Ad Clerum - June 2021

1af o Fehefin 2021 June 1st

Annwyl Gyfeillion,

I find myself reflecting once again on the story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10.38ff.). My sympathies always go out to Martha, working so hard to make sure that Jesus and his many entourage members are fully provided and catered for, even if Our Lord praises the one who devotes time to spend with Jesus.  I suppose that none of us are, or ever could be, either Martha or Mary, but we have to hold the two in tension in our lives and ministry.

As we move out of lockdown now, many of the old patterns and priorities are beginning to reassert themselves, and we probably have more to do than ever.  Mary and Martha speak to me as an invitation to be careful to avoid being caught up too tightly in old patterns of busyness, and to find time to wait  upon God to see what new things Our Lord may be teaching us, or inviting us to take on.  Only if we are calm and carve out the time to listen can we possibly hope to keep perspective on the many demands that are likely to be made on out time once again.

Petertide Ordinations

I am sure that you will have the ordinations in your diary.  We have fifteen candidates in total this year, nine for ordination to the presbyterate and six for the diaconate and I commend them to your prayers as they prepare for the pre-ordination retreat and the service itself.  Please also remember in your prayers the retreat conductors and ordination preachers: Canon Dr. Flora Winfield, Archbishop of Canterbury’s Officer for Reconciliation (for the priests)  and Archdeacon Mary Stallard (for the deacons).

Sadly, restrictions will only permit us to plan services with a restricted number of supporters in person in the cathedral.  Your presence and support online is therefore very much encouraged for both services and the appropriate video links will be circulated later in the month.

Please remember daily in your prayers:

•  George Bearwood, serving in Alyn Mission Area,
• Luke Bristowe, serving at Hope Street, Wrexham,
• Helen Dawson, serving in Borderlands Mission Area,
• Toby Jones, serving in Pool Mission Area,
• Gregor Lachlann-Waddell, serving in Bryn a Môr Mission Area,
• Jo Mackriell, serving in Wrexham Mission Area,
• Ben Lines, serving in Aberconwy Mission Area, 
• Jim Thompson, serving in Pool Mission Area, and
• Gail Woodward, serving in Borderlands Mission Area.

whom, God willing, I intend to ordain to the presbyterate on Saturday, June 26^th.  The following Saturday, 3^rd July, I intend, God willing to ordain the following candidates to the diaconate:

• Stephen Hayes, to serve in Tanat-Vyrnwy Mission Area,
• Adrian Johnson, to serve in Mold Mission Area,
• Christopher Lawton, to serve in Aber-Morfa Mission Area,
• Natasha Quinn Thomas, to serve in Dyffryn Clwyd Mission Area,
• Patrick Williams, to serve in Wrexham Mission Area, and
• Michael Winwood, to serve in Maelor Mission Area.

Please hold all these candidates in your prayers, and please keep the Saturday mornings free to join us on Zoom for the service.  The link will be sent out in advance of the service, and it means so much to our family life that our candidates will know that many of you are witnesses and intercessors at the time of their ordination.

Ember Days

The Pentecost Ember Days will be observed this year on Wednesday, 23^rd, Friday 25^th, and Saturday 26^th June.  You are asked to remember all those preparing for ordination or licensing at this time, details of which are set out in the leaflet: Cymraeg / English.  I am grateful to those who have prepared this reminder of the vocations we have in the diocese, and trust that we will all be faithful in supporting them in prayer.

Hwyl a Helo

I am delighted to announce that Helen Gheorghiu Gould, currently Transition Missioner in the Diocese of Chelmsford, is joining the team in the Valle Crucis Mission Area.  Helen brings a wealth of talent in this area, and joins us with transition responsibilities for the Corwen group of churches.  We welcome Helen and her family as they join us in north Wales, where Helen already has family roots.

I am pleased to announce that on completion of his curacy in Aled Mission Area, John Searl will be joining Dyffryn Clwyd Mission Area as Associate Priest.  Also, Christine Owen has accepted my invitation to serve as our Ecumenical Officer and we look forward to her input in promoting ecumenism and the work of Cytûn within the diocese.

We are sorry to be losing Steve Willson from Pool Mission Area at the beginning of July.  We thank Steve and Jennie for their service in the diocese since 2011 and wish them every blessing as they return to south Wales, with Steve taking up the post of Associate Priest in Garth Ministry Area in the Diocese of Llandaff.

With sorrow we record the deaths of two faithful servants of the diocese in May: Kit Carter, long-serving former incumbent at Llangedwyn, Llansilin and Llangadwaladr, and Area Dean of Llanfyllin; and  Carol Chamberlain, one of the first to be awarded the Order of St Asaph for her outstanding contribution to the work with the Mothers’ Union in the diocese.

Confirmations

A number of you have indicated that you have candidates for Confirmation.  Rather than hold diocesan or mission area services this year, on the basis of the number of candidates notified to us, I am willing to come one Sunday in the Autumn to confirm in the context of the Eucharist at any Church requesting this.  Please speak to Siân if you wish to arrange a service.

Diary and Events

This diary below gives dates for events in which all stipendiary and non-stipendiary clergy are encouraged to attend, or required to attend as part of their professional commitment.  Please ensure that they are in your diary, even where the exact format is open to change.

26 June                       Petertide Priestly Ordinations (Cathedral) 10.00hr

3 July                         Petertide Diaconal Ordinations (Cathedral) 10.00hr

22 September           St Asaph Clergy Synod           14.00hr

23 September           Montgomery Clergy Synod  09.30hr

Wrexham Clergy Synod         14.00hr

9 October                  Diocesan Conference (venue and format to be decided)

2   November           Life Events Launch (an event for Mission Area representatives)

18 November            MAL training day (venue and format to be decided)

PLEASE NOTE that I have had to adjust the days and times of the Archdeaconry Synods.  This is to accommodate the fact that I very much hope that we will be able to hold these in person at locations where appropriate social distancing can be observed.

 2022

 23 March                   MAL training day (venue and format to be decided)

14-17 Nov                   Residential Clergy School (Swanwick Conference Centre)

22 Nov                       MAL training day (venue and format to be decided)

Volunteers’ Week

The first week of June is being marked nationally as “Volunteers Week”.  For us, it is a splendid opportunity to celebrate and to thank all those in the Church whose volunteer ministry has helped us and our communities to flourish during the experience of lockdown.  There is an online service on the diocesan website to mark the occasion, when the contributions of so many will be celebrated. Please do draw people’s attention to it at https://dioceseofstasaph.org.uk/volunteers-week/ or watch it here:

There are also special “Thank You” cards being made available, which include a message of thanks from me as Bishop, which can be sent or presented to notable volunteers.  These are being distributed from the Diocesan Office through the Mission Areas, so please ask your Mission Area Leader if you wish for a volunteer from your Churches to receive one of these cards.

Notes and Queries

Ecclesiastical Ministry Bursary 

Applications to support 2022 sabbaticals are now open until 30 September 2021. Judging of the applications will take place in November 2021 and awards will be made during December 2021.  The amount given for individual awards will be judged on the following criteria:  Value to the individual applicant; benefit to the wider church; financial support already committed from other sources; the strength of the endorsement from a Bishop or Archdeacon supporting the plans.

Entries for an award must fulfil the following criteria:

• Awards are open to individual clergy in the Anglican Churches in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland
• All clergy applying for the awards must be in stipendiary ministry
• All clergy must have been ordained for at least 10 years and not taken a sabbatical in the previous 7 years of applying
• Applications are also open to Archdeacons, Bishops, Deans,Assistant Curates, Deacons and Licensed Lay Workers including Church Army Evangelists engaged in the parochial ministry
• Awards are provided for extended study leave only (fees for a course during the extended study leave may be considered)
• Entries must be made using the forms provided
• Completed forms should be emailed to mba@ecclesiastical.com

Faithful Stewards

After more than five years work, the Standing Doctrinal Commission has produced a major report on ordained ministry in the Church in Wales. Entitled ‘Faithful Stewards in a Changing Church: Understanding Ministry in Light of the 2020 Vision’, it contains a series of theological reflections intended to promote discussion through the Province. Copies can be accessed through the Church in Wales website, and I commend it to you warmly.  In a day and age when priestly and diaconal ministries are complemented by lay ministry, and are a major investment for the Church, it is more important than ever than we are mindful of what ordained ministry gives to the Church.

To aid discussion and learning, a series of recorded video interviews and online discussions with the authors are being arranged. Four videos are now available for viewing at https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/en/faith/doctrinal-commission/, where you can also download the Report and register for upcoming discussions. The next discussion will be on 7^th June at 7.00pm and will focus on the Welsh context of ordained ministry, in the light of 2020 Vision.  Please register for this, if you would like to join myself, Dr Manon Ceridwen James, and Dr Rhiannon Johnson for what we hope will be a lively discussion.  This is an excellent opportunity for both clergy and laity to be both inspired and challenged to help us renew our mission and ministry in the month and years to come.

Pocket Testaments – Taith Ffydd, Journey of Faith

The diocese has teamed up with a charity called “The Pocket Testament League” to produce small pocket sized editions of the Gospel according to St John in Welsh (beibl.net) and English (New Living Translation) in order to celebrate the 400^th Anniversary of the Parry Bible, and this year’s anniversary of the Edmwnd Prys Welsh metrical Psalter.

They are ideal small gifts for those interested in reading the Gospel, and include an introduction from me, and a short history of the translation of the Scriptures into Welsh.  We are funding the testaments with significant support from the charity, in order to provide every pupil and staff member in our Church schools with one of these testaments, but we still have copies which can be made available to churches and individuals.

Orders for Church use may be placed with Siân here at Esgobty, although your own arrangements must be made to collect the copies ordered from the Diocesan Office.  However, individual copies may be acquired by sending a stamped addressed envelope to Esgobty, where we shall be pleased to put one in the post.  The stamped addressed envelope should be at least C6 in size (equivalent to an A4 sheet folded into four) and should be stamped with a single “large” stamp, and the address to which you would like the Testament sent.

Save a Life Cymru

Every year in Wales more than 6,000 people will have a cardiac arrest – when the heart stops suddenly – and many will die without some simple and easy-to-learn interventions. The Church is Wales is supporting the Save a Life Cymru’s Touch Someone’s Life campaign to encourage people to learn the basics of resuscitation so they can help in an emergency.

This campaign aims to increase the survival rate, following a cardiac arrest in the community, from the current rate of less than five percent. I therefore encourage church communities to actively engage with this campaign.  The first step, as a church or mission area, would be to ask people to watch a training video on: https://gov.wales/save-a-life-cymru so that more people are aware of the fundamental  steps in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) needed to assist someone experiencing a heart attack.    In addition to this, I would like to encourage churches to work with their community councils and other organisations in considering how the provision of public access defibrillators can be enhanced.

So please do encourage awareness of the basic principles of the chain of survival and CPR, to possibly house a defibrillator within easy access in the local community, or to complete basic first aid training. These simple steps can help turn the tide on the number of deaths which might have been prevented.

Srebrenica Memorial Week July 4^th – 11^th

Remembering Srebrenica, is a charitable organisation funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, raising awareness of the genocide in Bosnia and bringing  people together to tackle hatred and help build safer, stronger communities here in the UK.

This year’s Srebrenica Memorial Week will be taking place from 4th July to 11th July where communities across the UK will commemorate the 26th anniversary of the genocide, where over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim Men and Boys were murdered, simply because of their faith. The theme for 2021 is ‘Rebuilding Lives’ and will remember the spirit of survivors who, despite the horrendous hatred and destruction they were subjugated to themselves, have been rebuilding their lives with dignity, humanity and without calling for retribution or promoting division or hatred.

Churches are being encouraged to hold an act of commemoration between the 4th and 11th July which can take various forms including:

• Holding a virtual Sunday service on either the 4th or 11th of July.
• Posting our “Statement of Commemoration” on your website or social media to show your solidarity with the survivors of the Bosnian genocide;
• Lighting a candle in remembrance of the victims of genocide;
• Connecting with other faith groups to organise an interfaith event online or in-person, for reflection or prayers.

A range of resources available to support your act of commemoration, including a statement to mark the anniversary, speeches, prayers which can be found here.

With my continued thanks for all your ministry, and with my blessing,