Day 123: Praying for fresh starts (1996)

Join with Salvationists of the Wales Division for day 123 of 150 days of prayer.

• 'I look up to you, God, as you rule from your throne in heaven. Yes, our eyes look up to the Lord our God' (Psalm 123:1 and 2, EasyEnglish Bible). 

1996

Majors Andy and Gwen Cox recall events that led to the reopening of Aberdare Corps:

‘In 1996, during the first few weeks of our appointments [as divisional director for evangelism and divisional family officer] at South Wales Divisional Headquarter, a man called at the office to say that he felt called to restart The Salvation Army in Aberdare. He was a former officer [Michael Evan-Yates] and was living with his wife [Lindy] in the town. Being new to my role I had no blueprint for this kind of request, so I suggested he go back, do some research and see if there was any viable way in which the Army could restart.

‘It was not long after this conversation that he contacted me to say that a small group of people were meeting in his flat for worship on a Friday afternoon. I took a visit to this meeting and couldn’t believe what I experienced. It was like going back to the 1950s. They were singing and clapping and his wife was banging a tambourine. He had set up a reading desk on the dining room table to use as a pulpit.

‘He continued to develop things, particularly among the children. He begged and borrowed brass instruments from other corps and started to teach the children to play. He hired a community hall to do this and gradually things expanded. Eventually he was holding meetings in the community hall and the parents of the children started to attend.

‘Throughout the next four years several things happened. The numbers increased, particularly with the children’s band. It got to a point where there were three bands in operation, all at different levels of development. Each Christmas he held a carol concert in the main public building in Aberdare, which was filled to capacity for two or three sessions.

‘Meanwhile back at DHQ, the divisional public relations officer was raising funds from the European Development Fund and the divisional property officer was using his contacts in the local council to look for a suitable site for an Army hall.

‘On our final weekend in the division in June 2000, the territorial commander came to Wales to open the brand-new Salvation Army hall in Aberdare.’

Prayer

• Thank God for those who are called by him to restart work in areas where the Army has had a previous foothold. 
• Pray for revival in Aberdare today.