Our History
Bethany Baptist Church, or 'Bethany Particular Baptist Chapel' as it was known then, was founded in 1851 when it was planted out of local Siloam Baptist Church in Killay. John Pugh (1796-1864) was the founding pastor and was said to be and outstanding preacher and a man of great zeal and spiritual fervour. The church today owes a debt of gratitude to God for raising up John Pugh, as we continue to gather on the site that he negotiated land for and built upon.
In 1867, the then original building became our 'Schoolroom' as the present church building was built to hold the growing numbers of people attending services. By 1893 the church had grown to 62 members which, by God's grace, increased under the ministry of Thomas Davies to 110 members by 1905. It was during this time that the work of the Sunday School among children thrived, teaching as many children as members at some points.
Sadly, the church began to decline in the years leading up to the First World War. In 1920, William Ham became pastor of Bethany and served for 25 years. During this time God converted many and the church knew a time of consolidation and growth. Further times of trouble came for the church over the years including the tragic death of the godly pastor, Luther Morgan in 1956 after just 4 years of ministry here.
In the years that followed, God continued to be gracious to the church, the gospel continued to be proclaimed, the bible taught and the church continued to grow under the leadership of men like F.S. Copleston and Samuel Lewis in the 60's and 70's. The 80's and 90's saw Owen Milton, Andrew Bowden and Michael Leaves take the pastorate at Bethany as God continued to be faithful to the church.
In the last 25 years the church has seen and experienced many changes, not least the global Covid-19 pandemic that gripped the UK in 2020. It was at this time, in God's providence, that the church was to search for and call Bethany's 18th pastor, James Scott from Kent, England who was inducted into the pastorate in September 2021.
As a church, we rejoice and praise God for his faithfulness to his people over a long and rich history here in Bethany. We pray that God would continue to sustain us for years to come to proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, bringing sinners to repentance and new life in him. To God be the glory, great things He has done!