Category: St Mary’s Parish Church News

ST. MARY’S CHURCH NEWS – SEPT 2023

AUGUST REPORT

By the time you are reading this, schools are on the point of resuming for the Autumn Term, and following the cold, wet summer, let us hope for a brighter warmer September.

The three churches came together to celebrate the Holy Eucharist at St Bleddian’s on the fifth Sunday in July

St Bleddian’s The threat of rain in the weather forecast did not deter members from the three congregations from finding their way up to the ancient and holy hill, on which St. Bleddian’s church is sited. There has been a church here on this site from the 6th century, and the present building dates from the 12th century.

For the first time for many years the communion cup and cover of 1577 was used together with the 20th century silver cross donated to replace one that was stolen in the 1980’s. With good singing and Vicar Lyndon’s sermon on the theme of the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto many things, the service was completed with excellent hospitality and fellowship.

Thank you to the small congregation for their welcome and desire to host the occasion… Da Iawn.

The Chattery continues to be the place to meet together on the second Thursday of the month at 10.30am in the Church Hall, for a catch up and a coffee/tea and posh biscuits and a FREE raffle for a modest £2.00 per person. Why not come and join the company it is open to all, and we all need to meet up from time to time. Isolation is a terrible thing to experience, so come and make new friends on September 14th.

The phrase “A fish out of water” is quite familiar to us all. Have you seen the leaping salmon in the church grounds? Thanks to Mike we now have one, carved out of the dead cherry tree trunk to be admired by all.

Proposed Visit to Margam Abbey on October 29th 2023 to attend the 11.00am Mass.

Margam Abbey is celebrating its 875th year of foundation as a Cistercian Abbey this year and we propose a joint pilgrimage (by coach) as it is the 5th Sunday of the month, when we visit the other churches in our three church grouping of Sully, St. Lythan’s and Wenvoe.

Contact has been made with a member of the staff at the abbey, and they will be pleased to welcome us as a part of the congregation that morning. Lyndon has been invited to preach at the service, and he has accepted. We had hoped to arrange a lunch near to the abbey but the costs were higher than we anticipated.

After discussion with Lyndon we have decided to take a BYO lunch. The Abbey will accommodate us in the “Drill Hall”, adjacent to the Abbey and car parking area, and they will provide tea/coffee for which we would make a donation. Access to the Country Park can be obtained from the Abbey and within the Park itself there is also “Charlotte’s Pantry” with tea/ coffee etc and hot food until 3.30pm. After lunch we are arranging a tour of the Abbey Church which has many interesting monuments and architectural items to see.

Carol Jones in Sully has found us a 49 seater coach and the cost will be covered from church funds. Pickup in Wenvoe at 9.30am and return from Margam at 3.30pm.

A list will be available in church to book your seat on the coach or if you prefer to make your own way to Margam by car sharing.

Teddy Bear’s Picnic. To coincide with the Wenvoe Village Show in the Church Hall on the 9th September, we are arranging a BYO picnic in the church grounds from 1.00pm. We are in need of folding picnic tables as all the tables in the hall will be used to display the entries in the show. There will be lots of games and activities for the children, and for the adults a time of fellowship and a chat to catch up with others you do not see very often. A guest appearance of PEPPA PIG is promised during the afternoon to make the picnic go with a swing. The church will also be open should the weather be inclement. The afternoon will come to a close when the cakes etc in the show will be cut and shared, so cake, cake and more cake……. yum yum

Our Matronal Festival was held on August 13th at the 9.30 celebration of the Eucharist to honour Mary, Mother of Our Lord. The new notice board near the church gateway has been put in place, and now includes the dedication to which Mary, in the account of Christ’s life, our church is named. Thanks be to God.

Harvest Festival will be held on Sunday 24th at 9.30am and church decorating will be on Saturday 23rd at 10.00am. Help will be needed to decorate with flowers and tinned goods etc donated for The Food Bank in Barry; any fresh fruit and vegetables will be donated to a church in Cardiff. This year we are opening a Flower Fund to purchase the flowers and of course willing hands are needed to arrange them on the Saturday morning. Wenvoe is surrounded by many active farms, whose fields are now ripe for harvesting, so let us give thanks for the produce of the land and the farmers who work 24/7 to bring in the bounty of the land which the Lord our God has given us.. All are welcome to our celebration. The celebration of the Harvest will continue in St. John’s, Sully on October 1st at 11.00 am and at St. Lythan’s on October 8th at 3.00pm,

There will be a retiring collection in aid of the Christian Aid Harvest Appeal which will remain open when our other churches hold their own celebration.

Foodbank Many thanks for continuing to support the Foodbank. Your gifts are very much appreciated, both gifts of food and money. Currently the Food Bank is providing more help than the donations coming in, and so they are reliant on stock they had received previously. Concern was also expressed during the current school holiday as the usual help has been withdrawn. Our weekly donations do fill some of the gaps. So a BIG THANK YOU to all who give week by week.

For those of you who still have a holiday planned, have a safe journey and return, we shall be here to welcome you back.

God Bless.. St. Mary’s is your church and all are welcome.

Parry Edwards

 

ST. MARY’S CHURCH NEWS – AUG 2023

JULY REPORT

A year has gone by since Lyndon and Chris made that long journey from Canada to be our Vicar here in Wenvoe as part of the Ministry Area of De Morgannwg. Now we are in the holiday month of August. Our church school has seen the senior class pupils preparing to join their new schools and we will be welcoming the youngest into the Nursery Unit. School holidays mean its holiday time for all the family, and whatever plans you have made to travel or take a staycation, may you have good weather and an enjoyable break. St. Mary’s will not be taking a holiday and will be open for worship as usual, although many of our regulars will no doubt be away, which makes even more room for visitors, who are most welcome to join our weekly worship at 9.30am on Sunday morning.
Wenvoe Village Show and Teddy Bears’ Picnic

The annual Village Show is being hosted in the Church Hall on September 9th and is being organised by Glenys and Mike Tucker and ably assisted by others. At the same time a Teddy Bears’ picnic will be held in the church grounds with a BYO picnic. Full details are on page 7.

The Harvest Festival this year will take place on September 24th at 9.30 am when the church will be decorated with many contributions for the Food Bank displayed around the church. We send many parcels each week to the Barry Food Bank to those in such great need in these days of high living costs. The demand is greater than ever with many essential items in short supply and the Food Bank has to rely on cash donations to buy in those items. Grateful thanks go to all who make a weekly contribution

A Flower Fund will be opened to purchase flowers to decorate the church and any gifts of fruit and vegetables will be most welcome. These items will be passed to a charity in Cardiff which distributes fresh vegetables etc to those who wish to provide fresh meals for their family. “Come ye thankful people come, raise the song of Harvest Home”.

Our LED Lighting System was completed just over a year ago on 12th May 2022.The benefit of switching to a LED system is now obvious with the savings we are making compared to the former Halogen fittings used in the building. During 2022 the church lighting was in constant use during the renovations and repainting the interior with a bill of £409 for the year. Since the installation for the first 6 months of 2023 our electricity bill is £136.The Ron Thomas Bequest was used to fund the installation and was a wise use of his bequest as shown by the running costs so far this year. Thankyou Ron. You were a faithful friend while you lived here and your gift will benefit St. Mary’s in the years ahead.
For those of you planning to be away on holiday, have a safe journey, an enjoyable time and a safe return.

Parry Edwards

 

CHRISTIAN AID

 

CHRISTIAN AID

What a great time we had this Christian Aid Week 2023.
The final total of £3048.46 (including Gift Aid) was a magnificent achievement and the best that has been achieved by Wenvoe so far!!!!. Everyone involved was enthusiastic and spread the information throughout the village, so that people knew what was happening and what the red flags around the church and balloons on the Church Hall represented.
The activities started with three intrepid walkers counting their steps throughout the month and gaining sponsorship for their efforts. Steve managed 411,272 Judith 331,416 and Cath 364,455 steps!
We explored the origins and current work of Christian Aid at a morning service prior to Christian Aid Week, including, the current situation in Malawi where new farming methods and the new crop of Pigeon peas have been introduced. Here villagers developed their skills, and working together within communities gained ownership of their achievements. This story was shared with Gwenfo School in their assembly. Here the children eagerly joined in volunteering to act out the strength of the Pigeon pea crops, and tasting a curry made with the peas.
Throughout the week volunteers delivered all houses with donation envelopes (delivery only). This gave information about Christian Aid, the current appeal, places where they could take donations, and an invitation to our “Cakes, Cakes, and, more Cakes”.
Our “Cakes, Cake, and more Cakes” event of complimentary Cakes and Coffee proved local people really like cake! They gave generous donations and also bought more cakes from our Take Away Cake stall. There was also an opportunity to taste Pigeon peas in a Dhal.
A Church collection was taken in St. John’s Church in Sully which added to the money raised.

The week concluded with the visit of Rev. Andrew Sully who is the Interim Head for Christian Aid Cymru. He told us of a recent cyclone in Malawi since we had started our appeal. However he joined with us in ‘Hope’ for what we can achieve together when we work in partnership.
Our thanks go to all of you who gave most generously and all who helped, in whatever part you played.
Jude Billingham

 

 

ST. MARY’S CHURCH NEWS

ST. MARY’S CHURCH NEWS

 

The Penrhys Pilrimage was for those who took part a very humbling and rewarding experience. Over three days the pilgrims set out from Llandaff Cathedral and walked the Pilgrimage Way in searing heat with some of the hottest temperatures we have seen so far this year. The final stretch of the way was on the last day with steep climbs, when finally reaching the site of the shrine to The Blessed Virgin Mary, they were greeted by others who had made their way to the hill top in Rhondda Cynon Taff. After visiting the Holy Well a short form of the Eucharist was celebrated and the pilgrims duly returned to their homes, tired but blessed by the experience of the fellowship enjoyed with each other. Thank you David and Helen and Lyndon and Chris for organising the arrangements. Well done.
Lyndon and Chris have been on holiday during the month, when they returned to Canada for family reunions and many catch ups with their children and others. We look forward to seeing them refreshed and full of “ where do we go from here”. In Lyndon’s absence Services have been held by our long time friend John Oeppen who also celebrated his birthday in church on “Father’s Day” being given a lighted candle and we all sang Happy Birthday.
WENVOE OPEN GARDENS
On a sultry Saturday afternoon, 12 gardens were opened for visiting in aid of the Church Building fund from 12.00 noon to 5 .00 pm. All the gardens were different, some large some small and others in between. The one thing they all had in common was how the gardens are an extension of how we live our lives and that the garden is an extension of the home itself. There was a tremendous response and many of the gardens were visited by 80 or more during the opening time and many made use of the refreshments provided in the church grounds. Following many weeks of hot dry weather most gardens welcomed the rain in the early hours of the day, and there were many fevered checks on the weather forecasts, but the day was humid and hot but at least we did not suffer any health problems by our most welcome visitors.
The problem most gardeners have in their gardens is the presence of weeds, and how to keep them in check. We are told that a weed is simply a plant growing in the wrong place and are good for the natural world, and it so happened the next day, that we sang a hymn that contained the following words. “ but oh what tares (weeds) the evil one hath in his garden sown” which made me think that the morning rain had caused the many weeds to grow during the day. Oh well a gardener’s lot is not a happy one.
The financial result stands at a whopping £1000.00 including the amount raised by the surplus cake sales in the church porch after the morning service. A splendid result and thanks go to all who opened their gardens, made the cakes, sold the cakes and made the Tea/Coffee in the church grounds, but above all a big THANK YOU to all our visitors who
bought the tickets, gave donations for the refreshments and the sale of greeting cards, without you there would be no report to share in the success of the day. So thank you Glenys and Mike for all your work in pulling all the arrangements together and we look forward to 2025 for the next OPEN GARDENS.
During the month we were saddened to hear of the passing of two residents who had in different ways helped the church in the recent past. Trevor Case who had lived in Walston Road and worked with the Environment Group and church grounds, and Mike Flynn of Springfield Close who audited the church accounts for a number of years. We hold their families in our prayers at their loss. Well done thou good and faithful servants.
Thank you for reading the church news, We may be a small church but we have a large heart for all in the community. Contact Lyndon on Tel 029 2280 6018 (confidential phone) in times of need or fjust advice or even just to say hello.
See you in church, its FREE and you will get a good welcome

 

February Report

FEBRUARY REPORT

Dear Readers, Welcome to this month’s report on the GOOD NEWS to be given to the faithful worshippers in St. Mary’s every Sunday at 9.30am.

By the time you are reading this page, we will have been in the solemn season of Lent since Ash Wednesday on the 22nd February when the traditional ceremony of “ashing” was carried out during the Holy Eucharist service at 10.00am. Perhaps an explanation will help those who are not regular churchgoers. ASH WEDNESDAY is called because on that day Christians in church will be marked with a cross on their foreheads with ash, derived from the burning of last year’s palm crosses, with the words “Dust thou art and unto dust will you return”. It is a reminder of our origin and our mortality, and is a sign of penance for the starting of our Lenten observance. Church teaching during Lent was for us to give something up, that has changed now to doing something extra, to help your neighbour with a task if they are unable to do it themselves. To greet a perfect stranger with a smile. To go out of your way when you come across a need that needs to be addressed. The first Wednesday in Lent is also St David’s Day, Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant and David is remembered for his teaching to his followers “TO DO THE LITTLE THINGS AS YOU HAVE SEEN ME DO” that still holds good today, and echoes the message of Lent to do something extra. Following the service, there will be an opportunity for some hospitality in the Church Hall with coffee/tea and Welsh cakes. During Lent there will be a service in church each Wednesday morning at 10.00 am and all are welcome to join the faithful who will appreciate the additional service in mid week, which is normally a more quieter service than that on a Sunday morning.

The other piece of GOOD NEWS is the publication of the latest edition of “CONNECTIONS” our quarterly Ministry Area Magazine, which is full of the activities in the nine churches since Advent of last year, together with all the arrangements for observing the period of Lent, to Holy Week and the major church festival of Easter itself. Copies are available in all our churches, and are FREE but donations towards the cost of printing are always welcome, and a copy is always placed in the library at the Hub in Wenvoe, where you can read it, but why not have a copy at home to keep all the events at your fingertips. We also provide a digital copy if that is more convenient or you can forward it to a friend who has a former connection with Wenvoe.

Last month we reported how the church was facing up to the increased cost of maintaining the church as a warm comforting place during these Winter months. We are not alone with this, as many other churches are facing the same additional costs, just as we are in our own homes. That message is worth repeating again this month..

We all know only too well how our household bills have risen as a result of the war in Ukraine and the cutting off of the supplies of gas from Russia has

increased the cost of heating our homes. The church is not immune from this and the rising cost of other bills to keep the church functioning is a real worry for church officers trying to balance the books at the year end. The church survives solely on the income that comes from the offerings on the collection plate, the scheme of Giving Direct via our bank accounts, donations, fund raising and our precious reserves. Our largest outlay is the monthly payment to the PARISH SHARE to the Diocese, to cover the salary of the incumbent and other expenses in the financing of the diocesan policies, so the question we need to ask ourselves is this….When did you last review your weekly giving to the work of the church? Since COVID and the lockdowns we are seeing fewer people at our worship, yet the bills keep rising for a church that is in every sense a church for the community at large. The church door is open to all, at most times and Vicar Lyndon welcomes enquiries about donations, large or small, to help today’s generation to hand the building on to the future generations yet to be born. As a Church we have good reason to be thankful to the many generations who have gone before us. Through their good Christian stewardship and generous legacies they have provided for the mission and ministry of the Church over many centuries, the fruits of which we continue to enjoy today. So another question we can ask ourselves is Have I made provision in my will to help foster the work of the church after my days. Congregations in every church are commended to remember their spiritual home to help the work of mission and ministry by leaving a legacy which can make a vital difference in maintaining a church that can be used by the whole community when the needs arise. Thank you for reading this and if you are able to donate a gift, however small, it will be gratefully received.

Mothering Sunday on March 19th. There will be an opportunity to join with our Ministry Area of De Morgannwg to attend the service of Choral Evensong at the Cathedral. This is very appropriate to be at the mother church of the diocese on this day, and expressions of interest will be sought with a view to providing transport to and from our churches nearer the time. The morning services will be at the usual time and maybe there will be flowers to give Mums and others to mark the specialness of the day.

Thank you for reading the church news. We launched the CHRISTIAN AID appeal for the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, donations can still be made via our secure letter boxes at the Church Hall and Church Porch. There is always a welcome to join our services. The church door is not a barrier but a threshold to joining a warm loving community ready to greet you.

Every Blessing and Peace

Parry Edward

 

January Report

JANUARY REPORT

Welcome to this month’s report on the activities and events that have taken place in our churches during January. The first Sunday of the year just happened to be New Year’s Day, and the congregation in St. Mary’s were offered a musical treat following the service when Rob Lloyd our organist played J.S. Bach’s “New Year Chorale”. What an uplifting piece of music, composed to celebrate the arrival of a new year. To watch Rob’s hands, co-ordinating with his feet on the pedal board, was simply amazing and the resulting sounds were wonderful to hear and appreciate, resulting in a round of applause from all present.

The Feast of the Epiphany was kept to commemorate the visit of the three Magi, or Wise Men, to present their gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh to the infant Jesus. The crib will remain until the feast of Candlemas, which brings the Christmas season to an end for this year.

The Season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday February 22nd, with a Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes at 10.00am at St. Mary’s and also at St. John the Baptist in Sully at 7.00pm. It is during this service that the congregation are marked with a cross on their forehead with the words “from dust you came and to dust you will return”. It is a reminder that we are mortal and that our lives will end at a time chosen by Almighty God. During Lent we shall be discussing the words written in the Catechism, as a reminder to us all of our preparation for Confirmation, and the promises made so many years ago. Lyndon’s sermons will echo this theme and there will be an opportunity to discuss points raised after the service, should any of the congregation wish to stay behind. Lent can be used in many ways as not only an opportunity to give something up, but also take on aspects of our faith which we may not have given much thought to since the heady days of our own confirmation by the Bishop.

An evening informal Eucharist and discussion group will be meeting in Sully on Wednesdays at 7.00pm. Look out for details in the church newsletter.

On Mothering Sunday on March 19th there will be an opportunity to join with our Ministry Area of De Morgannwg to attend the service of Choral Evensong at the Cathedral. This is very appropriate to be at the mother church of the diocese on this day. Expressions of interest will be sought with a view to providing transport to and from our churches nearer the time. The morning services will be at the usual time and maybe there will be flowers, to give Mums and others, to mark the specialness of the day.

We all know only too well how our household bills have risen as a result of the war in Ukraine and the cutting off of the supplies of gas from Russia has increased the cost of heating our homes. The church is not immune from this and the rising cost of other bills to keep the church functioning is a real worry for church officers, trying to balance the books at the year end. The church survives solely on the income that comes from the offerings on the collection plate, the scheme of Giving Direct via our bank accounts, donations, fund raising and our precious reserves. Our largest outlay is the monthly payment to the PARISH SHARE to the Diocese, to cover the salary of the incumbent and other expenses in the financing of the diocesan policies. So the question we need to ask ourselves is this….When did you last review your weekly giving to the work of the church? Since COVID and the lockdowns we are seeing fewer people at our worship, yet the bills keep rising for a church that is in every sense a church for the community at large. The church door is open to all, at most times and Vicar Lyndon welcomes enquiries about donations, large or small, to help today’s generation to hand the building on to the future generations yet to be born. As a Church we have good reason to be thankful to the many generations who have gone before us. Through their good Christian stewardship and generous legacies they have provided for the mission and ministry of the Church over many centuries, the fruits of which we continue to enjoy today. So another question we can ask ourselves is Have I made provision in my will to help foster the work of the church after my days? Congregations in every church are commended to remember their spiritual home to help the work of mission and ministry by leaving a Legacy which can make a vital difference in maintaining a church that can be used by the whole community when the needs arise.

Looking ahead, the arrangements for Holy Week and Easter will be announced in next month’s What’s On. Following that we will have the celebrations for King Charles III’s coronation. In June we hope to run the OPEN GARDENS in WENVOE scheme which was so successful a few years ago prior to COVID. This will be a good fund raiser for church funds organised by Glenys and Mike Tucker.

Thank you as usual for reading the church news. There is always a welcome to join our services. The church door is not a barrier, it is the means of joining a warm loving community ready to greet you.

With every Blessing

Parry Edwards

 

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