BAPTIST UNION OF WALES ASSEMBLY 2007 Update

The Assembly of the Baptist Union of Wales (English-speaking) was held on June 8th and 9th in our church. It is thought to be the first time the Assembly has been held in Pontypool. We are a small congregation and had recently embarked on a refurbishing which we had hoped would have been finished for the Assembly. The church hall was erected as a temporary building 99 years ago and the builders had to virtually start from scratch. Delays were unavoidable.We had to depend on others.The Red Cross hall opposite the church, was made available for coffee breaks and toilet facilities. Pontymoile Mission allowed us to use its beautiful new premises for meals members of the Mission served meals and cleared up afterwards. The Mission lent us its minibus with driver to take delegates for meals and shuttle them back to the Assembly.Another minibus was used from the Assembly of God church and a third minibus came from an independent Evangelical church in Blaenavon. Village Baptist Church choir from Destin, Florida, flew over and stayed in the local Holiday Express all at its own expense. The choir sang at the Assembly meetings, took assemblies in local schools, visited elderly peoples' homes besides holding concerts in Flintshire, Pembrokeshire and Radnorshire during the following week and even paid for their travelling expenses round Wales.On Saturday afternoon the choir sang in the centre of Pontypool. In the evening there were two meetings. The choir sang at the Assembly but for the first year, by way of an experiment, the Assembly decided to lay on a youth event in another nearby church at the same time.
Partly as a result of this event , an initiative is being taken in the Workmen's hall in Blaenavon on Wednesday, July 18th for all youth in the Eastern Valley.

Baptist Union of Wales Assembly 2007