Category: St Mary’s Parish Church News

August News Update

 

It was with great relief that the scaffolding was finally erected around the church vestry in preparation for the replacing of the lead covering, stolen from the roof in March earlier this year. The wet carpeting on the vestry floor had already been removed, prior to the ceiling being taken down and the walls rubbed down for the redecoration to take place. It is not the intention to replace the carpeting as the maple strip floor does not seem to have been adversely affected by the ingress of water during the time the roof was stolen. The replacement roof will be of coated steel that will weather to the appearance of lead, so will not be as attractive to thieves in the future. All the items that were once in the vestry have been removed into the transept, and it is hoped that we shall be able to get the church back into the former tidy working unit it was. Since the theft of the lead and all the inconvenience of maintaining a dignified setting for the celebration of the Eucharist, it has been difficult to remember where everything is. At present the builders are using the priest’s door to access the work area. They are being extremely careful and the church will soon be back to normal.

Chancel Floor Scheme: The decision has been made that this scheme will not now be going ahead as originally planned. The plans had been strongly opposed by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, and the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) had no option but to turn it down. However, the part of the plan to remove the carpeting will be going ahead. This is necessary as the historic tiling (now covered up) has been damaged with damp and build up of “salts” on the surface of the tiling over the years. Until the carpet is removed from the chancel and the length of the nave, we will not know the extent of any damage that has occurred during the time the carpeting was laid down. It will be interesting to see the end result of this work. It will restore the church and chancel to the original plans the Victorian restorers had in mind in the period of the 1880’s when much work was done on the church to restore it according to the ethos of the Oxford Movement which was active in the diocese at that time. It was under the Jenner Rectors in Wenvoe that this work was carried out, and they leaned towards High Church practices that were not always well received by the parishioners of the day.

Church Extension Scheme which we are calling Wenvoe 2020: The plans for this ambitious scheme, to bring all the church activities on to one site, remain with the Llandaff DAC and we have received no indication as to how they are going to agree in part or in full to the ideas we have incorporated into the design. We remain very much in their hands and in the discussions our architects have been having with them but hope that we shall hear some good news in the not too distant future.

During the month the plans for the former Old Rectory Care Home were made public, with plans for 12 apartments and 12 parking spaces. The Old Rectory and St. Mary’s Church form an important grouping within the Wenvoe Conservation Area with a high grade listing. It is some years since the church authorities sold the rectory and grounds into private hands. At that time Prof Atkinson and his wife Hester took possession and did much work to make the old house more liveable. It was during their time in the house that they moved the 18th century sun dial from the rectory orchard to the front driveway. The sundial plate had been missing for some years when they discovered it many miles away and restored it with a new gnomon. The sundial was originally erected by the Rev. Thomas Davies, Rector of Wenvoe in 1777 – 1828 and is a community treasure whose future needs to be safeguarded. The developers are aware of this and have promised that it will be well looked after. The plans are now with the local authority and their decision is awaited.

It has been a number of years since the church took part in the commemoration of Sea Sunday. This is the global celebration of the enduring and vital work of the Mission to Seafarers. It has happened every year for over 160 years. Churches are invited to become a powerhouse of prayer and fundraising for the work of outreach to the thousands of seamen and seafarers out at sea for long periods. The Mission to Seafarers provides help and support to the 1.5 million men and women who face danger every day to keep our global economy afloat. The congregation was invited to join in the fund raising and the total raised will be announced in next month’s magazine.

Our wonderful Pebbles group of children have now broken up for their Summer Break and we will miss hearing of their activities during the short time they are in the Church Hall before joining the congregation in church. As always, we thank the organisers for the time they take with our youngsters, in helping to shape their lives according to the teaching of Jesus Christ. Well done all of you.

A number of well loved members of the congregation have been missing from their normal places in recent months, due to illness or accidents in their lives. Pat Williams is now nearer her family in a care home in Porthcawl, Philip Morant has settled into a care home in Barry, and Mary Turner remains in hospital following her fall at home. We send them good wishes and pray for the day when they will be able to return to their rightful places in the congregation at St. Mary’s.

With the summer holidays with us, we send good wishes for a safe return for all who are travelling abroad or those who are ‘staycationing at home.’ Weather is an important factor in any plans made for holidays. So far the month of July has been very dry, and rain is needed to maintain gardens and fields alike. A full report on the Wenvoe Open Gardens will be included in September’s “What’s On”.

A warm welcome awaits you in church at any time of the year. Parry Edwards

 

 

Wenvoe Scarecrow Festival

This year the 5th Wenvoe Scarecrow festival will take place on Saturday 21st.September from 2.00 to 5.00pm and Sunday 22nd September from 10.30 to 11.00am when the winners will be announced.

Please start to think about entering a scarecrow this year even if you have not entered before. Its free to enter and there is no theme. We would like to make this year’s festival the best year yet as after this year the festival will become biannual, so we want this year to live long in our memories – well two years at least! More details will follow in future issues of Whats On. However, if you are keen to start building your scarecrow now further information can be obtained by emailing wenvoescarecrows@ yahoo.com or ring Vicar Jon on 02920595347. Please put the date in your diary.

 

 

July Church News

Work will shortly be starting on the repair and re-mortaring of the west wall of the churchyard, to include a renovation of the wrought iron archway, which leads into the churchyard extension. This archway was once at the front entrance to the churchyard, but was removed when the Laura Jenner Arch and gates were built as a memorial to her in the 1930’s. This work will complete the programme of works included in the last five-year inspection of the church building and grounds.

News was received during the month that our recently appointed Church Architect had left the practice of Davies Sutton, and once again we are faced with the appointment of a new architect. The latest plans for the proposed church extension have been received and have been discussed with the Diocesan Advisory Committee and we await their thoughts on the proposals. The work on the repair of the vestry roof and interior walls has not yet been started and the conditions in vestry are deteriorating due to all the heavy rain we have had in the month and since the lead was stolen earlier in the year.

The Chancel Scheme to lower the floor level to assist wheelchair users is still unresolved but we have been told that the blue carpeting can be removed without any further delay. We are anxious to see the condition of the Victorian tiling under the carpet which has not been uncovered for some 30 years. The same applies to the blue needle cord floor covering in the main aisle of the nave, where the effect of the salts damage is clearly to be seen on the edges not covered by the carpeting. For the first time for many years the white marble slab fronting the altar, which is inscribed with the initials of the Birt and Jenner family members, buried below will be seen.

Christian Aid Collection. The house to house collections in the three parishes, together with the contributions from the Lent Lunches, Agape supper, Wenvoe School “Big Brekkie” and the No Uniform Day, plus a contribution from church funds came to a staggering £3,000. Which is a brilliant effort for the organisers and street collectors and big thank you to all involved. Well done!!

Messy Church – Messy Fathers!

With the inclement weather making a Messy Church theme of Noah’s Ark seem more appropriate than the planned Fathers Day, our annual outdoor Messy Church event had to move indoors on 15th June. The theme was indeed Fathers Day and a good number of excited children and their parents braved the rain to take part in an afternoon of craft, games and fun all designed to celebrate fathers everywhere. There was the opportunity to ‘Pin the Tail on Dad’, a take on the old party favourite of ‘Pin the Tail on the Donkey’. There were races wearing our Fathers shoes. Bookmarks and pictures were made as gifts for Dad. ‘Prayeroplanes’ were made – Vicar Jon displaying a hitherto undisclosed talent here! At other tables children decorated ‘Dad you Rock’ pebbles, decorated tie themed cakes and even made

a ‘Portable hug’ – just in case Dad ever feels a bit in need! Worship on theme of The Prodigal son was led by Deb, then the whole event finished with a celebration meal of hot dogs, crisps, cakes and fruit prepared by our willing kitchen team. A lot of fun was had by all, despite weather and the change of venue. Our next Messy Church event will take place on 28th September, when the theme will be Harvest. We hope you can join us!

The Chattery. The monthly Chattery coffee mornings continue to be well attended and enjoyed.

However the Fairtrade stall which is run by Jude Billingham will be finishing. We will all miss seeing the interesting items and buying things from tea to greeting cards and chocolates. Thanks to Jude for all her hard work over many years, you and your stall will be sadly missed.

Tree Blessing. On Sunday 2nd of June a special service took place in St Mary’s Church to dedicate four cherry trees which have been planted in the church grounds. They are on the north side of the church and run along beside Walston Road.

Each tree has been given in memory of a loved one, the names being Quirine Robbins, Jean Mary Matthews, Cliff & Ruth West, Betty & Leslie Holliday

The moving service took the form of readings and prayers, with everyone moving to stand beside each tree while Vicar Jon anointed them with water. Those who attended were family members and friends from the congregation. At the end of the service everyone gathered for refreshments and fellowship.

This is a verse from a poem which was read during the service

A Shropshire Lad 11 by A E Houseman

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now

Is hung with bloom along the bough,

And stands about the woodland ride

Wearing white for Eastertide’

Wenvoe Open Gardens on Saturday 20th July 2019 in aid of St. Mary’s Building Fund. See article on page 5

Thank you for reading, a warm welcome awaits you at St. Mary’s.

Parry Edwards

June News Update

Vestry Roof Repair. At long last the contractor has been appointed to replace the lead stolen from the vestry roof, earlier in the year. The new roof covering will be of zinc metal and the work will also include the repairs to the vestry walls, ceiling and floor. It will be a relief to all to get the vestry back in working order. Watch this space.

The big event in May was the Christian Aid Week collection. Every house in the village has been visited with an envelope through each door. The flags and banner outside St. Mary’s were a reminder to all how important this fund raising is. The money is being used to provide safe care and clean clinics for pregnant mothers in parts of the world where these facilities are often very basic. Gwenfo Church in Wales School held a “Big Breckie” on May 17th with the proceeds given to Christian Aid. A non- uniform day was also arranged by the school to help the appeal. Well done!

The church clock is once again striking the hours, the repair being carried out by Smiths of Derby on May 14th. It is worth recording that the church clock was installed in the 1880’s as a public memorial to the late Capt. Robert Lascelles Jenner. The money was raised by public subscription and the clock is now a much-loved community asset.

Church Extension. The new plans have been seen by the Building Committee and we await the visit of the new chair of the Diocesan Advisory Committee to discuss the plans with our Architect. The entire scheme depends on whether we will get approval to breach the north wall of the nave to get access into the new extension which will include toilet facilities etc. Once again watch this space.

Some years ago, when we were given permission to remove a number of sycamore trees from the churchyard extension burial ground, we were required to plant replacement trees. The advice given was for four cherry trees to be planted along the boundary wall on Walston Road. These trees were duly planted, given in memory of loved ones who had died. The dedication ceremony is planned for June 2nd at 3.30pm and suitable plaques have been provided with the names of the persons commemorated. The trees have been in flower this year and provide an interesting contrast to the more sober yew trees, for which our churchyard is well known.

Food Bank. We continue to make regular contributions to the Barry Food Bank thanks to the many donations we received from members of the congregation, during the past 12 months. 3,833 three-day emergency food parcels have been given out and this is an increase of 11% over last year. This month’s requests for basic food items, include tinned meats, tinned vegetables, fruit juices, fruit or milk puddings. Toilet rolls, toothpaste and soaps etc. are also useful.

Messy Church. The next session will take place on

Saturday 15th June in the afternoon. This is going to be an outdoor messy event in the school field at Gwenfo Church in Wales School, with the theme of Father’s Day. Let us hope for good weather so no matter what the mess, it will all be outdoors. The afternoon event is open to all, young and old. They are great fun for the children and parents are also able to spend some valuable time with their children, helping with the craft work, the singing, the story telling and not forgetting the picnic afterwards. Help is always appreciated in setting up and clearing away and any contributions to the food are welcome.

The congregations in Jon’s three churches have been thinking about Jon as he joins the Llandaff Clergy School on their pilgrimage to Compostela in Spain during the week of 13th May. He has promised to get photographed with his hat, pilgrim staff, shorts and nobly knees, plus his certificate to show that he completed part of the walk. This is quite a venture for the diocese and ties in with Bishop June’s vision of the pilgrimage the diocese will have to make in the years ahead.

 

WENVOE OPEN GARDENS

Discussions have been going on to have a number of gardens in the village, to be open for visiting on the afternoon of Saturday 20th July from 1.00pm-5.00 pm. There will be in excess of 8 gardens to visit and a map showing the locations will be provided. The entry will be £5.00 for adults with children FREE of charge. The entry and maps can be picked up in the churchyard, where refreshments will be available during the afternoon (donations will be welcomed). The church will also be open for visiting, together with the Church Hall for toilets etc. The money raised will be given to the Building Fund and especially to the Vestry roof repairs. Thanks to Brian, Sandra and Mike for all their help in planning this fund raising venture, so pray for a fine sunny day and for lots of people to see some interesting ideas in their gardens.

Thank you for reading and every blessing

Parry Edwards

 

 

Lent and Holy Week

 

The season of Lent came to a glorious conclusion on Easter Sunday, when the church was beautifully decorated with Easter Lilies provided by members of the congregation, given in memory of loved ones who have passed on to a greater life in the Lord. This year the celebration of Easter, considered to be the Queen of Festivals in the church calendar, fell on Sunday 21st April one of the latest dates that Easter can be. The next time Easter falls on such a late date as this will be in 2030. The reason why Easter is a moveable feast is due to the phase of the moon. Western Christianity decided that the feast always falls on the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, so Easter follows the Jewish tradition of the Passover, and the Bible tells us that the death and resurrection of Jesus took place at the time of the Passover festivities.

During Lent on Mothering Sunday, the “Pebbles” children gave a splendid slide presentation, on how they love their Mums for all the care they give them day by day as they grow up. The church was decorated with the daffodils grown from the flower bulbs handed out at harvest time last year, and flowers were handed out to all the ladies in the congregation as they left church. The following Sunday the “Pebbles” held a pre-Easter Egg Hunt, and the winners proudly displayed their prizes of yet more larger chocolate eggs. Thanks must go to Alyson and her helpers for the way in which they work out how best to convey the Gospel message in a practical way the children can easily understand.

Holy Week 2019 – The procession into church on the morning of Palm Sunday, of the congregation bearing their palm crosses was a memorable start to the solemnities of Holy Week. Jon had devised a special service sheet for the occasion and Helen Ormrod gave a suitable reading to mark the beginning of the last week in the life of Jesus as he made his way into Jerusalem, to be falsely accused of treason and eventual crucifixion.

The saga of the lead stolen from the church vestry roof is near resolution with quotes received for our Insurers already in and it is hoped that the replacement of the roof covering and the repair to the internal damage to the walls and the flooring will take place without much further delay. Not being able to use the Vestry has been a great inconvenience, with registers and all the other things needed for the services scattered about the church, but soon all will be put right.

Christian Aid Week 2019 – In advance of the house to house collections, Jude Billingham gave a presentation in church on April 28th on the theme chosen for this year’s collection, which is “More Happy Birthdays”. Christian Aid this year is working with women’s groups, listening to their concerns in many parts of Africa. Through working in communities, women are able to identify their own needs and make steps to gain their goals.

In this way developments can be sustained and developed further when necessary. The example shown was a group of women who were building their own medical centre, where they could receive good antenatal care and when necessary give birth there.

Collectors will be delivering envelopes through your doors during the week and collected back at the end of the week. Please give as generously as you are able to support women in parts of Africa and elsewhere who are not as well looked after as in the UK.

In Gwenfo Church in Wales School, pupils will be having a “Big Brekkie” on Friday 17th May for those children who have school lunches. A non-uniform day is also being arranged so on Friday the charge of £1 will be going to Christian Aid.

The Annual Church Vestry Meeting took place after an evening Eucharist service on Monday 15th April, when the parish report was accepted, as was the financial report and the election of Peoples Warden took place. Carol Wyllie remains as Rectors Warden and Sandra Dicks was also elected as Peoples Warden. The past year has been one of progress with much of the work to the fabric of the building being completed as required by the most recent Quinquenial Inspection of the building.

Messy Church met in the Wenvoe Community Centre on Saturday 30th March to celebrate Motherly Love. Around fifty people attended with children and parents enjoying a variety of craft activities which were either gifts for Mum or helped develop a greater understanding of how much our mothers love us. Crafts included decorating gingerbread mums (one for mum and one for me), making cards and gifts, writing promises to help our mums and planting plants to give the following day. A short worship session followed with a tea party to end the session which was much enjoyed by everyone.

The next Messy Church will be an outdoor messy event, in the school field at Gwenfo church in Wales Primary School on Saturday 15th June when the theme will be Father’s Day. See you there.

 

 

Lead Stolen from Vestry Roof

 

Lead Stolen from Vestry Roof – During the weekend of the 3rd – 4th March, thieves made off with the lead covering the flat roof of the church vestry. This was during a time of wet weather and was discovered at 7.30am on the Sunday morning when water was seen coming through the ceiling and running down the walls. Temporary repairs have been made, but much damage has occurred to both ceiling and walls. The church architect in consultation with CADW and our insurers have agreed to replace the missing lead with steel sheeting that is acceptable to CADW. Part of the cost of replacement and redecoration of the vestry is covered by our insurers and the balance is to be paid by the church building fund.

This is happening so often that it has become a normal occurrence and the police do not even want to attend to the crime. The damage was minimised by the prompt action of the churchwardens and Mike Tucker. They removed registers and papers and put a tarpaulin on the roof. Thank you, Mike – you were a great help.

Gwenfo School has held a non-uniform day and raised £200 towards the cost of replacing the stolen lead. This is an extremely generous gesture toward the repair, and we wish to acknowledge the gift with grateful thanks.

Donations from the community would also be gratefully received.

Lent 2019 – The penitential season of Lent began on Ash Wednesday. The previous evening on Shrove Tuesday, a Pancake Evening was held at St. John the Baptist Church Hall in Sully. There was much frivolity, with pancake tossing, eating and entertainment. Congratulations to Lynda Francis for being the best ‘pancake tosser’ of the evening.

The theme for Lent this year is ‘Count your blessings’ promoted by Christian Aid, and there are booklets in church to enable day by day prayer and reflection. Through Lent, the themes of awareness, repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, transformation, and blessing, give us the opportunity to discover more about the lives of those who are pushed to the brink of survival by climate change and precarious livelihoods.

Another activity in Lent is the weekly Lenten Lunches. Every Wednesday soup, rolls and cheese are served in the Church Hall, and donations go towards our target for Christian Aid. The house to house collections this year take place from 12th to 18th May. Please help us to raise the money so badly needed in many places throughout the world.

Chancel Floor Scheme – The plans to lower the floor of the chancel have again been under scrutiny by the Diocesan Advisory Committee and the statutory bodies. “Vicar Jon” and our architect were invited to a meeting to discuss and explain why we think this is a necessary step to take. The aim is to take away the Chancel Step to enable wheelchair users access to the part of the church they are currently excluded from. The Building Committee has met to discuss the way forward in the light of the negative comments from the members of the DAC. The decision was taken to engage archaeologists to investigate the likelihood of burials under the chancel floor before a final decision is made to allow us to proceed with the work.

During the month we received the sad news that Mrs Denise Fry, lately of Burdon’s Hill, but who formerly lived in Orchard Close, had passed away after a spell in hospital. Denise was married to Alan Fry, for many years Churchwarden and Secretary of the PCC and was very involved with many church activities. She was a member of the Mothers Union, sang in the church choir alongside Alan and was a great help in supporting him in his church work. We offer our condolences to her daughters Rhiannon and Ros and their families who will miss her in the days and weeks ahead. Her funeral was well attended with many friends and neighbours offering their support and help during this very sad time for them. ‘May she rest in peace and rise in glory’.

Holy Week and Easter Day:- See list of services on the Church Notice Board.

With Blessings to all our readers Parry Edwards

 

 

Church News for February

January and February are traditionally quiet months in the life of the church, here in Wenvoe and elsewhere, following on from the hustle and bustle of Christmas. This year we have had a mild wet Winter, and this has kept our congregations attending church services in good numbers. Weather does play a great role in our lives, and when we have nothing else to talk about, it is always the weather that we fall back on. The daffodils in the churchyard are already in bloom with primroses and crocus in abundance in our gardens and parks…this tells us that Spring is not far away, and that these days March 1st is the beginning of the meteorological season of Spring, as well as being the Feast of our Patron Saint St David.

During the month the “Chattery” on the 14th February brought a good crowd to the Church Hall when the theme was “St Valentine’s Day” celebrated with heart shaped chocolates and much more besides.

On Saturday the 16th February the Family fun Quiz was a “sell out” long before the night and a great enjoyable time was had. This was a good social occasion with “quizzers” from our sister parishes of Sully and St. Lythan’s. We are indebted to our Quiz Master, Ian Moody and his assistants for setting the challenging questions. Thanks are also due to the social committee who work hard to arrange gatherings such as these, which in turn helps to raise money for the projects we have planned to improve and so often repair the ravages of time in our lovely church building.

CHANCEL FLOOR SCHEME

The decision of the Diocesan Advisory Committee to the proposed scheme to lower the chancel floor to a gradual slope, taking away the chancel step, is awaited. Watch this space.

MESSY CHURCH 2019

Messy church has become an established event in the life of the church in Wenvoe and in lots of other parishes. The dates are been announced for the programme for 2019 with four sessions throughout the year, with the first on 30th March with the theme of “Mothering Sunday”. The Wenvoe Community Centre is the place to be from 3.30 pm to 5.30pm with craft work, storytelling, singing, and a meal to round off the afternoon. Children accompanied with their parents are always made welcome at these gatherings and of course it is FREE. Adults of any

age are always encouraged to attend, often to share in the activities and to encourage the children to give of their best in the craft work. Messy Church is organised with helpers from the Vale Village Church who meet to plan the programme for the year, with sessions in June, September and November… more details nearer the time. A big THANKYOU to all who give of their time to arrange these most enjoyable afternoons.

Dates for your diary of events in March

March 1st Faith in Film at the Rectory when the film will be “Pride” with a 15 certificate

Shrove Tuesday at Sully on March 5th. With a PANCAKE EVENING in the Old School Hall in Sully at 7.00pm. Tickets are available from Carol Wyllie at £4.00 children are FREE. Bring your own drinks with plenty of pancakes of course. There will be a Pancake Tossing Competition and a Beatle Drive and a guarantee of lots of fun and laughter.

March 6th ASH WEDNESDAY see the notice board for times of services in our churches for the beginning of the solemn season of LENT.

March the 31st is MOTHERING SUNDAY, normal times of services.

With blessings to all our readers

Parry Edwards

 

 

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