Without checking with the last blogg message I cannot recall when i sent my last blogg news… all I know ids that it feels like ages ago!!! And so, i am back, with news… the dilemma now will be where to start and where to call an end…
Parish work has been very busy… numerous calls to the Rectory for bookings of baptisms… and so my diary is now loaded healthily with many baptisms and pre-baptism visits to families. I have to address the important question soon… what to do regarding baptisms. A wonderful opportunity to share the Good News, and an opportunity I dare not miss and indeed wouldn't wish to miss for the world. But, due to the number of baptism requests that are now received… i have no choice but to address the question… how can the group of parishes I serve, best serve these families and their request. I need to ponder and to pray about this. But what a wonderful situation to find ourselves in… with so many families wanting their children baptised.
Funeral ministry has been busy also… more so in the Kerry group of parishes, which I have responsibility for at present - only until Alex is inducted on Thursday evening. In a sad and round about way this has been an excellent opportunity to establish relationships within the Mission Area of Cedewain… and hopefully an opportunity to offer caring and supportive pastoral ministry to the bereaved families… and here is where I would like to express my sincere thanks to Reverend Leonard Parry-Jones and all who have provided pastoral care for the bereaved during the period of interregnum.
Weddings have also been a busy part of the last few weeks work… As I was transferring information etc upon leaving my last Parish, I was handing over two weddings by common licence for 2014 and one wedding by common licence for 2015… none of the three being a local couple. But, how wonderful that couples feel a warmth towards a particular area and decide that they want their marriage blessed by God… and so seek out the local church for their wedding ceremony. I am really sad that I cannot be present to conduct their marriage ceremony… However, I have no time to be sad really…! Weddings galore booked already in the diary… and I have by now met with most couples. It is a joy to be part of the planning and excitement and to reassure the couples that all will be all right on the day…!
I think that I have inherited six times as many weddings!!!! Great news!
Wyn… the gentleman… my husband… who warned me… and said politely to others… that he was to become properly retired once we were to move to a new parish… Well, well, well… and… I have photos to prove this… HE IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING RETIRED PROPERLY… with a smile and a plea from me… he was preparing a grave for the remains of ashes at Aberhafesp Churchyard a couple of days ago… James, who came to bury the ashes of his father, whose grandfather had been an Olympics medal winner, a Wimbledon tennis player and indeed a Manchester City football player… and had played cricket on a national and possibly international level.. an all rounder in sports if ever there was an all rounder… Maxwell was the name!!! Well, back to my story… James shared with me that dad's wishes was for his ashes to be scattered from a hot air balloon… I didn't dare ask James… why not this option!!! The other option was for the ashes to be close to the family grave and monument at Aberhafesp. And so with little less than 24 hours to accommodate James's request… his wife informs me that I am quite right in assessing that James believes in doing everything yesterday… I got Wyn into action and all was prepared in good time for a dignified service at St Gwynog's Churchyard.
Fallen trees…! All are now cleared and what a fine job the contractors did. If I was to have had my own company's job contract specification I would never have expected such a high standard of workmanship… and can I tell you… I am a stickler for very high standards!
The work of the workforce was of the highest standard possible… not only did they clear the trees tidily from the Churchyard, they greeted all who came to observe with politeness, they were hard working, they gave the proper respect and dignity to the fact that they were working in a Churchyard… and they even hoovered all the dusty remains after the job was completed… they were a company that actually had no need to brush away the dust from their shoes! If you want a sound workforce to clear away fallen trees in the future i can highly recommend Mitch and his team… of R F Gardiner Ltd, Cirencester Road, Chalford, stroud, Glos GL6 8PE. And I would also like to thank Debbie Dean from Severn Trent Water Board, once we established, after much frustration, who was responsible for the fallen trees, Debbie got everything in motion as regards removal of tree, repair / replacement of gravestones etc with great efficiency.
I am desperately behind schedule as regards home visits… and this agenda had to be delayed this last week due to a runny nose and a common cold… I knew that I could't visit the sick, vulnerable and elderly and share my unwelcome cold with them all!
A joint PCC meeting had a good response and generosity towards some necessary changes… the main one being to the change of times to the regular church services… this is to enable me to attend all of the three churches twice a month… with… importantly… time to share fellowship after the services rather than having to dash off to conduct another service. All this has meant is to move the Llanllwchaiarn services a half an hour later together with all the baptism services.
Individual PCC meetings are scheduled for a date in the not too distant future… on the agenda… not my agenda… is the removal of pews, organ, extension, reordering!!!!! I have been here before!!! So I have it all to come again!
A spring clean is due at all three churches… before the actual spring season… within the next few weeks.
As regards the Deanery. contact has been established mainly due to Alex's induction this coming Thursday. Also, we are planning a visit to the cathedral as a deanery for the Chrism Mass on Maunday Thursday… this has not been properly advertised in the Deanery yet… but it will be soon. I sense the feeling that Newtown and area is just that mile or so too far from the cathedral… however, i am eager to encourage the Mission Area of Cedewain to become more a part of the Diocese and more linked to the Cathedral.
Also we have a Deanery / Mission Area Dawn service planned for Easter Sunday morning… which will be a great opportunity to wake up to another dawn in our relationship as a Mission Area.
New notice boards are about to be ordered for the 3 churches - Newtown, Llanllwchaiarn and Aberhafesp. Strange things are happening in my old parish of Bala I hear… and so i am keen to sort these notice boards out asap!!!
And then there was even more exiting news… Wyn had not actually been appointed but…
Wyn gives Jack a good hair cut ready for his big day…
As far as I know man is an imposter, and his induction if it has taken place, is totally illegal!!! But doesn't he look the part… a very distinguished looking Rector and potential Bishop!!!
[For this of you who may not know me well… Wyn Morris… whose name appears on the notice board… is the barber… Jack is my brother in law in love and crime!]
Diocesan commitments carry on… few duties but enough as I try to settle down to a busier work routine and schedule. It is good to be part of Diocesan groups and meetings to keep in touch - both for myself and in order to update the parishes and Mission Area I serve.
my involvement with two Church schools continues to be important and special to me - Ysgol Llanddoged and Ysgol Eglwys Bach, both in Conwy… and of course Ysgol Beuno Sant, Bala. It is a real joy to me that the three schools will journey together on pilgrimage to attend the service at the Cathedral on may 4th May - the Eve of the feast day of St Asaph - where they will take part and share out shell shaped biscuits.
There is much more to share… more to come…
Hi Nia - I have not been able to load an of the photos of the retired clergy!! I just get a blank photo shape with a message 'unknown protocall'.
ReplyDeleteThe photos seem to be in .tiff format rather than .jpeg (on my PC).
DeleteThankd for this info gary… I need lessons with this technology!!!!!
DeleteWill try to sort it out!
Nia