A village chapel, on the brink of closure 16 years ago, welcomed its new pastor into the church on February 15. Mark Fisher, the 27-year-old former assistant minister at Heath Evangelical Church, Cardiff, is the first full-time pastor at Hanney Chapel, Oxfordshire, for 60 years.
More than 200 supporters, including a double-decker coach load of 70 from the Heath, heard the story of Hanney Chapel’s renewal with the help of Abbey Baptist Church, Abingdon. In 1998 Hanney Chapel was down to just two members, Sue Aitken and Margaret Oxley, when they sent a plea for help to Abbey Baptist Church. That church was considering church planting, so the request was warmly supported by Abbey church.
The Rev. Wyn Hughes, minister of Heath Evangelical Church, preached on 2 Timothy 4, noting that preaching the Word, preaching Christ, was the priority.