Ebenezer Chapel, Trecynon facts for kids

Ebenezer, Trecynon was an Independent (Congregationalist) chapel located on Ebenezer Street in Trecynon, Aberdare, Wales. It was one of the very first Independent chapels in the Cynon Valley area. This chapel was an active place of worship for many years, from its early beginnings until it closed its doors in 2009.

How Ebenezer Chapel Started

The story of Ebenezer Chapel goes back to the late 1700s. At that time, a group of people, including Independents and Calvinistic Methodists, met to worship in their homes. Sometimes, a minister would visit them.

Towards the end of 1799, these two groups decided to worship separately. The Independent group continued to meet at the home of Timothy Davies, which became known as Tŷ'r Capel, meaning 'Chapel House'.

In 1804, the small group changed a house on Penypound into a place for worship. They got a special permit for it on October 16, 1804. G. Hughes from Groeswen was their minister then. Later, in 1809, Methusalem Jones from Merthyr took over because he lived closer. Joseph Harrison, who would become an important minister for Ebenezer, joined the group around this time.

Building the First Chapel

The first chapel building was put up in 1811. Even though some land was offered nearby, they decided to build it in Trecynon. This area was then called Heolyfelin, which means 'Mill Road'. This name came from the Aberdare Ironworks, a big factory established in 1800.

People say that the church members gathered stones for the building from the common land above Trecynon. The builders were Morgan Shon Morgan, John Richards, and Thomas Philip Richards.

In 1813, the church decided to invite a minister. They chose David Jones from a church near Swansea. He officially became their minister on July 29, 1813. However, after three years, there was an economic downturn. The chapel couldn't afford to support the minister, so David Jones moved to another church.

Joseph Harrison's Time as Minister (1817–1835)

Joseph Harrison, who started preaching in 1812, became the minister at Ebenezer in 1817. He led the church for the next twenty years. When he started, there were only 26 members. But the church grew very quickly!

Ebenezer became like a "mother church" to most other Independent churches in the Cynon Valley. From 1828 to 1830, there was a period of great religious excitement and growth. The original building became too small for the growing number of people.

So, in 1829, a new, bigger building was constructed. It could hold about 600 people. The new chapel cost around £700. By the time Joseph Harrison's ministry ended in 1835, they had paid off most of the debt.

In 1823, a new church called Nebo, Hirwaun was started as a branch of Ebenezer. In 1835, some members, including Joseph Harrison, left Ebenezer to form a new church called Salem, Robertstown.

Ministers John Davies and Thomas Rees (1836–1842)

Thomas Rees

In 1836, Ebenezer and its branch church, Nebo, Hirwaun, invited John Davies to be their minister. He stayed for four years before moving to another church. After he left, Ebenezer and Nebo stopped having the same minister.

Thomas Rees became the minister of Ebenezer from 1840 to 1844. He had a short but very successful time there. Within a year, he doubled the church's membership to about 300 people!

More members meant more money for the church. However, this led to a disagreement between the minister and some older members. They argued about whether the money should be used to pay the minister more or to reduce the church's debt. Thomas Rees decided to leave Ebenezer in March 1842.

For the next two years, Ebenezer did not have a minister. During this time, in 1843, several members left Ebenezer to start a new church called Siloa, Aberdare. One of them was David Price, who became the minister of the new church.

William Edwards' Long Ministry (1844–1884)

William Edwards took over from Thomas Rees. He stayed as minister until he passed away in 1884. During his time, he helped start most of the Independent churches in the Aberdare Valley.

Edwards was from North Wales and had worked in slate quarries. He saved enough money to go to college and become a minister. He was invited to be the minister at Ebenezer while he was still a student. He officially started on July 1 and 2, 1844.

Along with David Price from Siloa, Aberdare, he helped create new churches in Cwmbach, Mountain Ash, and Aberaman. In 1859, Horeb, Llwydcoed was started as another branch of Ebenezer. Even though members left to join these new churches, Ebenezer's membership kept growing. By 1871, it was higher than ever before.

The Ebenezer chapel was updated in 1852. An 'Ebenezer Hall' was built next to it for the Sunday School. By 1853, Ebenezer had 340 members and 224 children in Sunday School. In 1859, the chapel was rebuilt for the third time, costing at least £800. This new chapel could hold 900 people!

In 1856, Edwards tried to get elected to the local health board. He wanted to follow the example of Thomas Price, who was the first nonconformist minister to be involved in local government there.

During the 1868 General Election, political meetings were held at Ebenezer to support different candidates. Edwards became the President of the Union of Welsh Independents later in his life.

Grawys Jones as Minister (1885–1925)

The next minister was Grawys Jones. He officially became minister on September 22 and 23, 1885. Grawys Jones also served for a very long time, forty years, until 1925.

The chapel had a big renovation in 1902. After the updates, special preaching services were held to help pay off the £1,000 debt. Famous preachers like Elfed came to speak.

The 1904–05 Religious Revival

Ebenezer was greatly affected by the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival, which started near Swansea. This revival caused some concern among ministers because it changed how church services were run. It seemed to take attention away from the minister's sermon. The local newspaper, the Aberdare Leader, was suspicious of the revival from the start.

On Sunday, November 13, the revivalist Evan Roberts held meetings at Bryn Seion chapel in Trecynon. The next evening, Monday, November 14, the revival meetings began at Ebenezer. Roberts spoke, repeating much of what he had said the day before. After he spoke, one of his female companions started singing a hymn, and soon the whole church joined in. Two more women spoke at the meeting, and another woman read from the Bible and prayed.

More meetings were held over the next two days. One meeting lasted for several hours. The spontaneous nature of these meetings and the important role played by women were very different from the usual church services.

Within a week, the newspaper editor became more critical of the revival. He compared the strong emotions to the excitement during the Boer War a few years earlier. Ebenezer's minister, Grawys Jones, was also criticized for allowing such emotions during the meetings he led. Revival meetings in the town of Aberdare were said to be much more organized than those in Trecynon.

The yearly preaching meetings at Ebenezer turned into revival meetings. They were said to continue late into the night for several evenings.

Ebenezer in the 20th Century

After four years without a minister, William Morse arrived at Ebenezer in 1929. He stayed for thirty years. During this time, David Emlyn Thomas, who was a Member of Parliament for Aberdare from 1946 to 1954, was a church leader (deacon) at Ebenezer. The number of members fell to 365 by 1945 and to 330 by 1954.

Later Years and Closure

In 1907, Ebenezer had 564 members. The membership was 330 in 1954. Ebenezer's last minister was R.O. Thomas, who served from 1961 to 1986. The chapel continued to be active into the 21st century. It stopped being a place of worship in April 2009. A small group of the congregation still meets today in the Chapel School Room, which they renamed 'Ebenezer Newydd 2009'.

Ebenezer Chapel