www.stdavidsdiocese.org.uk Tachwedd / November 2009 Mobi Launched ‘Mobi’, a new mobile drop-in unit for young people aged 11-25, was unveiled at Newcastle Emlyn Secondary School on 6 November. Mobi will provide access to youth information, advice and activities and will be staffed jointly by Plant Dewi staff and council youth workers. By day, it will visit local schools, followed each evening by community-based activities Bishop’s hopes for new WAG offices HE new, £20m, Welsh Assem- understanding on both sides.” Tbly Government (WAG) offices With 7,600 square metres of in Aberystwyth were opened by office space housing up to 535 First Minister Rhodri Morgan on members of staff, the Diocesan 15 October. The second regional Rural Life Adviser, Eileen Davies, office to open, this government also welcomed the move, saying: base is part of WAG’s plans to “This is great news for Cere- spread jobs more widely around digion, the heart of rural Wales. Wales. Decentralising from the Welsh Bishop Wyn is particularly Assembly Government in Cardiff pleased that the focus on govern- ensures that those involved in the ment posts moving to Aberystwyth field are at first hand, closer to the will be countryside and rural farmer. “ affairs, saying “The issues facing The building has a BREEAM Welsh farming and society in rural (Building Research Establish- qualities of thought and excel- areas are especially acute in West ment Environmental Assessment Saints and Stones lence but two in particular deserve Wales, let us hope that their pres- Method) ‘Excellent’ rating and is special mention: Year 3 pupils in ence here leads to an even greater in the running for an award. Tavernspite CP school based their Competition 2009 pilgrims – plus dogs – on the sculp- Anne Eastham celebrates this competition, which is attracting ture of Giacometti and some forty ever more entries figures trudge along the 10 foot ancient way of a gnarled tree trunk HE theme of this year’s pant received a Certificate and (see picture); Jade Davies, aged Tcompetition was Pilgrims the individual and group entry 11, from Ysgol Bro Dewi, turned and Pilgrimage. VA, VC, County prize-winners in each age group to poetry to express her thoughts Primary and Sunday Schools from attended a presentation by Dean about today’s and yesterday’s visi- across the County and Diocese Jonathan Lean in the Cathedral tors to St Davids. were joined by adult groups of on Friday 10 July. Each showed the visually impaired and church groups, even from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, making this year’s entry base wider than before. While the majority of entries were artistic, this subject stimulated a considerable body of poetry and prose and research into individual sacred places and pilgrimage to St Davids or to Rome. The standard of the entries was extremely high, some outstand- ing, in terms of quality of research, imaginative input and in techni- cal, artistic and presentation skills evidenced in both the group and individual entries. Each partici- Venturing in Mission Grants: £8K still available this year Am ddim Free 2 Pobl Dewi, November 2009 tian, as a politician and as a citizen THE INTERVIEW of this country that some good and a stronger political process will come from all of this. Potted Crabb? Church members are In the latest of our series of interviews, Stephen Crabb, often at the heart of the Conservative MP for Preseli in Pembrokeshire, talks to community, sustain- Don MacGregor about Christianity and politics ing all sorts of voluntary Were you brought up as a present arguments. Anyone who groups, and yet this benefi- Christian, or was there an watches Prime Minister’s Question cial effect of Christianity awakening at some stage – Time or looks at press releases that often goes unsung. Do or both? are churned out by the parties each you think this awareness day will realise that there are some Looking back, elements of both should be brought more quite interesting uses of statistics at really. My mother, a strong Chris- into the political arena? times, which don’t always give a tian, made a point of ensuring that Absolutely, I believe that. You look true account of an issue. As a Chris- my brothers and I went to Sunday at the history of welfare, social tian I try not to indulge in that. school and were exposed to Chris- care and provision in this country over the centuries and you’ll see tian teachings for which I am very Conversely, how does grateful. Then I remember when I that it’s bound up with the estab- politics affect your faith? was 16, over a period of months, a lished church and non-conformist real desire emerged within me to My time is split between London Christian organisations and that try and understand it for myself. and Pembrokeshire, which makes continues right up to this present The more I looked into it, the regular churchgoing very difficult. day. Some of the most active Chris- stronger my faith became and my That challenges me because one created huge damage to the bond of to answer about their expenses. tian organisations within the UK late teens to early 20’s was a very thing I do believe is that going to trust that should exist between the That was a very difficult period for are working with young people active time for me in terms of my church regularly is about being with people who are being governed and me, for the office and for every- on the fringes of society – drug Christian life. other Christians in a community of the MP’s that they elect. There is one. It was something we never addicts, alcoholics etc. They often faith, and nurturing and developing a massive challenge now to restore expected because I was clear in my have deep roots within the Chris- So your Christianity was that faith. However, the more I’ve that trust. own mind that I had never set out tian community and I think we established before your got involved in politics, the more to do anything wrong. As a Chris- should celebrate and honour that What do you think should political life began. How aware I’ve become of the opinions tian, one of the things I did was to fact more than we do. has your faith informed our and values of other people, people be done? sit down and retrace all the steps I political life? who I may not necessarily agree Well, the process is underway took, the judgements I made, the What in your view, might The challenge for all Christians is with. One of the challenges for me already. What needs to happen decisions I made, the guidance I be the key issues for the for their faith to infect and affect is coming into contact with people now is for party leaders to really sought from the relevant authori- Church today? who hold different values from my all aspects of their life. My work- hammer out a cast iron set of prin- ties and examine myself again. One of the burning issues is the own, and how to reconcile that with place is parliament and politics and ciples and guidance for how an I had to make a decision about state of family life in this country. my own personal views. the challenge is for my faith to be expenses system should be run. one item on my expenses which, The church has a particular and worked out in a meaningful way. One thing I feel strongly about is although it had been well within MP’s have been getting special role to play in speaking up My faith has certainly informed that we don’t want to turn the clocks the rules, and no-one had asked me some bad press recently. for strong family life. That does my politics and what I get from the back to when only the rich sons of to pay any money back, I came to a not mean pushing a certain hard- Reflecting on the expenses bible is a very strong indication of aristocratic and great landed fami- point after reflection where I felt I edged moral view of what a perfect debacle, what would you the right priorities for government, lies could afford to be MP’s. So we had to pay back this sum of money. family should be like, and, as some- such as tackling social injustice; want to say about that, from need to have a system that enables That was quite a difficult decision one who grew up in a single parent raising everybody’s quality of a Christian perspective? them to have a roof over their head to make, because obviously it has home, I’ve got no time for politics life; extending opportunities; and Debacle is exactly the right word. for the 4 days a week that they are implications for me and my family, that bash up single parents. But I do good stewardship of resources, It’s been deeply damaging for in London. If you start from there, as it was quite a substantial sum of passionately believe that a strong which includes the natural environ- government in the broader sense, at the discussion continues - how do money. But for me it was the right and stable family life underpins ment. There can be a lot of rough a time of profound economic chal- we define what an MP sensibly thing to do and I wanted to correct successful societies and that chil- and tumble in politics and for a lenge for the country.