Category: St Mary’s Parish Church News

Christian Aid Week

CHRISTIAN AID WEEK

Each year people in Wenvoe have been very generous in giving their time and money to boost the income of Christian Aid during their specific fund raising week in May. Each year an issue is highlighted to show why the money is needed and how it is used. In 2019 this was about projects in Sierra Leone working with communities to build clinics for effective maternity care. We heard the story of Judith who trained as a Health Worker and then as a Mid Wife. She created a Health Project developing the community’s knowledge of how they can best help themselves and with the support of Christian Aid built their own Health Centre. We later heard of the effectiveness of the Midwifery service giving women confidence and taking away some of the fears of child birth.

During the last two years the fund raising in Wenvoe has united with Sully and St Lythans to reach a total of £3,000. This has been heart warming to those helping to plan and ensure events ran smoothly. Last year this included the usual street collection of donations by envelopes in Wenvoe and St. Lythans, a Big Brekkie and non uniform day in Gwenfo School, a Bring and Share lunch in Sully and a donation from St. Mary’s Church.

Similar events had been planned for 2020. However, due to the coronavirus none of the above events could take place. The need though, has not gone away. Indeed Christian Aid has appealed for further help in countries where health care systems are rudimentary to cope with the pandemic. Their recent reports have emphasised they are using their knowledge of working with the Ebola crisis to now help with this current coronavirus:

‘Cases of coronavirus have been reported in all of the countries that we work in. Many people in these countries already struggle with poor health and are particularly at risk from coronavirus. These health care systems are struggling to cope already, let alone with a pandemic.’

Thanks to gifts from people like you, we are now responding in ten countries. ‘We are delivering life-saving soap and water to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We are helping inform communities about social distancing and building isolation spaces for people with the virus. And we are providing urgent training to medical staff on the ground.’

Your help is needed more than ever. Fund raising this year went ‘virtual’. There were daily activities on the church Facebook page for children. This included a sponsored silence, painting trees, decorating plant pots for growing trees, baking cupcakes and sharing, and a scavenger hunt. This culminated in the Morning Service when we remembered and prayed for Christian Aid, for those working for the organisation and those communities and individuals they are supporting

For further information or to donate please go to the website at info@email.christian-aid.org or donate by post to, Christian Aid, 3 Church Street, Cardiff CF14 2DX or by telephone 020 75232269.

 

Jude Billingham

 

 

The Church is Always Open

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

 

 

The June Letter From Jon

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

 

 

The Strangest Of Times

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

Coronavirus – New Guidelines for Places of Worship

Coronavirus – New Guidelines for Places of Worship etc

Dear All,

I am writing this letter on Wednesday in Easter Week – the week that follows Easter Sunday and am acutely aware that anything that I write may well be out of date by the time “What’s On” goes to print. Before I say anything else can I just thank the editors for allowing me to make a very late change to my letter in last month’s magazine in order to incorporate the new guidelines that emerged when places of worship were closed by the government. Thank you also to our editors and all involved with “What’s On” and to all the contributors for keeping the magazine going which is such an important part of village life.

I think it is also important to thank the many other people who are keeping village life going. In particular I would like to thank Anwar and all involved at Premier Stores in Wenvoe for remaining open for us. There have also been many great random acts of goodness going on in our society both locally and nationally and thank you to all those who are doing so much for our neighbours and families and friends. As I stand on a Thursday evening and applaud the key workers I also hold in my prayers and my applause all those who are also contributing to help us all keep on keeping on. Thank you.

One thing this time has taught me is the importance of being with one another. As a church and as your parish priest I continue to be here for you. Even if I am unable to shake your hand or visit you in your home or meet up with you, I am still here for you. We have as a church tried to keep connected through our Facebook page on:facebook.com/sullywenvoeandstlythans or using the following QR Code

In order to remain worshipping and connected with one another there will be regular services live on our facebook page at the following days and times:

Wednesday 10.00am Daily Prayer

Sunday 10.30am Agape Service where we share bread and wine together

6.00pm Evening Prayer

However should you wish to contact me directly you can do so by email on revjonormrod@yahoo.co.uk or phone me on 02920595347.

Although the church is closed at the moment – as your Parish Priest I remain open to be here for you.

Take care, stay safe and let us all look forward to the end of this time of trial.

Blessings

Jon Ormrod

 

 

This Month’s Parish News

This Month’s Parish News

In last month’s Parish News, we were looking forward to a glorious Easter, when we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord with colour, flowers, great hymns and full churches. How so much has changed since then. The coronavirus has changed all that, with most of the world’s nations withdrawing from contact with each other as they close their borders in an attempt to combat the virus, and to protect their people from the ravages that we have seen on our T.V. screens for the past month.

The advice from the Church in Wales Bench of Bishops, is that all church services are to be suspended immediately. Baptisms can be held with only 10 persons present. Weddings are all postponed until 31st July 2020. Banns will not be called. Funerals can only be taken at the graveside, with a memorial service arranged later in the year. Confirmation services and Ordination services at the cathedral are also suspended. The Annual Church Vestry meeting has been postponed with all church officers remaining in office until formal elections can be arranged. The children’s ‘Pebble’ group on Sunday mornings is also affected by this decision, as is the monthly meeting of the Chattery.

The financial implications of these guidelines are enormous and church members are asked to maintain their weekly contributions to the work and maintenance of the church. This can be done digitally by the StM appeal or saved up until the time comes when our church will be open again for worship. Although the church may be closed for formal acts of worship, it is a lot more than just buildings. It is a community of believing people who have accepted Jesus Christ into their lives, bringing his message of salvation and hope to the wider world around them.

The church is duty-bound to reach out to all in the community of Wenvoe and elsewhere. The message of HOPE is there in the Gospel readings and the Psalms for all to read, and it is that hope that will carry us through in the days, weeks and months ahead as we self-isolate from the worst of the virus contagion. God Bless us all as we pray for the world and for all around us, especially the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. Please read the letter Jon, our Parish Priest has written on page 4.

However it is not all such negative news, for we have completed the restoration of the historic floor tiles, and they are looking so much better. The painting of the chancel is also complete and the freshness really does show up the condition of the walls in the Nave… another job for the future. The next project is the re-varnishing of the West, South and Priest doors, with the metal work being cleaned and repainted; this will be followed in the summer with more work on the boundary walls.

Within the church, information panels have been set up with photographs, showing the work carried out on the floors, before and after, in an attempt to raise awareness of the costs involved. We appeal for donations to complete the programme of work as detailed in the last church building survey. The church is available for all in the community and the regular congregation have been very supportive in fund raising from the activities such as the Quiz Night and the Chattery. We also encourage those who use the church for occasional services to consider donating in memory of loved ones who may have had a previous connection with St Mary’s in the past.

The Annual Fun Quiz 2020 brought all eyes on the final scoreboard. Grateful thanks to Ian Moody our quizmaster extraordinaire and everyone who supported the sell-out event, especially the Sully contingent who battled through floods to join in! A most enjoyable evening and the excellent sum of £644.37 was raised for St Mary’s Church. Diolch

Future Plans….The many events we had been preparing for in the coming months are now postponed including the VE75 celebrations. Perhaps we should plan for a VE75+1 for 2021. Given the severity of the current situation, we must accept that for the foreseeable future our lives as we have known them are to be put on hold.

Please stay safe; follow the Government’s advice on all health matters. We will get through this. Keep washing those hands. Don’t panic and carry on.

Parry Edwards

 

 

Letter From Vicar Jon

Letter From Vicar Jon

Dear Friends,

As you will all be aware we are entering an unprecedented time in the village and also across the country and the world as the full effect of Coronavirus begins to take hold in our communities. As we have seen from the experiences of other countries, such as China and Italy, one of the ways of dealing with the spread of the virus is to close down places where the public gather. The decision was taken this week that the Church in Wales – along with other Christian and different faith organisations – has stopped doing formal services, so all our church services and meetings are cancelled with immediate effect. It had been my intention to keep St Mary’s open at certain times for private prayer and reflection. However, since the Prime Minister’s briefing on Monday 23 March, that is not possible either.

This Easter may well be the first time that the Eucharist has not been celebrated in St Mary’s for 800 years, although it is conceivable that there were other occasions of great national crisis, when this occurred.

Those who follow the church on Facebook, will know that I am trying to do some services through social media and you can find that on: https://www.facebook.com/sullywenvoeandstlythans

Alternatively – if you would like to contact me at any point then phone me on 02920595347 or email me on revjonormrod@yahoo.co.uk. If I can help you then I will do my best to do so – just one caveat I am no good at DIY so please do not ask me to do any decorating!

In the meantime, we obviously have a responsibility to ourselves, family, friends and neighbours so do look after one another by looking after yourselves too.

Take care all and stay safe.

With my prayers to you all at this time of Easter.

Jon Ormrod,

Priest in Charge of Wenvoe with St Lythans.

 

 

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