Day 119: Praying for Aberystwyth (1992)

Join with Salvationists of the Wales Division for day 119 of 150 days of prayer.

• 'I ask you to be kind to me, so please listen! Keep me safe, as you have promised to do' (Psalm 119:170, EasyEnglish Bible). 

1992

The 29 February War Cry told the story of a couple at Aberystwyth:

‘Mark and Susan Mainwaring had reached the end of their tether. Their car had been stolen, interest rates had soared and, after three months of pain and anxiety, Mark’s father had died. “It was the end of 1989 and we were only too happy to watch the final seconds of the year tick by,” recalls Mark, a solicitor with the local authority in Aberystywth. “It had been a troublesome year, to say the least.”

‘The frequent journeys to Mark’s mother’s house, the pressures of a demanding job and their deep sorrow had taken their toll. Mark had become ill. But he didn’t realise the seriousness of the situation and continued working as usual until the pains in his chest became too severe. They were diagnosed as pleurisy.

‘“We were only a week away from Christmas – our first without a much-loved grandad,” says Susan, “but we were too tired and dispirited to enjoy it. We were just drifting towards the end of the year and, we hoped, towards happier times.”

‘Although Mark and Susan were members of a local church and felt duty-bound to attend services occasionally, they didn’t really feel that they belonged. Five years previously, Mark had been through an unhappy experience that had shattered his faith and made him feel uncomfortable at church. He felt he was lost in a spiritual wilderness. With some difficulty, Susan persuaded him to try a different church, but Mark couldn’t rediscover the peace he had once known.

‘On the first Sunday of 1990 Susan went along to The Salvation Army in Aberystwyth. She was convinced that Mark would “feel right” at the Army and persuaded him to attend a meeting with her the following Sunday.

‘“We decided not to take our two children, even though we thought there might be a band, or at least some tambourines for them to enjoy,” continues Susan. We were rather surprised – a little disappointed, in fact – to find only a handful of people, and there wasn’t even a pianist!”

‘But they were welcomed enthusiastically – and Mark, being a pianist, was quickly shown to the piano. Susan couldn’t tell whether Mark was enjoying the service or not. “But I needn’t have worried,” she says. On their way home they were both a little cautious. “We didn’t want to make another mistake,” Susan continues, “but there was never really any doubt that the Army was absolutely right for us.”

‘New friendships were formed, and when Mark and Susan were welcomed as uniformed members later that year, nearly 40 people were present. “Becoming Salvationists has added a new dimension to our lives,” they say, “and our pleasure is bound up in serving God in The Salvation Army.”’

Prayer

• Pray that God will continue to lead new people to worship and soldiership at Aberystwyth Corps.