SWALLOWNEST
My first pastorate behind me, in the fall of 1972 we packed all our belongings and headed south to Yorkshire where I became the pastor of Bethesda Church in Swallownest, a village nestled between Sheffield, Rotherham and the M1, with a major road running through the middle of it. The “we” I speak of included the new addition to our family who had arrived earlier that year, our first child Charlotte Elizabeth, born in Dryburn Hospital, Durham in the early hours of February 9th.
Bethesda had been in the community since 1934. It was not a huge congregation – though double what there had been in Birtley – and never had been. It was a solid, steady church whose previous pastor had retired and they were now looking for younger leadership. They got that – I was 22 years old.
We were in Swallownest for four years, living in the manse/ parsonage right next to the church building and while my ministry seemed to help a number of people, I know I learned a lot too.
1. I learned that for a church to be effective it must harness technology. It almost sounds laughable now, but back then a radical move for us was recording our services on new-fangled cassette recorders and taking the recording to people’s homes so they could hear it. No fast-copiers in those days, but it worked.
2. I learned to do what is right and live with the consequences. I hit some major issues within the church and being a novice, this was the first time I had ever come across them. I knew that to deal with them would rock the boat, but I did what I had to do. Good leaders don’t shy away from tough decisions.
3. I learned that as Christians we speak a language of our own. I still smile when I think of the new believer who kept raising her hand during my Bible studies to ask questions. Truth is, I was preaching in a whole other language and was certainly not communicating with her.
4. I learned that getting kids out of their home setting for a week can be life-changing. We focused a lot on our children’s outreaches in Swallownest, much as we had in Birtley. My policy was to see regeneration from the ground up. During those years we spent some marvelous weeks at Bonsall Camp in Derbyshire and saw a lot of kids get really anchored in Jesus.
5. I learned that living beside the church is not a good thing. I became the odd-job man, the boiler lighter and the security guard. It also meant that whenever something was missing from our kitchen, it was probably because I had taken it over to the church kitchen to be used there.
6. I learned the incredible blessing of having good friends living nearby. For some of the time we were in Swallownest, my friend Ian Jennings was pastoring in nearby Doncaster. We loved having him and Barbara so close, but sadly after some time he moved on to another church, in south Wales. Weird note here, Ian is now the Anglican Rector of the parish that includes Swallownest.
7. I learned that God often opens unexpected doors to ministry. While I was in Swallownest I started receiving invitations to speak at conferences and conventions in other parts of the country, so that while Bethesda was my focus, I was able to function in a wider arena too.
Those were four good years, not spectacular, but solid which fits with the character of the church. I was invited back to Bethesda in the late 70’s to speak at the dedication of their refurbished building – and the photo above is from then.









