Bettws Rhulen Llansantffraed Llanfaredd Glascwm Cregrina
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1 COLWYN BENEFICE PROFILE St Bridget’s Church, Llansantffraed-in-Elwel St David’s Church, Cregrina St David’s Church, Glascwm St David’s Church, Rhulen St Mary’s Church, Bettws Disserth St Mary’s Church, Llanfaredd St Matthew’s Church, Llanelwedd Bettws Rhulen Cregrina Llanelwedd Llansantffraed Glascwm Llanfaredd Our Vision for Colwyn Benefice …. Seven individual parishes with Jesus and His Gospel at the centre working harmoniously for growth by welcoming and serving our community 2 CONTENTS page Colwyn Benefice Profile 1 Contents 2 Map of Parish Boundaries 3 An Introduction to Colwyn Benefice 4 Future Leadership 6 Working Together - Benefice Activities 7 (a) Messy Church 7 (b) Joint Benefice Services 7 (c) Benefice Prayer Meetings 7 (d) Sewing Group 8 (e) Fundraising Activities 8 (f) Writing this Benefice Profile 8 Colwyn Benefice Accounts 9 Llanelwedd Church in Wales Primary School 9 The Rectory 9 The History of the Benefice’s Seven Churches 10 St Bridget’s Church, Llansantffraed-in-Elwel 12 St David’s Church, Cregrina 13 St David’s Church, Glascwm 14 St David’s Church, Rhulen 15 St Mary’s Church, Bettws Disserth 16 St Mary’s Church, Llanfaredd 17 St Matthew’s Church, Llanelwedd 18 3 COLWYN BENEFICE - PARISH BOUNDARIES 4 INTRODUCTION The Colwyn Benefice is in the historic county of Radnorshire, now part of Powys, a rural county with a stunning landscape of meandering rivers, valleys, mountains and expansive countryside. Radnorshire is said to be the most spectacular and unspoilt county in Europe where family farms continue the practices of traditional skills. The county offers peace, tranquility and relaxation for those needing spiritual renewal. The area is a centre for active outdoor pursuits such as walking, cycling, horse- riding and fishing. Further afield but of note are the Black Mountains, the Brecon Beacons and the Elan Valley Reservoir. Arts also feature strongly with Wyeside Arts Centre, a presenting venue for live and visual arts and cinema, and a varied selection of choirs, including the famous Builth Male Voice Choir. For those who enjoy books, Hay on Wye, with its international festivals, is a short distance away. Brecon’s Jazz Festival is a popular summer attraction. The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society Show, held in Llanelwedd in July, draws thousands of visitors for four days of fun, excitement and trade. There is also an RWAS Show in the spring and in the winter. The nearest towns are Builth Wells, which lies at the confluence of the beautiful rivers Wye and Irfon, and the historic spa town of Llandrindod Wells. Hundred House, where we hold our joint services, is a small village on the A481, a former drover’s route. Hundred House Inn is the welcoming local public house. Public transport is not frequent to towns or in the surrounding areas and those who live in the Benefice rely on their cars. Be prepared to travel through narrow lanes and along winding tracks to visit the communities. There is a train station in Llandrindod Wells with rail links to larger cities like Cardiff and large towns such as Shrewsbury. The Benefice, with the exception of the parish of Llanelwedd, is very rural with a small and sparse population. Farming, almost exclusively sheep farming, is a very important part of life, but here, unlike many other deeply rural areas, the farmers are not prominent among our worshippers, and do not provide as many of the churchwardens as might be expected. It is important that the Incumbent is aware of the economics and politics of farming, the complexity of the support mechanisms available to farmers, and the realities of hill-farming in a remote area. Farming offers significant employment and there is a broad mix of people involved in other work such as construction, retail, health or education. There is a growing number of self-employed people moving to the area who work at home, especially as internet access is improving. Fibre-optic will apparently be with us soon! Many of the church attendees are now retired but they have a youthful perspective and are actively involved in the church and the community. 5 INTRODUCTION cont Here in The Colwyn Benefice there is a strong sense of community despite the remoteness of some farms and homes. People are friendly, welcoming and caring. Much of the population is over the age of 45 and lives in the scattered villages and hamlets across the area. There is in Powys, however, a rising primary school pupil population and a predicted rise in the number of under fives over the next five years. In Powys, approximately a quarter of those aged 3 and over say they can speak Welsh. With proximity to the English border there are many who have moved into Wales. For those with children of school age there are five primary schools and two secondary schools within a short driving distance of Llanelwedd Rectory. Education at junior and secondary level is offered in the medium of either English or Welsh. There are sixth-form colleges in Brecon, Hereford and Newtown. Currently Powys is consulting on secondary school re-organisation. About two years ago, the number of services was reduced slightly and, at present, four churches (Cregrina, Glascwm, Llanelwedd and Llansantffraed) have two services a month, one eucharistic and one service of the Word, and three churches (Bettws, Llanfaredd and Rhulen) have only a monthly eucharist. Most churches use the 2004 Order but Bettws and Llanfaredd have chosen to continue to use the 1984 Green Book. Two churches, Cregrina and Glascwm, use The Village Service, a simple liturgical form lasting about 30 minutes. There is at present one Reader in the Benefice, and one retired Bishop, but neither is available every Sunday. Two lay people have recently been trained and licensed as Lay Leaders of Worship, and there is scope for more people to follow this course; both Bettws and Llanfaredd would welcome the re-introduction of their non- eucharistic service. The present service pattern was introduced because the Incumbent’s dual role, as parish priest and Rural Officer, meant that the R.O. function required the ability on some occasions, notably the Harvest Festival and Summer Show seasons, to respond to invitations to preach elsewhere in the Diocese; the present Sunday services can, with one exception, be taken by one person; when the Incumbent is absent on R.O. business, the Local Ministry Team can maintain the services. All the churches use as a hymn book Ancient and Modern New Standard, occasionally supplemented by worship songs or modern hymns not included in the book. The Colwyn Benefice is part of the Builth Ministry Area and has good links with the other churches. Over the last five years, there have been 14 Weddings / Marriage Blessings, 28 Christenings / Baptisms, 42 Funerals / Ashes Interred and 7 Confirmations across the Benefice. 6 FUTURE LEADERSHIP The age profile of regular worshippers is a concern. It has often proved difficult to attract new people although some will come to Church for special occasions, especially funerals when a congregation of several hundreds is not unusual. The next ten years will see a very ancient and dwindling congregation unless there is an influx of new churchgoers. Within our parishes, we continue to keep in touch with everyone, and we expect the Incumbent to get to know the families and encourage them to take part in parish life. We need an Incumbent who is able to teach the faith clearly, attractively and accessibly. With a strong teaching ministry, church members will be better able to speak openly about their faith to others, and to engage in discussion about the problems and misunderstandings that so often prevent people from committing themselves to the Christian faith. In view of the task ahead, the parishioners of Colwyn Benefice would appreciate the Incumbent to be a person who: ♦ studies the Scriptures and is disciplined in prayer ♦ senses God’s calling to Colwyn Benefice ♦ is enthusiastic for the growth potential in Colwyn Benefice ♦ can engage and connect with teenagers and young families ♦ will create and take opportunities to meet non-churchgoers in our parishes ♦ has good communication skills ♦ has good planning & time management skills given the vast Benefice area and diverse duties (Benefice and Rural) ♦ is a good listener ♦ is able to keep confidences and handle sensitive information ♦ is slow to anger and able to handle conflict well ♦ is a team player ♦ is able to work well with a range of ages and a variety of personalities ♦ will make the time to get to know us at church and in pastoral visits ♦ will lead us with a gentle albeit firm hand ♦ is flexible with regard to styles of worship ♦ appreciates the challenges of living and working in a rural community ♦ understands small churches’ problems in meeting Parish Share targets The 20:80 Rule. In any congregation, no matter how large, there is often a relatively small number of ‘church workers’ - the 20% who undertake 80% of all the work. In this Benefice, almost all the regular worshippers are ‘church workers’. Yes, many of us are retired but we work because we want our Benefice to grow. Future Incumbent, be assured, you will continue to receive from us all the help, encouragement and support you need. 7 WORKING TOGETHER - BENEFICE ACTIVITIES (a) Messy Church We hold about four sessions per year with a small but dedicated team of volunteers. High School students help occasionally when they need community experience. We are hoping Young Farmers will help too. During the interregnum, three lay people have led the epilogue and worship. Our average attendance is about 30. We are reliant on donations from volunteers and parents to pay for materials and refreshments.