Bible College of Wales, Sketty

The Bible College of Wales (Trinity School of Ministry from 2009–2012), is a Pentecostal Bible college located along Derwen Fawr Road in Swansea, Wales. Originally based in Swansea, Wales, it was founded in 1924 by Rees Howells.^[1]

The Bible College of Wales, Sketty

In 2009, it was relocated from Wales to England and renamed Trinity School of Ministry, run by Global Horizons.^[2][3][4] In 2012, Cornerstone Community Church, an independent Pentecostal congregation based in Singapore purchased and refurbished the property at Derwen Fawr.^[1][5][6] The college has since been reopened and runs a three-month School of Ministry programme twice a year.^[7]

The College's current director, is Pastor Yang Tuck Yoong.^[5][8][9]

History

Prior to starting the Bible College of Wales, founder Rees Howells was part of a ministry in Africa from 1915 to 1920. He left this life behind him to focus on the founding of a training college that could equip the growing number of Christian converts to become missionaries and ministry workers. Inspired by the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, he started a Bible College in Swansea.^[10][11]

Despite having only two shillings when he purchased the first property for the Bible College of Wales,^[12] he eventually received gifts sufficient to make up for the shortfall.^[13][14] He went on to purchase four estates for the College Wales - Glynderwen, Derwen Fawr, Sketty Isaf, and Penllergaer.^[10] It formally opened at Glynderwen House, Swansea, UK in 1924.^[1]

Rees Howells was director of the college until his death in 1950.^[10] He was succeeded by his son Samuel Rees Howells who led the college until a year before his death in 2004.^[15][16] The college continued to run under Alan Scotland.^[17] In July 2009 the Bible College of Wales saw its last graduation.^[18] In September 2009, the college operations moved to Rugby under the name Trinity School of Ministry and was run by Global Horizons.^[4]

In December 2012, Cornerstone Community Church of Singapore purchased the Derwen Fawr site^[19] and announced intentions to establish a new Bible school on the site while retaining its original name and honouring its heritage and legacy.^[20][18] It was reopened and inaugurated on Whit Monday, 2015 under the new leadership.^[18]

Accreditation

The BCW School of Ministry is accredited by the Accreditation Service for International Schools, Colleges & Universities to offer a diploma in ministry.^[21]

Notable alumni

• Reinhard Bonnke^[22]
• Evangelist Charles W Doss

Bibliography

• Samuel, Son and Successor of Rees Howells, by Richard Maton, ByFaith Media, 2012. Covers the story of how the Bible College of Wales was founded, and its full history.
• Samuel Rees Howells: A Life of Intercession, The Legacy of Prayer and Spiritual Warfare of an Intercessor by Richard Maton. Covering the prayers of the Bible College of Wales 1939-2002 and the move from Swansea, to Trinity School of Ministry.

References

1. Williams, Nino (25 April 2015). . South Wales Evening Post. Archived from the original on 2015-09-15.
2. "Global Horizons". Global Connections. 12 Oct 2022.
3. "Trinity School of Ministry". The Prodigal Thought. 2 June 2010.
4. "Historic Welsh Bible college to re-launch in Rugby".
5. Pettie, Gordon (15 Aug 2020). "Revelation TV Presents - Rees Howells - The Bible College of Wales". Revelation TV.
6. Gregor, Gary (14–15 Nov 2015). "Spreading the gospel". South Wales Evening Post. pp. 12–13.
7. Peregrine, Chris (26 April 2015). "New Bible college era marked by re-opening, South Wales Evening Post". South Wales Evening Post.
8. Yang, Tuck Yoong (4 April 2013). "Redigging Wells of the Welsh Revival". Charisma Magazine.
9. Sheets, Dutch (30 September 2015). "Re-Digging the Wells of Revival: Dutch Sheets' Visits to Cane Ridge and Wales". Charisma Magazine.
10. Grubb, Norman (1988). Rees Howells: Intercessor. CLC Publications.
11. Morgan, Densil D. (2016). The Span of the Cross: Christian Religion and Society in Wales 1914-2000. University of Wales Press. p. 194. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
12. "Two Shillings Founded the College". Daily Mirror. 29 May 1939. p. 25.
13. Muller, George (Feb 1996). The Autobiography of George Muller. Whitaker House, U.S. ISBN 9780883681596.
14. Holland, Billy (4 Oct 2019). "George Müller – a man of faith". Jackson Sun.
15. Maton, Richard (2012). Samuel, Son and Successor of Rees Howells. ByFaith Media.
16. Maton, Richard (2012). Samuel Rees Howells: A Life of Intercession, The Legacy of Prayer and Spiritual Warfare of an Intercessor. ByFaith Media.
17. Backholer, Paul (21 August 2020). "Rees Howells Intercessor, Intercession, Revival and the Bible College of Wales". ByFaith Media.
18. . South Wales Evening Post. 25 April 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-09-15.
19. . Archived from the original on 2014-03-15. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
20. . Archived from the original on 2013-10-27. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
21. "School of Ministry Curriculum". BCW. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
22. Eddy, Melissa (12 Dec 2019). "Reinhard Bonnke, the 'Billy Graham of Africa,' Dies at 79". The New York Times.

External links

• Bible College of Wales - official site
• Rees Howells - official site of Rees Howells
• Official DVD on the life of Rees Howells
• Samuel, Son and Successor of Rees Howells The full history of the Bible College of Wales, with many photos of Rees and Samuel Howells, plus the College buildings.
• Samuel Rees Howells: A Life of Intercession. Covering the prayers of the Bible College of Wales, and the reasons for the move to Trinity School of Ministry 1939-2002.
• Rees Howells’ God Challenges the Dictators, Doom of Axis Powers Predicted Rees Howells’ God Challenges the Dictators, Doom of Axis Powers Predicted.
• Rees Howells, Vision Hymns Rees Howells, Vision Hymns of Spiritual Warfare Intercessory Declarations.
• Rees Howells, Life of Faith Rees Howells, Life of Faith, Intercession, Spiritual Warfare & Walking in the Spirit.