CELEBRATING 100 YEARS DATHLU CANMLWYDDIANT

HISTORY OF PENTECOSTALISM IN WALES The three men at the forefront of the classical Pentecostal movements in the UK, namely, AOG, Elim &The Apostolic Church were Welshmen from the South Wales coal mining communities. Daniel Powell Williams (Ps Dan) from the village of Pen-y-Groes Carmarthenshire and George and Stephen Jeffreys, two brothers from Nantyfyllon near Maesteg. These men had been greatly impacted by the 1904-05 revival when they came to faith in Christ. They were what were then known as ‘Plant y diwygiad’, ‘Children of the revival’ Then by 1906 the flames of revival had reached a group meeting at Azuza Street in Los Angeles. This revival was characterized by ecstatic spiritual experiences, by miracles, dramatic worship services and speaking in tongues. A young black preacher William Seymour, held open meetings where crowds flocked to seek and experience for themselves this new Pentecost. This experience came to the UK via an Anglican vicar in Sunderland and the move spread rapidly throughout the country touching the lives of these men in Wales. Both Dan Williams and the Jeffrey brothers burned with a passion for the Lord Jesus Christ and were open to this move of the Holy Spirit which was taking place in America.

Daniel Powell Williams

They, too, received what was known as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit or the Pentecostal experience and began to move in the dynamic of the Spirit. They began to hold meetings which were charged by the power of the Holy Spirit where they laid hands on the sick and miraculous healings took place. Most of the leaders of these churches which sprang up all over Wales would have been coal miners but yet they had an understanding of Scripture which was profound, and a sensitivity to the moving of God’s Holy Spirit which enabled the Word and Spirit to flow in unison. Pentecostalism in Wales by and large began as a working class movement but today reaches out to all classes, races and generations.

George Jeffreys

It is also true to say that these men faced opposition from the traditional and conservative wing of the more established churches in Wales. However, believing that their experiences were in line with the Bible they continued to preach Jesus as Saviour, Healer, Baptiser in the Holy Spirit and Coming King. Today, Pentecostal churches are the fastest growing group of churches, not only in Wales but all over the world. Without any fear of contradiction, it can honestly be said that Pentecostalism has enriched Wales and Wales is the better for it.

Stephen Jeffreys

Evan Roberts the Revivalist

William Seymour “For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5)

COMMEMORATION AT THE SENEDD The Welsh Government commemorated the centenary of Pentecostalism in Wales on Wednesday March 9th 2016. Pastors Warren Jones and Arnallt Morgan from Waterfront Community Church were among the delegation of senior leaders from the three Classical Pentecostal Movements in Wales invited to the Senedd where Pastors Arnallt Morgan (The Apostolic Church), Chris Cartwright (Elim) and Allan Hewitt (Assemblies of God) addressed the gathering of Assembly Members, Ministers and Pentecostal Pastors.

HISTORY OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH During the Welsh Revival (1904-05) over one hundred thousand people were converted. Many of them called themselves the "Children of the Revival." One such group held meetings in a house in Pen-y-Groes, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire in West Wales. In February 1910 they opened a building called 'The Evangelical Church', Pen-y-Groes. In the new church manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit began to be heard. A miner Mr. D.P. Williams (1882-1947) began to attend some of the services. He had been converted in the Revival on 25 December 1904 after walking some sixteen miles on a cold Christmas morning from the village of Pen-y-Groes to Loughor near Swansea to hear Mr. Evan Roberts, the renowned ‘Revivalist’ preaching that morning. D.P. Williams became a much respected preacher in the Welsh Independent (Congregational) chapels in and around Pen-y-Groes and was baptised in the Holy Spirit in 1909. This experience brought him to a time of decision. He decided to leave the Independents and joined the Evangelical Church in 1910. D. P. Williams (affectionately known as Pastor Dan) became an ordained minister with The Apostolic Faith network of churches which had their headquarters in Bournemouth under the leadership of W.O. Hutchinson. In January 1916 a group of Welsh Apostolic Faith churches left the movement under the leadership of Pastor Dan and formed what has become the world wide movement of The Apostolic Church. W.O.Hutchinson

A MOVEMENT WITH A MISSION The passion born in the leaders of The Apostolic Church for missionary work stems from their commitment to the last command of Jesus: Mark 16 v 15: ‘And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”.’ This passion inspired them to embark on a missionary programme that has resulted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ touching the lives of people all over the world. The Council of Apostles convened in 1922 was entitled ‘A Missionary Council’ which established the principle that the purpose for its existence, was to be a ‘Sending Church’ - and its objective: to preach the gospel to as many as unreached peoples of the world as possible. The first missionaries approved by the apostles and sent to Argentina, were Pastor & Mrs J Hollis and Evangelist D Morris. They sailed from Liverpool on 13th July 1922. Pastor Hugh Mitchell the Missionary Secretary from 1942 to 1947 wrote the following in the ‘Vision Glorious’ (a special issue to celebrate 25 years of Missionary endeavour): “The Apostolic Missionary Movement was entrusted with the task of taking the Apostolic message to all countries overseas, there is no land civilised or uncivilised, which is not a legitimate Mission Field”. Missionaries have been sent to the continents of Europe, Asia, Australasia, Africa and North & South America. Nigeria is one of the most successful mission fields and now has approximately 5 million members.

THE APOSTOLIC ANNUAL CONVENTION The Apostolic Church held its first International Convention at the village of Pen-y-Groes in 1917. The gatherings were electrifying with Inspirational preaching, staggering prophetic revelations and dynamic hymn singing and worship songs led in the early days by Pastor Dafydd Caleb Morgan who was known as the ‘Asaph of Song’. The International Convention continued to be held at Pen-y-Groes until 2002.

Pastor Dafydd Caleb Morgan

From 2003 until 2011 the International Convention was held at the Swansea University Campus and moved to the Cheltenham Racecourse in 2012. This year will be our great centenary celebration at the ‘Ablaze’ convention

Marquee at the Swansea Campus Cheltenham Racecourse

THE MAGAZINES The Apostolic Church published its first magazine entitled "Riches of Grace" in April 1916. This was the official monthly ‘doctrinal’ publication of the church. In its early years it was mainly published in the Welsh language (Cyfoeth Gras) but as the church became more United Kingdom based it soon became anglicised. In addition to the Riches of Grace magazine a separate ‘evangelistic’ magazine was published under the title ‘The Apostolic Herald.’ This was a monthly magazine packed with testimonies of conversions, healings and opening of new churches both at home and abroad.

THE CENTENARY BATON RELAY Although formally launched at AblazeUK 2015, it wasn’t until the journey actually began in September that we could see how well the relay would work. It commenced its journey at Pen-y-Groes and has gone from strength to strength across the United Kingdom. It has been great following the baton on Facebook as it makes its journey from assembly to assembly and fascinating to see how different churches have uniquely welcomed and passed on the baton. The Baton arrived in Swansea on Sunday October 04th. Pastor Warren Jones led a group from the church down to the river Tawe where the baton was lowered down to the river to be taken to Neath by Kayak (paddled by Joe Thomas and Mark Bridgens) to Copper Quarter where the final leg of the journey was by motorbike (driven by Andrew Phillips)

THE SWANSEA APOSTOLIC CHURCH The Apostolic Church started in Swansea in the Plymouth Hall, Plymouth Street on 28th February 1920 with special inaugural meetings when the speakers were Pastors D.P. Williams and Jones Williams (Pen-y-Groes), Frank Hodges (Hereford), J.J. Williams (Skewen) and W.H. Lewis (Birchgrove). From 1922 the assembly located itself in several hired buildings before finally purchasing its own building, namely, the old ‘Urdd Gobaith Cymru’ hall on Mount Pleasant Hill, opposite the Swansea Institute. This building was renovated, given the name ‘Beulah’ and opened its doors for public worship on Saturday 24th May 1958.

In 1988 the National Apostolic Church in partnership with the Swansea assembly purchased another building in the city at 24 St. Helens Road. This multi-storey building was to be a Christian Centre which not only housed the local Church but also the National Headquarters and Missionary Office.

SOME OF SWANSEA’S FORMER PASTORS

Pastor Philip Powell

Pastor Peter Williams

Pastor Bill Morris

Pastor Granville Johnson

Pastor David Ware

SWANSEA AND WORLD MISSIONS The Apostolic Church in Swansea has from its early years been zealous supporters of missionary enterprise. This has resulted not only in generous financial contributions towards the work of world mission but also in preparing and sending workers into the mission field. Swansea boy, Pastor Parry Selby and his wife Kitty served God for 27 years as missionaries in Nigeria before retiring and making their home again in Swansea Pastor Elwyn Williams, a Swansea Elder, and his wife Elizabeth have served the Lord as missionaries in Brazil and Mozambique

One of ‘our boys’ Pastor Peter Vincent served on the Missionary Board for fourteen years and as its chairman from 2003-07

Pastor Peter Vincent

OUR MOVE TO SWANSEA WATERFRONT In October 1998 Arnallt Morgan relocated from the Carmarthen Apostolic Church and was inducted as the pastor of the New Life Centre (Apostolic Church) Swansea. From his induction he shared with the leaders of the day his personal conviction that the New Life Centre building was not the greatest of facilities and was not situated in the best location within the city. The building was in need of extensive renovation and its appearance left much to be desired. The Main Auditorium was situated on the first floor and accessible only by stairs with some sections having chair lifts. With the new disability laws coming into force, it was necessary to install a lift which would incur considerable structural work and cost. Arnallt searched the city to try to find a better location and building for the local church. This, however, was without success. Thinking his desires were not in line with God’s plan, he arranged for an architect to redesign the main entrance to the church with the view of making it more appealing and inviting to the general public. Then, from seemingly nowhere, he received a phone call from a company showing interest in purchasing the St Helens Road site. The dilemma was that the thought of selling was appealing, but this could not materialise without obtaining another building/site for the local church. He shared this with the interested party who made it known to the various city leaders and developers. This resulted in Mr Stephen Piper from the Welsh Development Agency contacting Arnallt to arrange a meeting at his Penllegaer office. Mr Piper was the director of the new SA1 Swansea Waterfront Development.

Arnallt along with Pastor Bill Morris, his predecessor as pastor, met with Steve Piper who shared his vision of a community building on this new flagship development being built on the old Swansea dockland. Mr Piper informed them that a church building would be welcomed as the community facility he had desired. By this time Pastor Mark Davies had joined the pastoral team (Inducted at the New Life Centre in 2003) Mark was fully behind this prospective move and became, with Mr Phillip Wrentmore, a great asset in the process of relocation. The church was invited to submit drawings and this began a partnership which resulted in the construction of Waterfront Community Church, with the Ground Dedication Service held on the new site on Sunday 25th September 2005. Mr Isaac Jones (Senior Elder) signed the building contract and Mrs Leah Bolt lifted the first bit of soil.

THE BUILDING WORK BEGINS

READY FOR OPENING The new Waterfront Community Church was ready for its official opening on 1st July 2006. There was a short open air service held in the car park where the Scriptures were read by Dr Dai Lloyd A.M. and Councillor Mike Day. The Prayer of Dedication was given by Pastor Warren Jones (National Leader of The Apostolic Church UK) and the doors opened by the cutting of a ribbon by Pastor G. Parry Selby (Senior Member). The official opening ceremony was followed by a scrumptious buffet prepared by the ladies of the church under the supervision of Mrs Christine Williams and Miss Barbara Steer. The preacher at the evening service was Pastor Peter Vincent. “How lovely is your dwelling place, LORD Almighty!” (Psalm 84:1)

CONTINUING TO BE GLOBAL Waterfront Community Church supports the work of Action Overseas, the missionary arm of the Apostolic Church in the UK. Under the inspirational leadership of Dr Ruth Vincent, our Actionoverseas representative, the church has raised significant amounts of money towards missionary enterprise. Our three main areas of support are; Pastor Alan & Sandra Skene, missionaries in Malawi; Pastor Danut Capatan & family in Bucharest, Romania; and the Burma Children’s Home (Stand By Me).

Dr Ruth Vincent

The Capatan Family

Alan & Sandra Skene

SOME OF OUR SHORT TERM MISSIONS There are three countries in particular where members of Waterfront Community Church have been engaged in short term missions over the past few years: Romania, Hungary and Brazil. In addition to our overseas short missions, some of our young people are actively involved in Swansea Beach Missions.

A COMMUNITY CHURCH When the Swansea Apostolic Church relocated to the SA1 Swansea Waterfront, the name we chose for our new building was ‘Waterfront Community Church’.  Waterfront – Our location within the City  Community – Our desire to be a group of Christians at the heart of the residential and business community growing around us  Church – Our identity as the ‘ekklesia’ which is defined as “an assembly” or “called-out ones.” Since the opening of the building in 2006, we have increasingly been living up to our name with the building being widely used by the residential and business community.

OUR COFFEE LOUNGE Since opening in 2006, an important part of our premises has been the Coffee Lounge. For the first six years it was run under the name ‘Anelas Coffee Lounge’ by Mr Ghattas Najm as his own business. In 2013 it was renamed the ‘Juniper Tree Café’, and is now run by the church.

OUR PRESENT PASTORS Arnallt has been in pastoral ministry since 1991. He served his first pastorate at Carmarthen, West Wales, until taking up the pastorate of the church here at Swansea in October 1998. He is married to Ruth and they have two daughters. Arnallt has a Bachelors degree in Bible and Theology and a Masters in Missional Leadership. He is a fluent welsh speaker and has a passion to see the church grow and play an important part in the life of the community.

Pastor Arnallt & Ruth Morgan

Mark is our Associate Pastor and has over 25 years pastoral experience. He is married to Judith and they have two daughters. Mark has a Bachelor Honours degree in Business Studies. As well as his pastoral responsibilities he is the business manager at a large comprehensive school. For several years Mark was the National Administrator for The Apostolic Churches in the United Kingdom and has a keen mind for strategy and planning. Pastor Mark & Judith Davies

OUR LEADERS The Church Leadership Team is made up of Pastors, Elders and others appointed to serve on the team for a period of two years and reviewed annually thereafter.

Our Current Leadership Team

Our Current and Retired Elders

SOME OF OUR BAPTISMS

SOME OF OUR WEDDINGS

SOME OF OUR INFANT DEDICATIONS

"Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.”

OUR 2012 EXTENSION Due to the growing demand for the use of the facility by the residential and business community and our numerical growth as a local church, a second floor extension was built and opened in 2012

WORSHIP AT WATERFRONT

WATERFRONT KOREAN CHURCH Waterfront Korean Church was planted on 20th October 2012. The church is led by Pastor Pyung Soo Kim supported by his wife Yong Kyung Roh. They have two sons: Jiwon Kim and Jimyung Kim. Their main service is on a Sunday afternoon at 2:30pm

OUR BELIEFS Waterfront Community Church is also a member of the worldwide Apostolic Church and a brief summary of the Church basis of faith is: 1. The one true and living God who eternally exists in three persons in unity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit 2. The inherent corruptness of man through the Fall; The necessity of repentance and regeneration by grace and through faith in Christ alone and the eternal separation from God of the finally unrepentant 3. The Virgin birth, sinless life, atoning death, triumphant resurrection, ascension and continuing intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ; His second coming and millennial reign upon earth 4. The Justification and sanctification of believers through the finished work of Christ 5. The baptism of the Holy Spirit for believers with supernatural signs, empowering the church for its mission in the world 6. The gifts of the Holy Spirit for the building up of the Church and ministry to the world 7. The Sacraments of Baptism by immersion and of the Lord’s Supper 8. The divine inspiration and authority of the Holy Scriptures 9. Christ leadership of the Church through apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, elders and deacons, for unity, maturity and growth of the church 10. The security of the believer as he remains in Christ 11. The privilege and responsibility of bringing tithes and offerings to the Lord

OUR THREE PILLARS & CHARACTERISTICS As a local church, we have our three pillars upon which we seek to build. Hand in hand with these, we have what we define as our three characteristics. Pillars

Characteristics

Biblical Preaching

Grace

Contemporary Worship

Love

Friendly Fellowship

Acceptance

www.waterfrontchurch.org