Blaenannerch Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Chapel (1904)
The next in the series of conferences organised by Jenkins was to begin in Blaenannerch, the Wednesday of Joshua’s meetings, and some of the students from Newcastle Emlyn, including Evan Roberts, went there. It was a two-day meeting and Joshua arrived early on the second day. There was a 7.00am service which was closed by Seth Joshua praying ‘Oh Lord do this, and this, and this, and bend us’ Roberts did not hear any of the words except ‘bend us’. On leaving the room he prayed that the Lord would bend them. Joshua was full of expectation as they went to the 9.00am meeting.. Roberts wrote, ‘I felt in going to the meeting that I was compelled to pray. When the meeting commenced many prayed, and I asked the Holy Spirit, “shall I pray now?” “No” said the Spirit in answer. Shortly some wonderful influence came over me. After many had prayed I felt some living energy or force entering my bosom, it held my breath, my legs trembled terribly; this living energy increased and increased as one after the other prayed until it nearly burst me, and as each finished I asked, “Shall I pray now?” When someone finished I prayed. My bosom boiled all through, and had it not been that I prayed, I would have burst. What boiled in my bosom? The verse, “for God commendeth His love.” I fell on my knees, with my arms outstretched on the seat before me, the perspiration poured down my face and my tears streamed quickly until I thought that the blood came out. Soon Mrs Davies, Mona, New Quay, came to wipe my perspiration, Magdalen Phillips stood on my right, and Maud Davies on my left. It was awful on me for about two minutes. I cried – “Bend me, bend me, bend me; Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!” … What came to mind after this was, the bending in the day of judgement. Then I was filled with sympathy for the people who will have to bend in judgement day, and I wept. Afterwards, the salvation of souls weighed heavily on me. I felt on fire for going through the whole of Wales to tell the people about the Saviour.’ It was in this way that Roberts was filled with Holy Spirit and set on fire for Wales. Jenkins and Thickens, who had organised the conference, were disturbed by Roberts’ outburst. They were looking for a deepening of spiritual life and such emotionalism as exhibited by Roberts was not something they welcomed. However, they soon realised that one could not control Holy Spirit and they joined in the work.