Teulu Asaph April/May 2015 by Phil Topham

EE IM FR DD M A

TE U LU A SA P H

Esgobaeth Llanelwy Diocese of St Asaph

Ebrill/Mai April/May 2015

ÂŠ Marty n Walsh

Som

as a mess. s i h t e e s y e ma

ting, vibrant i c x e n a e We se ositive future. p y r e v d an

We see an exciting, vibrant There are 106 registered Messy Churches in Wales and probably twice that number as many haven’t got around to registering themselves on the Messy Church website. Now we’ve worked with the Welsh Messy Churches to find a Welsh name, and have decided it will be Llan Llanast, we are working on the first translation of the first Messy Church book. A logo will follow before long! So we are excited about all this and we look forward to seeing more ‘Messy Churches’ before long! But, you may say, who wants their church to be messy? What a terrible name! Church should be ordered, clean, tidy… But the name ‘Messy Church’ is actually trying to say something about ‘come as you are’ – to communicate in a fun way the profound theological truth that Jesus and his people love you just as you are, without any need to sort yourself out before you dare venture through the door of a church building. You might have the messiest family and personal life possible, but we believe the best place to sort that out is with Jesus and in a loving supportive community of Christians. And yes, we do get messy too, but teams are adept at cleaning up after themselves! Messy Church began in 2004 in a church in Portsmouth as that church’s attempt to do church differently for people who were never going to come to a traditional church service. The format is simple: it’s once a month on a day to suit local families. The family comes together – there are no unaccompanied children - so they all enjoy the shared experience of worship together. There’s a warm and relaxed welcome time, an hour of exploring the Bible theme through ten varied hands-on activities, then a very short celebration, with story, song and prayer followed by a sit-down meal for everyone including the

team. So for example, if the theme is Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son, you might find yourself decorating a pig biscuit… creating a prayer card on forgiveness… taking your fingers on a labyrinth walk to feel what the younger son’s journey to and from the city might have felt like… learning elementary embroidery as you help create the Father’s cloak… designing a ring from a drinks can ringpull… exploring what pig swill might feel like by daring to plunge your hand into a revolting mix of jelly, porridge and old Weetabixes… and all this time you’re talking with the team members who are helping you do each activity and getting to know them and their values. You might hear them talking about a time they were forgiven or a time they knew God’s love for real. Then in the celebration you would take part in the story in a fun way, bring your prayers to God with everyone else’s and maybe sing a song about God’s love for you… Messy Church is huge fun! Any team will tell you it’s ‘absolutely exhausting but worth it’. Seeing families coming into your local church - their local church – for the first time – maybe even queuing up to get in! - that has to be a joy and a privilege to be part of. There are around 2500 Messy Churches across the UK and 20 other countries, of all denominations. Many of them are ecumenical ventures, where local churches work together to share resources and put on one really great Messy Church together. Its home is with BRF, the Bible Reading Fellowship, who support a team of 75 Regional Coordinators to provide local back-up for Messy Church leaders and teams. There is so far only one Regional Coordinator for Wales – Lesley Cox in South Wales. We’re looking for a volunteer to take on North Wales!

Starting a Messy Church If you’re wondering about starting a Messy Church, go and visit one locally – you’ll find details of where they are on the messychurch.org.uk website under ’Where?’ Read the book ‘Messy Church’ and watch the dvd clips on the website. You’ll find loads of help and free resources on the same website and contact details if you just want to talk things through by phone. Find a team with the same vision to pull it all together and go for it! Let’s face it, if 2500 other churches can do it – many with small, elderly and inexperienced teams – so can you! So you can see that it is really important that we get our fingers in the pie, and on the paper, and round the scissors, in the glue, and ….!

No – not all at once but now, because ‘the time is right!’

www.messychurch.org.uk Facebook page: Messy Church Mag Contact carole.darius@messychurch.org.uk Tel: 01235 858246 2

and ver y positive future. Messy Church in Llandyrnog “Messy Church Llandyrnog offers fun, friendship food and a chance to find out more about Jesus.” This was the message in our promotional leaflet back in 2012, a message that brought in families from our local community and further afield.

Reverend Bernard Thomas was the driving force behind our venture, he asked for volunteers and arranged our first planning meeting in 2011. The response was very positive and we formed a team with people taking responsibility for worship, craft activities, catering and overall leadership. It is a commitment however none of us feels that we can’t take time off, someone else will always step in the breach! In the weeks before our first session we displayed posters around the village, gave out leaflets outlining the background and aims of our Messy Church and invited families to come and join us. I visited our local school during an assembly to tell the children about Messy Church. Careful and prayerful planning in the early stages has helped us to deliver what we set out to do. We make a list of topics and stories for the year ahead then meet monthly to prepare for each session. At the beginning of the new year, we give out small fridge magnet cards with dates and topics on. These are handy reminders!

MC is funded in a variety of ways. We had a generous, anonymous monthly donation in our first year that gave us a tremendous start. Several other donations from local organizations and individuals have enabled us to hire the Village Hall, buy or replace equipment and pay for food for our meals. Toys, games and other resources have been given to us or bought in charity shops. The Internet is a great source of free material that only has to be photocopied. We felt strongly that cost should not be a barrier and decided against charging families a fee, however we do put out collection tins at meal time for donations. Messy Church meets once a month on Sunday afternoons in the Village Hall, a fantastic community facility with toilets and a kitchen. An average of 16 children attend with their parents and or grandparents. There are at least thirty of us at most sessions, adults and children alike coming together to enjoy fellowship in a relaxed atmosphere.

Craft activities begin at 3:30 and usually take up the first hour then we tidy up and have our worship. This takes the form of a story or short address, songs and prayers. The CDs we use to accompany the singing are really useful especially when we are learning new songs. To round off our busy time, we have a meal together. This is a lovely shared experience that gives more opportunities to enjoy each other’s company. We are in our third year now and have made many changes in the way we do things. What haven’t changed or diminished, are the enthusiasm and commitment that we had three years ago! This is our version of Messy Church based on the resources and facilities available to us. It’s not the only way by any means! 3

Church News Priestly Ministry on the agenda at Clergy Synod day January which had a strong 2020 Vision theme. The day focussed on the future of priestly ministry and the clergy’s hopes and fears about Mission Areas. This Synod Day had one big difference – it was facilitated by consultant Nicky McGinty to ensure that everybody was heard and that the day ran smoothly. Nicky is experienced in conducting sessions with up to 1000 people and she encouraged the clergy to share their experiences and mingle with those they don’t know very well. Director of Ministry Revd Manon C James was delighted with the results and said: “Nicky set us several questions according to each topic to discuss in groups and we recorded our answers on specially designed sheets. To give you a flavour – we shared with each other one positive experience of ministry in the last year, we discussed how to maximise our hopes with 2020 Vision and minimise our fears. Unlike previous

CMD days where group work was unpopular, we enjoyed the opportunity to share experiences and to have our voice heard. There was a good atmosphere and generally the feedback so far has been very positive. “I would encourage Mission Areas, churches and deaneries to give this way of conducting a meeting a go. It is a great way of getting everybody’s voice heard, not just those who are more confident or who can shout loudest.” The Synod Day was held at the Beaufort Park Hotel in Mold and is part of a new approach to clergy training in the Diocese of St Asaph. Before 2015, clergy were required to go on three training days a year with a “one size fits all’ approach to training. This year the clergy have been asked to book on to at least two training sessions, and to choose for themselves what they want to learn. Their training will also include a day and half for a “clergy synod” like this one. Manon concluded: “Days like this are about participation. At the Synod Day in January we introduced a new way to run a church conference which is very much in the spirit of 2020 Vision as it means everybody has a voice.”

Husband and wife take up ministry in Hawarden area churches

On Wednesday 4 March we welcomed Danny and Mary Evans in St Deiniol’s Church, Hawarden as they began their new ministry in the Rectorial benefice and the wider mission area. Before coming into the ordained ministry Danny worked worked as a freelance Graphic Designer in Surrey and Sussex. Danny is married to Mary, who was ordained Deacon in June 2012 and who will be joining as part-time curate. Mary comes from Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, and came to the UK after studying music at university. She holds glider and private pilot’s licences, and played ice hockey in high school and university, so she is very much looking forward to living near both an airfield and the Deeside Ice Rink! Commenting on their new ministry, Danny said, ‘The new Mission Area of Hawarden provides many fresh and imaginative opportunities to be church and to express God’s love and joy. I feel drawn to working within a Mission Area team who share the same vision to renew and invigorate our churches’.

Newyddion Eglwysig Southsea has two reasons to celebrate! On Sunday, 8th March a special service took place at All Saints’ Southsea, where the enthusiastic congregation has a new building in which to worship and reach out from as well as a new vicar, James Aylward. With a full congregation, Bishop Gregory first dedicated the new church. He drew the Greek letters alpha and omega (the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet) on the ground near the door to remind us that Jesus Himself is the first and last. In his address he spoke of finding hope in Southsea, seeing it as a place where people could draw near to the Kingdom of Heaven. As the church was a place filled with light as the sun streamed through the stained glass windows which had been moved from the previous church, so here too they to draw us to that light which is shown to us in God’s grace, mercy and love. He commented James to us as a person who wanted to stand up for justice – a hallmark of ministryprayerfully and joyfully and he looked forward to a ministry touched with the fullness of Christ for James and for the members of All Saints!

Aerial Drone helps identify roof repairs An aerial drone has photographed the roof of St Asaph Cathedral – giving historic buildings experts a birds’ eye view of the building.

The “hexacopter” was demonstrated to architects and heritage building experts from across the Diocese in January and can take still photographs and video footage giving close-up images of a roof. The idea is that it can help to highlight any repair work that might necessary to an historic building. The technology was also demonstrated in Llandaff and will give churches the option to inspect a roof, tower or spire without hiring a cherry-picker or putting up scaffolding which is often impossible because of

nearby graves. Jan Williams is Churches Conservation and Development Officer for the Diocese of St Asaph and said: “It’s difficult to work out how extensive repairs to our churches might be – especially when you can’t get up to the roof to inspect the damage. While hiring a hexacopter won’t be cost effective for every church,

it is certainly worth considering if a church is planning a huge project to reroof a church or refurbish a spire. You might only get one view of the church roof by climbing to the top of its tower. This technique allows us to see the same piece of the building from a number of different angles to help us look at the repairs.” The hexacopter was powered by Overdrones who have kindly given us permission to use the images.

Focus on Schools DCC to consult yet again on Ysgol Llanbedr

The feeling of joy and relief experienced by all associated with Ysgol Llanbedr on the 27th January was immeasurable as the two year campaign to save the school had been won. However celebrations and forward planning were cut short when on 10th February when DCC announced they were going to consult again with a view to the school closing in August 2016’. Disbelief followed this announcement. Ysgol Llanbedr is the only faith based, rural, English language school in the Ruthin area. It is a wonderful learning environment with consistently outstanding academic results and indoor and outdoor facilities which are among the best in the area and with an on-site wrap around care and a holiday club for 2- 11year olds. The support for Ysgol Llanbedr has been very strong. The pre-determined way DCC have gone about this shows they have learnt nothing from the last two years, and the speed at which this decision to consult was made typifies their lack of intention to explore options for a future for Ysgol Llanbedr. There would be no financial benefit to them if the school closed as the buildings and grounds would revert to the Diocese. Everyone involved with Ysgol Llanbedr keeps the wellbeing of the pupils at the top of the agenda; it is now time for DCC to do the same. The School, Governing Body and Diocese of St. Asaph wish to work with DCC in a meaningful manner to find a solution to ensure Ysgol Llanbedr stays open, as its loss would seriously undermine the provision of faith based, rural, English language education in the Ruthin area. Ysgol Llanbedr has a strong future, highlighted by the high number of pupils in the Foundation phase and the volume of enquiries received after the Minister’s decision to keep the school open. The facts demonstrate 6

ND S O OU FF R SC HO OL

that Ysgol Llanbedr is a thriving, popular, successful, growing school which serves the local community and wider afield. The Diocese and Governing Body have battled tirelessly to secure the future of Ysgol Llanbedr, and will continue to do so, not just for the sake of this school but for all Church in Wales schools. It is our belief that should Ysgol Llanbedr fall, then other Church schools could find themselves facing a similar threat, so please join with us in the campaign to Save Ysgol Llanbedr. http://www.ysgol-llanbedr.co.uk

School visits to the Cathedral Spring is in the air! Monks, Bishops, Priests, Saints, Kings and Queens are being brought to life through the workshops taking place in the Cathedral. Primary school children from the diocese and beyond are finding out about the history of the cathedral and its’ people. -the Welsh Bible, stained glass windows, paintings, sculptures and carvings make it a fascinating and unique place to discover their heritage. A committed and enthusiastic team of volunteers offer workshops on A Monk’s Life, The Celtic Saints, Jesus and Art, Bishop William Morgan and the Translators, The Bishop and the Diocese, and Cathedral Vestments. They can hear the mighty organ and learn about its role in worship as well as handbell ringing, designing stained glass windows, brass rubbing and a “trail” to discover the secrets hidden in this most iconic building.

The educational content of the workshops is cross curricular and suitable for particular age groups and from church and non-denominational schools. So do consider coming! Quotes from the children include “Awesome!” “Peaceful”, “Holy” and “Best bit was being a Monk!” Hopefully they left with the feeling that this is a place that welcomes everyone!

“We’re hooked on Sunday Worship”

DATGLOI EIN POTENSIAL - UNLOCKING OUR POTENTIAL

Revd Chancellor Pam Powell, Transition Missioner That’s just one example, others will include foodbanks, working with schools or farmers and rural areas – that’s all 2020 Vision. Every deanery is doing something already and has been since before we came up with 2020 Vision.

Revd Chancellor Pam Powell is our new Transition Missioner. Her role is to help make 2020 Vision a reality across the Diocese. Pam will manage our Transition Mentors who will be appointed to help parishes and communities move to a different way of working under the banner of 2020 Vision. We asked Pam how 2020 Vision can become a reality in the Diocese of St Asaph. What is 2020 Vision in two sentences? 2020 Vision is looking forward; it is bringing the Church into the 21st Century and thinking about what we do and the reasons why we do things. I think it is mainly looking outward from our churches into the communities we serve. So what is your role in It is walking alongside colleagues both lay and interpret 2020 vision in a are at this time.

2020 Vision? parishes and deaneries; ordained are starting to way that suits where they

How can you help parishes in that endeavour? We need to see that lots of parishes are doing things already that are wonderful. In my previous parish of Llanfechain, our Reader and Worship Leader were successful in getting a midweek fellowship hour in a cul-de-sac in the village. In that area it is mission because it is outside of a cold church and they are doing something where people are comfortable physically but they are also comfortable spiritually. This is a small church in a small village. It is also important for those of us who are clergy to give that permission to just “go and do it”. We do not need to lead everything.

So how do we measure success with 2020 Vision? I think a lot of the success – if you want to call it that – won’t be realised for another 20 years because it needs to get rooted into the life of the Church & community. It will be people who commit themselves to God, whose lives are led by faith rather than good works, expressing that faith in a way in which is meaningful to them and to the people around them, so I don’t think we can measure it at the moment. Measurement leads to comparison and due to the diversity we celebrate, we can’t compare one Mission Area to another. What would you say to Parishes who perhaps haven’t even heard of 2020 Vision yet? People need to have a vision of what they would like the church to be for the next generation – in fact for the generation now. We often hear that people don’t want change but we would still be leading services in languages we don’t use if we hadn’t changed. So I think it’s about having faith that we can do better and we have to remember that no church is perfect! How can you help parishes to get something off the ground with 2020 Vision? I am happy to have an open dialogue with people as individuals and small groups about where they are at the moment and what they are doing. What I don’t want people to do is look at what is working well in rural Montgomeryshire for example when they live in the middle of Wrexham or Rhyl. We can translate what is going on into something which will work where we are but we can’t just lift good examples from one end of the Diocese to the other. What else should we consider about 2020 Vision? We’ve got too many buildings & I know everyone’s building is very precious to the people who worship there but I think we are hooked onto Sunday worship a bit too much. We need to look much wider than that; let’s look out of our church doors. 7

DATGLOI EIN POTENSIAL - UNLOCKING OUR POTENTIAL

Bishop Gregory asks ‘What on earth is the Church for?

All the frenetic activity around 2020 Vision, and the re-organisation into Mission Areas, can sometimes feel as if we’re re-organising the Church for the Church’s sake. How do we keep going one hundred years after disestablishment? It might be worth reminding ourselves therefore why the Church exists. It has two purposes: First, it exists for the sake of the glory of God. When we acknowledge God as our creator all creation fits into its proper place around him. Worship is drawing close into the presence of God so that we may be caught up into the life-giving dance where everyone and everything falls into the proper place. Putting God in his proper place is not just about bowing down before the Throne of Grace, it is also about that grace being life-giving for us, leading us into wholeness and holiness. Secondly, the Church exists to bring life to the world. Jesus said “As the Father sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). In the same way that Jesus proclaimed healing and hope to his contemporaries, freeing people from the burden of their sin, working for justice and peace, so we are commissioned to be agents of God’s kingdom in our communities. We are to be “not just receivers of the Word, but doers also” (James 1.22) At the beginning of March, 400 members of our diocese came to learn more about prayer. Mark Yaconelli and the diocesan team sought to help us to become people who approached the throne of grace regularly, people who pray, who can be touched by God. Throughout our diocese, there are manifestations of “Messy Church”, a way of being Church which allows children to be themselves with mums and dads in drawing close to God. Both of these things are reported in this

edition of Teulu Asaph, and both are at the heart of our work, our mission. Our Church is doing its job when it is either bringing people closer into the presence of God, or sending them out in love and service to the world. Anything else which stands in the way of these two tasks, whether it be “our beautiful pews” or our familiar prayers, needs to be challenged – challenged, not necessarily dumped – because the real beauty of our churches are hearts lifted up in prayer, or spent in service and love even to the most unlovely

Beth ar y ddaear yw diben yr Eglwys? Beth ar y ddaear yw diben yr Eglwys? Mae’r holl weithgarwch gwyllt ynghylch Golwg 2020, a’r addrefnu i Ardaloedd Cenhadaeth, yn gallu teimlo ar adegau fel ein bod yn ad-drefnu’r Eglwys er mwyn yr Eglwys. Sut rydym yn dal ati gan mlynedd ar ôl y datgysylltiad? Gallai fod yn werth atgoffa ein hunain, felly, pam mae’r Eglwys yn bodoli. Mae ganddi ddau ddiben: Yn gyntaf, mae’n bodoli er gogoniant i Dduw. Pan fyddwn yn cydnabod Duw fel ein creawdwr, mae’r greadigaeth gyfan yn ffitio i’w lle priodol o’i gwmpas. Ystyr addoli yw nesáu at bresenoldeb Duw fel y gallwn ddod yn rhan o’r ddawns fywiol lle mae pawb a phopeth yn disgyn i’r lle priodol. Mae rhoi Duw yn ei le priodol yn golygu mwy na dim ond ymgrymu o flaen gorsedd gras - y mae hefyd yn ymwneud â’r gras hwnnw’n rhoi bywyd i ni, gan ein harwain ni i gyfanrwydd a sancteiddrwydd. Yn ail, mae’r Eglwys yn bodoli i ddod â bywyd i’r byd. Dywedodd Iesu “Fel y mae’r Tad wedi fy anfon i, yr wyf fi hefyd yn eich anfon chwi.” (Ioan 20:21). Yn yr un modd y cyhoeddodd Iesu iachâd a gobaith i’w gyfoedion, gan ryddhau pobl o faich eu pechod, a gweithio dros gyfiawnder a heddwch, felly rydym ninnau’n cael ein comisiynu i fod yn asiantau teyrnas Dduw yn ein cymunedau. Cawn ein galw i fod yn “weithredwyr y gair, nid yn wrandawyr yn unig.” (Iago 1.22) Ar ddechrau mis Mawrth, daeth 400 o aelodau ein hesgobaeth i ddysgu mwy am weddi. Ceisiodd Mark Yaconelli a’r tîm esgobaethol ein helpu

The Power of Prayer weekend - bringing 2020 Vision to life! All the sessions were fully booked as over 400 hundred people attended one of the four gatherings in various places in the Diocese. We listened and learnt from Mark Yaconelli, our visitor from America. Mark, who is a storyteller, a popular speaker and a retreat leader, lived up to his reputation! He helped us to grasp what contemplative prayer could mean for us, reminding us that that Jesus went to find a solitary place (Mark1:35) and that this prayerful obedience was essential to his ministry. As we were sitting in groups of five we were then asked to share a moment when we thought God had been very close to us. There were some lovely moments and it seemed that many people present felt a strong sense of the presence of God and loving acceptance of those with whom they were sharing. Love… Joy… Happiness... Reassurance…

Forgiveness… were just some of the comments offered. Again we listened to Mark and he pointed out to us that God is not anxiously concerned about what is happening as he has faced similar difficulties before and he will continue to bless those who seek to do his work. The second thing is that we are far too busy, and must learn to spend more time with God, just as Jesus did! Being busy can mean we are being distracted and so loose regular communication with our heavenly father. No wonder Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them to pray! Participants then got into different groups so that everyone got the chance to explore different ways of praying. There were displays of prayer aids such as candles, aromas, music, pictures, and craft making materials.

There was also a labyrinth or prayer maze which people could walk, or they could experiment with small hand held versions. There was also a short video about churches in the diocese which are actively involved in reaching out, trying new ideas and entering fully into the spirit of the 2020 vision. Many people found this all very valuable.

UNLOCKING OUR POTENTIAL - DATGLOI EIN POTENSIAL

ni i ddod yn bobl sy’n mynd at orsedd gras yn rheolaidd, yn bobl sy’n gweddïo, ac yn bobl y gall Duw ein cyffwrdd. Ar hyd a lled ein hesgobaeth, mae yna arwyddion o “Eglwys Anniben”, yn ffordd o fod yn Eglwys sy’n caniatáu i blant fod yn nhw eu hunain gyda mamau a thadau wrth nesáu at Dduw. Mae’r ddau beth hyn yn cael eu hadrodd yn y rhifyn hwn o Teulu Asaph, ac mae’r ddau beth wrth wraidd ein gwaith, ein cenhadaeth. Mae ein Heglwys yn gwneud ei gwaith pan fydd naill ai’n dod â phobl yn nes at bresenoldeb Duw, neu’n eu hanfon nhw mewn cariad a gwasanaeth i’r byd. Mae unrhyw beth arall sy’n rhwystro’r ddwy dasg hon, pa un ai “ein seddau hardd” neu ein gweddïau cyfarwydd, angen eu herio - eu herio, nid eu rhoi o’r neilltu, o reidrwydd - oherwydd harddwch go iawn ein heglwysi yw calonnau sy’n cael eu dyrchafu mewn gweddi, neu sy’n cael eu treulio mewn gwasanaeth a chariad hyd yn oed i’r mwyaf atgas.

Rural Church hosts RSPB Birdwatch One of the key drivers in 2020 Vision is encouraging churches to come up with new and innovative ways to engage with their local communities. In Llangystennin – a small, rural parish near Mochdre – parishioners have done just that by hosing an RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. More than 20 people gathered in the Churchyard at St Cystennin’s and spotted around a dozen different species during a special event in January. The church was recently awarded a grant of £500 from Keep Wales Tidy and is using it to look after the Churchyard and promote wildlife there. A number of bird feeders have been installed along with information about the kind of birds that might be spotted.

During the RSPB Birdwatch, species including the robin, magpie, blackbird, coal tit, dunnock, blue tit, 10

great tit and chaffinch were spotted but no one species was most prevalent. Revd Noel Carter, Rector of the Rectorial Benefice of Rhos-Cystennin said: “Parishioners at St Cystennin’s are very much making the churchyard into a nature reserve with bird feeders and information about the various birds you might see during a visit. Being an isolated church, we have to do everything we can to bring people in from the surrounding community and events like this are a great way to do it.”

Spring into Spring Retreat Open to everyone in St Asaph Diocese, this retreat, held in Noddfa Penmaenmawr at the beginning of March 2015, was the perfect setting for our lay led Spring Retreat. 14 people from all over the Diocese enjoyed a weekend of quiet personal prayer, contemplative prayer, as well as group prayer. We exchanged thoughts and reflections on our own faith journey and our prayer life, talked about what inspires our prayer and indeed what hinders it, and how to overcome this. We enjoyed simple, reflective services each morning and evening and were delighted when Patrice, one of the hardworking sisterhood, joined us on our last morning worship. Coming at the same time that the ‘Power of Prayer’ events that celebrated the importance of prayer and lay ministry in 2020 Vision, we enjoyed wonderful fellowship throughout the weekend. The overall purpose of the week end was to facilitate a time away, away from the busy-ness of our lives, a chance to stop to lay all other thoughts aside and to simply just be with God. By doing so we hoped to feel revitalised and nourished and filled ‘with the food for which our souls cry out’, to enable us to spring back into our lives better equipped spiritually to be the person God created us to be and to achieve his purpose for us and for those around us. We came away thankful for the gift of our Retreat, the people we were blessed to share it with, and the ideas for prayer we exchanged, and experienced. We were recharged, and reenergised, our Spring Retreat has really put a spring into the step of our on-going journey! Juliet Pickering, Ordinand in Training Helen Taubman, Lay Director of Cursillo St Asaph

UNLOCKING OUR POTENTIAL - DATGLOI EIN POTENSIAL

When asked to comment afterwards, one participant said ‘Unified in the Power of Prayer His vision will unfold’ Before the event Mark has said “My hope is that we might create a space where we can come home to God; a space where we can allow God to free us from our striving and worrying. My hope is that through humour, creativity and simple forms of prayer we become more honest, more free and more real.” Those of us who where there know that this is what happened. Now it is down to us both to develop what we have received in our own lives, and pass it on to others!

Your News Air Ambulance to receive Diocesan Offering 2015 Wales Air Ambulance has been called to more than 20,000 emergencies since its launch in 2001 but relies solely on donations from the public to continue its work. In 2015 the charity has been chosen to receive our Diocesan Offering after winning the vote at the Diocesan Conference last October. The Air Ambulance provides vital emergency cover for those who face life-threatening illnesses or injuries and with bases in Caernarfon, Welshpool and Swansea, they can be anywhere in Wales within 20 minutes. Each mission costs around £1,500 and there is an annual cost of around £6m to keep the helicopters in the air. On average, they will attend 2,000 incidents every year to give people live-saving treatment before flying them to hospital. One man who knows all about their work is lorry driver Jon.

He was airlifted by Wales Air Ambulance after his truck plummeted 40ft into a ravine on the A5 as he transported timber from Manchester to Wales. His truck clipped a low wall, sending Jon and his lorry tumbling down an embankment before hitting a tree. The accident left the 27 year-old with a serious brain injury that paralysed him from the waist down. “I don’t remember the accident, I have a memory lapse of about two-and-a-half weeks, but I know I was in a very bad way after plunging down that ravine,” said Jon. Wales Air Ambulance was called to the scene, and after treating Jon, conveyed him to Ysybyty Gwynedd in seven minutes. Following several weeks in hospital, Jon regained the use of his body and learned to walk again. Jon said: “It’s been a long recovery but I’m very thankful and I count my blessings

Entries invited for Virgin Art St Mary’s Church in Mold will once again host the annual Virgin Art exhibition in May and entries are already coming in. It will be staged in the church between Monday 4 May and Saturday 9 May and the closing date for entries is Monday 13 April. The exhibition – a feature of Mold’s annual festival programme and now one of the largest art events in Wales – was

launched in 2009. Last year a recordbreaking 100 artists and photographers from North Wales, Cheshire and Shropshire displayed 320 works of art

every single day.” This Spring, Wales Air Ambulance will have consultant-level doctors flying on its aircraft for the first time. A rota of consultants will work alongside critical care paramedics, meaning they will be able to provide even more treatments to critically ill people across Wales.

To find out more or to donate to Wales Air Ambulance, visit www. walesairambulance.com/en/donate-towales-charity or follow them on Twitter @air_ambulance.

in the aisles of the ancient church. Members of the public are able to buy many of the exhibits with part of the proceeds going to church funds. Since the launch more than £20,000 has been raised. The picture shows last year’s most popular exhibit “The Quarryman” by Jo Arwel Hughes. For more information about how to exhibit in 2015 please visit www.moldchurch.org/virginartmold. html

Your News Teenagers prepare for Tanzanian visit Two teenagers from Bala are raising money for a three-week trip to our linked Diocese of South West Tanganyika in September. Katie Williams and Iwan Edwards will visit Milo – a parish in the Tanzanian Diocese which is linked with Bala – and will take part in teaching and practical skills as they offer their talents to South West Tanganyika. During the visit, Katie will teach art, craft and English to children at Milo Primary School, while Iwan hopes to set up a carpentry workshop which will be used to teach woodworking skills to young men in the village, especially those orphaned through HIV/AIDS. Commenting on the trip, Katie said:“The classroom where I will teach

Art Exhibition in Cathedral Tower An interactive art exhibition was held in St Asaph Cathedral’s tower in February to mark the end of Angela Davies’ time as Artist in Residence. The site-responsive installation featured film, sound and experiences linked to Angela’s theme of pilgrimage and brought to an end the Cathedral’s first ever artist in residence, a six-month project in partnership with Arts Council of Wales and Addo. The Cathedral Tower is not normally 12

has nothing on the walls apart from the blackboard but I hope it will have the alphabet and numbers, in English and Swahili, and pictures and other examples of the children’s work by the time I have finished. “To raise money for the trip I plan to make greeting cards from recycled Christmas and birthday cards, and to knit scarfs. I am grateful for any support including art and craft materials, colouring and exercise books, pens and crayons and so on.” Iwan is very much looking forward to putting the carpentry skills he has learnt in college into practice in Milo. He said: “The head teacher in Milo Primary School is a good carpenter and uses a limited range of hand tools. With these he has built his own furniture including open to the public and was transformed into an exhibition space featuring projected images, maps of pilgrim trails and a screen made of honesty leaves. Angela said: “I have been using the framework of this magnificent space to respond

table, chairs, sofa and bookshelves with drawers and cupboards. I hope to build a workbench and tool rack for the workshop. This will be designed during my college course before we go. We plan to take a diamond stone for sharpening the chisel and plane blades and the cost of this has been kindly donated already.” Both Katie and Iwan need to raise £1,500 each to pay for their travel, accommodation and food. If you are interested in helping to support their trip please email adrianmurray@ btinternet.com

to the theme of pilgrimage - you could say the Cathedral has been my canvas.” The exhibition is still viewable by appointment – for more information please contact Angela on stasaphpilgrimage@gmail.com or via www.angeladaviesartist.co.uk

Eich newyddion chi Plaques mark Bodelwyddan war graves Two plaques commemorating the war graves at the Marble Church in Bodelwyddan have been unveiled in the Churchyard. 116 soldiers – the majority of them Canadian – are buried at St Margaret’s Church and their graves are looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). The plaques explain that many of the Canadian soldiers died from Spanish flu as they waited for transport home at the end of the First World War. Victoria Wallace, Director General of the CWGC has now visited Bodelwyddan to see the graves for herself and took

Holocaust Anniversary marked in Rhyl The 70th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camps took place in January and a small group called Friends of HMD (North East Wales) marked Holocaust Memorial Day in Rhyl. A themed commemoration took place in the committee room of the Town Hall on Thursday 29 January to mark the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland. The commemoration was opened by the Mayor of Rhyl who welcomed guests and community representatives

a tour of the Marble Church with the Vicar Revd Ian Day. Commenting on her visit, Ms Wallace said: “War graves in the UK are quite an unusual thing because we didn’t have battlefields, so places like this are really special. The stories of what happened here are very significant for the long term because of how the people buried

here died – it is not necessarily what you would expect. The plaques tell the story of the soldiers buried in Bodelwyddan in Welsh and English and were installed by the northwest branch of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

before an address from Fr Charles Ramsey from St Mary’s Catholic Church in Rhyl followed by prayers from Vicar of Meliden Revd John Harvey.

North East Wales said: “Well over a million Jewish people and other nationalities were systematically murdered as part of Hitler’s ‘Final Solution’ in Auschwitz-Birkenau alone. Over six million people of different races were murdered in Europe by the Nazis in a number of camps. Holocaust Memorial Day provides an opportunity for everyone to learn a lesson from history regarding the Holocaust and other subsequent events of genocide. HMD is a call for remembrance, peace and reconciliation despite continued hostilities in our world. Great things happen when people come together and long may this aspiration of Friends of HMD North East Wales pave the way for future events in our community.”

There were also moving accounts read about the Holocaust. Charles Leach from Friends of HMD

40 years of service marked at Cathedral A choir director has celebrated 40 years of service at St Thomas’ Church in Rhyl by performing a special musical setting at St Asaph Cathedral. Carol Rees Fields performed the Choral Eucharist Musical Setting, The St Thomas Mass to a packed Cathedral. She composed the setting and it was directed by St Asaph’s Master of the

Choristers Alan McGuinness. Carol’s faithful service was highlighted by the Dean – the Very Revd Nigel Williams – who presented her with a certificate on behalf of Bishop Gregory. Commenting

Women in ministry Crossing thresholds: the Licensed Ministry of Women in the Church in Wales is the title of a new book launched at Gladstone’s Library at the beginning of March. The book, with a foreword from the Archbishop, charts the development of our ministry. He says ‘There has been no carrying women over the threshold … rather, they have been tripped up, had obstacles put in their way and doors slammed in their faces (but) they have done it through faith and courage..’ . So there is much to celebrate and there was a good cross section of people celebrating! Some of those present were around in the 1960’s when Margaret Harvey became t h e 14

on the service, Carol said: “I was thrilled to perform the music at the Cathedral and it was a wonderful way of marking my 40 years.”

£1000 raised for persecuted MiddleEast Christians

first women woman outside Llandaff Diocese to be ordained Deacon. Some of us had served in the Diaconate for anything up to 17 years, and were the first to become priests in 1997. Together with those ordained more recently, our supporters and maybe, unknown to us yet, those who will become Bishops, we had an excellent time! So many thanks to all who have supported us over the years with their love and prayers, and now especially to the group who worked on the book and arranged the launch! We hope our stories will prove an inspiration to many!

St Nicholas Church in Montgomery have raised money for persecuted Christians thanks to a link with a church in the Middle-East. A couple from St Nicholas’ have a daughter called Ruth Moucharafiah who is a worshipper All Saints International Church in Beirut. Members of the congregation there are doing all they can to help Iraqi and Syrian refugees who have ended up on their doorstep after fleeing their homes because of the threat from Islamic State. St Nicholas’ Church planned a gift day in February and wrote to everyone on the electoral roll about it. More than £1000 was raised and has been sent to Beirut to help the Church support persecuted Christians there.

St Asaph goes over to Rome……… ... though only temporarily! Sue Huyton

Early in February twenty-one pilgrims set off to spend a few days in the Eternal City. Bishop Gregory’s encyclopaedic knowledge of Rome meant that we packed in a lot of the sights. I have always loved that in Rome you can travel from the classical city‘s columns, fora and catacombs through the Renaissance splendour of its churches and basilicas and on to the modern day with its shops, bars and ice-cream parlours, sometimes within minutes. For me the most exciting visit was to the newly excavated Roman house under a church at the Palazzo Doria Pamphili, which all evidence points to being the place where St Paul was kept under house arrest. We walked through the excavations beneath St Peter’s to his tomb, through the catacombs where so many were laid to sleep in their “cubiculum” (bedroom) till Resurrection Morning and the church of San Clemente where history is layered and you seem to walk through the intervening centuries till you reach the Mithraic Temple and Roman house down below the thirteenth and third century basilicas There is a church around every corner

in Rome - all of them beautifully ornate, stuffed with paintings and statues. The beauty of St Peter’s and San Giovanni in Laterano were just larger in scale than the smaller local churches, each the seat of a Roman Cardinal. But they are not only museums to the past- in all of them there were people praying, or candles lit to carry prayers to heaven. We did not just visit Rome of the past. The Anglican Centre welcomed us to their weekly Eucharist and even gave us a Welsh hymn tune to sing as well as Prosecco afterwards. We learned there about the Anti-Slavery Network set up by Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby. We heard the Pope speak at his weekly audience, and Bishop Gregory was lucky enough to meet him personally.

The Sant Egidio Community allowed us to visit their church on Tiber Island with its memorials to the modern martyrs, we

joined with their members and Bishops from around the world in a service of Prayer for Peace in Trastevere, and we ate in the restaurant they run to give work to young people with learning disabilities. The visit was bathed in prayer; not only daily services planned around our itinerary, but moments when the only response possible to what we heard and saw was prayers of wonder and thanks. It wasn’t all serious of course: • The clerical outfitter’s shop contained all that the modern cleric or nun could desire including Knickers, which was a cause of some hilarity. (plain white since you are all asking- but why can’t they go to M and S like the rest of us?) • The Swiss Guards all saluting Ian Day in his new biretta because they thought he was a Cardinal • Wonderful pasta, pizza and ice-cream, coffee, Prosecco and Sambuca. • The friendly Italian people we met, who pointed us in the right direction when we got lost and shared their wonderful capital city with us. The Pilgrims are most grateful to Bishop Gregory and to Ian Day for all the work that went into planning and organising. 15

O gwmpas yr Esgobaeth Around the Diocese Wanted: Photographs of Ministry Training

Becoming a Fairtrade Province

Discipleship and Ministry Training Photographs – As part of our commitment to shared ministry in the Diocese of St Asaph under the banner of 2020 Vision, we are keen to gather a portfolio of photographs that feature training sessions, active lay ministry and people engaging in daily life and work as Christians across the Diocese. If you are hosting a training session or have church members involved in lay ministry in your communities, could you arrange for some photographs to be taken? We’d also be very interested in receiving good quality photos of church members engaging in daily activities / work (paid or unpaid). For more information or to submit your pictures, please get in touch with Revd Manon C James on manoncjames@gmail.com

Fair trade Fair trade fortnight may be over but acting out our commitment is an ongoing thing. The Church in Wales website which has lots of useful information, prayers and readings to help us to do this. see http://www.churchinwales. org.uk/society/becoming-a-fairtrade-province

Parish Buying scheme Bistre church have recommended the Parish Buying Scheme as their gas bill is now considerably smaller. If you are interested in investigating this scheme contact Dave.Kemp@ Parishbuying.org.uk

Rethinking Sanctions Report

Every September Cadw operates Open Doors Wales which encourages members of the public to visit historic buildings and heritage sites. They are keen for more faith buildings to be involved and it’s a great way to engage with your community as part of 2020 Vision. Registration for this year’s Open Doors event is now open - see http://cadw.wales.gov. uk/opendoors/?lang=en

In 2014, one million benefit sanctions were imposed on people being late or not turning up for an appointment and their payments stopped for between one month and three years. This particularly affects young or homeless people, people leaving care, single parents and those with long term illness and mental health problems. A number of UK churches, including the Church in Wales, are calling for a full and independent review of the regime. Find out how to get involved by visiting www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/ rethinksanctions #RethinkSanctions

6th Annual Virgin Art Exhibition

Teulu Asaph

The sixth annual Virgin Art exhibition, organised as part of Mold’s festivals programme, will be held in St Mary’s Parish Church from 4- 9 May. Paintings and photographs by professionals and amateurs will be on from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Some pictures are for sale with part of the proceeds helping to boost church funds. See www.moldchurch.org/ virginartmold.html or 01352 752473.

Phil Topham has left the Diocese and taken up a new appointment in England. We are grateful for the work he has put into our magazine and we send him our prayerful best wishes for his new appointment. For the time being Rev Heather Fenton, editor of The Reader magazine, will be taking over editorship.

Mathrafal Deanery Mothers’ Union Festival

Please bear in mind tht the deadline for copy to be submitted has been brought forward. The deadline for all material is 20th April. Copy for the June / July edition should be sent to comms. stasaph@churchinwales.org.uk. Photographs should be sent without reducing the number of pixels please. We are sorry that we cannot publish everything we are sent but you can see more stories at http://bit.ly/Mv8Rae

Open Doors 2015

Mathrafal Deanery Thursday 21st May at St Silin’s Church at 2.00pm - the Mathrafal Deanery Mothers’ Union Festival with afternoon tea. The church is fully accessible, wheel chair friendly with modern facilities and a hearing loop.

Concert at St Giles’ Wrexham There will be a concert at St Giles’ Wrexham on Saturday 18th April at 7.30pm given by Cantiones, the leading choir from Oswestry with Le Choeur de Lux Aeterna from Normandy. The programme will include Faure’s Requiem and Sacred Songs by Karl Jenkins and will feature Samanatha Lewis (soprano solo) and Gerry Howe at the organ. Tickets at the door or can be pre-booked 01691 655358.

Deadline for Teulu Asaph copy and photographs

Thank you St Mary’s Overton Teulu Asaph would like to thank the children and organisers of the Messy Church at St Mary’s Overton for their help with our front cover photograph for this edition.