When the elders of CLEC had asked John Field to take responsibility for the church plant he felt it would be right for three years, but after that they should look for a younger man.  During the time in the school ‘God added to their number’ and as the time drew towards the three years it seemed right to appoint a pastor.  Interestingly, Elfed Godding, who was by then pastor of CLEC, was aware of a young man who had previously been part of his ‘old’ church and who was just finishing at Moorland’s Bible College.  Elfed felt that this man and his wife Lisa might have the qualities we required.  Thus Brendan Bassett was invited to ‘preach with a view’.  

Subsequently Brendan and Lisa joined the church.  However, this was after a great deal of prayer because Lisa was expecting their first child, we had no home to offer them and, as they were just leaving Bible College, they had little money of their own.  Could the Church afford a pastor?  It was a huge leap of faith, but we felt that we should do so, perhaps with Brendan working for Cabin Lane for 50% of the time and in secular employment for the other 50%.  In the event, Carreg Llwyd was ‘between’ youth workers, and so Brendan worked for CLEC as well as Cabin Lane for a while.  Once their youth worker was appointed the decision was taken that we would step out in faith and appoint Brendan to full-time pastorship, thus allowing him time to establish the church more firmly and move towards realisation of the building project.  It was during his pastorship that the decision was made to change the name to Cabin Lane Church.

Brendan was the church representative at the Unicorn Centre. This was funded by the Borough Council as a community project and, in discussion with members of its management committee, it became clear it would be better to work towards a community centre that was separate from a church building.  That eventually became the Eastern Oswestry Community Centre, where the church currently meets.

After six years Brendan and Lisa felt God was calling them to move on, which meant more prayer!  Did God want us to have a pastor or not?  Should we save the salary and put that towards the construction of the church?  In the end the decision was made to appoint another pastor.  God led us to Chris Rees, his wife Ho Soon and their 2 young sons.  Chris & Ho Soon had worshipped with us in the early years of their marriage when they had been with OM [Operation Mobilisation] at the Quinta, just outside Oswestry.  Daniel and Jonathan had been known to many of the congregation as babies – now they were primary school age.  More heart searching ensued!  Was this right?  By now Chris & Ho Soon were settled in London – should the family be moved back to Oswestry?  It seemed right and eventually Chris was preaching in the school, which was special as he had been the person who had been praying before the school was built and who had ‘heard’ those people singing!