Category: St Mary’s Parish Church News

A year has gone by since we combined our Parish Magazine with that of the Parish of Sully. During this time we have tried to contribute the news of what is happening in Wenvoe and St. Lythan’s, so that combined with the events in Sully, we have an overall picture of what is going on in our part of the Ministry Area. We have not always been successful but things are improving, and any contributions from the Wenvoe and St. Lythan’s congregations are always welcome. The magazine has been renamed to “Connections” and sales, month by month, vary with some copies ending up in the waste paper bin. From this month we are encouraging our congregation in Wenvoe to subscribe £5.00 p.a. for all the copies of the magazine during the year. Money please in an envelope, with your name, and you can then collect your copy without the need to carry the monthly 50p. This will also help us to gauge the number we need to have printed, thereby cutting down on waste.

August has been it usual quiet self in church, and we miss the “Pebbles” children and parents. They bring a “buzz” into church when they join us for the communion, otherwise we have maintained a goodly congregation at the 9.30 a.m. service, though there is a concern that the 7.45 a.m. service is down in numbers attending. This is compensated in some way by an increase in numbers attending the mid week communion on a Wednesday morning. The “All Age Service” on the 4th Sunday of the month is always a lively affair and the combined service on the 5th Sunday of month brings our three congregations together in a joint act of worship. The last one was held at St. Bleddians church in St.Lythan’s and the faithful group of worshipers there had worked really hard to present the church as beautifully as possible. The church grounds looked magnificent and my lasting impression of the morning was standing with Jon in the Button Chapel watching the rain coming down at a 45 degree angle. With the uncertainty of the weather the Pilgrimage walk to Llandaff Cathedral was postponed for another time.

A Faculty is being applied for the removal of the old concrete channelling at the base of the South Wall of the Nave, to cure the damp in the walls. This has been successful elsewhere in the church and hopefully the work can be done before the Winter sets in. We also have to appoint an architect for the general care and repair of the church fabric for the next 5 years. We have just completed the work required from the last Quinquenial inspection and this has been “signed off” by our last architect, who has now retired from practice. The maintenance of our church to keep it in good repair is costly and the money raised from the Building Appeal and the “200 Club” helps towards the cost of any repairs. Please continue to support this work when appeals are made.

Jude Billngham who organises the “Fair Trade” and “Food Bank” for us writes elsewhere in “What’s On” of her concern that the “Fair Trade” brand is in danger of being diluted by some of the multi-national companies as they set up their own source of supply. Support remains strong in the parish for “Fair Trade” products and the “Food Bank” and we thank Jude and

her team for all the work they put in, in supporting these worth while causes.

The Scarecrow Festival takes place on Saturday 23rd September between 2.00 pm-5.00pm in the churchyard, with wonderful scarecrows, competitions and refreshments, followed by our Harvest Festival on the Sunday morning. There is no evening service at Wenvoe this year, as the response has been very poor over the past few years.

So forward we go into the Autumn, planning for Remembrance Sunday and Christmas. Pebbles will be back with us, with new faces and mums and dad’s. The next “Messy Church” will be on Saturday October 21st in the community centre at 3.30 pm, its FREE and all are welcome as is the invitation to join in the worship at St. Mary’s where the welcome is warm and friendly. With every blessing to all our readers

Parry Edwards

The highlight of the month, must be the arrival of our new Bishop of Llandaff who was enthroned in the Cathedral on the morning of July 22nd, where a large congregation from all over the Diocese had gathered, including many from the Diocese of Salisbury, where Bishop June had been Dean for over 13 years. In the Diocesan Magazine “Croeso” Bishop June writes of her joy about becoming the Bishop of Llandaff and she is described as being “a leader with clear vision, a pastoral heart, and a strategic mind” She also writes “The prospect of living in South Wales is just terrific because I am already rooted through my family in this part of the world. And it won’t take me long to fall in love with the diocese of Llandaff” We look forward to a time when we will be able to welcome her to Wenvoe.

The Parochial Church Council met during the month, where it was reported that a site meeting of interested parties from the diocese, the local authority and CADW had taken place to view the planned extension to the church. Their report back, raised a number of issues which have been referred back to our architect for comment and further discussion. Other reports to the council meeting included the final result of the recent Christian AID collection in the combined parishes of Wenvoe, Sully and St. Lythan’s. The excellent result the Wenvoe 200 club is making towards the repair and upkeep of the church building. FAIR TRADE AND TRADECRAFT sales continue with the majority of sales in the church coming from the Chattery. Concern was expressed of the threat to the Fair Trade “kite mark” being challenged by some of the major food stores. This not only weakens the Fair Trade message, but also weakens the good practice with third world partners in ensuring continued development. The Social Committee reported that while they had had a few quiet weeks the Chattery continues to meet monthly, in an enjoyable social and friendly get together, and that the planning of the September “Scarecrow Festival” is well in hand.

Members of the church congregation took part in the recent “Village Clean Up”, despite the wet conditions on the day. Litter seems to find its way in to the most obscure corners of the village verges etc. and these events are well worth while in bringing the community together in a common cause.

On the same day, in the same wet conditions, the “Great Outdoors” session of Messy Church took place in the school grounds. Reports back suggest that the rain made very little difference as some of the activities involved lots of water and that a change of clothing was essential. A big THANKYOU to all who arranged the afternoon’s programme and to those Mums. Dads and children who turned up. The next session will be on October 21st ..look out for details nearer the time.

The joint Parish Magazine “Connections”, which is available in church on the 1st Sunday of the Month priced at 50p, is being made available to the congregation in St Mary’s, from the September issue for £5.00 for the year. Names and money in an envelope please. This will give a better indication of the number of magazines we need allowing some extra copies for casual purchase.

Forthcoming events are the “Scarecrow Festival” and the “Harvest Festival” both on the weekend of the 23/24th September. See you there.

Greeting to all our readers, a warm welcome awaits you in St. Mary’s.

Parry Edwards

The fine spell of weather in June, has enabled our stone mason, Mike, to carry out the remedial work on the capping of the boundary walls along the southern edge of the churchyard. This means that all the work required to be carried out from the last quinquenial inspection is now complete.

An application for a faculty from the diocesan authorities for the removal of the concrete channelling along the base of the south wall of the nave and the chancel, and a French drain to be dug to take water and moisture out of the walls is being prepared and a notice to that effect has been displayed on the south door of the church. Part of this work will mean that the “soak away” will be sited under the main path to the church, where there should be no disturbance to any burials, and will mean that access to the church will be affected, but only for a short time.

The main event of last month was the organising of the annual Christian Aid Appeal with house to house collections in the three parishes, and other fund raising events such as the Lenten Lunches and the Agape Supper in the church Hall during the season of Lent. Thanks must go all who were involved in making this year such a success and to those who have so generously given donations. The final sum came to £2,960.85, which is a fantastic amount to raise. Well done to all.

There is news to report from our village school… they are preparing for their School Inspection commencing on June 26th.. and also they have asked for help in a project they have started with the Gwenfo Primary School Peace Garden. A new peace garden is under development in the school grounds. This will be a place where pupils can sit quietly to reflect, pray or talk quietly with their friends. The hard landscaping is complete and has been paid for by PTA funds. Now the borders need planting. If you are able to donate a cutting, or divide a perennial and donate part to the school they would be very grateful. This has already been announced in church and donations of plant material from interested parties would be most welcome. The school will be happy to receive plants etc.

The next United Service for the Three Parishes will be at St Bleiddian’s Church, St Lythan’s on Sunday July 30th at 10.30am. this will be followed by a Pilgrimage Walk to Llandaff Cathedral with co-ordinated and timed stops along the way for people to join the walk where they wish to and there will also be a place where we will stop for a picnic lunch in Trelai Park. The walk will end with Cathedral evensong and there will be lifts back to St.Lythans/ Wenvoe. Full details are in the “Connections” three parishes magazine or on St. Mary’s church notice board in the south porch.

The next Film Night at the Rectory will be at 7.30pm on Friday 7th July when the film “Moana” will be screened. Names please on the list in church if you wish to attend.

The next “Messy Church” event will be on Saturday 15th July at 3.30 – 5.30 pm in the school grounds, where a programme celebrating the Great Outdoors with games and activities, worship and food outside. All people of all ages are most welcome and the event is FREE.

Celebrating a 3rd anniversary… Yes Jon has been here three years. How quickly the time seems to have gone by. In these three years there have been a number of changes, both in services, times of services, a combined parish magazine, and an awareness that each of our parishes are not on their own but part of a larger group, now called a Ministry Area. This is the policy of Llandaff diocese and the Church in Wales, to group parishes together, in sharing the work God has called us to do with one another. During this month we shall be welcoming our new Bishop in Llandaff, the Very Rev, June Osbourne, now Dean of Salisbury in the Church of England. Following the confirmation of her appointment, Dean June will be consecrated as Bishop at Brecon on July 15th and enthroned at Llandaff Cathedral on 22 July.

Greetings to all our readers

Parry Edwards

Welcome to the merry month of June, called after the goddess Juno, and also the subject of the lyric “June in busting out all over, the meadow and the hill” by Rogers and Hammerstein from the stage show “Carousel” in 1956. Sunday worship at St. Mary’s is also “busting” out with new life, with a huge welcome given to the 14 candidates who were confirmed by Bishop Dominic at St. Peter’s Church in Dinas Powis on the 21st May.
Another “Busting out” was the flowering cherry tree outside the south porch in the churchyard. It flowered most gloriously this year and many people came to see it and take photographs. Let us hope it was not its swansong and that it will continue to blossom for many years to come. The replacement hawthorns alongside the path to the porch are flowering already and the churchyard is an asset much appreciated by the community, and is a perfect setting for the weddings planned during the year.
At the recent meeting of the Parochial Church Council, Trudy Kennedy was welcomed as a new member, and prayers were said for our new Bishop, the Very Rev. June Osborne, who is at present Dean of Salisbury Cathedral. It was also reported that the work to replace the frost damage to the mortar on the south curtilage walls of the churchyard would be replaced free of charge during the summer. The faculty notice for the installation of the French drains to the south wall of the nave has been affixed to the church door in preparation for submission to the Diocesan Advisory Committee. This requires that the concrete channelling be removed and a new “soak away” be dug under the path away from any burials. The work required under the last quinquenial inspection has now been completed, and the new drains will Help to remove the dampness within the walls.
Concern was raised about the lack of wheel chair access leading from the chancel step to the altar rail. The chancel step is also proving to be difficult for members of our aging congregation, and investigation will be made to see whether a suitable ramp can be purchased to make access safer and easier.The “200” Club continues to prosper and at present the subscription list stands at 293 paid up shares, thanks to 130 shareholders. A total of £2750 was transferred to the St. Mary’s building fund during 2016, leaving a balance of £1295 at the end 2016. Prize winnings totalling £1600 had been returned to shareholders in the course of the year, and this will be increased to £1700, with an extra £100 in May and again in July. The Usual summer “super draw” will be in August. Invitations for share renewals will be sent out at the end of August.. Thanks are due to Dickon Oliver for his stewardship of the “200” Club.
The big event in May was the “Christian Aid House Collection” in our three parishes. A report will be given in next month’s “What’s On” . The amount we collect has been has been helped by the money donated during the Lenten Lunches and the Agape Supper on Maunday Thursday in Holy week. Once again thanks are due to the social committee and their helpers.
The “Welcome” Pack to our new residents on the Redrow “Grange Site” have been updated and distributed when the houses are occupied. The pack contains a welcome to the parish and has individual leaflets explaining what is going on in church. It is professionally presented and printed and the invitation is extended to visit and join in any of the activities at a time of their choosing.
This year the joint Parish Picnic will be held at the Jubilee hall in Smithies Ave, Sully following the morning services on Sunday June 25th. There will be games and activities for those who wish to take part in them.
The parish magazine across the three parishes “Connections” contained a very full report of the Ministry Area Visit to Brecon. The day went well and after a lunch in the “Pilgrims Rest” there was an opportunity to tour the cathedral and attend Evensong before returning home. A similar visit is planned to next year.
Whitsuntide/Pentecostal greetings to all our readers.

Parry Edwards

What a joy it was to hear the church bells ring out on Easter morning announcing that the Lord has risen, and that it was time to celebrate this most wonderful event in the Christian Church worldwide. During the season of Lent the bells had been silent, in keeping with the church being stripped of all the decorations and shiny brass ornaments within the church. In Lent our services are much plainer, with only the Lenten Hymns being sung and the Eucharist service for the most part being said. Jon said that he is almost a Puritan during Lent, happy when the church is bare, but knowing that when the great day of Easter dawns, St. Mary’s will be ablaze with the Pascal Candle lit, the flowers decorating the church, the glorious Easter music, the uplifting Gospel readings and of course not forgetting the mini Easter Fair Trade Easter Eggs given to the congregation as they left church. A special thank you to all who came to decorate the church, to those who clean the church week by week, and to Jon who prepares the service leaflets.

The Easter Vestry met prior to Easter Day, when the Parish report was presented to the parishioners who remained after the 9.30 am morning service. The churchwardens remain in office for another year and the members of the P.C.C. were duly elected, with some new faces to welcome and to say a thank you for those who did not wish to serve any longer. The church’s financial affairs are in good order and once again a thank you to the Treasurer, Ray Harris, for all the work he does in keeping track of all the payments and receipts during the year.

The work in the churchyard is almost complete with the East Window having been cleaned and the new window guards fitted. The hawthorn trees along the path to the porch have been replaced, slightly shorter than the original trees that had died, but they will grow, all that remains is the replacing of the lime mortar on the boundary walls which failed during the frosts of last Winter.

Fair Trade and Traidcraft continue to be well supported week by week and the appeal for Easter Eggs for the food Bank brought in a large variety of chocolate eggs, for the children of needy families in Barry and the Vale.

The sad news of the resignation of the Assistant Bishop of Llandaff, the Rt Rev. David Wilborne was received before Easter and his final service in the Cathedral was on Easter Day. A presentation was made to him in appreciation of all the help and support he had given to the Diocese during the eight years since he was appointed. The Parish made a contribution of £100 towards his leaving in recognition of the support he gave in Wenvoe during the last vacancy, and also the support that Jon received from David during the early part of his ministry.

The East Africa Appeal at St Mary’s raised £400 with help from the congregation and church funds, and this has been forwarded to Christian Aid. We have a good record of raising money for worthy causes, and help is required in May for the annual Christian Aid Week street collections, see the lists in church in early May.

The magazine continues to be taken up slowly each month. On Easter Sunday we invited the congregation

to take a copy FREE of charge, and they disappeared like snow in summer. The May edition will be in church on the first Sunday of the month.

By the time you read this the Summer House Group at The Rectory will have already began meeting to re-visit the teaching of the Apostles and Nicene creeds. The other dates to meet are the 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th of May. The sessions take place between 7.30 – 9.00 pm.

The May screening of the film “A United Kingdom” takes place in The Rectory on Friday 5th May at 7.30 pm. The film is based on the true story of the heir to the throne of Bechuanaland. Seretse Khama who studies in London immediately after World War II meets Ruth Williams whom he eventually married, despite the protests of their families. They overcome the many difficulties they faced especially about relations with South Africa and the stability of the entire region of southern Africa.

Messy Church again met in the Wenvoe Community Centre on Saturday 8th April. Many craft activities, worship and a party tea was enjoyed by a goodly crowd of parents and children. The theme was on the events of the first Palm Sunday so long ago in Jerusalem. Future dates to meet are planned, so keep an eye on the church notice board.

Greeting to all our readers of “What’s On in Wenvoe”

Parry Edwards