Hi, my name is John Edmonds. I am the full time paid Elder of Pontrhydyrun Baptist Church (also known as the Pastor or Minister). As one of a team of three Elders who lead the church my main job is to preach and teach the Bible in a wide variety of situations in the church and as opportunity arises in the local community. (I visit schools to take assemblies, old people’s homes to lead services, and private homes to help people cope with bereavement and other life situations.)
I grew up in Newport where I went to Duffryn Comprehensive School, studied for a Geography degree in the London School of Economics and worked for seven years as a Civil Servant in London.
I was a convinced atheist in my teenage years and became a Christian much to my own surprise just before my O Levels. (You can read a short version of my story below)
I trained to be a minister with a group known as the Evangelical Movement of Wales studying in my spare time and by correspondence. My first jobs as a full time minister were in London. I spent three years in Tooting as an Assistant Minister and then seven years in East London as a Senior Pastor. I moved to Cwmbran in 1999.
I am married and have two adult children. In my spare time I can often be found in the fitness suite at Cwmbran Stadium, watching rugby, or listening to Indie Rock music!
John
How I became a Christian by John Edmonds
Born in Tenby I moved to Newport at the tender age of 3 months. My dad came from the Rhondda. He was urged to avoid the mines which he did going from grammar school to national service to Aberystwyth University where he met my mum. Her father was a Congregational minister in Griffithstown and Newport. Sadly her experience turned her away from Christian things.
During primary school I went to sunday school where I imbibed popular Christian thinking; Jesus was just a good man, the Bible is a story book with good morals, Christianity is about being good. By eleven I had had enough. I saw more reality in my Dad’s socialism than in Christianity.
Having escaped enforced sunday school attendance my heroes became Michael Foot, Tony Benn, the memory of Aneurin Bevan and the glory days of the labour party in Wales. I proudly proclaimed myself an atheist going much further than my parents agnosticism.
At school I had a Christian friend who took the brunt of my mocking. “Christians have two brains, one is lost and the other is out looking for it”. In the fifth form he came out of his shell and stood up for Jesus challenging those who mocked. We played sport together. In rugby he was a hard tackling second row and in basketball good enough for a Welsh trial. He was near the top in every subject. I couldn’t understand how such a ‘together person’ believed fairy tale stuff about Jesus. It was the Welsh basketball trial that really affected me. It was on a Sunday and he wasn’t coming. “I’d rather be in church praising Jesus with other Christians”. This was different from anything I had met before. Jesus was real and had changed his life.
I went to my Gran’s church to find out more. She was chuffed, I was unimpressed. The minister repeated the rubbish I had heard as a youngster. Christianity is about being good so just be good! I was ready to give up, until I was told by a friend of the family about a church that believed Jesus was real and the Bible true. So I gave it a go. I was captivated by the reality of the worship and the preaching engaged and challenged me.
First to crack was my atheism. My friend gave me booklets about evidence for creation and the existence of God. I was experiencing church where Jesus was real and the Bible true. One Sunday evening my defenses broke. I admitted there was a God. That scared me. I had spent years mocking, rejecting and denying him. I was in trouble big time!
Then I understood the preaching. God sent Jesus to die so that I could be forgiven and accepted. I surrendered to Jesus and God flooded my soul with peace and forgiveness. God was real and it was OK because of Jesus.
I had become a different person and have followed Jesus to this day. I am no more forgiven today than that Sunday evening. I am no more loved now than then. The wonder of the Gospel! Undeserved love and forgiveness for anyone who comes in repentance and faith to Jesus.
