Bethlehem Sandfields - A History

"History", said Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, "can be only understood in terms of God's kingdom".

 

It is our conviction that this is undoubtedly true of the history of Port Talbot. The influence of godly living and clear preaching from Evangelical pulpits in the town has left an eternal mark on countless lives. One such pulpit is found here at Bethlehem Sandfields.

 

However, to write a full history of the church at Bethlehem Sandfields would be a colossal task; to accurately trace the theological currents and undercurrents in each generation would far exceed the remit of this web-page. This short account, therefore, does not attempt to do that in detail. Published by the Banner of Truth, are the readily available and well-documented works by Iain Murray, "Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The First Forty Years", and by Bethan Lloyd-Jones, "Memories of Sandfields", both of which perform that task admirably for the years 1926-1938.

 

The current article is, instead, a sketch of characters and facts - a broad background of God's dealings with this particular company of His people over 100 years. Few records exist of the early spiritual life of the church, and information contained in minutes of elders' meetings etc, is scant.

 

We rejoice, however, that in all of these years the banner of truth has been unfurled, and the torch of the gospel has been faithfully passed on. Please continue to pray that God would add to our number such as should be saved in this generation, and that a Christ-centred, Bible-taught, and Spirit-led unity would characterise our local church.

 

Pastors At Bethlehem Sandfields

1897 - 1900	Rev J. Harris
1900 - 1905	Rev E. Glandon Davies
1905 - late 1907	M.J.M. Harries Rees (a student pastor)
	Mr. Lewis Lewis a Deacon from Bethany (under oversight of Rev Moses Williams, followed by evangelist Mr J H Harrison)
1908 - 1912	Rev E.W. Edwards
1913 - 1917	Rev Edgar Badham
1917 - 1921	Rev T. Ivor Jones
1921 - 1926	Rev T.J. Lewis
1927 - July 1938	Rev Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Sept 1938 - 1945	Rev W.M. Jones
1946 - 1952	Rev Emlyn Jones
1953 - 1969	Rev J.B.E. Thomas
1974 - 1983	Rev Gwynne Williams
1986 - 1994	Pastor Peter Jeffery
1996 - 2001	Pastor Daniel Foulkes
2005-	Pastor Jeremy Bailey