Category: St Mary’s Parish Church News

Farewell To Jon And Sheonagh

Farewell To Jon And Sheonagh

A large tea party to say farewell to Jon and Sheonagh was held at the Old School in Sully on the afternoon of October 30th, followed on the Sunday with Jon’s last services in the three parishes. It was an emotional occasion spiced with many humorous asides and a series of wonderful tributes from members of the congregations. There was also a truly wonderful video presentation from Gwenfo Church in Wales school entitled ‘Farewell to Vicar Jon’ set to music. Jon was presented with a leaving gift of a new black preaching scarf, replacing one he had lost in recent months. It is generally thought that his seven year ministry among us was a most successful one, and he will be a hard act to follow. Preparations for our new priest have begun with the preparation of a profile of the churches in the new Ministry Area of De Morgannwg, including the three churches the new priest will be responsible for. He or she will be known as a Team Vicar in the Ministry Area, and will be licenced across the nine churches being brought into being by the Bishop’s Decree on 1st January 2022.

At that point we will lose our status as a parish and will be known as St. Mary’s Church in the Ministry Area of De Morgannwg, with a devolved church council to look after the day to day running of the church and its financial responsibilities. This will be the last church news to bear the title of ‘Parish’ and the Bishop’s Decree will rob the Diocese of our parish status that even King Henry VIII failed to do in the 16th century. I have no doubt that we will continue to refer to the Parish of Wenvoe, despite the ruling from Llandaff.

The other major event during November was the marking of Remembrance Sunday with an outdoor service at the Wenvoe War Memorial. A procession from St. Mary’s to the War Memorial met the crowds of people who had gathered, while the Vale Brass Band played solemn music. The Wenvoe Scouts and Beavers were on parade with their banners flying in the breeze. The leaves falling from the large beech tree was very reminiscent of the poppies that fell from the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance in the Royal Albert Hall the previous evening. The keeping of a solemn act of worship at the War Memorial is a highlight of the year, as we remember not only the men who lost their lives in WWI but also those in WWII and the many wars and conflicts since then, together with the many civilians who died as a result of enemy action in our towns and cities. The Royal British Legion celebrated its centenary this year and the number of wreaths and tributes were the largest in recent years.

On Armistice Day, the senior class from Gwenfo School met at the War Memorial to observe the 2 minutes silence and a short prayer service took place. They were introduced to the outline figure of ‘Tommy’ purchased by the Wenvoe Community Council as a reminder of the caring nature of the Legion in looking after the survivors and the injured and their families in the past 100 years. There is also now a QR code where you can log in with your smartphone to reveal details of all the names of the fallen inscribed on the large upright stone. The War Memorial is now classed as a Listed Structure for its unique design reflecting the huge amount of quarrying in the Wenvoe area; stones from the Alps Quarry were used in its construction.

St. Mary’s Church is now the responsibility of the Rev. Andrew James Tel No. 029 20512555 where all inquiries should be directed. All services are being covered by a rota of retired priests up to the end of December when fresh arrangements will be made. The weekly newsletter is being produced giving details of the Sunday services in church. There are no midweek services planned at present, and the Christmas Carol service will be a scaled back version on Wednesday December 15th. The Christmas services are detailed on page 4.

The solemn season of Advent starts on November 28th and the Advent Windows will begin to be lit up from 1st December. The final display at the church will, weather permitting, be followed by carol singing.

Christian Aid Week. A very positive result UK wide with an income of over £5m! This of course includes our ‘walking’ and donations which came to £326.20p from our three churches. Plans are going ahead for 2022 and I have been invited to a Zoom call to find information about the next theme.

We continue to support the Barry Food Bank with collections and deliveries on Thursday mornings. The Big Wrap will be going ahead during December with the emphasis on gifts for teenagers, as they consider that the younger children are already well provided for. Cash donations can be given so that the organisers can buy the things that teenagers need. Please use the letter boxes at the Church Hall and the church porch clearly marked Big Wrap. Christmas goodies are also welcome for the food bank to bring a little festive cheer to those who are finding it difficult to manage this year.

As for the future, the setting up of the Ministry Area will not affect the pattern of services in church. The work on the tower is planned for Spring. A new and exciting lighting scheme has been selected for St.Mary’s using a recent bequest. We look forward to a new priest who will be given a great welcome, and will continue to reside at the Rectory. So much to look forward to.

A happy and blessed Christmas to all readers and a Happy New Year – Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda.

Parry Edwards

 

 

Advent Windows Programme

ADVENT WINDOWS

A St. Mary’s initiative for the whole community

We are delighted to invite you to view the Wenvoe Advent windows again this year. The windows will be decorated from 1st – 24th December, lighting up from 5pm until 9pm. Each evening an additional window is added until all 24 windows are displayed. They begin at 29 Venwood Close (5:00pm), and the Telephone Box (5:30pm). The final window is at St. Mary’s Church on 24th December with help from Gwenfo School. If the weather is fair it is planned to have some carol singing outside the church when the church porch is lit. Please bring lanterns or torches.

All the windows will be numbered and can be viewed from outside the property. Most are within walking distance; however, 3 may need transport (see map below for details). You may need a torch if walking to number 12. Torches are also needed to read the display in the phone box.

We hope you enjoy the windows. We are very grateful to all who are taking part in decorating their windows and inviting us to enjoy them. Maps are available in Springfield Stores, The Wenvoe Arms and the Church Porch.

LIST OF WINDOWS TO VIEW

1st December (a) 29 Venwood Close
1st December (b) Telephone Box, Walston Road
2nd December Springfield Stores
3rd December Wenvoe Arms, Old Port Road
4th December Cresta, Burdon’s Hill
5th December 71 Walston Road
6th December 73 Walston Road
7th December 52 Walston Road
8th December 4 Greenwood Close, Twyn-yr-Odyn
9th December 4 Venwood Close
10th December 9 Walston Road
11th December 15 Old Port Road
12th December 4 Station Terrace
13th December 40 Walston Road
14th December 3 Tarrws Close
15th December 12 Walston Road
16th December 38 Burdons Close
17th December 13 Gwenfo Drive
18th December 24 Old Port Road
19th December 15 Grange Close
20th December 2 Grange Close
21st December Pinetrees, Walston Road
22nd December Gwenfo School
23rd December 6 Walston Road
24th December St Mary’s Church

 

 

 

Thank You For Your Support

Dear All,

I would just like to take this opportunity to say thank you for all your support and encouragement over the last 7 years while I have been the Priest in Charge here of the Parishes of Wenvoe and St Lythans.

I have been most fortunate to serve in such a beautiful place but especially to serve in such a lovely community. It has been a privilege to serve with you and to be involved in different aspects of village life. We are lucky in Wenvoe to still maintain our shop, pub, library, halls and school, and of course all the clubs and societies and What’s On that plays such a wonderful role in keeping people connected. I would just like to make a special mention for Gwenfo School, for the children, parents and staff associated with it. I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed coming and being with you at school assemblies and inviting you into St Mary’s and a couple of years ago leading a pilgrimage to St Lythans.

The last 18months have been difficult for everyone, but the way the community has pulled together and supported each other has been inspiring and thank you to the special people who have done so much for others.

I have many highlights of my time with you all. Christmas is always a special time and having the community gathered together with Vale Village Church was always a favourite moment. As was the Waiting for Jesus gathering we used to have on Christmas Eve with people of all ages coming dressed as angels or shepherds (plus the occasional king!). We have enjoyed the Scarecrow Festivals and of course the Vicar in the Stocks and the Teddy Bear Parachute Jump off the Tower. We have had candidates for Confirmation and recorded two programmes for Radio Wales Sunday Worship Celebration.

None of this would have been possible without the magnificent congregations. I don’t know what people were expecting when I first arrived but we have been on a good journey together. What people outside of the church don’t realise is how much all churches rely on volunteers, and here Wenvoe, St Lythans (and Sully – my other church) are in the Premier League. So a special thank you to our Reader Emeritus and local historian and editor (the list could go on), to all who have served as Church Wardens, the Treasurers, the leaders of the Building Committee, the Secretaries to the PCC’s, all PCC members, the people who put together the weekly Newsletter and edit the Magazine those who lead worship and read in church, my clergy colleagues, the people who provide the music, those who organise the refreshments and the social occasions we all enjoy as a community, the leaders of Pebbles and all who have worked with the children and young people in the past, the fundraisers, the 200 Club and those who donate through the various ways to the Church, the Flower arrangers, the clock winders, the people who sort out Foodbank and charity collections. Those who clean the churches and polish the brasses and those who keep and have kept the church grounds looking so good. I hope I haven’t left anyone out, but if I have, I apologise. It is because of these wonderful volunteers that our churches have stood for 800 years and will continue to go for centuries to come.

It is now time for a new chapter for me, and a new chapter for the churches. As we enter into Autumn, we are reminded that there is indeed

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: Ecclesiastes 3.1

With my thanks to you all for the time we have spent together and my continued prayers to the wonderful people of Wenvoe and St Lythans

Blessings

Jon

 

Wenvoe Advent Windows

ADVENT WINDOWS

A St. Mary’s initiative for the whole community

The plans are going ahead for the Wenvoe Advent Windows. Many local people have volunteered to decorate a window to be revealed during Advent on a given day from 1st until 24th December when all windows will be decorated for everyone to view.

The windows will be lit each day from 5pm until 9pm and can be viewed at a safe distance so that no one need go onto someone’s property. Some will have a collecting box for their specified charity that will be emptied each evening.

A map with the plan of all windows will be included in the next Wenvoe What’s On, with maps available in the Church Porch and, with their permission, in the Village Shop and the Wenvoe Arms. The first window to be revealed on 1st December is at the home of Glenys and Mike Tucker at 29, Venwood Close.

There are a few spaces left if you would like to join in to make sure Advent this year is as enjoyable as in 2020.

Please get in touch if you would like further information or would like help by decorating your window.

Jude Billingham

judebillingham@yahoo.co.uk 07516112897

 

 

Farewell to the Rev. Jonathon Ormrod

Rev. Jonathon Ormrod

By the time you are reading this we will have already said farewell to the Rev. Jonathon Ormrod, our parish priest for the last seven years. Jon, as he wished to be called has accepted the position of Priest in Charge of the church of St. Martin’s in Worle, outside Weston super Mare, and we wish him and his family every blessing in his work there. During his tenure here, together with the parishes of St. Lythan’s and Sully, much has been achieved under his shepherding, the congregation has swelled, our “Pebbles” group has grown, and during the past 18 months with the COVID-19 virus, he has been a rock to so many people, and he leaves the parish of Wenvoe in a better state than when he and Sheonagh arrived. Jon did not wish for any “fuss” when he left, no presentation was his wish, for he realised that in today’s uncertainty of the rising costs of living, he would rather people give to far more worthy causes than his leaving for another parish. So it was with a final tea party at Sully and his final services on the 30th October he bade us farewell.

The parish will be in the care of the Area Dean, the Rev. Andrew James of Dinas Powis, who with our assistant curate the Rev. Kevin Barry will be the Ministry team until we enter the “De Morgannwyg” Ministry Area on the 1st January 2022. During this time which is now called a Vacancy, other priests will be brought in to lead services until a time when a new priest will be appointed to serve in the Ministry Area, with responsibility for the churches of St. John the Baptist in Sully, St. Bleddian’s in St. Lythan’s and St Mary’s in Wenvoe.

The Harvest Festival services took place over three weekends and were well attended following the Welsh Government’s “Zero” zone recommendations. There is now no need to book to attend services, but the sanitizing of hands and the wearing of face masks remains mandatory, singing is now allowed and we have reverted to using the hymn books once again. The appeal for tinned or dry goods brought in a huge response and was taken to the Food Bank in Barry. A collection for the Christian Aid Harvest appeal was also taken in all three churches which amounted to £326.00. The Churchwardens wish to thank all who decorated the churches and brought the gifts of food etc and also supported the collection for Christian Aid. Well done. Da iawn

Remembrance Sunday

This year we will resume the commemoration at the Village War Memorial at 10.55 on Remembrance Sunday14th November. There will be no service in St. Mary’s prior to the service at the War Memorial, and a procession will leave the church to be in place at 10.55 am. The Vale of Glamorgan Brass Band will be in attendance and those organisations in the village who wish to lay poppy wreaths are asked to assemble at the church to join the procession. Order of Service leaflets ae being printed and will be available on the day. Donations for the work of the Royal British Legion, which has celebrated its centenary this year, can be posted in the letter box in the church porch or in the church hall.

The Tower Appeal

The Tower Appeal remains open, and we are near to reaching our target figure of £61.000, then we have to face the cost of repairing the church clock on the tower, so we are very grateful to all who have donated money towards the repair and upkeep of the church fabric to make it fit for purpose for the next 100 years. The church officers have for some time been concerned at the continuing failure of the lighting system in the church. The present installation needs constant attention and it is thanks to a generous lighting engineer, who has always replaced and tweaked the system when necessary, who has kept it going at no cost to the church. Church lighting experts have been called in to inspect and suggest a lighting scheme that will enhance the architectural features of the interior and will be an added aid to worship. The demonstrations have shown how light when directed at specific areas, and the shadows thrown up can really lift the soul, and the realisation that we have a lovely church in Wenvoe, and it can be made more lovely with a suitably designed lighting system using the very latest LED fittings and lighting tapes.

Keep safe God Bless

Parry Edwards

 

 

October News Update

October News Update

The church is now open for worship without the need to book your place in the congregation. We are still required to sanitise our hands on entry and leaving, to wear a face mask and keep social distancing.

This last condition is probably the most difficult to adhere to, for when any congregation gathers, having been prevented from doing so for such a long period of time, it is the most natural thing in the world to greet and converse, taking time to catch up on all that has gone before. Singing is now allowed, wearing a face mask, and somehow we raise our voices in praise, so we are getting back to a new kind of normality. Come and experience this for yourselves. You will be very welcome.

The fundraising for the repair of the tower is gathering apace, with the results from a number of fund-giving bodies expected during the month. We are extremely grateful for the response from those who have already donated. The work is being delayed until next spring when the lime mortar can be applied without the risk of any frost. The recent appeal for old and unusable IT appliances to be recycled brought a great response and filled the church hall kitchen to overflowing. We await to hear whether this will bring in funds for the appeal. We must also thank Mike and Glenys Tucker for organising their “stones for the tower” appeal. Do support them; fund raising is a thankless task, and as a well know multinational grocer, puts it “every little helps”.

However, like many things in life, we now have an additional problem with the church clock. Time is standing still on the Wenvoe clock. For some time the hands were stopping at ten to three each day. The clock people, Smiths of Derby who installed the clock in 1883 and have maintained it ever since, have examined the linkage etc and their report is likely to say that somehow the hands of the clock are fouling each other, causing the stoppage. Their report has been received, and the cost of repair is likely to be in the region of £16,000 inc VAT. Funding will be sought from recognised fund holders for church clocks, and the work will be carried out at the same time as the scaffolding is on the tower next year.

We have been opening the church on Saturday afternoons for visitors to see the freshly painted walls and chancel ceiling, and also to see the renowned wall monuments to the Thomas/Birt/Jenner families of Wenvoe Castle. These monuments are among the finest in South Wales and date from 1636-1824. The carved and gilded reredos at the altar was designed by the renowned church designer and architect Sir John Ninian Comper and was gifted to the church in 1901. The restored Victorian tiled floors complete the image of the church that the church restorers of the 19th century wished us to see. Although at the time, the restorations and improvements did not meet with general approval. But times change and we are the grateful inheritors of much that has gone before.

Our children’s “Pebbles” group has been meeting since early September and what a joy it is to see the youngsters back in church. It has been 18 months since they were last in church, and how some of them have grown! We welcome new faces as they join in the activities in the church hall under the guidance of the leaders and the parents. “Pebbles” is from 9.30am each Sunday morning during term time. There is always space for new faces. All are welcome.

We continue to support the work of the Food Bank in Barry and wish to thank those who make regular weekly donations to the food boxes in the church porch. The donations are collected from Wenvoe and Sully every Thursday morning, and they are most gratefully received for the families in the Vale who find themselves in difficult circumstances beyond their control. So, thank you for your help and support. Please keep the donations coming. Diolch.

The work towards the setting up of the Ministry Area, nine churches united to bring Jesus’s love to the Community, continues with the introduction of a weekly bulletin for the Ministry Area which is known as De Morgannwg. These are available in all nine churches, setting out the times of services and what is happening during the week. We are now nine months into the preparations and setting up of the various groups to bring us all into one large Christian family when the Bishop’s Decree is signed on 1st January.

A great welcome is assured to all from our Parish Priest and Churchwardens.

Parry Edwards

 

 

Advent Windows 2021

ADVENT WINDOWS

A St. Mary’s initiative for the whole community

Following last year’s success, we are inviting you to take part in lighting up your windows this Ad-vent. The Advent Windows 2021 will encourage us to wrap up warm and get out to view them throughout December. There will be a new one to see each night leading up to Christmas Eve when there will be 24 all on display. This community fun event will run from the 1st – 24th December, with the final window at St. Mary’s Church. We would like you to take part; there is no entry fee, it’s not a competition and adults and children can be involved.

We need a minimum of 24 participants to decorate their windows. Participants will be allocated a date to light up their window for the first time and continue lighting up each day until 24th. From 1st December a new window will be lit up to go and see so that by 24th December there will be 24 windows to view.

The windows can be designed and constructed from any media e.g. lights, mobiles, cut-outs. They can be as simple or technical as your artistic tendencies take you. They can be internal or external displays as long as they involve decorating your window. All the dis-plays should relate to Advent/Christmas and can be humorous, artistic or topical. Last year there was variety in size, content, both humorous and stately, with modern and traditional designs.

The windows will be lit from 5.00pm – 9.00pm each evening. Each house participating will be asked to:

  • display a number (corresponding to the date their window is ‘opened’) to differentiate from other residents who will have their own Christmas decorations.
  • keep their window a surprise as far as is possible before the designated big reveal evening.

If you want to participate you need to:

  • live in a house that has a window (upstairs or down) that can clearly be seen from the street without people coming onto your property.
  • be happy to keep the window illuminated each evening after it is ‘opened’ until December 24th.

We are aware that many people give their time and money to support a host of different charities. If you would like to put a charity box outside your house you would be most welcome. Just make sure you empty the box each evening.

For more information ring: Sandra and Brian Jones: 02920594248. Glenys and Mike Tucker: 07922 109721. Jude and Nige Billingham: on 02920594708 or 07516 112897.

Please let Jude Billingham know by email judebil-lingham@yahoo.co.uk, phone or text by October 16th if you want to decorate your window by supplying your name, address, email, telephone number, and any date preference you have.

Please be aware that in agreeing to participate you are also agreeing to have your address identified on the windows map that will be made available so people can look for your window. No names or email will be shared without your permission.

 

 

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