As you drive through Clydach, you’ll notice many church buildings that have sadly closed their doors - but Bethel remains open. Not because of anything special in ourselves, but because of the unchanging hope that Jesus offers. Through every season, that hope has drawn people in and sustained the life of the church. Bethel continues to be a place where people can find refuge, community, and life in Christ.

Bethel Evangelical Church was founded in 1971, but its roots in Clydach go back far longer than that. In the midst of the First World War, Trinity Forward Movement Chapel met for the very first time in Clydach’s Public Hall.

Its aim was simple: to bring the gospel to the English-speaking industrial workers who were flocking to Clydach to find work at The Mond nickelworks.

Trinity Forward Movement Chapel became Trinity Presbyterian Church of Wales, and is now Bethel Evangelical Church. Our story is one deeply rooted in Wales’ industrial and social history. It’s a story of extraordinary faith, of setbacks and breakthroughs, of bold decisions, of pain and joy, of confident trust in God.