Llanfyrnach, Llanwinio and Mynachlog-Ddu
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Grapevine is published monthly by: Cylch y Frenni Circle of Churches A Local Ministry Area comprising the parishes of Clydau, Llanglydwen, Llanfyrnach, Llanwinio and Mynachlog-ddu www.frennichurches.org.uk Ministry Team Leader: The Reverend Jonathan Copus MA 01994 438414 [email protected] Focal Ministers Clydau: Mrs Elizabeth Law 01239 698607 [email protected] Llanfyrnach: Mrs Eunice Batchelor JP 01239 831556 [email protected] Llanglydwen: Reader Mrs Maureen Henneveld 01994 419841 [email protected] Llanwinio: Mr Philip Higginson 01994 484498 [email protected] Mrs Judy Webb 01239 698405 [email protected] Mynachlog-ddu: The Reverend Jonathan Copus MA Pastoral Eucharistic Assistants The Focal Ministers Mr David Carter 01239 831103 [email protected] PCC Secretaries Clydau: Mrs Elizabeth Law Llanfyrnach: Mrs Hazel Jones 01239 831595 [email protected] Llanglydwen: Mrs Susan Copus 01994 438414 [email protected] Llanwinio: Mr Philip Higginson 01994 484498 [email protected] Mynachlog-ddu: Mr Alex Velky 01994 419849 [email protected] Publicity Officer Mrs Sharon Edge 01437 532 681 [email protected] Grapevine copy deadline is 23:59 hrs on the 10th of the preceding month Editor: Ms Kathie Dubben, Myrtle Hill, Gellywen, SA33 6DS [email protected] 01994 484404 £130 per full page ad £70 per half page ad £40 per quarter page ad Treasurer: Mr Keith Taylor, Brynderi Farm, Whitland, SA34 0JD [email protected] 01994 448653 Front cover: Roses at Bowood House by Kathie Dubben 2 Cylch y FRENNI Circle of Churches Clydau, Llanglydwen, Llanfyrnach, Llanwinio and Mynachlog-ddu SERVICES IN JULY At Morning Prayer only the first and last readings are used ; are the Prayer only lastfirst readings and Morning At 3rd Wednesday: Thomas, Apostle Bro Preseli 10.30 am Holy Eucharist page!) time to where Wouldnumbers find please pagepeople announce given the give readers (and 7th The Third Sunday after Trinity (Green) Llanglydwen 9.30 am Holy Eucharist Mynachlog-ddu 11.15 am Holy Eucharist esTestamentcopi ofNew the refer bilingual to the Page numbers Llanfyrnach 11.15 am Communion by Extension 14th The Fourth Sunday after Trinity (Green) Llanglydwen 9.30 am Morning Prayer Llanwinio 9.30 am Communion by Extension Clydau 11.15 am Communion by Extension ofversehalf the Llanfyrnach 11.15 am Holy Eucharist ‘ a st ’ 21 The Fifth Sunday after Trinity (Green) verse; first halfof the the means Llanglydwen 9.30 am Communion by Extension Llanfyrnach 11.15 am Communion by Extension Mynachlog-ddu 11.15 am Communion by Extension 28th The Sixth Sunday after Trinity: (Green) Llanglydwen 9.30 am Morning Prayer Llanwinio 9.30 am Communion by Extension ‘ b ’ Clydau 11.15 am Morning Prayer the means second Llanfyrnach 11.15 am Morning Prayer Some Holy Days not on a Sunday 22nd Mary Magdalene 25th James, Apostle 3 NO. 34, PLEASE, WITH EGG FRIED RICE So we have / will shortly have a new Prime Minister in the form of Michael Gove / Sam Gyima / Matt Hancock / Mark Harper / Jeremy Hunt / Sajid Javid / Boris Johnson / Andrea Leadsom / Esther McVey / Dominic Raab / Rory Stewart / Jeremy Corbyn. Meanwhile, Ed Davey / Jo Swinson takes / will take up the reins of the Liberal Democrats. And we will definitely be leaving the EU on 31st October / staying in the EU / having a second referendum.* *Delete as appropriate That’s more choices than your average Chinese takeaway. And don’t think you can look to history for help. Take the Conservative leadership contest, for example, where the clear front-runner is often the loser. The odds-on favourite at the time of writing is Boris Johnson. But then he was also in pole position in 2016, when the winner was Theresa May. Mind you, that was at least in part because he called a press conference at which he was expected to launch his candidature, and instead stunned everyone by announcing he would not be running. In 2006 the runaway candidate was David Davis, beaten in the event by David Cameron. Before that, in 1990, Michael Heseltine was expected to sweep the board; instead, the party got John Major. Still further back, in 1995, no-one doubted that Edward Heath would win the contest. He lost to Margaret Thatcher. If uncertainty reigns on this side of the English Channel, what about mainland Europe? Who will succeed Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker? Manfred Weber? Michel Barnier? Margrethe Vestager? Frans Timmermans? Nigel Farage? 4 How do you react to all this uncertainty? Are you fed up with it all, or excited? We’re all familiar with Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle with regard to sub-atomic particles; but what about on a human scale? In medical circles, uncertainty has its own measurement: the PRU, or Physicians’ Reaction to Uncertainty, including such factors as doctors’ reluctance to tell patients they’re not sure what it is they’ve got. From a patient’s viewpoint, would you rather your GP said confidently you were suffering from hyperplasmic onomatorrhegia or admitted frankly they just hadn’t a clue what was wrong with you? Psychologists say most of us would be happier with that fictitious name for our condition; and in fact there are many terms used by the medical profession which simply describe the symptoms in Latin without even guessing at the cause – a device designed to give the impression they’re on top of your case. You’d have a right to be annoyed, though, if you were diagnosed with plumbum agitans (swinging the lead). On the whole, we feel happier if we can name something, even if the name doesn’t tell us much. Perhaps that’s why one of the creation stories in Genesis describes the way the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the wild beasts. Naming something gives you a sense of control over it: though whether calling a lion a lion when your head is in its jaws gives you much comfort is a matter for debate. One positive effect of all the current political uncertainty is that at least it’s made a lot more of us engage with national and international affairs: the recent European elections saw the biggest turn-out in 20 years. There is an old book with chunks of Latin designed for learners to translate at sight – ‘unseens’, as they were called. It has a jokey quotation in the front: Greet the unseen with a cheer! That’s actually from a poem by Robert Browning, hoping he would be remembered after his death as: One who never turned his back but marched breast forward, Never doubted clouds would break. Perhaps that’s the challenge of 2019, not to be depressed by the apparent chaos all around us but to stride confidently forward, playing our part in shaping the future. After all, there is one constant we can be certain of finding there: God. BLOOMIN’ MARVELLOUS That’s the prospect on Saturday 6th July, when chapels and churches in the Hermon area hold a flower festival. Taking part will be Hermon Chapel, 5 Brynmyrnach Chapel and our own, our very own Llanfyrnach Church. This last will be decorated by ladies from the church plus The Heritage Group, Glandwr W I, Betty’s sister Eirlys and Jane Picksley. Afternoon teas will be served in Hermon Community Centre from 12 noon till 3.30 pm, and will cost £5. SCRIBES WANTED Chatter chatter have you heard The latest gossip ? Not a word To anyone... But do you know that Natter natter well my dear You could have knocked me over with a feather. I was shocked ! So sang Mrs Honeyman, the village gossip in the 1960s BBC series Camberwick Green. According to one website, before the Internet she was ‘the fastest method of information transfer’. Now, of course, there’s Grapevine as a source of local information – but not unless your Editor receives it. That’s where you come in. Don’t just stand there in your village shop telling one person at a time: share news and views via this venerable publication. All contributions will be welcome if sent to [email protected]. FAREWELL FOR NOW 6 On Saturday, 8th June, the body of Peter (‘Pete’) Graham Davies was laid to rest in Clydau Churchyard. Moving tributes were paid to him by his family, concentrating on his love of all things living, plants and animals, and of sport – both football and the less physically energetic pursuits of darts, skittles and rifle shooting. We commend him to God’s keeping and remember his family in our prayers. RE-WORDING THE LORD’S PRAYER The Independent newspaper reported on 6th June that the president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, had told Avvenire newspaper that Pope Francis had signed off on liturgical changes, including a revision of the Lord’s Prayer. In doing so, he seems to be following a change approved by French Bishops in 2017. The Lord’s Prayer is derived from Matthew 6: 9-131: the translation used in the Roman Catholic Church is derived from St Jerome’s Vulgate Bible, which is his 4th Century Latin translation of earlier Greek and Hebrew texts. The revision relates to verse 13, which reads in a later English translation: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”2,3 Pope Francis has reportedly approved changing “lead us not into temptation” to “do not let us fall into temptation”, as his view is that Satan is the “one who leads you astray”. The wording he intends to drop portrays God as the potential tempter4 of mankind.