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.THE OMNIBUS. I

Presentation to the Rev. J.…

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Presentation to the Rev. J. Griffiths, B.A., B.D. I The Ebenezer Church, Ammanford, was thronged on Thursday evening last with followers of all denominations, to bid adieu to the Rev. J. Griffiths, B.A., B.D., who for the past eleven years has occupied the pastorate of that church in an able and efficient manner. He now leaves for Llandudno, where his activities will be resumed in the cause of the Baptist faith. During his stay at Amman ford he has been recognised as the pillar of the Free Church Council, and a description g i ven of him by the Rev. W. R. Watkins, Llandly, also testified to his capabilities in his work for the cause in South Wales. The chair was occupied by the senior deacon of the church, Mr. Phillips, Parcyrhun. Mr. Jno. Lewis, J.P., Bryn-Rhug, the secretary of the church, at the outset read telegrams and letters received wishing God- speed to both the Rev. and Mrs. Griffiths, and regretting their inability to be present that evening. These included ones from Rev. J. Lee Davies, Brynamman, at Haverfordwest; Mr. G. O. Williams, Gwynfryn, at Bourne- mouth Miss Painter, Llandebie; Rev. E. T. Jones, Llanelly; Mr. Gilbert Jones, Llan- gennech; Mr. Harry Williams, Pembrey; Rev. G. E. Williams, Llandilo, at Black- pool;' Rev. D. J. Moses, B.A., Tycroes; Mr. Wm. Williams, J.P., Penygroes; Mr. Owen Jones, Carmarthen; Mr. Davies, Pont- ardulais; Mr. W. Llewelyn, J.P., Fairwater; Rev. D. S. Davies, Saron, at Colwyn Bay; Rev. J. R. Jones, Garnant; Rev. L. Berian James, B.A., Penygroes; Mr. Towyn Jones, M.P., who commenced his letter in the following strain: rfflq proposes, God dis- poses." The Chairman gave the history of the church, and dealt on the successful career of Mr. Griffiths and the rapid strides made by him towards efficiency during his stay at Eben- ezer. He (Mr. Phillips) said that he would much prefer seeing someone else taking the duties of chairman, inasmuch that he felt it very much to lose Mr. Griffiths. He felt proud of the fact that so many had congre- gated together that evening to bid farewell to Mr. Griffiths. Their presence bore testi- mony to their liking orhim (Mr. Griffiths). He (the Chairman) referred to the period when Ammanford had only 600 of a popu- lation, and to-day the population totalled 6,000. They had had many able preachers at Ebenezer since its inauguration, but none to equal Mr. Griffiths. His vast knowledge, and the brilliant sermons delivered by him, would stand in the history of Ebenezer. There was power behind them. Mr. Griffiths, he (the Chairman) could honestly say, had lived up to his sermons. He remembered well Mr. Griffiths' coming to Ammanford from Bangor College, and the impression he had even then created. He felt confident that the church members had long since realised the signifi- cance of his deliveries. He very much regret- ted the departure of Mr. Griffiths, and felt sure the loss sustained by the church would be hard to replace. The Rev. B. Humphreys, Felinfoel, said that he had had the pleasure of taking part in the induction service to Mr. Griffiths some 11 years ago. At that time he had appre- ciated Mr. Griffiths" capabilities, and noticed his educational and intelligent sermons. He (the speaker) had hoped to be present at a different meeting that evening, and would have been highly pleased to have learnt that Mr. Griffiths had Te-consideied his decision. How- ever, the fact that Mrs. Griffiths was not enjoying good health tempted Mr. Griffiths to seek pastures anew. He understood that when Mrs. Griffiths first came to Ammanford, she was robust and full of vigour. That was the reason for the unfortunate decision. He could honestly say that the Baptist cause in South Wales would suffer a great loss by Mr. Griffiths' departure; in fact, he was one of the pillars of the cause. He did not know what they at Ebenezer intended to do for the future. The speaker referred to several of the great divines who had served the church at Ebenezer, and added that this man is above them all (referring to Mr. Griffiths). Although he (Mr. Griffiths) had the letters B.A., B.D. after his name, this had not prompted him to consider his capabilities on a higher level. He was like one of them. The sermons delivered by Mr. Griffiths were a tower of strength in themselves. Rowland Hill had once said: A man can preach without a ifrock oie gown, but never without a character." He possessed the ideal char- acter, and had lived to the purport of the address. At this juncture Mr. Tom Williams, Wind Street, sang a number of penilKon (specially composed for the occasion by the Rev T. Thomas, Cannel), and which were well re- ceived, as follows:— Ffarwelio ydym heno A phroffwyd sanctaidd Duw, Sy'n myned o Rhydaman I dre Llandudno i fyw. John Griffiths, Ebenezer, Yw' r gwron sydd yn mynd, I Ac anhawdd ydyw canu, A dweyd, Good-bye, fy ffrind." Bu yma am rai blwyddi Fel tyner angel hedd, Yn synnu r saint â'i ddoniau, A darpar iddynt wledd. Pregethwr enwog ydyw, A bugail ar braidd Duw, A chyfaill tyner galon I bawb mewn ingol friw. Caiff dre Rhydaman golled Ar ol y gweithiwr mawr, Fu wrthi yn cyfeirio Pawb at y newydd wawr; Tra pharod oedd bob amser I gynnorthwyo'r gwan, A gweithio a'i holl egni I I godi dyn i'r Ian. Hoff Eglwys Ebenezer Sydd heno' n drist ei bron, A phawb sydd yn galaru Trwy r wlad a'r ardal hon. A Chyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin Alara am y gwr, Ac addysg plant y werin A wel ei eisiau'n siwr. 'Roedd bai ar wyr Llandudno Ddod i'ch lladrata chwi, A chymaint oedd eich hangen I aros gyda ni. Ond hyn ddywedaf wrthych, A hynny yn ddiymdroi: Os cewch chwi gam gan rhywun, 0! dowch yn ol yn gloi. Yr hawddgar Mrs. Griffiths, Brenhines yn ei thy, Boed awyr lie, y Gogledd Yn iechyd mawr i chwi; A phan y dewch i'n gweled, Yn iachach nag erio'd, Bydd drysau yn agored I chwi yn Amanford. Ond gan mai myned ydych, Dymunaf i chwi'n rhan Gael goreu Nef a daear I'ch diiyn ymhob man. Llwyddiannus fyddo'ch gyrfa, Heb fawr awelon croes, I A chysgod lor i'ch teulu Yn do ar hyd eich hoes. Mr. David Thomas, High Street, said that one of the ideals in the daily life of Mr. Griffiths was his homeliness. He (the speaker) had never seen a- flash in his tyes, he had always been so cool. In his sermons, a feature was the calm attitude adopted by him; and a great fact was the purity of his pulpit. His sermons had been taken very I much to heart, and these had been grounded into them. They had come to stay, and he felt sure that Mr. Griffiths had set to them a clear example of Christian life. Mr. Griffiths was always willing and ready to assist, and extended his hand at all times to needy and deserving cases. Mr. William Davies said that during the eleven years Mr. Griffiths had been with them, they had lived happily. He had delivered strong sermons, and the Gospel had been preached pure. He preached his ser- mons as he believed them, and had lived up to them. Mr. David Davies, speaking on behalf of Bethel, Pantyffynnon, said that Mr. Griffiths had been most faithful to them. The young people would feel the loss keenly. Mr. Griffiths. ambitio; had been to assist the young and to help them along. He had set them on the right path to recognise their duty to their Creator. Mr. Rees, Tirydail, in the course of a few remakrs, said that Mr. Griffiths in his sermons new how to drive the blade of the knive to the hilt without drawing blood. A good many complaints nowadays were due to the fact that the ministers did not call often enough upon their members, but in Mr. Griffiths' case it was different. Whenever he knew of a case of sickness in the house of a member, that house was visited immediately. Referring to Mrs. Griffiths, Mr. Rees said that she had also been regarded as a true friend. In many instances the minister's wife set the place afire, but Mrs. Griffiths had been quite the reverse. She possessed a warm heart, and, like her husband, was always ready to extend a helping hand when needed. Mr. Joseph Williams, on behalf of Pisgah Church, PenybfJlk, spoke of the great assist- ance Tendered by Mr. Griffiths to that church. Mr. W. Cathan Davies, the chairman of the Free Church Council, said that to that body Mr. Griffiths had been a great factor. He regretted Mr. Griffiths' departure at the very moment when his guidance was most needed. His valuable assistance would never be forgotten. There had been nothing to daunt Mr. Griffiths. When the outlook had been grave, Mr. Griffiths had through per- severance brought them to the light. The fact that he was the minister at Ebenezer had not hindered his activities in the movement. He had been as much to the Free Church Council as to the Ebenezer Church. His fair and just counsel always prevailed. The Rev. D. E. Harris, secretary of the Free Church Council, confirmed the remarks made by the previous speaker. The Rev. W. Nantlais Williams referred to Mr. Griffiths as one of the faithful of the Fraternal. He never could have come across so diligent and worthy a co-worker. During the dark days of the war, he had on many occasions called upon him to discuss matters of grave importance connected with the churches at Ammanford. He had always found him ready to come forward to assist them out of their many difficulties. No one could realise the feeling of true comradeship more than he. The Rev. Hugh Jones, Llanelly, referred to the general knowledge possessed by Mr. Griffiths, and dealt at some length with the public service rendered by him on the County Council and other bodies. The speaker also paid a tribute to Mr. Griffiths' outline of the administrative work of Local Government, which had been recognised as a specimen of his capabilities. Mr. Griffiths had already made his presence felt on the Education Com- mittee, and the speaker urged the people to realise the important work carried out by him. The Rev. W. R. Watkins, M.A., Llan- elly, spoke in a similar strain, and advised the church to give Mr. Griffiths a call to come back to Amman ford after he has been at Llandudno for a twelvemonth. He was too valuable an asset to lose. Aid. W. N. Jones, J.P., in the course of a few remarks, paid tribute to Mr. Griffiths* character and good work, and to the loss which would be sustained by the County Council, on which body great expectations bad been formed of Mr. Griffiths' undoubted fitness in the administration of education. He sincerely regretted Mr. Griffiths' departure, and wished him and Mr. Griffiths every 'I happiness in their new sphere of labour. At this juncture, wallet containing Treasury notes to the value of £ 50 was handed over to Mr. Griffiths from the church by Mr. J. L. Thomas, treasurer; and a foun- tain pen presented by Mr. W. Cathan Datvies on behalf of the Free Church Council. The Rev. J. Griffiths, replying, said that ever since his advent to Ammanford in August, 1908, he had received great kindness at the hands of all denominations. It had always been to him a pleasure and privilege to co- operate with the various denominations, and their relations to one another had been most cordial and broad-minded. The work of the Free Church Council, in which he had taken an active part, had been a bsolutely free from narrow sectarianism. He wished to thank them most heartily for their token of appre- ciation which the Chairman had presented to him, and requested him to convey to the Coucn il his sincerest thanks. Mr. Griffiths then proceeded to refer to his gratitude to the church at Ebenezer. When he and Mrs. Griffiths came to their midst, eleven years ago, they were loaded with gifts, and the kindness then manifested had continued unbroken. No minister could ever wish to be happier than he had been for eleven years at Ebenezer. He wished to express his gratitude to the deacons for the genial and peaceful manner in which they had co-operated with him. They were a band of men who bore in their lives the marks of the Lord Jesus." They were without exception sons of peace." He fur- ther wished to state that he had been given a free pulpit. He hoped he had not abused such a privilege, but he felt it was his duty to state that never had they interfered with his freedom of opinion and freedom of speech. Some people tihnk that every minister is tongue-tied. He, at any rate, had been given a free pulpit, and he. wished to express his gratitude to them for permitting him to do his work in his own way. He could testify to them that he had always declared unto them the whole counsel of God as he had under- stood it. He further wished to thank the church and congregation for the generous gifts he and his family had received on their depar- ture for Llandudno. He was not leaving because he was dissatisfied with the church; it was for other unavoidable reasons.

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