December Church Activities
A Blywthyn Newedd Dda – a Happy New Year to all Readers.
The first Sunday in December was Advent Sunday; the beginning of four weeks of solemn preparation for the greatest event the world has known, the Birth of the Saviour in a stable at Bethlehem nearly 2000 years ago. It is also the first Sunday of the churche’s year, so we are already in the year 2020. As we enter the third decade of the 21st century, Christians the world over are looking forward with hope in their hearts for a continuing peace and prosperity for all peoples, of all faiths and creeds.
For the Church in Wales it also marks the centenary of its own birth, away from the Church of England. There was much talk and discussion about the dissolution of the four Welsh Dioceses away from the Church of England in the early years of the 20th century, and the necessary measures, the Welsh Church Act of 1914, were put on hold with the outbreak of WW1 in 1914. With the ending of the war, the movement to break away was once again agreed upon and so the Church in Wales was created with its own Archbishop the Very Reverend Alfred George Edwards, who was Bishop of St Asaph at the time in 1920.
How did these changes affect the Parish of Wenvoe are not very clear. Our Rector at the time was Rev. George Herbert Jenner who, with advancing years, retired from the parish in 1924. The years following the ending of the war were years of financial hardship and Wenvoe had never been a rich parish with any endowments. Mrs Laura Jenner of Wenvoe Castle still had the right to appoint a priest here, so the church just got on proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel, and we now enjoy all that earlier generations of church going folk in Wenvoe left for future generations.
As I write this preparations for the celebration of Christmas are well advanced and we look forward to the “Pebbles” children giving their presentation of the Nativity story in church. Once again a Christmas Card, giving all details of the services in St Mary’s and St Bleddian’s has been delivered to all homes in the parish, and Christmas Edition of the parish magazine “Connections” is full of good cheer for the festive season
The 200 Club continues to be successful in raising much needed money for the building fund. The Christmas Draw of winner numbers was drawn at the Church Hall following the Community Carol service on 18th December, when great fellowship was accorded with mince pies and mulled wine, courtesy of Wenvoe Community Council.. The 200 Club has donated £1,800 to the St. Mary’s Building Fund for this year.
The work in hand for 2020 will be the plastering of the lower walls adjacent to the altar, and the rear of the organ console and in February we are due to have the historic floor tiling in the church restored and cleaned. This work will add to the beauty of the church interior and will be as when the tiles were laid sometime at the middle to end of the 19th century in the major restoration of church that took place under the guidance of the Jenner rectors.
The Christmas Chattery
The Christmas Chattery on Thursday 12th December 2019 was a huge success in spite of the awful weather. The church hall was packed with people and we almost ran out of chairs and cups! There was a lovely friendly ambience with lots of chat and laughter. The hall looked very smart with Christmas decorations kindly gifted by the reindeers.
Grateful thanks to everyone who supported us, as in addition to the most enjoyable social occasion, £292 was raised for the church building fund.
The highlight of the raffle was the amazing Christmas cake creation from Glenys Tucker which was won by a lucky resident in Vennwood Close.
Don’t forget that the Chattery meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month when you will find a warm welcome – but fewer people!
Happy New Year to all our readers
Parry Edwards