Noddfa Baptist Evangelical Church has recently been awarded an investment to allow gospel to be brought to the Welsh Valleys.
As part of the Valleys School of Theology, this college will provide four apprentices with the training to support the people within their community, not just in their faith, but also in their daily lives.
This course will provide the trainees with the ability to preach their faith and support, but also to deal with the challenges of living in the Valleys, including “2am phone calls from social services or late night on the door from the police”, according to its official website synopsis.
The investment had come from the Sychar Gospel Fund, a London consortium who had heard of Noddfa Church’s good work within the community and wanted to support their dream of providing ministerial training to young people.
The investment is for the length of the course, which is three years, but allows them room to grow as the course develops and they are able to put more theory into immediate practice for the benefit of the community.
Noddfa Church has always put their community first, and as such, has taken on four apprentices with difficult backgrounds as they have now turned to the church.
Alex had a difficult childhood surrounded by addiction and spent time in prison, but now works with Noddfa Church and is building a Christian community in Trevethin, which he will continue to do during his time at the college.
He said: “I am so grateful for this opportunity to study and give back to the community I love.”
The other apprentices, Saul, Jose and Ian have all faced dark times in their lives but are now determined to find a way to pay back the community that has supported them by taking their learning to heart.
Ian said: “The people leading the course are so experienced and respected. We are very grateful for their support and pray that what we learn can be put into practice in our valley.”
Pastor John Funnell is immensely proud of the way the church has expanded and become a social hub for the community.
He said: “When I became the Pastor of Noddfa in 2014 the church was facing imminent closure. A good Sunday would welcome a dozen elderly souls.
“Today we serve over three hundred people a week through a variety of compassionate ministries and educational services.
“We never thought that the work could expand as it has and develop into a training facility that can equip others to love God and people.”
MP for Torfaen Nick Thomas-Symonds is a big supporter of the church. He said: "Noddfa Church plays an important role in the spiritual lives of many of my constituents, and is a fixture in our local community.
"Offering practical help for people and their families, as well as working with local schools, Noddfa is an important support hub in Torfaen.
"I pay tribute to the painstaking work of Pastor Funnell in securing this significant sum of money for investment in our valley."
The church is well-known within the Valleys, having already won numerous community awards, in particular for the food parcels provided throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
The course will begin on Saturday, September 23 and will allow the people of Torfaen and the wider Welsh valleys to immediately benefit from the new knowledge and skills these young men will be able to impart.
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