What the Swansea Seventh-day Adventist Church Means to Me - by Lily Kidwell

It was Wednesday before this church celebration of the past, present and the future. I paid a quick visit to the church to see if the palm trees and other plants are still alive as it has been awhile since we have been worshipping at Holy Trinity church. Parking in Sketty cross is always a problem so I managed to almost illegally park outside church opposite the vet and run in quickly. Thankfully the plants were still green but looking a bit thirsty so I watered them. It was very obvious that our church looks really old and tired and in desperate need of facelift or something. Welcomed by the broken gates, the usual pigeon residents, overgrown brambles and the increasing ground moss, I entered the side entrance and felt the silence of this old brick building I noticed the worsening wall cracks and the extreme coldness of the hall. Despite of this abandoned place there was a feeling of hope, and wished that something good and magical to happen very soon. (In fact the thought of the recent Chile miner workers with their hope and faith did linger on my mind as I drove home.)

Prior to this activity I went to get the keys from Singleton hospital community centre for our church board meeting. I was again faced with problems as the accommodation officer has not left me the keys so I waited for sometime till she came on duty. (Sometime we do take for granted the convenience factor in life.) We would normally meet in our church hall even during the cold evenings and couch up together near the warmth of the portable gas fire.

That day I was just overwhelmed with emotions, all the memories of Swansea church since 1982 when I first came to live in Wales from Saudi Arabia. It was Tim's auntie who found the church for me while she was driving through the Gower road because she knew that I am an Adventist Christian. Although I only attended the services irregularly then, I always dreamed of living in close proximity to the church just like during my childhood days in the Philippines when I was growing up. (Relatives and friends who attends the church lives close by the church and everyone could hear the church bell ringing and the people singing during Sabbath morning.) When our children were born I wanted to bring them to church regularly and luckily we managed to move house and changed job from Morriston to Sketty. Jonathan had his church dedication by Pastor Vine in 1986. Christopher was dedicated by Pastor Surridge in 1988 and little later in 1995 Vanessa was dedicated by Pastor Dennis. Bible studies were given later by Pastor Sammons that led to their baptisms.

So many memories! Our church has so many stories to tell. I consider it being like a school that trained us all for service with God as our greatest tutor. I remember asking Lil when the kids were small about having our own church school, (again like back home), but it was never a possibility in Swansea with the availability of many state schools. It can be an ideal way for our outreach programme! I can say I always admire the work that Jon and Janet did with the Pathfinder club. It helped to keep our young people together in church. Let us hope that we can still have a similar programme for our kids once we have our own church. I also want to remember Ed and Shana as well as Jeremy for the work they did with the young people. I remember Megan, Teg, John Rees and so many people who have helped us in the past. There are many more seniors in our congregation who we can look up to with inspiration and their faithfulness.

But I can remember that it was during our early years in Swansea church that our building have always in need of some work done to it. There was a time when Pastor Surridge and Tim also liased with some electrician to rewire the building during the late 80s or early 90s. I can recall one of our experiences when the light bulb of one of the spotlights went shortly after that rewiring job and Tim had to replace it so he put John Marshall's ladder up close to the ceiling and with me to stay down the bottom of the ladder making sure it would not move for Tim. But the new light bulb slipped of from between his fingers on his way to the top (apparently new bulb cannot be handled with bare fingers or it may not work) so he had to go back down and up that tall ladder again. With God's help it worked but not long after that the spotlight went again and I dared not ask Tim to do it again other than jobs that does not involve the ladder.

As Christians we are all responsible for keeping our House of prayer. Just like our own homes, everything has to be in good working order and clean. Health and safety is paramount with our church. We can always meet God anywhere but as the Sabbath was set aside for us as a sacred day, we all have to try and make it as safe and comfortable for everyone to worship God and to fellowship with one another in the temple. Thankfully, even if our building has failed us recently, it seems that our hearts as a church remains strong and faithful as we continue to worship at Holy Trinity church which shows by the growing number in our congregation every week with the leadership of our current minister Pastor Jovan Adamovic.

Let us all thank the Lord and praise Him always for the life in Swansea church, for sustaining us all during the good and the difficult times and I would like to encourage everyone who experiences many challenges. 'God is the way, the truth and the life.'

It is very sad to say goodbye to our beloved Swansea church but let us face the future with the hope and full assurance that God will be with us the same way He also helped us in the past. May God bless us all.