Ebeneser is the Independents’ mother church on Anglesey, and the local district association would organise an annual pilgrimage to Rhosmeirch up until the pandemic.
Nearly half of the membership of 70 has moved from the area, mostly young people, and because of a lack of children the Sunday school came to an end, though the adults’ Sunday school continued for a while.
Services
Services are held every Sunday and a monthly prayer meeting led by the president for that month. Fortunately, we did not see a decline in membership numbers following the pandemic. The faithful are around 20 in number, The church has been without a minister since 2004 upon the retirement of the Revd Irfon I. Jones and unfortunately, so far, it has not been possible to secure an area ministry.
Recently new trustees have been added, and as well as the officers, we now have 12 in all, we also have three faithful organists.
A Taste of the Vine
Towards the end of 2015 an account of the history of Ebeneser Rhosmeirch 1748–2015 was published Ffrwyth y Winwydden (A Taste of the Vine) through funding from The Union and the Anglesey District Association. The first chapel was built in Rhosmeirch in 1748 after spending four years at Caeau Môn, the home of John Owen. There is a memorial to him on the cemetery wall. Both he and William Prichard, buried under the floor of the old chapel, were the first trustees for the church.
Because of its condition, about fifty yards of the cemetery wall had to be rebuilt recently using the same stone – used it is believed to build the first chapel – used when the present chapel was built in 1869.
Before lockdown pilgrimages were organised to places of historical interest such as Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant, Dolwar Fach, Y Las Ynys, and Soar y Mynydd. Members from other churches would join us including, on one occasion, a family from the Wisconsin Welsh Society that came to visit relatives – both dead and alive.
The practice of arranging refreshments at the end of the prayer meeting was reinstated and the fellowship is increasing, so much so that a delicious lunch was organised for all at the local centre at the end of one service during summer. We are confident that this will continue.
