about us

who we are

We chose the name ‘ Bethel ’ for historical reasons and also because ‘ Bethel ’ means ‘house of God’. This is exactly what we aim to be as a believing and worshipping community of Christians.

Our church logo is ‘the whole counsel of God’ and points to our commitment to preach the gospel in its fullness. The sword indicates that we are fighting a spiritual battle against "principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12) We do not fight this battle in our own strength but with the help of the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Our shorter history goes back to1991, when we began as a mission - church of Ely Presbyterian Church (Reformed). In November 1996 we achieved local church status. We joined the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales (EPCEW) in 2000 and are linked to the other member-churches through the EPCEW presbytery.

What about being Presbyterian? Well, it means two things. First, local churches are lead by elders or presbyters (where the word Presbyterian comes from). Second, local churches are connected to each other through the EPCEW Presbytery giving expression to the church as the body of Christ. The local church has its council of elders (called the Session) and the wider church has its council of elders (called the Presbytery). Presbytery meets four times a year with up to three elder-delegates per congregation in attendance.

Our longer history goes back to the middle of the 16th century when Presbyterianism took hold in Scotland , the middle of the 17th century in England and the middle of the 18th century in Wales . So we are not a new religious sect but part of a time-honoured and Biblical tradition with its roots in the Protestant Reformation.

Our roots at Bethel are in Welsh Presbyterianism, which goes back to the Methodist Revival of the 18th century. Howell Harris, one of the pioneers of the revival preached in the county of Glamorgan (which is our geographical location) in the 1740’s and established a number of English-speaking Calvinistic Methodist causes, some of which exist today.

Welsh Calvinistic Methodism was distinctively evangelical and always laid great emphasis on the necessity of the new birth. Its leaders preached Christ fearlessly to all who would hear and the many who wouldn’t. Welsh Calvinistic Methodism was also distinctively Reformed. The leaders of Welsh Calvinistic Methodism lined up with George Whitefield in his opposition to the Arminian stance of the Wesleys. Some 92 years after the initial outbreak of the revival, the Calvinistic Methodists, who became a denomination in 1811, produced a comprehensive Confession of Faith (1823), impressive for its devotional character and slightly modified Calvinistic content.

Church polity or organization was partly the product of their background in the Church of England and partly the result of providential exigencies. The Calvinistic Methodists never intended to leave the Established Church, only to Reform it. Some of the leaders, however, were denied ‘holy orders’ while others who had been ordained were banned from preaching in Anglican churches. With the rapid increase in the number of converts a system of pastoral oversight was put in place, which was Presbyterian in all but name. Local ‘societies’ or fellowships ‘district meetings’ and wider ‘associations’ (large gatherings of Methodist religious societies) emerged to form the basis of Presbyteries and Regional Assemblies. It was not until 1811, when the number of clergy sympathetic to the Revival was so reduced that no one could be found to administer the sacraments, that the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists took the radical step of ordaining their own ministers. The combination of evangelical zeal, Reformed doctrine and applied Biblical exposition are what we think of as ‘experimental Calvinism’.

In recent years we have striven more consciously, both in ministry and life, to emulate that form of experimental Calvinism given such eminent expression by our Calvinistic Methodist forebears. With nominal religion an ever-present danger even in doctrinally sound churches, we seek to apply the doctrines of grace to the whole person. In this way, under the good offices of the Holy Spirit, we hope to keep at bay a form of godliness, which denies its true power. A similar concern exercised our Calvinistic Methodist forefathers. A minute of the Quarterly Association of the Calvinistic Methodists of 1795 states that ‘To believe that our state is good and safe, without having the Lord as our special succour in the face of our misery, is one of the devices of Satan to lead astray and starve the souls of men.’

Once upon a time, all Presbyterians were Reformed but over the years, especially under the destructive influence of rationalism, many drifted away from their Biblical foundations and the Confession of Faith. Declaratory Acts brought about a reconstitution of churches and effectively relegated their confessions to the archive, replacing them with minimal statements of doctrine, which aimed to give legitimacy to the arid liberalism, which emanated from the theological seminaries of the day. This threat never goes away and we have committed ourselves to guard the church against it.

We also belong to the wider fellowship of Presbyterian and Reformed churches through membership of the International Conference of Reformed Churches (ICRC). We enjoy fraternal relations with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ireland, the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland, the Free Church of Scotland, the Free Church of Scotland (continuing), the Associated Presbyterian Church, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church of America, the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands (liberated), Reformed Church of Spain and, as a local congregation, with the Reformed Presbyterian Church, North East India. We are also associated with a wide group of evangelical churches in the United Kingdom through Affinity.

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beliefs

A detailed description of what we believe can be found in the Westminster Standards, which are an excellent summary of what the Bible teaches.

In brief we believe that the Bible is God's Word and that it is the absolute and only authority for the church in matters of faith and life.

The Bible teaches that God created the universe from nothing for His own purposes. It follows from this that God is sovereign, doing everything according to the pleasure of his own will. The sovereignty of God is a foundation-doctrine of the Christian faith, disturbing to our sense of personal autonomy on the one hand, but comforting to our sense of absolute dependence, on the other.

If God is sovereign in his being, he is holy in his character and always acts in consistency with his inherent wisdom and righteousness. He has revealed his character in his Law, which tells us what it means for us to be holy as he is holy.

The Law of God also reveals sin, which is defined as ‘lawlessness’. We commit sin in thought, word and deed. One of the fundamental teachings of the Bible is that all human beings are sinners. It is the most fundamental aspect of a true self-awareness and until we recognise it, we can never be at peace with ourselves or with God.

Coming to terms with a sinful nature does not constitute a solution to the problem of sin, because, we can't stop being sinners. Moreover, God can’t stop hating sin. It is a dreadful predicament and one that only God can resolve.

The Christian message is that God has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. Two thousand years ago, God the Son came and suffered and died on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins - even though He had never committed even the smallest sin. And because He was innocent, He rose again from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion. God promises that whoever believes these things shall have everlasting life.

Part of our mission at Bethel is to share this good news with any who are ready and able to hear it. Over the years we have intensified our effort to bring the gospel of peace to the community of Ely. We believe evangelism is important and characterizes a church who finds Jesus Christ as its chief delight. We would be glad to share this good news with you.

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Our worship

“The light of nature shows that there is a God, who has lordship and sovereignty over all, is good, and does good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might. But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scripture.”

Westminster Confession of Faith Ch. 21 Sect. 1

The object of Christian worship is the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We consider worship to be a great privilege and joy. It is the focal point of our Church life. We meet for worship every Sunday at 11 am & 6 pm. Worship is initiated and directed by the Triune God in his Word. John Calvin, the great theologian of the Protestant Reformation, once wrote, “We ought to bring nothing of our own when we worship God, but we ought to depend always on the Word of His mouth.” Since worship is concerned with honouring, praising and glorifying God it is only right for God to determine what is and is not acceptable. Therefore, we seek to study God’s word carefully in order to learn how to worship Him acceptably.

Our worship is characterized by reverence, joy and thanksgiving. When Moses encountered God in the burning bush he was instructed to remove his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. Such an act was a sign of reverence to the Almighty One. The author of the book of Hebrews instructs all Christians in the proper attitude in worship with the following words, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Heb. 12:28-29) We revere God because He is all powerful, all knowing, holy and just. We rejoice in God with thanksgiving because He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. God has been merciful to us by cleansing us of all our sin through the blood of Jesus Christ our Saviour. For this reason, and this reason alone, He accepts our worship.

John Calvin, in the Institutes of the Christian Religion, wrote, “Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, and the sacraments administered according to Christ’s institution, there, it is not to be doubted, a church of God exists. ”Our worship consists of the reading and preaching of God’s Word, the singing of Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, prayer and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. God uses these weekly gatherings to spiritually feed and nourish his flock, to encourage the downcast, to challenge the wayward and to bring the Church to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God.

If you are looking for a church or are on holiday in the Cardiff area please come and worship with us. We would enjoy spending time in Christian fellowship with you. For a sample of our order of service click on the link below.

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activities

Our typical timetable looks like this:

The Lord’s Supper is administered on the first, third and fifth Sunday of each month.

The Church holds a service at a local nursing home on the fourth Sunday of each month.

‘Footsteps’, our Sunday School group meets at 10.00 am on Sunday and caters for ages 4-15. Contact Janis on (029) 2065 8584 or Philip (029) 2033 4560 for further information.

‘Tiny Tunes’ is a music group for children 0-5 years. It is FREE and meets every Friday during term time from 10.00 – 11.15 am. Contact Kathyryn on (029) 2059 5000 for more information.

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