"100,000 people gave their lives to Christ in Wales from the tail end of 1904 through to early 1906...Sadly, a lot of men who became Christians were killed on the battlefields of World War I. As a result of the Welsh revival, missionaries travelled all over the world and made considerable Kingdom impact in India, Argentina, Korea to name but three countries."

19th October, 2004

DAVID ADAMS speaks with Nigel James, steering group chairman of 04theCity - the church led group organising celebrations in commemoration of the centenary of the Welsh Revival...

How significant was the Welsh Revival to Wales and beyond?
"Well 100,000 people gave their lives to Christ in Wales from the tail end of 1904 through to early 1906 so that’s pretty significant. Sadly, a lot of men who became Christians were killed on the battlefields of World War I. As a result of the Welsh revival, missionaries travelled all over the world and made considerable Kingdom impact in India, Argentina, Korea to name but three countries."

Are the effects of the Welsh Revival still being felt today?
"Certainly the landscape in Wales is dotted with chapels that were built as a result of the revival, but many of them are now carpet warehouses or even mosques. Stories of revival times still echo around many churches-especially those that confirm the immense force for social good that the revival was. Our national newspaper, The Western Mail, has extensive archives of the revival because it had five reporters travelling the land as eye-witnesses."

What are you doing to celebrate its centenary?
"Church leaders in Cardiff, the capital city, have been co-ordinating a year-long programme called 04theCity. It features city-wide prayer, revival preaching, social action projects and a weekend of outreach events at the Cardiff International Arena from 29-31st October featuring Luis Palau and Selwyn Hughes amongst others."

You've mentioned the weekend of the 29th-31st October - are those dates significant for any particular reason?
"The weekend of 29th-31st October is commonly held to be the revival centenary itself. A 26-year-old man called Evan Roberts spoke in a small chapel in Loughor, between Swansea and Neath, on the 31st October, 1904, and a few people put their trust in Jesus. Roberts carried on preaching for over a year around Wales, and was the catalyst that God used to bring revival."

Do you think anything similar to the Welsh Revival - great numbers of people being dramatically converted to Christ at once - will ever be repeated in Wales or was it something that appropriate for its time only?
"We’ve been saying all along that we don’t want to limit God to either doing the same as He’s done before or NOT doing the same as He did 100 years ago. The same God that moved so powerfully then, still loves Wales and wants to see Wales returned to Him in 2004!"

What lessons for effective outreach can we as Christians learn from what took place during the Welsh Revival?
"For a start, it happened through an unschooled young man, and broke many religious and social taboos. It certainly wasn’t tidy and in many ways was messy and unpredictable. What shone through loud and clear was that people, especially a younger generation, were desperate to meet with God in a way that broke out of conventional services and denominational norms."

How did you come to be involved in the centenary celebrations?
" I’m chairman of the 04theCity steering group simply because I’ve been part of the gathering of city-wide leaders who have been meeting for prayer and fellowship together each month over the last four years or so. Being director of a Christian ministry called Ignite, rather than a church pastor, I’ve managed to give one day a week to 04theCity during 2004."

Is there a particular incident which occurred during the Revival which really speaks to you?
" There is an honours board in a rugby club not too far from Loughor, were Evan Roberts preached on the 31st October, 1904. On that honours board you see that rugby was interrupted only three times in the last 100 years. Between the years 1939-45 appear the words 'Second World War', between the years 1914-1918 appear the words 'The Great War', and between the years 1904-1905 you see one word - 'Revival'. I’m a passionate sports fan but God even brought rugby and football to a standstill. Not because they were necessarily bad but because players were more passionate about praying and worshipping!"

FOR MORE ON THE WELSH REVIVAL:

Visit www.welshrevival.com

GREAT MOVES OF GOD: TONY TOWNSEND takes a look at the origins and effects of the Welsh Revival... | more...|