Croeso! Welcome!

Diolch am eich diddordeb yn Ardal Genhadol Aberconwy, ac yn yr eglwysi.

Thank you for your interest in the Aberconwy Mission Area and our church communities.

We’re a group of ten churches in North , serving an area from to Llanrwst along the eastern side of the River . Right on the edge of Snowdonia, this is one of the most scenic parts of Wales, but still only an hour and a half from Manchester with good road and rail links to North West England, South Wales, London and Birmingham.

The churches in our area have been working hard to grow in numbers and in spirituality over the last few years, and we have some impressive results to show for it. The first church in Wales to broadcast its Sunday services on social media is in our area, and our project using Lego to tell children about God led us all the way to the Rhyl Film Festival.

We’ve sung evensong with four people in a camper van and sung carols to 400 people last Christmas. We’re working on a million pound project to restore one of our historic churches and place it at the heart of its community. And we have hundred pound bursaries for children to find out more about Jesus through traditional church music.

But now we’re looking for someone to inspire us to keep the energy, the growth and the Holy Spirit at the centre of what we’re doing. Could you empower us to do even better? Read on: see what we have to offer, and how you could help us build an exciting future. Ein Cynefin - The Aberconwy Mission Area

The Aberconwy area has been called “the heart of North Wales” for centuries, and remains so to this day. Our area is a cultural, economic and administrative hub for the region.

North Wales’ largest theatre is just yards from one of our churches and the Eisteddfod, one of Europe’s largest cultural festivals, was held in our patch last year. The Welsh Government’s North Wales base is round the corner from St Michael’s in , as are the best fish and chips for miles!

Our churches often have an important civic role. Clergy have served as mayors’ chaplains and officiated at council and ceremonial events.

But serving an area like ours also brings challenges and responsibilities. Some of the most expensive properties in North Wales are here, but less than half a mile from some of the most deprived parts of Wales.

Large coastal towns contrast with small villages inland, often with the familiar problems of social isolation. This is also an area with a large population of older people: Conwy county has more people over 90 than any other area of Wales. The Welsh language is widely spoken in some areas, particularly in the Conwy valley.

We’ve been working hard to know our communities better over the last few years, and have made a good start. Last summer, we rejoiced at baptising a family from an estate where we’d previously had no connections at all (above).

Are you a leader who’s equally at home talking to the Mayor of Conwy or a young family? Chatting with the lifeboat crew or helping with the weekly homeless kitchen?

BELOW: St Paul’s in Llandudno, surrounded by Victorian villas, retirement homes, hotels, social rented housing and houses of multiple occupation. Deuparth Gwaith Yw Ei Ddechrau - Our Next Steps

All of our churches have been working hard at growth, setting priorities locally to match the needs of their communities. You can find out more about what they’re doing and their successes in the next few pages.

Here’s what we’d like to focus on in the coming years:

1) Deepening our faith through prayer and scripture

We have a passion to see God’s kingdom on earth, but know this needs to start with us.

HOW COULD WE DO THIS? - Ensure that everyone in our mission area has access to a group for prayer or reflection - Look at ways to deepen our understanding of the eucharist and other sacraments - St David’s church is looking to strengthen and enhance the monthly service led by its lay worship group - Choir members at St Paul’s now take the lead in choosing hymns and planning services; they’re looking to use this to deepen their understanding of scripture

WE NEED A LEADER WHO…... A Journey of Faith: Hannah - Is a person of prayer - Can interpret, preach and teach the gospel in a I joined St Paul’s way that encourages faith development choir in 2017, - Is proud of the traditional forms of worship we mainly to improve use and understands how these can help us my singing. I’d grow the church been brought up - Will also help our mission area to develop new going to church, and creative ways of“ being church” and had drifted away in my teens. But the energy BELOW LEFT: St Paul’s choir sing evensong with a and spirituality of my colleagues VW camper van on Llandudno promenade inspired me to think about God again. Over the next few years I’d BELOW RIGHT: children’s holiday club in full swing, like to help us reach out to other rehearsing for a performance of Joseph and the young people in the area. Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. 2) Reaching out to people who don’t know church

We want to see all ages and social demographics as part of our church family , but we also know that we need to be even more welcoming and inclusive.

HOW COULD WE DO THIS? - We need to be more creative in our use of social media and communications - Over a third of Glan Conwy (700 people!) already have a connection with St Ffraid’s church. How can we build on this? - St Hilary’s church plan to increase the welcome given to baptism families - St Paul’s has started a project to connect with children through traditional church music

WE NEED A LEADER WHO…… - has a strong sense of the mission of the church - has previous leadership experience within the church - supports existing initiatives to reach diverse groups (eg Open Table) - helps members of the church to show God’s love in action - can encourage and support our ministry to children and their families

3) Working with our communities

We are concerned about social justice issuesand want to make sure our churches are at the heart of the communities we serve

HOW COULD WE DO THIS? - Develop our use of the Welsh language - Many of our churches and halls are already used as community venues for concerts and fundraising: can we develop this to raise our profile and enhance our churches’ role? - Make our churches into community hubs with mini-libraries, locations for defibrillators

WE NEED A LEADER WHO…... - Finds relating to people outside the church easy and comfortable - Has a heart for the Welsh language and culture, and is either a Welsh speaker or willing to learn - Can embrace civic duties, seeing them as an opportunity for mission - Listens and is sensitive to the needs of those among whom they live - Can discern gifts in others and empower lay people to reach their potential within the church and beyond Ein Gorau Glas - Growth Successes

• All Saints’ Church has increased fellowship and attendance at its midweek service by serving brunch afterwards • St Grwst’s is completing a million pound restoration, part funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. As part of this, a dedicated officer will develop a programme of events, activities and clubs, as well as -co ordinating volunteers • St Michael’s is looking to grow its church family with a new type of service called “tots, tea and teddies”. We have reminded them bears don’t count towards the attendance! • St Paul’s recently began a new twist on a familiar service: junior evensong, where the children do everything, from the readings, prayers to acting as cantor (right).

Y Tîm - Who’s Who

We have four priests, including the mission area leader, who have worked well as a team since the mission area was set up in 2017. The clergy team meet each week, and support each other through prayer. A curate will also join us in 2020.

We have three lay readers, who are active in a number of roles, and a number of worship leaders and other lay people who plan worship (such as the director of music at St Paul’s). All work closely with our part time administrator, who’s based at St David’s in .

Our mission area also has a lay chair and two wardens, who are keen to develop their role alongside the clergy. Two joint secretaries, treasurer and bookkeeper complete the team.

Each priest takes pastoral responsibility for two or three churches where their role is to provide spiritual leadership and empower the congregations in generating growth. Our journey as a mission area has seen lay people in our churches discover new energy in growing our congregations, coming up with new ideas and making them happen.

At St Ffraid’s, the congregation successfully appealed to the community to secure the church finances, while at St Paul’s, the choir (below left) are leading a project to reconnect the church with local schools. Lay people have dedicated thousands of hours to the project to reorder St Grwst's church and restore the Gwydir Chapel alongside (below right). Ein Teulu - A Growing Family Of Churches

As mission area leader, you’ll have pastoral responsibility for two churches: St Hilary’s in and St Paul’s, serving the eastern half of Llandudno. The western half of Llandudno (including most of the town centre) is in Bangor diocese. But you’ll also need to be familiar with eight other churches around the area. Here’s where you’ll find us: St Hilary’s

“A small church with a big heart”

The church history dates back to Prince Maelgwyn Gwynedd in the 6th century, the Cistercian monks, and latterly the Mostyn family who created and designed Llandudno.

Our church (bottom left) is small, but beautiful, set in the countryside at Llanrhos, between Llandudno and . For many years, we were the parish church for a large area, and we’re still a small church with a big heart. It’s a heart for fellowship - there’s a real buzz of friendship, and a warmth of welcome at our after-service coffee on Sundays. And it’s a heart for mission - we’re the preferred church for baptisms, weddings and funerals.

Did You Know…..? St Hilary's has an ancient churchyard which attracts many people researching their family histories, as The church is known as St Hilary’s, well as many who are just visiting both the but is actually dedicated to St Eleri churchyard and the adjacent local cemetery. We and St Mary! It’s thought that staged a well attended all day event for the “Hilary” may be an anglicisation of hundredth anniversary of the First World War “Eleri”. No one is quite sure how (above), where we exhibited the stories behind many patronal feasts we have…... each of the 44 churchyard burials and memorials.

We have regular gardening evenings in the churchyard to assist in maintaining the peaceful spiritual atmosphere. To enhance this we have created a space for nature, with bird boxes and feeders as well as bug hotels. We hope to liaise with local schools to encourage children to come and find out more about the church, and the wildlife on their doorstep.

Whilst steeped in history, the church has a very forward looking approach to worship and is always eager to meet new challenges and opportunities. We look forward to our new priest leading us in our next steps on our journey with of worship, prayer and outreach into the community, which is expected to grow. Conwy council’s local development plan could see 400 new houses and a new school being built close to the church. We want to do more to connect with the families who choose to have their children baptised here, and also reach out to people who visit the cemeteries alongside the church. Things can certainly get busy at St Hilary’s. Here’s what happens in a week:

Tuesday: St Hilary’s Fellowship - alternate weeks, Cuppa & Craft (picture bottom right, previous page). Guest speaker once a month.

Thursday: We love our music, but are too small for choir stalls, so a small choir meet to practise the hymns for Sunday & hopefully help lead the singing from amongst the congregation. Twice a year we arrange a concert in church (below left), proceeds shared between the church and local charities.

Saturday: We are looking forward to opening the church some weeks to welcome visitors for prayer and hospitality.

Sunday: Communion Service, 11am—a warm and cheerful welcome to all with around 50 in the congregationfollowing the white book (CinW 2004 rite). At the end of the service we share coffee and fellowship, and at least four times a year we arrange an after church lunch.

Sunday: Evening prayer, 6.30pm - communion in Welsh once a month.

The Rectory

There can’t be many mission areas where you get to live a five minute walk from a beach with panoramic view of the Carneddau mountains. The rectory is a modern, four bedroom house in a quiet side street in Deganwy. A sought-after neighbourhood, it’s in the catchment area of good primary and secondary schools. It’s also just off the quickest route into Llandudno town centre.

The accommodation includes: three reception rooms including large sitting room, utility room and kitchen/dining room. Upstairs; four bedrooms, including ensuite master bedroom, and separate family bathroom. Garden to front and rear, drive for two cars. St Paul’s

“It’s the one with the choir”

A few years ago, St Asaph Diocese did some mystery worshipper surveys around Llandudno asking people about St Paul’s church. Did they even know we existed? Thankfully they did, and the thing that people said almost universally was: “it’s the one with the choir”.

Traditional church choral music has been at the centre of growth at St Paul’s in the last few years. It’s provided a focus to bring together a group of people with the energy to make the church thrive. We were one of the few churches to meet the bishop’s recent target of increasing congregations by 10%. Our annual service of nine lessons and carols now attracts over 400 people, and a candlelit service for Advent had a congregation of over 200.

While our services may be traditional, our ways to spread the gospel often aren’t. In 2016, St Paul’s became the first Anglican church in Wales to broadcast its services live on social media (news coverage right). We’re currently experimenting with a new social medium: Tik Tok, where we want to start a series of short videos called “psalm-thing for the weekend” and we have a plan to release choral evensong as a monthly podcast in 2020.

But we’re not just active on social media. Nowadays, the choir and congregation spend more of their church time away from their pews and choir stalls than in them. We have started a project using music to reconnect the church with local schools, including setting up a children’s choir (below right) A new innovation for this group is “junior evensong” where the children do almost everything themselves: acting as cantor and doing the readings and the singing.

Others in the congregation help run an after school Lego club and our new mother and toddler group, “Storytime Café” (below left). We work in partnership with the nursery across the road, who bring groups of children over for bible stories each week. We’ve also grown the church through community links. Members of the choir organise evensong services for Llandudno lifeboat and the Llandudno branch of St John Ambulance (which is based at St Paul’s). Each Thursday, choir practice takes place at one end of the church while a charity called “Soup n Sox” cooks food for homeless people at the other.

We have a craft club (above right), which was set up to provide companionship to people suffering social isolation or going through difficult times. A women’s fellowship meets at least once a month.

As for the future, we want to improve the technical quality of our live broadcasts so they can reach and engage a bigger audience, but also allow St Paul’s to spread the gospel more effectively in cyberpace.

The junior choir needs to develop; St Paul’s serves some of the most deprived parts of Llandudno, and we hope music can give opportunities to children from all backgrounds. Our next project with Ysgol Bodafon, our church school is to look at doing RE in a completely new way; working with the children to put our Christian faith into practice.

It’s been a busy last few years, and now we’re praying for someone to help inspire the choir and congregation, and to keep that energy flowing. Someone who shares our love of Anglican psalm chant and the flickering of the candles at evensong. Someone who’ll celebrate with us when the girl from class three overcomes her nerves to read the first lesson. Someone to have the kettle on when we get back after delivering Christmas cards in the pouring rain. And most of all, someone to remind us that God is in it all somewhere.

More information about St Paul’s: - WEBSITE: http://www.stpaulsllandudno.co.uk - SOCIAL MEDIA: http://www.facebook.com/choirofstpauls https://www.instagram.com/choirofstpauls/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2xBQV-P1W0 - IN THE NEWS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBzl8SiIHBI&t=47s

Church Schools

Our clergy are a regular sight in the schools in the mission area, whether church schools or not. We have three voluntary aided primary schools: Ysgol Bodafon, close to St Paul’s (currently 86 pupils), Ysgol Eglwysbach (68 pupils) in the village of Eglwysbach in the Conwy Valley and Ysgol Llanddoged (35 pupils) in the village of Llanddoged near Llanrwst.

The role being advertised includes chance to play an active part in the life of Ysgol Bodafon. Past holders of the post have also served as chair of governors, though this position is currently held by a lay person.

Ysgol Bodafon

This is a small and very friendly school on the edge of Llandudno (pictures right) and is particularly good at supporting children who do better in a small-class environment. Staff and parents have worked hard to raise academic standards, and the school is strong at encouraging pupils to mentor each other.

However, significant challenges remain for the school, and for us as a church. We are keen to see more children from the school joining us in church, and have been working hard to strengthen links between the two, with some recent successes.

Choir members from St Paul’s church now go into Ysgol Bodafon each week as part of a project using traditional choral music to make connections between the children and the church. We also fund music lessons for junior choir members.

The school also needs our help. A falling birth rate in Llandudno has reduced numbers at Ysgol Bodafon, and budget cuts have meant redundancies among the staff. Support and fundraising from church volunteers are becoming even more essential if we’re to give the children the education they deserve.

More information about our church schools: https://ysgol-bodafon.j2bloggy.com/ http://ysgoleglwysbach.weebly.com/ysgol-eglwys--church-school.html http://ysgol-llanddoged.j2webby.com/ (in Welsh only) All Saints’

“An enthusiastic and committed church, seeking to be at the heart of our community.”

All Saints’ was built in 1899 by Lady Henrietta Augusta Mostyn in memory of her parents the Earl and Countess of Abergavenny. We are situated in the seaside town of Deganwy nestled at the foot of the Vardre hill overlooking the Conwy estuary.

Our congregation is enthusiastic and dedicated and many have had a lifetime association with All Saints’. We aim to be open and friendly and our congregation has grown in recent times. As well as our regular Sunday services we offer a mid-week eucharist followed by brunch, a branch of the Mothers’ Union which holds a regular programme of events, and a home Koinonia group.

We are endeavouring to reach out to our community by making full use of our resources both people and church building. So as well as organising regular events such as afternoon teas, for the housebound, seasonal fayres and open days, we are taking part in “doing a new thing”, a fresh initiative in the Mission Area aimed at taking church out into the community.

Our clergy team is being strengthened in 2020 by ordinand Ben Lines (above with his family) who’s already done some training with us, and will be spending his curacy here.

As well as having a car park we are blessed with Did You Know…..? having a kitchen, toilet and café facilities. We Only God is perfect, but the makers make full use of these resources for fellowship of the six bells in the tower of All after church services and as a way of reaching Saints’ claimed that they were “as out into the community. Currently it is used by perfect as can be made”. They were the “Deganwy Dementia Café” and a cancer so confident in their work that the support group each month, and we hope to All Saints’ bells were exhibited in develop further initiatives in this area London before being installed. particularly by strengthening our links with the local school and institutions.

More information about All Saints’: - WEBSITE: http://www.allsaintsdeganwy.co.uk - SOCIAL MEDIA: https://www.facebook.com/All-Saints-Church-Deganwy-943977308961577/ St Cystennin’s

“A friendly and active church looking to build community links”

St Cystennins is grade II listed and in a semi-rural location approximately a mile from the large village of Mochdre. Several medieval churches have existed on the same site since the third century. The present church according to the date on the bell is dated 1748.

The people who make up the parishioners are very Did You Know…..? friendly and welcoming; we are approximately 10 There is apparently a tunnel in number and are led by our wonderful vicar underneath the ground to the Godfrey Chigumira who is originally from church coming from Llangwstenin Zimbabwe. Godfrey is much loved by all the Hall approximately 150 metres away parishioners and also everyone he meets in the but we do not know the location of community and surrounding areas - we are very the exit point within the church! lucky to have him.

We are very active in fundraising for the church including a plant sale in the spring, an open day in the summer, three singing events and a Christmas carol service.

Recently since May 2019 we have reached out into the community of Mochdre with the encouragement of our dedicated vicar Godfrey whereby we have a stall selling plants in the local car boot sale on Sundays. It serves two purposes: to make friends for the church and to reach out into the community of Mochdre which is proving to be worthwhile on all fronts.

We are very proud to have within the church 14th century medieval stained glass which was found underneath the flooboards of St Cystennin’s which previously belonged to a church in the 14th century. The stained glass has now been restored and returned from a local museum in Llandudno to a display cabinet within the church, and was re-dedicated at a special service (above).

More information about St Cystennin’s: - WEBSITE: http://www.aberconwy.church/st-cystennin-s- - SOCIAL MEDIA: https://www.facebook.com/St.Cystennin/ - IN THE NEWS: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-wales-41277408/15th-century-church-windows- restored St David’s

“A welcoming congregation and a strong sense of fellowship”

We serve Penrhyn Bay, an area within the wider community of Llandudno and part of the Aberconwy Mission Area. Though our area lies east of the Little Orme, and close to Rhos on Sea, we’re very much part of Llandudno. The population of Penrhyn Ward at the 2011 census was 4,883.

Penrhyn Bay has the feel of a large village or small town, with a cluster of local shops, with pub and restaurants, and a modern medical centre with doctors' surgery at the foot of the pass over the shoulder of the Little Orme from Llandudno Bay. There is a Welsh medium high school (Ysgol y Creuddyn) and a large primary school (Ysgol Glanwydden).

The church building is the most modern in the mission area, being built in the mid 1960s. Traditional type services are held on a Friday and on Sunday (two services) with other celebratory services held as appropriate (Easter, Christmas etc) for a congregation that is of an older generation in the main. In recent times, a non Eucharistic alternative service has been held once a month. There is also a weekly prayer group.

Did You Know…..? The congregation prides itself on being very welcoming and strong in fellowship with coffee St David’s church recently being served after both Friday and Sunday equipped a new kitchen area at services. Other fellowship and community events the back of church, but also include, summer and winter fayres, annual open commissioned a mural based on air brass band service with barbeque, carols Psalm 23 to complete the project. around the Christmas tree. Congregational Sunday The impressive painting can be lunches are held on a quarterly basis with other ad seen in the picture above! hoc social events at various times.

There is a Church Hall adjacent to the Church which is very active with community groups filling the diary every day and includes a number of mother and toddler groups, Guides, Brownies and Rainbow packs as well as dance classes, line dancing and Slimming World.

More information about St David’s: - WEBSITE: http://aberconwy.church/st-david-s-penryhn-bay St Ffraid’s

“The hub for our village, a place where the community shares fellowship”

St Ffraid’s Church and the Church House are the hub of the community of Llansanffraid Glan Conwy. There are just over 2000 residents in the village, approximately 700 of the residents support the church and church house in some way.

The church fundraising team working in partnership with the church committee and other groups in the village such as the village school, meithrin, community council, Cubs and Scouts, Guides and Brownies and chapels have developed a programme of events and activities that engage a wide cross section of residents in the village, these activities promote a sense of community belonging, friendship and wellbeing.

Did You Know…..? The activities range from weekly coffee club, quarterly lunches, monthly bingo, musical The village’s full name is Llansanffraid events and our annual sell out pantomime. We Glan Conwy, usually just known as have also formed a people’s choir who meet “Glan Conwy”. But like many places each Monday in the church house. Cor Pobol locally, the name of the church is Llan present a bilingual programme, they use reflected in the name of the village. their talents to entertain local residents and perform in elderly people’s homes in the county.

When the boiler in St Ffraid’s was condemned, the fundraising team organised ‘a pound coin pathway’ where we asked each resident to donate a pound. Donations were sent from as far away as Canada to ensure a new boiler could be purchased and the church and congregation kept warm.

In 2019 the fundraising team delivered an appeal letter to each household in the parish asking for assistance to raise funds for St Ffraid’s. Once again, the residents rose to the challenge and raised almost £10,000.

The community of Llansanffraid Glan Conwy are passionate about St Ffraid’s as the hub of the village and although may not be regular weekly attenders but need to know they can turn to the church when they need support and appreciate St Ffraid’s church and the role it plays in their community.

More information about St Ffraid’s: - WEBSITE: http://aberconwy.church/st-ffraid-s-glan-conwy St Grwst’s

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established” (Proverbs 16:3)

St Grwst’s church is a grade I listed building situated in the heart of Llanrwst town in rural North Wales. First erected in c1170 it has been in its current form since 1470. It is a main place of worship for the town.

We are now embarking on an exciting new phase following the completion of a £900,000+ reordering and restoration project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and many other funders plus generous donations from local businesses and the community. We’ve made sure to involve the community in all stages of this project, including asking children from Ysgol Bro Gwydir to place a time capsule in the church as part of the reordering (picture above.)

This community involvement will continue. Our aim Did You Know…..? is to put the church at the centre of Llanrwst life, The treasures of St Grwst’s provide a unique and compelling destination, a church include an empty gathering place for worship, learning and activities sarcophagus made of stone for the community and those from near and far. which is said to be the one in We want the building to be a safe, light, welcoming, which Prince Llewelyn Fawr was warm, multifunctional with modern facilities, buried in in 1240. preserving the historic, cultural and architectural aspect for generations.

We want to be open daily, giving access to all, enabling them to enjoy the spirituality and heritage of these wonderful buildings. Our focus is on growing our congregation in volume and participation, reaching out and welcoming new people to our church.

RIGHT: daffodils in the churchyard. Photo by Al Williams LRPS

More information about St Grwst’s - WEBSITE: https://saintgrwstchurch.wixsite.com/website - SOCIAL MEDIA: https://www.facebook.com/stgrwstchurch https://twitter.com/stgrwstchurch St Martin’s

“Hardd hafan hedd” (a beautiful haven of peace)

“Hardd hafan hedd”, the motto of Llandudno, our nearest large town, is also an apt description of St. Martin’s Church in Eglwysbach; a village only 15 minutes drive from Llandudno.

We have a small congregation, but we are enthusiastic about supporting both our own church and the mission area.

Pilgrims on the Pilgrim Way stop at our church, where they are welcomed with refreshments. The church is opened daily (from spring to autumn) to other visitors. They can find displays of the history of the church and purchase a variety of homemade jams and small hand-made gifts. We organise several fund-raising events: our harvest supper, Lenten lunch, Welsh male voice choir concerts, gift day, a quilting exhibition, clothing sale, and so on, are well supported by local villagers. It is amazing how generous people can be. Their donations form a significant contribution to our church income, all thanks to the varied talents and hard work of our congregation

Income is a major consideration when faced with Did You Know…..? our parish share; however, the spiritual well being of The church is dedicated to St our church is of greater concern. Sarah Hildreth- Martin, a Roman soldier in the Osborn, our vicar is a dynamic and vibrant fourth century who became a personality. Her enthusiasm and encouragement are Christian. St Martin features in a an inspiration to the congregation. She regularly stained glass window installed in visits our village church school, participates in their 1950 as thanksgiving for peace assemblies and encourages the staff and pupils to after the Second World War. become familiar with our church by using it for their concerts.

A mission area leader should be able to support Sarah in her work and encourage the physical and spiritual well-being of our much loved church; a person with leadership skills; compassionate, prepared to take on the challenges facing the church and maintaining a regular interaction with the congregations of our mission area and their priests.

We look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful haven of peace!

More information about St Martin’s: - WEBSITE: http://aberconwy.church/st-martin-s-eglwysbach St Michael and All Angels’

“Founded on prayer, aiming to build a bright future”

We have a small but faithful congregation, in our beautifully re-ordered church. Our 9.30am Services are developing into a varied means of praise and worship, in our monthly all age service as well as our services of holy eucharist.

Our community space is well used by various local groups who serve the community across the age range – they include Parkinsons Support Group, Wiggle and Giggle (dance sessions for toddlers), Beavers, Cubs, Brownies and Guides. We also have a Julian prayer group and ladies fellowship, monthly Open Table holy eucharist, and the church is open for prayer every Thursday morning.

In addition, we have the facilities to offer Did You Know…..? hospitality and fellowship meetings and events at The name “Llandudno Junction” is various times throughout the year and have a reminder that the town grew up recently started a ‘chill church’ – an opportunity around the railway, which played a to celebrate the liturgical events of the church’s big role in the local culture - ask us year with families and especially toddlers. why one of our local pubs is called “The Killer”. St Michael’s became known as “the railwaymen’s church” with a rumour that the wooden roof beams were in fact railway sleepers. We’ve not yet managed to prove it either way!

Chill church is a time of singing, story telling and activities to offer and acknowledge our thanks to our Lord Jesus at Easter and Christmas especially. We are also forging links with the community by facilitating services at the local Memorial Hall and going into the nearby nursery and school.

More information about St Michael’s: - WEBSITE: http://www.aberconwy.church/st-michael-all- angels-llandudno-junction St Doged’s Pilgrim Church

St Doged’s is in the village of Llanddoged, about a mile and a half uphill from Llanrwst. Its unique layout inside presents a few challenges when conducting worship.

Two years ago, St Doged’s ceased to be a “parish church”, and became part of the pilgrim church scheme that runs in the diocese. It remains open thanks to the constant efforts of a small dedicated group, allowing anyone to visit to explore the history of the church or their own family history. St Doged’s is part of the Sacred Doorways trail of churches.

Six services a year are conducted at St Doged’s, three of which are taken in conjunction with the church school in the village: harvest, Christmas and end of school year. Children lead worship (mainly through the medium of Welsh), offer prayers and take part in talks. The other services are arranged by the mission area leader and are led by other clergy in the Mission Area.

Looking on into the future, we are looking forward to a visit from Bishop Gregory on 12th July 2020 for a eucharist followed by lunch. The other churches in the Conwy Valley will be attending this service to make it a great celebration. LGBTQIA+ and the Chaplaincy

The Diocesan LGBTQIA+ Chaplain, Rev Sarah Hildreth-Osborn, is a member of the Mission Area Clergy Team. The chaplaincy exists because the Christian faith has something to offer everyone including LGBTQIA+ people who are marginalised within the wider Church.

Meetings take place monthly via an‘ Open Table’ Eucharist currently held in St Michael’s Church in Llandudno Junction. Open Table is the name of an ecumenical Christian worship community which offers a warm welcome and safe sacred space to people who are Lesbi- an, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual (usually abbreviated to LGBTQIA+) and all who seek an inclusive Church.

It is hoped that the event can form part of a vision of ‘radical Christian inclusion’ where diversity can be accepted and people from all backgrounds and circumstances and differ- ences can be openly celebrated as part of the body of Christ.

More information about the chaplaincy: - WEBSITE: https://dioceseofstasaph.org.uk/chaplaincy-services/lgbtqia-chaplaincy/

Job Description

Post: Mission Area Leader, Aberconwy Mission Area

Purpose: To support the Bishop as chief shepherd, pastor and minister of the diocese, as a visible sign serving the church’s unity and continuity in apostolic life, mission and ministry.

Responsible: In collaboration and full co-operation with the local church in the diocese and mission area for: - People - Mission - Teaching - Preaching - Finance - Buildings and property

Principal tasks & duties (in collaboration and co-operation with others)

Preaching and teaching 1. To preach the word 2. To administer the sacraments 3. To lead people in praise and thanksgiving to God through the reverent, regular, careful and inspiring ordering of worship 4. To lead people in mission and evangelism. 5. To teach the faith 6. To bring new members into the church by baptism including the appropriate preparation of candidates, parents and godparents 7. To prepare and present candidates for confirmation. 8. To prepare people for holy matrimony and officiate at the service.

Pastoral care 1. To minister to the sick and dying 2. To officiate at funerals 3. To minister to the bereaved 4. To offer a pastoral ministry to all people within the mission area 5. To share Christian service with others 6. To minister to all who are in need of support and spiritual counsel 7. To proclaim the righteousness, mercy and forgiveness of God to those who are troubled in spirit 8. To seek those who have strayed 9. To liberate and nurture God’s people for the good of all and the glory of God. 10. To support and promote the religious ethos in church schools in the mission area Administration 1. To encourage and enable the mission area conference (MAC) to consider and define a mission policy for the church, taking into account: - • the call of God • the needs of the local community • the needs of the church, mission area, diocese and province • the needs of the wider church • the needs of the congregation • the promotion of Christian stewardship in all its aspects

2. To comply with the law of the land and church regulations in relation to the following: - • marriages and deaths • child protection • financial accountability • health and safety

3. To share in an effective, competent and courteous administration of the Mission Area

4. To consult and co-operate with churchwardens and the church committee in matters of concern and importance

5. To maintain the necessary records of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, burials and other services (where appropriate)

6. To support the work of the Electoral Roll Officer

7. To encourage, support and participate in the administrative business of the MAC including: • appointments • organising meetings • maintenance of accounts • inventory of furniture, fittings and artefacts • care of church buildings

8. To ensure that the statutory requirements of the law, the services and procedures approved by the Church in Wales are complied with in a shared and collaborative ministry.

Church and community 1. To encourage good and courteous relationships with members of other churches and faith communities. 2. To support the laity in their social, pastoral and money raising activities which further the mission of the church in the local and wider community.

Local church life To be a spiritual leader in the churches where the postholder has specific pastoral responsibility, and: • to enable and encourage church members in developing their prayer life and worship • to encourage church members to be ambassadors of Christ • to encourage church members to take the lead in developing ideas to grow their church • to strengthen links between the mission area and local schools • to develop strong links with community groups and encourage their involvement in worship and mission area life • to liaise with statutory bodies where appropriate.

Person Specification

Post: Mission Area Leader, Aberconwy Mission Area

Qualifications and Training

Candidates for the post should:

• be a priest within the Church in Wales or an Anglican church in communion with it • be theologically competent • have satisfactorily completed Initial Ministerial Education • be able to demonstrate a capacity to exercise priestly ministry, including the ability to develop a vision for the church • be able to demonstrate a willingness to engage in further appropriate training.

Experience

Previous experience of team leadership (eg as mission/ministry area leader, team vicar, senior chapter member or equivalent) is highly desirable.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience and understanding in the following areas:

• managing resources • engagement with and pastoral support for people of all ages • encouraging appropriate work and worship with schools, children, young people & their families • care, maintenance and development of buildings • the role of the church in the community • the development of liturgy • the use of traditional choral music in worship; the ability to sing and act as cantor is desirable, though not essential • faith development • encouraging and empowering lay people to grow the church and become more involved in church life.

Knowledge, skills and competencies

Candidates will be able to demonstrate knowledge, skills and competencies as follows:

• an ability to make, and to build on, links with individuals and community organisations whose involvement with the church is limited • an ability to engage with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and age groups • a willingness to develop an open and inclusive church, particularly by supporting diocesan initiatives based in Aberconwy Mission Area, such as Open Table • a willingness to support and develop traditional forms of worship, and an understanding of how these can form a basis to grow the church • enthusiasm for exploring new ways of being church • collaborative working – especially with volunteers • leadership skills – including the ability to motivate, inspire and effectively co-ordinate volunteers • ability to preach well in a variety of styles and formats to a broad range of listeners with varying outlooks, ages and understanding • ability to organise resources (own time, volunteers – individuals and groups, buildings) effectively to meet a large numbers of demands • a sensitivity to Welsh language and culture and a willingness to learn Welsh if not already a speaker. A basic level of Welsh language or better is desirable, though not essential • an awareness of the importance of “doing the little things” in church life and mission (tell us why in your application form).

General Attributes

Candidates should have:

• an appreciation of the opportunities provided by the church’s place within the existing secular structures for developing positive links with those not yet actively involved in it. • evidence of a deep prayer life and of an ability to draw on a wide range of spiritual resources • an ecumenical outlook and an interest in working with other local churches • a sense of humour.

Role Description

Post: Mission Area Leader, Aberconwy Mission Area

The role of the person appointed will include the following aspects:

Leadership and Working Collaboratively

• developing a vision for the work of the church • inspiring, motivating, challenging and empowering members of the church, individually and collectively, to work towards achieving that vision • sensitive and consensual leadership: listening to the team as we move forward • sharing ministry as appropriate and working collaboratively with others – including clergy colleagues, churchwardens, MAC, lay ministers and other volunteers – so that individuals’ gifts and talents are recognised and used effectively in the service of God • encouraging and building up the community of faith in the Mission Area • encouraging sufficient change within the Mission Area to enable non-church people to take steps towards faith and spiritual growth • ability to communicate with children and people of all ages and of all sections of society

Worship, Preaching and Teaching

• leading worship prayerfully, competently and confidently so worshippers are enriched spiritually • planning, organising and leading worship that supports the Mission Area’s vision through the use of appropriate words and music, through preaching and teaching and through the use of other appropriate resources • encouraging the participation of lay people in worship • planning, organising and leading a programme of teaching which supports members of the church community, develops their faith and responds to the needs of different ages and levels of faith or knowledge • reflecting, interpreting, preaching and teaching the gospel in a way that will encourage faith development, • developing content and style of worship and teaching for the needs of different ages and levels of faith or knowledge.

Mission and Outreach

• developing a ministry that encourages new people to Christian faith • developing a ministry to children and their families • strong sense of the mission of the church • encouraging members of the church to develop skills in evangelism and discipleship so that they gain confidence in their ability to show God’s love in action • developing relationships within the community and collaborating where appropriate with voluntary and statutory organisations • working with clergy and lay colleagues to implement the diocesan priorities of: - enabling and encouraging the whole people of God - enlivening and enriching our worship - engaging the world.

Pastoral Care

• identifying pastoral care needs and developing structures to ensure these needs are met • encouraging appropriate lay people to develop pastoral skills and supporting them in exercis- ing these skills • giving support to those in need of pastoral care, particularly to those facing personal difficul- ties, to those facing critical times in their lives and especially to the sick and dying, their rela- tives and friends • communicating effectively and appropriately with people of all ages and situations within the church and community • an ability to demonstrate active listening and empathetic behaviour.

Stewardship and MAC Organisation

• working with the churchwardens and MAC members to ensure that structures and resources for Mission Area organisation are appropriate, including the development of clear bounda- ries and accountability of roles • ensuring that structures, processes and policies in relation to services (including weddings, baptisms and funerals), events, health and safety, finance, fabric and personnel meet dioce- san and legal requirements • management of time effectively through personal administration, planning and organisation, working in a team, chairing meetings, interpersonal skills and taking appropriate breaks • following an appropriate pattern of work that enables a full spiritual and personal life, as well as meeting the demands of ministry.

Personal Development and Spirituality

• continuing to develop personal skills and knowledge in relation to ministry through courses of study, reading, training courses and workshops • reflecting spirituality in everyday life • attending diocesan Continuing Ministerial Development days and events • maintaining a prayerful spiritual life with appropriate support networks • recognising the importance of continuing to develop personal theological understanding and spiritual reflection • inspiring spiritual growth in others through personal development in faith • giving time for personal family life, friendships, recreation, renewal and personal health through taking a weekly day off and full holiday entitlement