Noddfa Church won Torfaen Voluntary Alliance community award freepressseries.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from freepressseries.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
After the deacon left, Mr Sweeting often held services himself at the almost empty church, and asked part-time preachers to hold services every Sunday. On one particular Sunday seven years ago, he asked Pastor John to hold a service, and both hit it off immediately. Since, with Mr Sweeting as his right-hand man, the duo transformed the church to one facing imminent closure to welcoming more than 100 worshippers every week, with a large Sunday school and a youth group. The church is now also famed for ‘Carols Under The Arch’, which welcomes more than one thousand visitors each year, and has served hundreds of families with a variety of community services.
This year, Noddfa Church partnered with Victory Church in Blaenavon to organise the event. “I’d like to thank Pastor Nick for all the support as it wouldn’t have happened without him,” said Pastor John. “I look forward to continuing this partnership in future years, making this an event for the whole south east valleys, not just Abersychan.
Pastor John and Pastor Nick recording Carols Under the Arch online. Picture: Noddfa Church. “Every expression of God’s love is found through community and as a church we seek to build community for this reason, whether in person or online.