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All Things Considered

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Religious affairs programme, tackling thorny issues in a thought-provoking manner

Religious affairs programme, tackling the thornier issues of the day in a thought-provoking manner

All Things Considered: New Hengoed Chapel

New Hengoed Chapel

BBC Radio Wales - All Things Considered, New Hengoed Chapel

Roy Jenkins hears Kath and Carl Miller's story of a pioneering church in Cefn Hengoed.

Roy Jenkins meets Kath and Carl Miller and hears how they refuse to ban youngsters from New Hengoed Chapel in the deprived area of Cefn Hengoed.

Pot noodles, toast with chocolate spread, cocoa pops, tea and coffee, hip hop and gangster rap all in a Grade II listed chapel - some of the essential ingredients of a challenging, pioneering youth ministry which has been running for seven years in the Rhymney Valley. It's the vision of Kath Miller, a Baptist Minister, who felt compelled to offer a place of unconditional welcome to teenagers, young adults and children in the significantly deprived area of Cefn Hengoed. On two nights a week and on Sunday mornings, they offer a different kind of church which doesn't preach or teach but simply aims to live out the gospel of Jesus by extending love, hope and help to those most in need, the excluded, the poor, the marginalised. They have been barricaded in the church, had number plates stolen and items vandalised yet Kath, together with her husband Carl, and their handful of helpers, are adamant that they will not ban anyone from the church. 
Having built up a relationship of trust and mutual respect over several years, the community is now beginning to see the positive and sometimes lifesaving effects of this project at New Hengoed Chapel. Roy Jenkins meets Kath and Carl Miller, young people and members of the church to hear about why the work exists, the impact it is having and plans for the future. (First broadcast 16th April 2017).

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