Welsh Journals

under the ministry of Mr Stevenson. During his ministry fifteen new members were received and church activities thrived, especially the Sunday School. Successful Singing Festivals, Sunday School Anniversary services, harvest celebrations and church concerts were a feature of these years. A number of members were presented with Long Service Certificates by the Congregational Union and the long tradition of supporting the British and Foreign Bible Society was generously maintained. In 1961, William Morris was called to the join pastorate of Hanover and Usk. In 1967 Glendower Street Church, Monmouth joined the pastorate and under the devoted and wise leadership of William Morris a close relationship was nurtured between the three churches; joint services were held regularly and a new letter circulated between them. However, by 1969 the membership had fallen to thirty nine and the church faced severe financial difficulties. Loyalty to the church ensures that the financial crisis was overcome and effective measures we re taken to restore confidence. In 1972 Hanover joined the United Reformed Church (which was formed as a result of three denominations coming together to form one church: the Congregational Union of England and Wales, the Presbyterian Church of England and the Church of Christ). In 1975 a Family Service was introduced and a morning Sunday School. Thirty nine scholars were registered and a band of devoted teachers made the morning school a lively and vital part of church life. In the meantime the churches at Usk and Monmouth had closed but in 1982 Castle Steet URC, Abergavenny, formed a joint pastorate with Hanover. The Revd. William Moms served both churches with loving devotion until his death in 1987. Under his ministry the church maintained a healthy spiritual life. His excellent pastoral care and wise counsel and his service as a community 1 councillor and a leader of the social life of the village was much appreciated. In 1987 the Reverend. Norman Aman was called to the joint pastorate and he remained until 1990. In 1991 the Reverend. J. Glyndwr Harris was appointed Interim Moderator and in 1994 he was inducted as a non-stipendary minister, taking a service once a month. Many of the above notes ('HANOVER 1868-1942') were written by Dr Harris in his commemorative booklet published in 1994 celebrating 350 years of worship at Llanofer. The preacher at the anniversary service on Sunday 29 April was the Reverend. David Hilton who was the Moderator of the United Reformed Church for that year. Dr Harris was born at Rhymni and following an illustrious academic career and various ministries he returned to his beloved Gwent as lecturer and eventually head of department of Religious Studies at Caerleon College of Higher Education. He was known throughout Wales as the chief examiner in Religious Studies and he led the schools through all the radical changes of the 1980s and 90s. He also became an outside examiner for a number of colleges and universities outside Wales. He was an excellent committee man and an effective persuader. He could be determined and ameliorative. He served the URC on a wide range of councils and committees and served the churches of Gwent loyally, through difficult times, Sunday by Sunday. He was a very private man but had a ready sense of humour which he shared with his closest acquaintances. He remained faithful to his Welsh-language upbringing and published a number of books in that language of particular value at the time were a series of handbooks for sixth formers on world religions. In 1999 he published an