Union of Welsh Independents
The Union of Welsh Independents (Union of Welsh Independents, Welsh : Undeb yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg ) is the largest association of congregational communities in Wales . The union has around 500 parishes with around 35,000 members. Services are mostly held in the Welsh language.
history
The Union's roots lie in the 17th century Puritan movement. In 1639 the first parish arose in Llanfach near Newport . In 1872 the various municipalities merged to form the Union of Welsh Independents .
In the years after 2000, the Union negotiated a merger with other Welsh free churches . However, this was rejected by the majority of the municipalities in the Union, so that the merger did not take place.
Ecumenism
The church is a member of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe and the World Fellowship of Reformed Churches .
Footnotes
- ^ Geraint H. Jenkins: Protestant Dissenters in Wales, 1639–1689 . University of Wales Press, Cardiff 1992, ISBN 0-7083-1140-7 , p. 12.