Andy Baker may have been baptised, met his spouse, and got married at his humble local church in Blackwood but after leaving for London to train as a minister he never imagined he would return. But now, 35 years after leaving his hometown, the 57-year-old is returning to preach at the same church in Caerphilly.
Andy, who was born in Markham, said he first attended Mount Pleasant Baptist Church as a teenager after his parents encouraged him to come along with them. It was there that the then 15-year-old met his future wife, Julie, who was 16 at the time. After a year of friendship the pair got into a relationship before they married aged 21 and 22 in September 1986.
Around a year later the couple left for southeast London where Andy attended a Baptist training college while Julie worked at the Sainsbury's headquarters. Following four years of studies the pair moved down to Downton in Wiltshire where Andy ministered at a church for 23 years. It was there that Julie gave birth to their son Jason and daughter Joanna two years later.
In 2014 the couple decided it was time for a change and moved to Woodley, near Reading, in Berkshire. But after eight years they decided they wanted to move closer to south Wales to be nearer to their family. Andy said within the Baptist church system ministers looking to move are privy to a list of churches seeking new leaders. He was shocked when he saw Mount Pleasant on the list.
He said: "We saw there was one in Gloucester we were interested in but that didn't work out. Then there was another in Abergavenny but that didn't work out either. I saw the one in Blackwood on the list and I thought it would be a bit ridiculous – we couldn't possibly go back to where we started."
But one thing led to another and Andy met with the church's leader. He said everything ran so smoothly that it didn't take him long to realise it was meant to be. "Any obstacle that appeared fell away," he said. "It was like God was leading the way for us to come back. We finally made the decision in February 2022 that we would come back. Over the next few months we prepared to hand in my resignation and waited for the house to become vacant."
Andy and Julie made the move back to Blackwood in August. Since then he has been preparing for his induction sermon on September 3.
"I feel excited for a new start in and around Blackwood," he said. "My mum is still up here and [Julie and I] have 35 years of socialising and family life to catch up on. Julie is very excited – she has all her sisters in the area. When it first became a possibility she was excited about the thought it might happen – and now it has."
Andy said he had found the entire process "bizarre but in a very positive way" – especially as every significant experience he had at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church happened in the month of September. He said: "So many things happened there in September. We were married at the church in September, we were baptised there along with Julie's parents in September 1981, I also had my ordination there in September 1991 when I finished my formal training, and now my induction service is in September." He said within the 35 years he had been away he had also visited the church for several weddings and his father's funeral in 2013.
Andy said something that makes the change particularly special is that many members of the congregation whom he worshipped alongside as a teenager still attend the church today. "There are quite a few people who I knew at the time who are still part of the congregation. One of the ladies I used to help run the boy's brigade said to me: 'I hope you're still as mischievous as you were back then'," he said.
The move means Andy and Julie will now be closer to their son, 31-year-old Jason who lives in Rogerstone, as well as to their 29-year-old daughter Joanna who has also recently moved back to live in Blackwood. They will also be closer to their two grandchildren and their third who is on the way. After years of moving around the UK Andy said Blackwood would likely be their final stop. "Moving back to Blackwood feels like moving home," he said.
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