A church in Wales will be in even finer voice this weekend as it celebrates 200 years of worship with 200 hymns.
Ararat Baptist Church in Cardiff has had an unbroken Christian presence in the Whitchurch Common area since 1824 - and the congregation wants to celebrate in style.
From early Saturday morning until the evening they're being led in song - singing a range of traditional hymns and contemporary Christian worship tunes.
The selection reflects a rich variety of worship at the church over the last two centuries.
Ararat Baptist Church has been on the same plot of land since 1824, but the chapel has been rebuilt three times.
Revd. Gethin Russell-Jones, minister of Ararat said: “At a time when so many churches and chapels in Wales have closed, Ararat is still going strong. It has adapted to the times and needs of the capital city in every generation, trying to make Christianity as relevant and practical as possible for everyone.
“In many ways Ararat in 2024 looks very different to its 1824 version, with a busy community centre, Ark café and burgeoning work with families. It feels like a church that never sleeps! But we are carrying on the good work begun with our forefathers and mothers, communicating the love of God to the city.”
He told Premier that the church’s musical director Sue Watts came up with the idea of 200 songs or hymns as worship and prayer is at the heart of the church’s ministry:
“Throughout the day we’ll be exploring every genre of hymns and songs over the last 200 years. So there'll be some in Welsh, because Ararat started off as a Welsh speaking church, as it was the dominant language. So there'll be the Welsh hymns, there'll be some children's songs. Children are going to come along to make instruments to shake and rattle and roll during the course of worship. There'll be some modern songs, there will be Sankey hymns for those who remember those. There’ll also be some older and newer Baptist hymns, so a kind of cross section of the way we worship today.”
Rev Russell-Jones says he has one particular favourite hymn he’s looking forward to singing:
“The one I’ve gone for is actually a really old hymn written by an American Quaker - Dear Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways. That always gets me, that hymn. I love the breadth of it, I love the theology of it, I love that kind of universality of God's love that's expressed through it. It just touches me every time and I find it immensely soothing in troubled times. So that's what I've opted for.”
On Pentecost Sunday, the church will welcome Dr Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury as its guest preacher.