Annwyl Gyfeillion

 It is hard to believe that this year is already drawing to a close, with the change to Greenwich Mean Time and the nights drawing in, the trees being stripped of their leaves, and plans for Christmas being laid and put into operation.

Scripture tells us that “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not comprehend it.” (John 1.5). Darkness is often associated with a time of fear, when wickedness is emboldened, and people are at their most vulnerable. It is perhaps not surprising that folk choose to celebrate Halloween around this time. However, the good news of God in Christ is that the Word of Life has overcome the darkness, and that the darkness can never grasp, let alone extinguish, the truth of the Gospel.

Today we celebrate all the saints – that is, the whole company of those who have called upon the name of the Lord, and sought Salvation in him. Salvation comes as God’s gift – and while we should have discipline to set time aside to open the floodgates to God’s grace – it is he, not us, who fights for our salvation. That is the lesson of the saints, it is they who “let go, and let God”.

We all know and love Psalm 24, especially verse 7, where the psalmist joyfully called upon the gates of Jerusalem to expand to let God in: “Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in.”

It is time for us to engage our hearts, wrestle with the creaking doors of our innermost being, and throw open the doors, so that we, like the saints, may be transformed by His grace in our lives.

The Bishops’ Advent Course : O Come let us adore him.

The bishops, with the assistance of the Provincial and diocesan comms teams and colleagues in ministry, have produced a seven-session course for Advent and Christmas this year. Based upon the Sunday and festival Gospel readings, each session is designed to encourage people to encounter Jesus through Bible study, prayer and reflection. The course, which is fully bilingual, may be found here:

https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/en/evangelism/o-come-let-us-adore-him-advent-course-2024/

I would love to think that this joint initiative by the bishops to offer scriptural teaching to the Province will receive a good reception in our congregations, and I commend it to you.

Church in Wales Digital Lectionary

Over the last couple of years our colleagues at the RB have been developing a Digital Lectionary webpage / App and after an extensive testing period, the Digital Lectionary is now being launched officially on Friday 8^th November.

The Digital Lectionary is web based (https://lectionary.churchinwales.org.uk/) and, as you’d expect, follows the Church in Wales Lectionary.  It is available in both Welsh and English from the same source. While using the Digital Lectionary, you can move around the liturgical year and move to the following years, download the collects and post communion prayers; Bible readings and other information to your computer to help produce service sheets etc. This easy-to-use webpage can also be opened on a smart phone and the webpage can then be easily installed as an App (The App can also be installed, with full functionality to the PC desktop). The App on a smart phone has all the functionality as the webpage except for the downloadable text.

Discernment on Same Sex Unions         

Please find an important letter (in Welsh / English) from the Bishops concerning the future of the Church in Wales’ stance and practice with respect to covenanted same sex partnerships attach to this letter. I will be writing in the not too distinct future with the arrangements that we will be putting in place in this diocese for carrying this discernment forward.

Diary and Events                                    

Please read this diary carefully. The diary below has been updated to include all those fixed dates for events that clergy are required to attend as part of their professional commitment, together with those opportunities to build up our common life by supporting significant moments for our colleagues.

Please ensure that dates which are a professional requirement are in your diary, even where the exact format may be open to change. Where a clash with your own plans comes to your attention, please raise it with Esgobty at the earliest opportunity. I am still occasionally getting excuses late in the day from clergy who don’t seem to have planned ahead, or even read this diary, and I am much more amenable when approached early to discuss any potential clashes.

We currently have about a dozen candidates for the Confirmation service in St Asaph Cathedral at Nicholastide on 4th December. I should be grateful therefore if any of you with additional candidates can contact Esgobty as soon as possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Also, enquiries are now welcome from the mission areas for dates for Confirmations in 2025. Please be in touch with Siân at Esgobty to discuss your requirements so that dates can be secured in my diary for next year.

November

13 November    Mission Area Leader Training

17 November    Licensing of Dan Morgan and Sam Quilty as Priests-in-Charge in Denbigh Mission Area, and Mike Haslam as Diocesan Director for Transforming Ministry, St Mary’s, Denbigh, 1530hr.

24 November    Licensing of Huw Bryant as Priest-in-Charge in Aberconwy Mission Area, St Grwst’s,   Llanrwst, 1530hr.

27 November    Licensing of Vicki Burrows as Priest-in-Charge and MAL in Alyn Mission Area, All Saints’, Gresford, 1900hr.

December       

6 December       Nicholastide Confirmation, Cathedral, 1900hr

2025

29 January          Clergy Synod, whole day meeting, details to be confirmed

17 April               Chrism Eucharist

31 May                LLM Annual Meeting and Service

28 June               Diaconal Ordinations, Cathedral, 1000hr

15-18 Septr        Residential Clergy School

The Residential Clergy School  – September 2025

It’s time for our triennial residential Clergy School in Autumn 2025. The provisional dates have been set for the week of 15^th to 18^th September. Watch this space for further details as they emerge, but do put those dates in your diary now, and begin to put in any arrangements that may be necessary to enable you to attend.

Hwyl a Helo

I am sorry to have to announce the movement of two highly esteemed colleagues to new positions, although I congratulate both of them of their appointment. As it happens, they are both joining the Diocese of Bangor to our west.  Huw Butler is moving to Bro Seiriol Ministry Area, and Kathryn Evans is moving to Bro Cybi Ministry Area. They have both served with distinction in the Teulu Asaph – Huw for many years, Kathryn for a shorter period, but we wish them both every blessing for their futures.

Notes and Queries

‘This is Alpha’

A conference run by Alpha UK which is being hosted at Hope Street on Saturday 23^rd November for church teams of any denomination who are interested in running Alpha. Chloe Swart, Nathan Sadler and Nicky and Pippa Gumbel will be running seminars as part of the day and stories will be shared of what God has been doing across Wales, including in our prisons.

Bookings to attend may be made at

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/this-is-alpha-wrexham-wales-tickets-841449296497

Archbishop of Wales Fund for Children

Many of you will know of the work of the Archbishop of Wales Fund for Children which has, since the early 2000s, raised money for work amongst children across Wales. The work of the fund has now come to end and all the money which has been raised has been distributed by the trustees. Many of the trustees have given considerable service and the Bench of Bishops is deeply grateful for all their hard and dedicated work.

It has been the practice of many to send an annual donation to the fund. This was often the proceeds of a collection taken at Christingle services. Since the fund has now closed to new donations, this is no longer possible. The bench has discussed this and recommend that any money raised is either sent to the diocesan office to fund work with children in the diocese or used locally for work with children. It is, of course, a decision to be made with your MAC.

Renewal of Permissions to Officiate

This is the third and final reminder of the process of renewing Permissions to Officiate taking place this autumn for all certificates that expire at the end of the year.

There is still time to send in application forms. Completed application forms, along with current PTO certificate countersigned by the Mission Area Leader, should be submitted to Esgobty as soon as possible. Those who need to update their Safeguarding Training however need to be aware that opportunities to do so are now limited with only a final few courses for this term now available.

New certificates will be sent out before Christmas to those who successfully renewed PTO.

I extend my warm regards and every blessing to you all.