congregation, resulting in a wave of new conversions and outdoor baptisms throughout Caerffili and neighbouring Bedwas.
Despite his massive local success, Evans chose to leave in 1828. He had spent decades managing multiple churches at once and found it difficult to adapt to looking after just one local congregation. Additionally, structural tensions arose because the church deacons were accustomed to running internal affairs independently, clashing with Evans's leadership style.
Seeking a fresh start, he accepted an invitation to move eight miles down the road to the Tabernacle church in Cardiff.
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