We are very excited to announce that Swansea Valley Bible Church has a new name. We are now known as Oaklands Church. So why the change?

Since our establishment just over 30 years ago, we have been faithfully following God and constantly seeking His will and guidance for the continued life and growth of our church. He has been very faithful (as He always is!) and we have seen increase upon increase, not only in numbers of people attending, but also in the ways that got has blessed and equipped the members of the church.

Over the period of the Covid pandemic, we have been placed in an odd place; unable to meet in person (thank the Lord for Zoom!) and feeling a little bit hidden away. However, God has been speaking in the quietness.

As you may already know, we have three partner churches that have been planted out from Swansea Valley Bible Church, reaching into communities further afield. We have had a clear mandate from God that now is the time to focus on building those partner churches. This means that Sunday mornings will (for the foreseeable future) see us meeting as these smaller, partner churches, with two collective meetings per month (the second and fourth Sundays) at our main church building here in Ystradgynlais.

This all brings us on to the name: Oaklands Church.

We believe that the church is moving into a new phase, where the emphasis will be on smaller, local churches that have strong, supportive relationships with each other. This has all been tied together with a clear word from God that we are to go from being a single oak to a field of oaks, ready to plant new congregations where we called. A land of oaks, if you will!

As an aside, this also ties in with our local geography - there is an abundance of actual oak trees in our area, to the point that many local organisations and establishments have either the Welsh or English word for oak as part of their name.

So we are excited for this new phase, and for what God has planned for Oaklands Church!