Annwyl Gyfeillion

As the years go by, I seem to find the changing of the clocks harder and harder. I think the principle is right, and I wouldn’t be an advocate of all year round BST, but the dark evenings make for a gloomier environment in which to go about our business.  The ancients knew what they were doing when they built Stonehenge. Modern pagans tend to gather when the summer solstice takes place, but I am more convinced that Stonehenge was built to help our forebears calculate when the worst of the dark days were turning and to mark the winter solstice, a far less inviting time for frolicking amongst the stones.

What humanity did learn, however, is that the seasons do come round: there will always be a Spring (assuming that the world doesn’t end, or that climate change won’t disrupt the whole system). So much of our life is actually conditioned by astronomical realities – the ebb and flo of the seasons caused by the tilt of the Earth, the rhythm of sleep and the twenty-four hour day based on the Earth’s speed of rotation.  Even the thirty/thirty-one day month is distantly related to the moon’s cycle. We are creatures of the earth.

Although all these features seem to run automatically, I still find the wonder of God’s creation peeks through at me -the watery pale yellow of the winter sun, the myriad shades of autumn leaves – and through it all, God’s faithfulness. May the God who gives us a world of rhythms and patterns give us also the reassurance of his unchanging love, paid with the commitment of incarnation and cross.

Advent Message

Advent Sunday is 30 November this year.  As usual, I will be preparing an Advent Message for use in all churches for that day, when it should be broadcast or read at the main service of the day.

Diary and Events                                    

Please read the diary carefully. The diary is updated every month 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.

I am also including the dates we have for 2026. It is very important that each of you makes a note of these dates. Please ensure that the 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 to have read this monthly diary, and I am much more amenable when approached early to discuss any potential clashes.

Dates in November

23^rd Nov              The Licensing of Kathryn Hall as Priest-in-Charge in Dyffryn Clwyd MA, at St. Cynhafal, Llangynhafal, at 1530hr.

Dates for later in the year

4^th Decr               MAL Training Day (a change from the previously arranged date of 20^th November)

7^th Decr               The Licensing of Nicholas Bee as Priest-in-Charge in Caereinion MA, at St Mary,                                       Llanfair Caereinion, at 1530hr.

10^th Decr             Advent Confirmation, Cathedral, 1900hr

Dates in 2026

12^th Feb               IME Book Day for those in their first three years of ordained ministry (details to follow)

26^th Feb               Spring Clergy Synod 1000hr – 1600hr, (St David’s Hotel, Ewloe)

2^nd April             Chrism Eucharist, Cathedral

16^th May             LLM Day, Cathedral

27^th June             Ordination of Priests, 1000hr in the Cathedral

28^th June             Ordination of Deacons, pm in the Cathedral

17^th Sept             Autumn Clergy Synod 1000hr – 1600hr (St David’s Hotel, Ewloe)

8^th Oct                 Diocesan Conference (online business meeting)

10^th Oct               Diocesan Conference, in person

Diocesan Conference and Clergy Synods

It was good to see you at the Diocesan Conference, both online and in person. Clergy numbers were down slightly, and I would like to remind all clergy, stipendiary and non-stipendiary, that the Conference is a professional commitment, to which other engagements and holiday planning should defer. You will see in the calendar the dates for both sessions of the Diocesan Conference in 2026 which should take priority over any other ministerial or personal requests for those occasions, unless permission is directly sought from me. Clergy Synods are also part of our professional commitment, and please enter dates these now in your diary.

Ordinations in 2026

God willing, we will have eleven candidates for ordination next Petertide: six candidates for the diaconate and five candidates for the priesthood.  This means that we will have to revert to the practice of earlier years of holding two ordinations. The Ordination of Priests will take place at the familiar time of 1000hr on Saturday, 27 June, and the Ordination of Deacons will take place in the afternoon of Sunday, 28 June, with the exact time to be confirmed.

Notes and Queries

Concise Almanac 2025-26 Year A

We are grateful as ever to Canon Martin Snellgrove for his work each year in providing us with a user-friendly Concise Almanac. Those who appreciate this simplified form of the lectionary will find the edition for the next liturgical year here.

Grow Alpha: Thursday 6 November: 7 – 9pm at Hope Street Church

For those interested in running Alpha within their churches, there is an opportunity to join the Alpha UK team to unpack the most common mistakes of Alpha and explore how to move the culture within your church to adopt Alpha fully as a key part of your ministry, enabling it to flourish and maximise its potential. Whether you’re looking to grow guest numbers, boost retention, or inspire your wider church to engage more deeply, this session will equip you to see your Alpha thrive. You’ll hear about some Alpha Youth updates too!

Please register yourself and your teams below.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/grow-alpha-wrexham-tickets-1687005451719?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Birth that changed the Universe

Some of you will remember that I worked with an organisation called “The Pocket Testament League” to produce a small booklet called “The Week that changed the World” a couple of years ago. PTL seeks to publish small pocket-sized editions of individual Gospels, or special themed editions that can be made available cheaply or free to give away to those who may be interested in Christian faith. “The Week that changed the World” collated the biblical passages relating to the events of Holy Week into one continuous narrative to provide some straightforward reading for those seeking to understand that Christian message of Easter.

I have now worked with PTL to produce a companion booklet for Christmas. Called “The Birth that changed the Universe”, it collates the birth narratives in Scripture, and seeks to present the good news of the incarnation in a simple accessible manner.  It also includes the words of nine popular Christmas carols, so that it could be used for Carol Services, and carol singing in the public square.

My “payment” for undertaking this work is 1000 copies of the finished booklet, and I am now making those available on a first come, first served basis to any who would like to use this resource in their own Christmas outreach. Do let Siân in Esgobty know if you would like a number of these booklets. I am hoping to take copies to the MAL training day on Thursday 4 December, and distribute them through our MALs.

Welcome Directory and Ministry to those in Prison

The Welcome Directory is a multi-faith organisation, working to help faith/belief communities to become places where people who leave prison find acceptance, and which has Bishop Rachel Treweek (the Church of England bishop with responsibility for prison ministry) among their patrons. The organisation maintains a directory of registered faith communities who are committed to welcoming and appropriately supporting prison leavers with faith. The directory is used by prison chaplains, probation workers and prison leavers themselves, to help them forge connections with welcoming communities upon release.

At the moment, there are only a small number of registered communities in our Diocese, largely focussed around Wrexham, but there are still Christian prison leavers who are searching for a place where they can practice their faith in the community.

For individuals in prison, faith can be an absolute lifeline, providing a sense of hope and meaning. Unfortunately, only about 20% of prison leavers with faith feel able to connect with new faith communities upon release, primarily due to fear of rejection. This is a real loss, as research shows that engaging with faith communities is incredibly beneficial and can help to reduce reoffending.

Please feel free to access this video, which gives an introduction to the Welcome Directory through the experience of prison leavers:

https://youtu.be/RUt4DGgZ5hc?si=VgOFlOV4SjWUbKLu

If anyone wishes to know more, you can visit their website at welcomedirectory.org.uk or drop us an email at admin@welcomedirectory.org.uk. As bishop, I am really passionate about increasing the representation of our churches in The Welcome Directory for Wales, so I will do everything I can to support churches or Mission Areas that want to make a public declaration that a prison leaver would be welcomed and supported in their community.

As the autumn nights draw in, I wish you good cheer in your hearts and in your homes, and every blessing for your preparation for the Advent and Christmas Season.