The members at Emmanuel Evangelical Church, Newport would like to give thanks and praise to God for calling Rev Andy Pitt as pastor. Andy preached and led prayer meetings on a number of occasions before and during the lockdowns. A special members meeting was held over Zoom in September where the church voted to call Andy as pastor.

Andy, originally from Stroud, spent the last 18 years serving as pastor of Park Baptist Church, Merthyr Tydfil. He succeeds Rev Bernard Lewis who pastored the church from 2010, retiring in October. Pastor Bernard’s final service was on the Sunday before the Welsh ‘firebreak lockdown’. It was followed by a farewell meeting where church secretary Ian Davies presented gifts to Bernard and his wife Linda and thanked them on behalf of the church. A video of the church families singing a farewell song was played and Pastor Bernard gave a warm retiring speech.

Andy led his first services as pastor on 15th November. A short act of induction led by Ian Davies took place in the morning service. It was good to have a small, socially distanced congregation present as well as the rest of the church watching on YouTube. Andy’s wife Viv was also welcomed into membership at this service. Andy preached stirringly on Romans 1 focussing on the Gospel’s power to save, granting deliverance from guilt’s burden. The availability of this redemption is there for all who believe this good news from Newport to the ends of the Earth.