Category: St Mary’s Parish Church News

ST. MARY’S PARISH CHURCH NEWS

The Twelfth Week Of The Lockdown

The church building remains closed in this the twelfth week of the lockdown in Wales. As we await the latest decision of the Sennedd Government on relaxing the conditions aimed to prevent the spread of the pandemic virus we have come to know as COVID-19. During this time the Parochial Church Council (PCC) has been meeting on ZOOM sessions, together with a smaller group to discuss church matters and to attend to essential church business. At a recent meeting of the PCC the question of our response to this year’s Christian Aid Appeal was raised. In recent years the combined fund raising from the “House to House” collections by our three churches has raised £3000 for the charity. CA like all charities has been severely affected by loss of income during this time and their work abroad in Africa and other places has been under even greater strain than normal, as the virus is also among the people there.

Our own income has also dropped, with no Sunday services our weekly collections have dried up, and many of our members have converted their weekly giving to the Direct Giving scheme organised by the diocese. Others have opened Standing Orders with their bank and with the generous donations we have received we are just about keeping our heads above water in meeting the monthly bills. The Church in Wales has recognised the difficulties many parishes are in and has given a rebate of 25% against the Fair Share payment we make in the current quarter. This is very welcome and totally unexpected and gratefully received. From this money the PCC resolved to send £200 to Christian Aid as a gesture that we still wish to commit to help them and that we will organise a fund raising service once things get back to some normality and we can meet as a congregation once again.

The church may be closed but the WORK of the church goes on. Members of the congregation have been kept in touch by the Contact Groups with telephone calls during the week to ensure that all is as well as can be expected in these trying times. Loneliness can be as much a killer as any disease, boredom is another. Telephone contact has been much appreciated and a chat is welcome and the assurance is there should there be a need for help and support.

The church community and others were shocked and saddened by the recent passing of Mrs Margaret Morant so soon after her husband Philip died. Margaret was a strength in the community and was involved in the life of the village, and most especially with the W.I. She supported Philip in all the interests he had in the village during his life, and we offer our condolences to her two daughters, her grandchildren and great grandchildren. May she rest in peace, now united with Philip in glory.

As for the immediate future, we are awaiting the latest decision of the Welsh Government as to when churches may be open for private prayer and meditation. The conditions for this to happen will be under the most strident arrangements. Hand cleansing, social distancing, continual cleaning within the building, clearly defined sitting areas in the pews and other “dos and don’ts”. Whether all these things will be conducive to private prayer is another matter, but it will be a step on the way to full opening of the church for public worship.

Jon will continue his Sunday morning acts of worship on our Facebook page for some time to come and they are followed and appreciated by very many people. Life goes on and as HM the Queen said recently “we will meet again” let us hope it is not too far away, but in the meantime keep WASHING THOSE HANDS. God Bless

Parry Edwards

 

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July’s Letter From Jon

Dear Friends

I am writing this letter on Friday 18th June and like many I have been listening to the announcement of the Welsh Government and the relaxation of the lockdown. Like many I was listening in order to ascertain when I would be able to next see my parents in Neath and also when it may be possible to visit our daughter in London.

As well as the personal family matters that have affected us all, I was also delighted to learn that the Welsh Government has said that places of worship can open for private prayer. It is important to stress here that wording of “can open” and “private prayer”. In conjunction with this the Church in Wales has issued a practical guide on re-opening the churches during the Red Phase which is the new phase we are in.

As this has only been announced today and as I have only seen the guidelines today I am unable to give exact dates and times as to when St Mary’s Church Wenvoe will be open. Over the next few days we will be working through the guidelines and getting systems in place in order to be able to safely open the building. More details will follow in due course on our facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/sullywenvoeandstlythans.

However, it is important to note the following at this stage

• The church building is open for private prayer only. There will be no formal worship or singing.
• As there is no formal worship we are still unable to undertake funerals, weddings and baptisms in the church
• The Church in Wales Guidelines state that we are not able to offer people votive candles to light
• The Church in Wales Guidelines stress that those who are shielding should not enter the church building
• The Church Hall will remain closed at present

 

2m social distancing – at the time of writing – continues to be applied at all times in the approach to the church and inside the building

This list has a bit of an austere Old Testament look to it – and I apologise if people find it off putting, but I am sure that, as you can imagine, we have to stay within the Guidelines as set by the Bench of Bishops of the Church in Wales.

You will notice that we are not as yet permitted to open the Church Hall in Wenvoe. It has also been decided that during the Red Phase we will not be re-opening the church in St Lythans.

But please don’t be downhearted by the rules and regulations, rather see them as the first small step towards opening our doors freely to all who wish to enter our beautiful ancient parish churches.

Should you require any more information then please do not hesitate to contact me on revjonormrod@yahoo.co.uk

Yours

Jon

 

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ST. MARY’S PARISH CHURCH NEWS

The Church Is Always Open

Paradoxically the Church is always open even though the church buildings themselves are closed for the time being. The Church is supporting us all, as the COVID19 virus continues to affect the daily lives of people in Wales and the UK.

Vicar Jon has encouraged the congregation to engage in the wonders of the digital age, by joining digital services at 10.30am on Sunday mornings, from the dining room in the Rectory. These half hour acts of worship have been seen by many hundreds of worshippers and the comments received and ‘likes’ are very gratifying. Each week a group of church members join together for a ‘Catchup’ on ZOOM; the Parochial Church Council has also been meeting on ZOOM, to maintain the business side of church activities.

When the lockdown occurred, our financial situation looked dire, with no income coming in from the weekly giving to meet our outgoings. Much immediate pruning of expenditure took place and church members were circulated to convert their agreed giving to Direct Giving, which the diocese had set up. Many arranged Standing Orders, many caught up with their weekly giving, generous donations were received, together with rebates from Gift Aid. As a result of these measures, our financial position is now much more secure, than we had ever thought possible. So a big thank you for all members and friends of St Mary’s for helping us through this particularly worrying time and BLESS YOU ALL for your generosity.

We are making plans for the time when we can once again open our churches for private prayer and meditation. We have to take into account the need for social distancing, for hand sanitising facilities and a one way system of entering and leaving the church building. We will dispense with both service booklets and hymn books and provide laminated service sheets, suitable for a modified form of service. The collection plate will not be used, as we would hope to rely on digital giving at the time. It is hoped that small funerals with a limited number of close family and friends will be able to take place in the church, observing social distancing at all times. Weddings and baptisms remain on the banned list for some time to come. Gradually things will get back to normal, and we will meet as a congregation to give thanks to Almighty God for a safe deliverance from the virus.

The recent funeral of the late Mr Philip Moran was a humbling experience. Held in high esteem in the community, his friends and neighbours stood in the streets as the cortege drove slowly past. A memorial service will be arranged for him as soon as the situation improves and we are allowed to use our church buildings. It was a reminder that not many years ago this would have been a normal occurrence. As a funeral passed along, men removed their caps and hats as a mark of respect and houses nearby kept the blinds and curtains drawn on the day

of the funeral. May he rest in peace and rise in Glory.

CHRISTIAN AID House-to-house collections could not take place this year, with a devastating loss of fund raising for this charity. We hope to arrange an event later in the year, to help to make up for it.

VE75 was marked with Vicar Jon using the churchyard cross as a pseudo ‘Town Crier’ and was transmitted on our face book page, followed by the ringing of the church bells. The flags and bunting for Christian Aid and VE75 brought a flash of colour in the warm Spring sunshine.

The community is always in the prayers and thoughts of the church, Vicar Jon is there to help with any problem or concern you may wish to discuss with him over the telephone.

Keep safe, stay indoors and wash your hands!

Parry Edwards

 

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Dear All,
I hope you are all well and that you and those you love are staying safe at these trying times.
On Saturday 16th May, I was sent an email by Llandaff Diocese outlining the Welsh Governments strategy on how Places of Worship may emerge from lockdown.
In essence there are four phases:
Black Phase – where we are at the time of writing
Closure of places of worship.
Red Phase – Opening of places of worship for private prayer under physical distancing
Amber Phase – Limit services and size of congregations linked to ability to ensure physical distancing
Green Phase – All places of worship open for full services, alongside physical distancing
We are obviously a long way from being in the Green Phase, but it is good that myself and the church councils of Wenvoe and St Lythans can begin to make plans about how we can proceed to move initially into the Red Phase. I obviously do not have a time scale for this, but it is important that we do start to make plans so that we can open our buildings as soon as possible.
St Mary’s in Wenvoe and St Bleddian’s are there for you, whether you are a person of faith or not. When we open our doors again you are very welcome to come in and just soak up the peace and atmosphere of the buildings, and remember that these places have stood for hundreds of years and have been through wars and plague. These are buildings that will be there for you and future generations to come to.
I look forward to seeing you and sharing time with you once this period of self-isolation is concluded.
Take care, and many blessings to you all.
Jon,
Vicar of Wenvoe and St Lythans

 

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The Strangest Of Times

 

We have been through the strangest of times in the past month. The virus COVID19 has affected so much of our lives, with Government advice to STAY IN OUR HOMES, in other words we have faced a “Lockdown” only going out for essential shopping, for medical reasons, some exercise and above all to “WASH YOUR HANDS”.

This meant that gradually all our public buildings closed down including St. Mary’s church in Wenvoe. For the first time in living memory we were unable to gather as a congregation to worship during Lent, Palm Sunday and the glorious feast of Easter. Jon , our Parish Priest has worked tirelessly in preparing digital acts of worship on our parish ”face book” page, which has been seen by many hundreds of “likes” recorded. We have set up “contact groups” to keep in touch with members of the congregation facing isolation in their homes, with weekly telephone conversations. The Parish magazine “Connections” has been printed and is available digitally on line, and as the cartoon above states “while we appear to be closed we are in fact open in so many ways, to be there offering a message of HOPE that things will get better and that we will get through this”.

Did you see the Cross of Hope in the churchyard at Easter. The churchyard cross was decorated with flowers in memory of past loved ones and friends as a sign that Easter is time of HOPE. It was our way of celebrating the “Risen Lord” as a visible reminder that the virus cannot stop the work of the church and that life in all its richness remains with us. We have to thank Glenys and Mike for their work in setting up the flowers and also to thank Sandra and Brian for the Easter garden within the church porch.

All church activities stopped as soon as the “stay in your homes” advice was received, this has severely affected our financial position with our “cash flow” being cut off. We are still expected to continue our contribution to the “FAIR SHARE” which supports the work of the Diocese, we have immediately reduced as many of our outgoing costs as we are able to, but we are raiding our reserves to pay for those items that cannot be put off. We want to maintain the church grounds and keep the grass cut, that is a COST, the church clock needs to be maintained, that is a COST, the church building has to be insured, that is a COST. We have recently completed work on the church doors, that is a COST. The members of the congregation are being encouraged to convert their weekly offering on the collection plate to Gift Direct, Standing Orders or Direct Orders. So we appeal to the wider community around us. If you have had your child baptised, a son or daughter married or a funeral for a loved at St. Mary’s now is the time to consider making donation, in gratitude for the church being there when you needed it.

For the present the Church in Wales has decreed that no Baptisms, Marriages or Funerals can take place within its churches, until the restrictions imposed by the Government are relaxed, and we look forward in HOPE to a future time when we can resume our church activities and our pattern of worship with Jon’s care and guidance.

Mr Philip Morant RIP

The congregation and the community were saddened to hear of the passing of Phil in the care home in Barry. Phil was a faithful member of the church and was in his seat Sunday by Sunday. He was a most willing and helpful person, reaching out to anyone who he thought he could help. Whether in the school, the environment group, community council, the village work party and his much loved allotment. We missed him when he moved to Barry, and our thoughts and prayers are with Margaret and his two daughters at this sad time in their lives, “may he rest in peace and rise in glory”

God Bless Us, and keep us safe.. and WASH YOUR HANDS

Parry Edwards