The History of Castleton Baptist Church.
The cause was established through the labours of devoted followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, for we
find that, as far back as the year 1700, Baptist ministers were visiting the villages around Castleton with commendable regularity.
The first converts
being baptised at Castleton in 1713 were received into membership at Llanwenarth Baptist Church near Abergavenny. In 1742
the chapel at Tydu, Rogerstone, was built, and members from Castleton were transferred to the new Bethesda Baptist Church.
The membership at
Castleton, having worshipped in commodious farmhouses and convenient cottages for over 103 years, felt it was time to erect
their own building for Divine Worship, and this was done in 1804.
By 1823 the membership
at Castleton was strong enough to be incorporated as a separate church, and they appointed Rev. Evan Jones ( Gwrst - his Bardic
title) to be their pastor, and he remained there until his death in 1855.
The membership,
by this time, had outgrown the 1804 chapel, and it was arranged for a new building to take its place.
New Salem was built, at the top of the Marshfield Road, between
1857 and 1859, to be visited that year by the renowned Rev. Charles Hadden Spurgeon, who preached in a nearby field to a crowd
of about 5000 people.
A Mission Sunday
School room was built in Marshfield in 1886, which saw valued service for almost 90 years, until it was rebuilt and extended
in 1973 when it was renamed 'Gateway.'
'May this be the Gateway of Heaven
to all who enter herein.'
By 2001 the members of the church had decided to sell the building
at Castleton, and make Gateway their centre of worship. On Easter Sunday 2001 the pastor led the closing service at New Salem,
and the whole congregation walked to Marshfield to finish the service at Gateway Christian Centre.
We praise the Lord
for all the blessings that he has given through the whole history of the church, and trust in His wisdom and guidance for
the future.
