Friday Nighters

[John Hucker]

To my shame, I cannot remember the name of the welsh baptist church we all attended, but it was led by Rev. Budge. There was a vibrant community of young people in the early/mid 70s. Where are you now?

[jayar]

Rev. Budge (deceased of recent years) was minister of Park Baptist Church, The Walk, Merthyr Tydfil. I'm not sure of other Churches that he might have been Minister of. I remember going to Park Baptist Church to the evening event for young people, in the 70's, went with a friend from school, don't know how often I went there, just remember kind of sitting on this high stack or stage or something and somebody playing a guitar, or getting a musical band together for the Church. My memory of this is very vague.

[Malcolm]

I think you mean the YPS at Park chapel which stood for Young People's Society if I remember correctely. It used to be on a Tuesday night and I went there quite a lot in the late 60s and early 70s. The evening was to sing happy Christian songs and generally have a good time and then there was tea and biscuits at the end of the evening. The main adult who seemed to organise the evenings was someone called Joyce Pugh who lived somwhere just off The Walk. Very fond and innocent memories!

[ginlynne]

I remember school friends of mine going to Park chapel on a Friday evening in the early/mid seventies.....it even became quite popular to become baptized.......Yes, strange, I know

[peteridris]

Friday Nighters started around 1970 and there was a YPF (Young People's Fellowship) which also met at Park on a Tuesday Night prior to that. There are some photos of some of the Friday Nighters on the Park site on www.swba.org.uk The minister of Park from 1951 to 1996 was Revd. Iorwerth Budge, BA. who had previously been at one other church, Pisgah Talywaun.

Friday Nighters was a youth group that went from 12 to hundreds in three months. Several of those young people are actively involved in significan areas of Christian ministry to this day.

Park Baptist Church was recently refurbished and redesigned - not much sign of it from outside but inside ought to be seen.

[bridger777]

hi and just found this site..i was in the park church around the 1970s and remember the friday nighters, anyone know where there are photos of that time...have tried the link above...thanks...

[lee]

I remember the Friday Nighters in the early 1970s with Lindsay Brown, David Butler etc when the hall was packed. And I think there was an early morning prayer meeting on Saturdays. I did attend one Sunday evening service but I normally attended another church.
Fridays were usually guitars backing for choruses and there were talks too!
If you got there late, you would struggle for a seat.
Sometimes some of the older ones held parties at their homes. And some people got involved with the Action Centre which was in the old unitarian church in town.