Monmouth Llythyr Newyddion Diocesan Esgobaeth Newsletter Mynwy Number/Rhif 200 Michaelmas 2012 Teddy Bears raise funds for the Cathedral Teddy Bears came from far and wide to join a picnic in the Vicarage Gardens of St Mary’s, Abergavenny, on 1 September. There were biscuit bears to ice, card bears to decorate, a bear’s name to guess, as well as a bran tub, treasure hunt, games and races. And, of course, the picnic. While the younger bears ran races, the more venerable sat quietly in the sunshine and reminisced about times gone by. They politely ignored the human who had come in disguise! The Teddy Bears went home at 4 o’clock, tired but happy, having raised £210 for the Cathedral. St Paul’s, Cwm, is 130 Brass Band Concert at Caerwent The Newbridge (Celynen) Brass Band gave a brilliant performance of music from Films and Shows at Caerwent St Paul’s Church, Cwm, celebrated its 130th anniversary Parish Church recently, which was well received by a large with a service of praise and thanksgiving at which Cwm audience. Salvation Army Band played, Bishop Dominic preached, and members of Cwm Council of Churches and the Ebbw Vale The £584.50 raised from the Concert and Raffle is being used for improvements in the church and will be matched by Benefice were present to support the congregation. Barclays Bank as part of their Community Investment Programme to support good causes and strengthen local It was a joyous occasion and afterwards Bishop Dominic cut communities. the birthday cake that had been made by Natalie Herd, who will be confirmed in September. Church members thank the Newbridge (Celynen) Brass Band Rev Pam Griffiths and Barclays Bank for their support in this fund-raiser. David Evans Lee rides for Risca Bake and Rake at Shirenewton Lee Woodford has from time to time raised money for good causes for Risca parish and for the Mothers’ Union Wheels Appeal. Well, his latest effort has been on behalf of St Mary’s Church, Risca. He set out from Risca on Thursday 23rd August The Churchwardens had promised us good weather for our 2012 at 6.30am and annual Bake and Rake (or Beer and Clear) of the St Thomas à returned to St Mary’s Becket churchyard in Shirenewton, so we all turned out as Church Hall at 3.30pm usual armed with strimmers, mowers, rakes, scythes, bags, where a fine cream tea beer and cake. The rain held off for the first five minutes – awaited him. He was and then it just poured and poured and poured. Fortunately cheered home by a the beer was already watered down, and so a bit more group of well-wishers eager to hear how his 114 mile cycle water was not noticed, and the cake did not get soggy, but ride was accomplished. He is without doubt the fittest the rest of us did – see photo. amongst us! Bill Clark Ven John Blackburn All Saints Goes Olympic On the bright sunny morning of July 27th John, John, Noel, Ann, Hazel, Pat, Gab and Liz (all regular church-goers) came together in All Saints, Llanfrechfa, at 8.12am to join in the 3 minute “Ring in the Olympics” to mark the opening of the 2012 Olympic Games. Every one was in good spirits and felt we had done our bit to add to the festive atmosphere. Sorry if we woke anyone up!! www.monmouthdiocese.org.uk 2 Bombs away at Redwick Kevin comes to Caerleon On 5th August, parishioners in Redwick (Magor Benefice) marked the anniversary of the night in 1942 when the realities of modern warfare came to what was then still a remote farming community. In the small hours of that calm summer night a lone German plane dropped four bombs, destroying one cottage and damaging up to twenty more, as well as the school and the medieval church at the centre of the village. Mercifully, nobody was killed. It is something of a mystery why Redwick was targeted. Possibly the aircraft was in trouble and needed to jettison its remaining bombs. St Thomas’s lost most of its roof and windows. The ancient rood loft and screen were left in a dangerous condition and had to be taken down, l to r: the Bishop, Revd Kevin Lake, Ven Richard Pain never to be fully restored. The damage was so severe Revd Kevin Lake, the new Vicar of Caerleon, was a fire- that the church had to be fighter for 19 years in the former Mid Glamorgan Fire closed and was not used Service serving at Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare Fire Stations. for services again until 1949. On March 17th 1999 He began training at St Michael’s College, Llandaff, and was Revd Brian Parfitt, then ordained deacon in 1999 and priested in 2000. He spent his Vicar of Magor and curacy in the parish of Penarth with Lavernock and then Redwick, led a thanksgiving moved into Chaplaincy work at the Marie Curie ‘Holme service at St Thomas’s. In a Tower’ Hospice in Penarth working in conjunction with the report on this, the South Chaplaincy Department at the University of Wales Hospital Wales Argus stated that in Cardiff. the church had been “the only one in In 2004 he moved to the parish of Cwm Ogwr in the Monmouthshire to close Bridgend Valley and then, in 2008, to his hometown of because of enemy action”. Aberdare where he became Vicar in the Parish of Aberdare St Fagan (to replace Fr Paul Bennett who had been Whether this is true or not, the event is still remembered in tragically killed the year before). the village and there was a determination to ensure that the 70th anniversary of the bombing should be marked Now he is looking forward to leading the benefice ministry appropriately. The present Team Rector of the benefice (now team in Caerleon and working with the congregations of comprising ten churches), Revd Jeremy Harris, conducted a the four churches. His vision is to embrace the ministry of commemoration service which was followed by tea and cakes ‘All God’s People’ through encouraging and nurturing one and an exhibition of wartime memorabilia. People who were another in the faith, and to reach out to the schools and children living in Redwick in 1942 had contributed their the wider communities and promote the message of ‘Good memories of that fateful night and there were lively News’ to those whom we serve. conversations after the service on the details of what happened! Kevin’s wife, Mags, is the Clerk to the Governors of St John Baptist High School in Aberdare. She enjoys singing and is a The Rose Inn joined in the spirit of the occasion, playing member of the BBC National Chorus of Wales. Kevin and 1940s music over the weekend in the bar, which was Mags have three children (all grown up), four festooned with patriotic bunting. Certainly an occasion that granddaughters, and an over-excited Schnauzer dog called united the village! Suki! Mike Hall Support for Chepstow Street Pastors Shirenewton Church Fundraisers organised a Call My Bluff wine tasting. The evening followed the format of the famous television series of the same name: three ‘experts’ described a wine in very different terms – but two were bluffing. The willing guinea pigs tasted the wine from bottles wrapped in newspaper to hide their labels, and had to use their knowledge of wine (or just guess, as most of us did) to decide which ‘expert’ was telling the truth. vineyards? The fiendish quiz separated the wine buffs from There were points for identifying the wine, and extra points the wine bluffs – or at least changed the order of the final for getting the year and the price range. There was also a scores of the teams. Not only was a good time had by all, quiz, and all the questions were wine-related – do you know but some much-needed money was raised for the Chepstow which book in The Bible makes no reference to wine or Street Pastors and the church. 3 Farewell, Archdeacon Glyndwr Archdeacon Glyndwr Hackett has now retired. In an interview for the newsletter, he shares his thoughts on the past and the future (sadly, there wasn’t space for the embarrassing memories!) Thanks for everything Glyndwr - enjoy the rest of your ministry. What would your 20-year old self think of you now? What are your hopes for the Church in Wales? His first response would surely be ‘What’s happened to your This is a difficult question because it tempts me to give my hair?’ I think he would be pleasantly surprised and pleased to strategy for its continued growth. My hope, however it is see that I was still enthusiastic about my ministry. I think he achieved, is that all God’s people, lay and ordained, will give would be amused to find that I was an Archdeacon – rather time to prayerfully discern God’s will for them and be more ‘venerable’ and matured now through age than prepared to sacrifice personal preferences in order that rebellious and impatient as in my youth. His overwhelming others might come to share the privilege of discipleship and feeling would be one of thankfulness that throughout the membership of the Church. I would like every congregation to years God had guided me and through people, both lay and see itself as a kind of spiritual maternity unit within which ordained, had continued to nurture my vocation. new disciples can be brought to birth and nurtured in the Faith.