Mystery Worshipper: Fire Hazard
Church:
Bethesda, Hay on Wye
Location: Powys, Wales
Date of visit: Sunday, 25 May 2025, 5:30pm
The building
The chapel, built in brick and stone, was founded in about 1865 by a Primitive Methodist congregation, and has all the usual neo-Gothic features, including stone window tracery, and a decorative turret pinnacle above the entrance doorway. The building is close to the centre of the wonderful town of Hay on Wye. The current congregation was first formed in the 1920s and purchased the chapel in 1953.
The church
Bethesda committed to the opportunity to reach out to the droves of Hay Festival book lovers descending on the town by cancelling their service and putting on public Narnia presentations for an entire weekend. This included a series of family presentations on CS Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, out on the street, and culminated in the talk we attended on Sunday afternoon.
The neighborhood
Hay is absolutely gorgeous and famous for its many bookshops which draw tourists from around the world. The town has been a destination for book lovers since the 1960s, and by the 1980s boasted over 30 secondhand bookshops. The annual 10-day Hay Festival, founded in 1988, is a celebration of books and culture which draws some 150,000 visitors to a town with a population of less than 2,000 people.
The cast
A visiting speaker introduced the gathering and preached, then a woman introduced the supper and discussion time.
What was the name of the service?
Sunday night talk.How full was the building?
The service was held in the upper floor and was at least three-quarters full.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
Yes, two women who had been out on the street doing outreach during the day recognised me and my daughter. They made us feel very welcome!
Was your pew comfortable?
My chair was neither comfy nor uncomfortable! Any longer and I would have had to stretch.
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
As this was an outreach event, there was extra hustle and bustle as food prep was finalised. Children were climbing on the railings outside and looked very at home there.
What were the exact opening words of the service?
‘This will be half-talk, half-sermon.’ The idea was that this evening event, held during the Hay Festival, would be seeker-friendly – hence the speaker wanting to call it only half a sermon, but in reality it definitely was a sermon. However there didn't appear to be anyone unfamiliar with church settings and sermons, so I doubt it would have made a difference to anyone present.
What books did the congregation use during the service?
None, although Bible verses and quotes by CS Lewis were projected on screen.
What musical instruments were played?
None.
Did anything distract you?
I tend to distract my own self, and tried to interact with a fidgety child, but he was a tough nut to crack.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
There was no worship time in the traditional sense, and no music was involved.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
25 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
6 — The advert promised a talk on the conversion of CS Lewis, as the church was making the most of having crowds of visitors in town for the literary festival. However, after the first minute, the speaker mostly diverted from Lewis and spoke about the gospel. This was, of course, very well meant, but might have been misleading for any seekers it appeared to be aimed at. However, everyone at the talk seemed to be church members, judging by their interactions.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon about?
CS Lewis started off as an atheist and found God after discovering the message of the gospel, which he later communicated in his allegorical fiction, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The book contains this quote: ‘When a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.’ The section of the sermon on propitiation would likely have gone over childrens’ heads, but there were so many of them and they sat very well.
Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
The diversity in age. Loads of under 18s, and a lot of them were quite engaged and smiling.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
During the discussion time, none of the church members nor the visiting speaker made much effort to interact with us, or even smile. However, there was a visiting Christian worker who engaged in conversation with us.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
We eventually bumped into the women who had invited us during their outreach, and they were lovely.
How would you describe the after-service coffee?
Standard instant in a disposable cup, but served with a very friendly and warm manner.
How would you feel about making another visit (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
6 —Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
Yes, in the sense that we were reminded of our salvation, and I appreciated the sincere desire the church had to reach as many people as possible.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time ?
The church had no problem cancelling its normal service to commit to the outreach. They made the most of a great opportunity to go and be where crowds of visitors would be.