Pre Trinity Church

In the 1790’s Aberdare was a very insignificant place indeed, it was merely a hamlet in the midst of an agricultural district. The change came in the year 1799 when industry moved into the area, and iron works was opened in Abernant, with a further one at Llwydcoed. From then on the town had gradually progressed, to reach its present status as an industrial town.

As far as we can ascertain there was no properly constituted Nonconformist Church in Aberdare before 1751. As far as the Calvinistic Methodists are concerned the first mention of them appears to be in 1799. That was also the year that the Independent Bodies were formed. In 1799, the first Church Meeting was held in a building which stood to the rear of what is known today as the Mackworth Arms.  Which are led to understand that it was only the five people attended this Meeting, three of these were Calvinistic Methodists, and the remaining two were Independents. The first Church for the Calvinistic Methodists was built in Pentwynbach, Trecynon in 1806, and this Church and thirty members. Later this building was sold to the Wesleyans for the princely sum of £30. And then Carmel Welsh Church, Trecynon was erected in 1829. Therefore Carmel must be regarded as the Mother Church among the Calvinistic Methodists in Aberdare.

Writing this history at a time when so many Churches are closing one cannot help thinking of the change that has overtaken us. Because that is exactly the opposite of the early days of our Church and Denomination, in the town. For we must admit that our fathers in the Faith, made very rapid progress. So much so, that during the next thirty years or so, that is to say by the year 1862, nine other churches were in being, and each one had its own building. Now this progress that was made in the town, with the advent of industry, brought with it certain problems. This was now a prosperous locality, and this prosperity attracted many people from England into the area, and hence there came the need for the English Churches, in order that these newcomers might be able to find provision for their religious needs.

It was arising out of this need that our own Church, Trinity came to be founded. And we must give credit, thanks and praise for this to Mr and Mrs, Walter Lloyd. He was better known in those days as the Publisher and Proprietor of “Y Gwladgarwr.” He arrived in Aberdare from Carmarthen where it is understood, he had been in temporary charge of a church. While in Aberdare he attached himself to the Church of Bethania, and became a prominent member there. Mrs Walter Lloyd came to the town in 1856; full of religious enthusiasm, which very soon found an exit. Because she was a member of the Tract Distributing Society, and had taken as her district, the area of Maes-y-Dre. Her first venture was the establishing of a Sunday afternoon and there she would gather a number of children around her, and would tell them Bible stories. Eventually she was able to rent a room in an empty house, for two shillings per Sunday and the work was carried on from there.

Such was the success attending this effort of Mrs Lloyd, that after a short period, about four to five months it became necessary to seek for a larger building. An approach was then made to a man was an important figure in the life of the town. This man was Rhys Hopkin Rhys of Llwydcoed, and it was a result of his efforts, that permission was given for the building which today is the Town Hall to be used as a Meeting Place for this Sunday school. This was a tremendous help. Although there was still the problem of staffing for the increasing numbers. An approach was then made to Bethania Church and this resulted in some friends form there coming to assist with the classes. The majority of these names unfortunately are not known to us. There was one however namely R.H. Miles, it was in this way that Mr Miles started was to be a faithful and conspicuous service to our church. At this time there were about sixty scholars and teachers in the Sunday school. Mr Miles arrived in in Aberdare in 1864, arriving with no Welsh. This fact however did not deter this gentleman. He was determined to be associated with a church, so he attached himself to Nazareth Sunday school having made up his mind that he would make a great effort to learn to read the bible in Welsh. After a short time in Nazareth he transferred to and joined some friends at Bethania. He continued his association with Bethania while he was working with the Sunday school in the town hall he still continued to attend the services at Bethania.

The members of this school were full of zeal. They went out into the highways and the byways, and constrained the people to come in; and the people came in. One of the leaders in this field was a gentleman by the name of Mr Lynch he was a printer by trade, being employed by Walter Lloyd in the Gwladgarwr Office. He was able to render a great service by his singing and by his missionary zeal. Another loyal servant at that time, particularly as Precentor was a solicitor by the name of David Rosser. He lived at Danygraig and was a brother in law of Judge Gwilym Williams. After some time in the Town Hall, the vestry at Bethania was placed at the disposal of the English school, and it should be noted, that this time is where the first English Services were held. There it may be said our church started.

By this time the religious needs of English residents in the Welsh communities had been noticed by the Welsh Monthly Meeting as they were called at that time. Today they are known as The Presbytery; the matter was discussed at length, in the Glamorgan Monthly Meeting, and as a result the Rev. John Davies  was instructed to convey a message to Walter Lloyd, requesting Mr Lloyd to take steps towards the formation of an English  Calvinistic Methodist Church in Aberdare, this was a tremendous step forward.  It revealed a change of attitude on the part of significance of it today, unless we realise that it was not the custom of the Welsh Monthly Meeting to regard those who wish to establish an English Church with any degree of favour.  They were anxious to guard their Welsh heritage, and they were afraid that the establishment of the English Churches would lead to a weakening of the Welsh Churches, and the decay of the Welsh language. By today we know that this fear was not without foundation, very many of the Welsh Churches have closed, a great number of them have turned to English. While others churches are struggling with dwindling congregations to maintain the cause in the mother tongue. Even today we can see the English section of the Church gaining ground on our Welsh Friends. However this situation did not apply in Glamorgan at least not in the case of Aberdare, they made the first move to speak, a move that was readily accepted by Walter Lloyd, who immediately took up his task. English services were held regularly on Sundays, and an English Church was formed.

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Trinity Church

Trinity Church was erected and it cost £1300, the foundation stone was laid on October 7th 1867, it had been arranged for Mrs Williams, the wife of Judge Gwilym Williams to perform the ceremony. However in her absence the stone was laid by her mother-in-law. Copies of the Gwladgarwr and several local and denominational publications were place beneath the stone in a casket of white metal, together with some current coins; among those who took part in the ceremony were the Reverends W. Howells, Trefecca; W. Williams, Argyle, Swansea and J. Thomas, Hope Merthyr.  A public meeting was held in the Temperance Hall, the President was Mordecai Jones of Brecon and the account of the rise of the Calvinistic Methodist cause in the district was given by one of the Elders of Bethania namely Mr Lewis Griffiths. At this open £200 was promised towards the building fund.

The main supply for preachers for the Church was from Trefecca College. Trefecca was at that time the Theological College of the Association in the South, and the full training of the ministry was given there. One of these students namely Mr John Evans so impressed the members of the young church at Trinity, that it was decided to invite him to become the first Pastor. He however had decided to take a course in Glasgow University, and in order to allow him to do that the church waited. Then in July 1868 the Reverend John Evans was inducted as the first Pastor of the Church.

Mr John Evans was an able scholar and an excellent character he had a successful ministry, under which the church prospered. Unfortunately after seven years Mr Evans decided to join the Presbyterian Church of England. In order that they may retain his services the majority of the members decided to follow him. The first news of this was received in the Association Meeting at Fishguard in 1875. The Reverend John Evans gave notice that he and his congregation at Aberdare wished to transfer to the English Presbyterian Church. This was received in regret, and The Association were sorry that the English Presbytery of Birmingham had encouraged the Aberdare people to take this step. Although tributes were paid then to Mr Evans as a faithful minister there was still a great deal of analysing his motives.

Mr Evans stated that it was domestic, temporal and spiritual reasons that had moved him to make his decision; and that was purely his own decision. He was not going because he was at odds with the Welsh Church, he had not been approached by the English Presbyterians and he had not sought to persuade his congregation to follow him. But their decision was taken freely and unanimously, and he and his people were willing to vacate the premises of Trinity and seek to meet elsewhere in the town.

The main spokesman for the people was Mr Rosser who was a solicitor who did not actually share the views of his minister. It appears that Mr Prosser had neglected to hand over the deeds of the property of Trinity to the Calvinistic Methodist Church and so Mr Prosser claimed that the property was still the property of the congregation, and they could retain it and take it with them to the Presbyterian Church of England.

The main spokesman for the people was Mr Rosser who was a solicitor who did not actually share the views of his minister. It appears that Mr Prosser had neglected to hand over the deeds of the property of Trinity to the Calvinistic Methodist Church and so Mr Prosser claimed that the property was still the property of the congregation, and they could retain it and take it with them to the Presbyterian Church of England.

This decision came as a great shock to the church at Bethania, but their minister the Reverend W. James, advised them that the peopleof Trinity should be allowed to go their own way, but he did warn them that they would have to face difficulties in the future, particularly in finding a successor to Mr Evans, since few minsters of the Presbyterian Church of England would be willing to take a call to the heart of Wales in Aberdare. He also admitted that the people in Trinity were not deeply committed Calvinistic Methodists. Most of them, he said, were former church people, tired of growing ritualism and classes of the Church of England, and also there former Wesleyans, Baptists and Brethren.

This decision came as a great shock to the church at Bethania, but their minister the Reverend W. James, advised them that the people of Trinity should be allowed to go their own way, but he did warn them that they would have to face difficulties in the future, particularly in finding a successor to Mr Evans, since few minsters of the Presbyterian Church of England would be willing to take a call to the heart of Wales in Aberdare. He also admitted that the people in Trinity were not deeply committed Calvinistic Methodists. Most of them, he said, were former church people, tired of growing ritualism and classes of the Church of England, and also there former Wesleyans, Baptists and Brethren.

By this time the Association met in 1877, it was reported that the membership of the new Church at Trinity was almost a hundred, with Sunday school of over two hundred and fifty. The former congregation who had gone over to the Presbyterian Church of England had left the building, but by this time it was in such a poor state that at least £1000 would be needed to put in order. The English Presbyterians went out and built a church of their own as St David’s, which continued until almost 1950, but despite all the ill feeling of the moment, it must be said that there was no lasting bitterness between the Presbyterian Church of England and the Calvinistic Methodists if Wales.

During this time the church had always had the guidance and zeal of Mr Walter Lloyd, he had served the church with boundless energy, but on the 31st January 1883, Mr Lloyd was called to his rest.

This again did not deter the spirit of the Fellowship here, and in 1913, they took upon themselves the task of entertaining, what was then called The English Conference, or what we know today as the Association of the East. This was an honour for the church, which was made even happier by the fact that one of their former ministers was in the Chair, namely the Reverend R.R. Roberts. He paid tribute to the church from the Chair by saying that he had spent nine delightful years breathing the inspiring and exhilarating air of Aberdare. Although the times have changed during the fifty four years that have passed since then, and despite the fact that we have been through two World Wars, his words on that occasion still ring fresh and true. He said, “The Church is not on a voyage of discovery, but it is to distribute the merchandise with which she is loaded, Christ has come, Christ has died, Christ has risen and lives for everyone, and the church’s task is to reflect His light, whatever the outcome of the labour of the critics, Christ will be found more real and unique. We shall judge everything in relation to Him, and we shall count nothing authoritative that is not sanctioned by His spirit. An absolute faith in Christ will fear no new light.”

In December 1921 Mrs Walter Lloyd dies at the age of 90, have served the church for 54 years.

1951 brought yet more alterations to the church and these included the Memorial Chapel, in which situated  the Christening Font, in memory of those who gave their lives in the 1939 to 1945 war. At this time the heating system was converted coke was dispensed with and the gas boilers were installed.