The Bishop of St Asaph offers an Advent message of Hope

The Bishop of St Asaph has recorded a traditional Advent message on the theme of Hope which this year will launch an online Advent Calendar.

The message recorded after the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron returned from a four-month sabbatical reflects on the meaning of hope for Christians and encourages churches and congregations to be places of hope.

The five minute film will be shown in Church in Wales churches in north-east and mid-Wales on Advent Sunday (1 December) and will be available behind door one of the Diocesan Advent Calendar.

In his message, Bishop Gregory said: “Christians believe that because Jesus was born in Bethlehem the Word of God came and dwelt among us, because Jesus died on the cross, carrying all the failure and sin of the world, because God rose again in Jesus to new life, we have a hope which is based on God’s actions on our behalf.

“Christians believe that the truth about life, the universe and the nature of God is revealed in those actions and we have hope because God’s plans for us are for life and not destruction; for fullness of life, abundance of life as Jesus said in his teaching.”

You can watch Bishop Gregory’s Advent message in full on Sunday 1 December as part of the Diocesan Advent Calendar which will reflect events, activities, services in churches and church schools across north-east and mid-Wales.

The Advent Message is available in five formats and will be delivered in churches across the Diocese of St Asaph on Advent Sunday, which is 1 December.

The Diocese of St Asaph is part of the Church in Wales, an autonomous Province within the worldwide Anglican Communion of Churches.  The diocese is a community of 216 churches covering the counties of Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham and parts of Gwynedd and Powys.  It looks after 50 schools, including one shared faith secondary school.

Note to editors

The Advent Message from the Bishop of St Asaph is available as a film in English, as well as audio versions in Welsh and English and a written letter in Welsh and English.