Dee Valley Deanery Deoniaeth Dyffryn Dyfrdwy

Dee Valley Deanery Deoniaeth Dyffryn Dyfrdwy Minutes of the Deanery Conference 7pm Wednesday 30th May 2012 at Ruabon Prayers led by Revd David Child, Area Dean, who also read and commented on Proverbs 6.6. Go to the ant, ... consider its ways, and be wise. Apologies from Revs Susan Blagden, Jackie Carter, Edward Yendall. Apologies from Michael Vellacott, Olive Birch, Maggie Shaw, Christine Henderson, Stuart Tole, Elizabeth Hanmer, David Lewis, Shelagh McIntosh, Glenys Morris, Dawn Jones, Tracey Barrett, Nesta Hughes, Edward Wardle. Welcome to Revd Anthapurusha and any other new members. Treasurer, Stuart Richardson, reported that a Deanery Account has been opened at Nat West Wrexham. £451 had been deposited from the old Bangor Deanery and the agreed £451 from the old Llangollen Deanery was awaited. About half the parishes have paid their £15 contribution for this 2012-year. The account currently stands at £725. A second account has been opened to administer the Maelor Parishes Magazine. This account currently stands at £4,000. The email Newsletter has operated for five months now with about fifty currently receiving it directly Those without email are urged to arrange with a friend to have this passed to them. Members are urged to take advantage of giving notice of events. It is good to know and pray about what our friends are doing even when we are unable to attend. An email to Bill Barlow [email protected] should have this winging across the ether to you. Alternatively 01948 830 220 ‘Mandeville’ Big Arowry, Hanmer, Whitchurch, Shropshire SY13 3EQ The Diocesan Initiative ‘Planning for the Future’ was introduced and explained by the Area Dean. A responsible group at each Church is asked to complete a form of self-assessment. The scoring system for this then places that church on a scale of practical well-being. The assessments are to be returned to the Area Dean who will analyse them and present conclusions to the next meeting of the deanery conference. A number of background articles can be found at http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/asaph/life/planning/index.php. I quote from the Bishop’s covering letter. ‘This offers a process by which the life of your deanery and all the Churches within it may work together to develop your own strategic vision for the future of the Church in your locality.’ The Area Dean explained the deanery response to the diocese, made to questions about mission posed to us at the last diocesan conference by Robin Gamble. This response was structured around looking after those inside the Church, on the fringe, and outside the Church. A wide-ranging discussion included, signs of healthy churches, family worship, schools, and welcoming incomers. The process of appeal to emotions, then change of behaviour, leading to change of belief, borrowed from environmental science, was discussed. Information of the Provincial initiative, ‘Becoming a Generous People’, was given out. One of a series of provincial meetings is at St Margaret’s Church Hall, Wrexham at 7pm on Tuesday 10th July. More details from http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/asaph/life/funding/becoming.php or St Asaph Parish Funding Officer, Tracey White, at diocesan office on 01745 532 589 Revd Andrew Sully informed us of a conference in October at Aberystwyth of the Commission of Covenanting Churches. The members of the Commission are the Church in Wales, Covenanted Baptist Churches, the Methodist Church, The Presbyterian Church of Wales and the United Reformed Church. Andrew would like a lay volunteer from the deanery to attend the conference with him. He filled in some of the background to this ecumenical activity which started in 1975. It is from this initiative that we have the 1975 Covenant Communion Service for use in local ecumenical partnerships. In answer to a question about parish boundaries, the Revd Clive Hughes told us that Wrexham Museum have 1880 large scale maps which show parish boundaries at that time. Next meeting at Ruabon 7pm Monday 3rd September 2012.

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