Category: St Mary’s Parish Church News

March 2016

The month of March has been one of the most crowded of months in the calendar due to Easter being earlier this year.

Mothering Sunday was a very happy crowded church with the Pebbles Group playing an important part in the morning service, showing us their portraits of their Mums and what she meant to them. All very touching and often quite funny in a nice sort of way.

Holy Week which began with the Palm Sunday ceremonies was kept with solemnity in the days leading up to Good Friday, when the commemoration began at St Lythan’s church, then continued with the walk down to St Mary’s for the final hour marking the time of Christ’s Crucifixion. 

The following day the church was beautifully decorated for Easter Day with lilies donated by members of the congregation in memory of loved ones departed.  On Easter Day 9.30am morning service was a very special one, when the newly lit Pascal Candle was brought into the centre of the church.

The Easter garden in the church porch was blessed and the service proceeded with the baptism of 4 young people, who with their Godparents and supporters filled the church to capacity. It was a most joyous occasion and will long live on in the memory of other joyous occasions that the church has experience during the past years. As the congregation left the church Easter Eggs were given to the children and adults and were greatly appreciated. Once again the Queen of Festivals as Easter is often called lived up to all expectations with wonderful singing, memorable readings from the Bible, and with the affirmation of our own Baptisms many years ago and in different places, all remind us that we are one family with God our Father.

The Lent Lunches continued week by week, with soup provided by members of the congregation. The Lent group met in the Rectory to study the Psalms and the Bible Study group met in Sully on a number of weeks. The theme of Lent this year was to take on something extra rather than giving something up, and  these group meetings and Wednesday lunches were all opportunities for doing something extra during Lent.

The recent fine sunny but cold weather has enabled our stone mason to work on the stone wall in the grave yard, and the results are already showing great improvements. The removal of the sycamore trees has proved to be the correct course of action with daffodils blooming in profusion on the top of the wall which enhances the appearance of graveyard and cemetery alike. The ground surrounding a church is often called “God’s Acre” and here in Wenvoe we try to maintain as high a standard as possible, knowing that many in the community appreciate its surroundings for quiet contemplation and silent prayer. 

During Lent all our “brass ware” at the altar and in the chancel has been removed in place of more simpler candles and ornaments. Shortly before Easter the Brass Cleaning team met to polish and buff up the brass ware in time for the Easter celebrations.  They meet at different times of the year to keep the brass shining for our Sunday worship, not only are candlesticks involved in this, but the hanging lamps and the various brass commemorative plaques on the wall as well.

A vote of thanks to all the volunteers who turn up to get their hands on the Brasso with rubber gloves, and they seem to thrive on the heady aroma of polish. The weeks following on from Easter are generally quieter ones, but the work doesn’t stop. Plans are being made for Pentecost on May 12th and the Queen’s 90th birthday on June 12th. Watch this space. Easter Greetings to all readers

 Parry Edwards

Parish News

On the fourth Sunday in June, the first All Age Communion Service took place at 9.30a.m. with all the “Pebbles” taking part. Many with their Mums and Dads. The church was full and the informality of the service went down well with the congregation, with gusty hymn singing, some with actions, clapping etc. The next All Age Communion Service will be on the last Sunday in July.

The past month has seen much work carried out in the churchyard. For many years the churchyard has been left to “mother nature”, and she has been a vigorous grower of lots of vegetation which we do not need. Contractors, at a cost of £500, have taken away the ivy, saplings and undergrowth which has been festooning the boundary walls of the churchyard and the collapsed dry stone wall between the churchyard extension and the Community Cemetery. This wall is an important feature of the churchyard, being the old boundary wall of the Rectory Orchard, and the wall will be rebuilt, using a local craftsman, once the trees which have been allowed to grow on the top have been removed. This is likely to be a costly exercise but one which the Parochial Church Council agreed to be the correct course of action to take. It will make a much better and well built wall for future generations to admire.

The large Poplar Tree near to the Churchyard Cross has also been removed at a cost of £350 and the stump will be ground out during the coming weeks. It is sad to have to remove trees at any time, but this tree has been cause of much damage around the plinth of the Cross, and as it was likely to grow much taller, removal was the sensible action to take.

The table tomb dedicated to the memory of Morgan Morgan who died in 1776 had been giving concern for some time becoming unstable. So in accordance with Health and Safety Rules it has been lowered to ground level. The vault entrance stone to the Nell family grave near the Tower has also been repaired and made safe, Mossfords carried out this work at a cost of £2010.

The PCC at its recent meeting authorised the payments for all these works which amounted to £4709, the bulk of which has been taken from the results of the Church Appeal which has raised £3875 to date and will remain open to receive additional funds to enable us to carry on with the other jobs scheduled for the next five years.

From the Church Quinquenial Report of December 2014 the lightning conductor on the church tower needed to be checked, this has been carried out at a cost of £127.20 and it was reported that remedial work needed to be carried out, again at a cost of £628 plus VAT to ensure the safety of the building.

Also the church and church hall has been checked for any Asbestos used. The church was found to be free of it, but the church hall has low grade Asbestos in the Artex used on the ceiling and in the roof tiles. The cost of this survey came to £780. The building has had smoke and heat detectors fitted and a carbon monoxide detector in the kitchen area.

The congregation of St Mary’s has risen to the challenge of providing the funds for this work to be done, and as we today enjoy the work done by previous generations, we too have a duty to ensure that the buildings we worship in are fit for purpose for the generations which lie ahead of us. We get no funding from central church funds for this work to be carried out, and our income comes from what is given freely on the collection plate at our services, the 200 club contributes from its funds towards the repair of the building and of course we make sure that we get our contribution from H.M Gov on Gift Aid refunds. That is why the St Mary’s Appeal remains open for future contributions to this vital work to keep the roof secure, the lights on and more importantly the church door open.

Plans are being made for events surrounding our celebration of the Harvest on September 26/27th Scary things will be going on in the churchyard with a Scarecrow Competition for scariest, the funniest, on the Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The church will be open to view the Harvest Decorations, there is planned to have a talk on our church history, refreshments will be available in the Church Gazebo erected in the churchyard, all in all this is going to be a great occasion to show the church to the village and also to welcome our new villagers from the “Redrow” Grange site, who should have moved into their new homes by that time. The scarecrow competition is open to all ages, all groups and families so get your thinking caps on and join in the fun.

We continue supporting the Food Bank with regular weekly collections in church, Tradecraft products are on sale at The Chattery and the Coffee morning on the 4th Sunday of the month and this year the fresh produce from the Harvest will be donated to the Salvation Army and the canned and dry goods passed on to the Food Bank in Barry.

Summer seems to be late in arriving this year, but who knows what August has in store for us.

Parry Edwards

St Mary’s Church news

The month of June has been a time of many commemorations, the Queen’s Birthday Parade, the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta, the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt, the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, and 2015 is the year that the times of our Sunday Services changed from the beginning of the month. A time of change can be difficult for many people, we gain some and we lose some, but the new arrangements, whilst in the early days, seem to be working and congregations have held up in numbers. We held our All Age Family Communion service on the 28th when our Pebbles Children took a major role in the liturgy.

The result of the Christian Aid Collection in the three churches of Sully, Wenvoe and St Lythan’s amounted to £2112.58. This is a good result and it is thanks to all the street collectors and money raised at the Lent Lunches etc. that we were able to send such a handsome cheque to Christian Aid this year. We have also supported other calls for financial help during the year for disasters across the world.

Work in the churchyard has continued, with overgrown bushes removed, the ivy taken off the boundary walls, the unsafe table tomb by the churchyard cross lowered to ground level due to Health and Safety issues, remedial work on the entrance to the Nell Family vault near the tower, and we are progressing the work on the boundary wall between the churchyard extension and the Community Council cemetery, where the vegetation, once removed, clearly showed that the wall needed rebuilding. This will be a dry stone wall to allow for movement of the trees which have made a home on the top of the wall. The large poplar tree near to the churchyard cross is to be taken down as the roots are causing all sorts of problems, and finally we are applying for a faculty to repair the ceiling and the stone flagstones within the porch. The cost of this work will be paid for by raiding our reserves, which we trust will be replaced over the years ahead.

We are already looking ahead to the autumn when we are planning to hold a Scarecrow Festival at the time of our Harvest Celebrations on the 26/27th of September. We invite entries from children, organisations and individuals to enter the scariest, the prettiest and the sportiest scarecrow. So get your thinking caps on and make this the most talked about event in the village.

Later in the year a Barn Dance in the Village Hall on the 14th November is being arranged to raise funds to support the recovery of Romeo Hadley, who will have many health issues ahead of him as he grows. More information later when all plans are finalised.

Don’t forget the 4th Sunday in the month, a service of All Age Worship with Holy Communion lead by our Pebbles children, followed by coffee and the drawing of the 200 club. Parish Picnic at the Rectory on July 5th from 12.30 – 2.30 pm. See posters in the church porch.

Parry Edwards

 

Parish News

St Mary’s Church Building Appeal

There continues to be an excellent response to the appeal. Over £2,500 has been raised so far. Thank you to all who have donated so generously.

Essential work on the building is being planned and will be reported here soon.

Watch this space!

If you would like an appeal leaflet please collect one from Springfield Stores or at St Mary’s.

The appeal is ongoing.

THANK YOU

Jenny Davies, on behalf of the appeal committee

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St Mary’s Church Wenvoe Building Fund Monthly 200 Club Draw

Sunday 14th September 2014

Winners

£50 – 183, £10 – 75, 114, 179. 184, 299..

Total prize money £100

Next Draw Sunday 12th Oct in Church Hall

Tea & Coffee Available * Fairtrade Stall

Telephone 2059 2363 for an entry form

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