This is the first monthly report from the Salvation Army station here.
FOUR miles lower down the Rhondda Valley from Pentre is this village, the centre of a large mining district. Here, some time ago, a young man saved at Aberdare came to live. He began to pray that God would send the Mission, and just as the glorious work broke out at Pentre, an old chapel came to light, and he arranged for Mrs Shepherd and her daughter Pamella to proceed there. Accordingly, the chapel was taken, and God, in a mighty and marvellous manner, has added another triumph to the long list of victories already achieved by the Saviour's conquering name. Oh, Glory be to Jehovah Jesus forever and ever!
Mrs Shepherd writes of her first Sabbath as follows:-
"We had a glorious day on Sunday, Saturday night as well. Hundreds listening. Praise the Lord! we mean to go in. The publicans were laughing at us, but they would not alter me if they were to laugh all night. Praise the Lord! He is going to save Porth.
"On Sunday afternoon we were on top of a 'tip;' there were between two and three thousand listening to the old story of the Cross. The road was blocked up. Five precious souls found peace, hundreds under conviction. This has been going on, interest continually increasing, and many of the very vilest sinners brought to the Cross, the limits of the building only preventing a continual increase in the congregation; and, when accepting the invitation to hold service in some chapel near, at the same time as in our own building, always with the same glorious result.
From another letter we take the following: -
"On Thursday night we had seven precious souls. Friday Pamella had forty, I had seven. Praise the Lord! Saturday again seventeen. Tuesday eighteen souls. Praise the Lord! Glorious day!"
And this is but the start. Pray for this place. God has indeed visited it. Devils have tried to stop the glorious tide of salvation and have failed. Oh that every soul, man, woman, and child, Welsh and English, may be brought to the Saviour's bleeding feet!
From, 'The Salvationist', May 1879, page 129.
..The Welsh and English testimonies and exhortations from men who no little time back were ringleaders for Satan, were pleasing. The house was crowded afterwards-hundreds, the newspapers stated, being unable to get inside. At the close a rneeting of the Society to consider how to get a place of our own."
From, 'The Salvationist', November 1879, page 286.
This was a report from William Booth. Clearly things are still moving there. More reports can be found in the 'War Cry' that began in January 1880.
This is a report from William Booth.
I do not know where the meetings were held.