Libanus, Aberaman facts for kids

Libanus Chapel in Aberaman was a special church for Calvinistic Methodists, located on Lewis Street. It started as a branch of another church called Carmel in Trecynon. The chapel was built very early in Aberaman's history, when it was just beginning to grow as an industrial town. The land for the chapel was given by Crawshay Bailey, who owned a lot of land in Aberaman and helped the area become an important industrial center.

Building the Chapel

The first Libanus Chapel was built in 1848 on Regent Street. Before that, a Sunday School was already meeting nearby. Building the first chapel cost about £500, which was a lot of money back then! It was big enough for 550 people. When it first opened, it had 69 members. Some people even moved from a nearby church, Gwawr Baptist Chapel, to join Libanus. In 1850, a balcony (called a gallery) was added inside the chapel. By 1853, the number of members had grown to 85.

Later, a brand new chapel was built in 1876 on Lewis Street, which is where it stayed.

In 1893, a new minister named E.M. Evans, who came from Trefeca College, started leading the church.

A New Century and Challenges

In 1903, J. Harris Jones became the new minister of Libanus. He had been a minister at another church before.

Around 1907, the church faced a big challenge. The Calvinistic Methodist leaders had decided that all ministers in the area should get a pay raise. However, some of the church leaders at Libanus disagreed. They believed the minister was already paid enough. This led to a lot of arguments and disagreements within the church.

The church members were split into two groups, and things became very tense. A special committee was set up to help solve the problem. Eventually, the committee suggested that the minister should leave his position, and he agreed to do so.

In 1922, electric lights were installed in the chapel, which was a modern upgrade for its time! In 1948, a book was written about the chapel's first 100 years.

Later Years

Libanus Chapel closed its doors in 1985. Around 2004, the building was changed into apartments, so people now live where the chapel once stood.

Images for kids

• 

  Libanus Chapel