THE new pastor of a Pembroke Dock church has spoken about how he found his faith following a near death experience at the age of 19.

The Rev Dafydd Taylor will be inducted as the new pastor of the Zion Free Church, Meyrick Street, Pembroke Dock, on Saturday (May 31).

The 31-year-old moved into a flat in the town earlier this month (May) with his wife, Hannah, and two children, Nathan, 1, and Lydia, 2.

Originally from Llangennech, near Llanelli, Rev Taylor moved to Swansea when he was 19.

“You could say I had a near death experience at the age of 19 which made me re-assess where my life was going,” he said.

“I had a car accident on the M4 where my car rolled. I remember thinking, ‘This is it, I’m going to die and I have wasted my life, I have done nothing with my life’.

“A police officer at the scene gave me a £1 and he said I should do the lottery because I was lucky to be alive, I should’ve been dead.”

After the accident Rev Taylor, a Ford car factory worker, joined the church at a time when the ministry was starting to train young men.

Rev Taylor started preaching in March 2004 and by September of that year, aged 21, he started training for the ministry at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Swansea.

And his hopes for Zion? “Initially, just to get to know the people of the town and the church.

“It would be lovely to see the church full one day. It holds about 1,100 and currently it has a congregation of about 60 so there’s plenty of room.”

An avid Scarlets rugby fan, Rev Taylor added: “Pembroke Dock’s a lovely town, it’s very friendly. There are lots of open doors and everybody’s happy to chat.

“I would just like to thank the town and the county for the warm welcome we’ve received so far.”

The induction service starts at 2.30pm. Refreshments will be served after. All welcome. For more information on the church go to www.zionfreechurch.org.uk.