BRO FAMAU GROUP OF CHURCHES MAGAZINE July & August 2018
In the Mission Area of Mold
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IN THIS EDITION
• Letter from the Rector • Even the wind and waves obey him • Petertide ordinationordination————KathyKathy Stewart • Around our Churches • Prayer Diary July & August
A , L ’ P
It is a device normally associated with checking the weather or ordering the shopping. But Alexa can now say grace before your evening meal or give thanks to God before bedtime.
Amazon’s virtual assistant has been harnessed by the Church of England to make being a practising Christian easier. In response to a simple com- mand, a CofE app tells Alexa to say the Lord’s Prayer or the ten Com- mandments. Users can ask how to become a Christian, how to pray, and who God is.
Alexa can also be used to locate the nearest church.
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, said the Church was ‘thrilled’ to enable churchgoers and those exploring faith ‘to connect with God in another way at a time that’s right for them.’
This was written by Victoria Allen, Science Correspondent of the Daily Mail, and sent in by Revd. Russ Howell, to whom we wish a good recovery from his recent illness and God’s grace in his missionary work in Hungary.
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LETTER FROM THE RECTOR
Dear Friends,
This summer we are enjoying not only a spate of beautiful, warm, sunny weather, but also a variety of new and exciting things going on throughout the villages!
In Nannerch we've begun a new family service on the fourth Sunday of the month. The service is largely led by the youth of Nannerch, who do the readings, lead the prayers, and hopefully in the coming months, will also assist at the altar with communion! It's an excellent opportunity for kids to get leadership experience, get engaged with their community, and learn more about the values and morals that drive us and the love of God that motivates us. With more than thirty at our last service, we have a growing group of people com- ing together! If you or your children (of any age!) are interest- ed in getting involved with this program, please don't hesitate to contact either me or the wardens of Nannerch Church.
We're also moving into the summer festival time. Rhydymwyn and Cilcain have their fair and show coming up. They are both wonderful opportunities to get together, spend time with both new and old friends alike, build the fab- ric of our communities, and avail yourself of some of the best locally made treats around. They're also great ways to offer support to the church as well. This, along with various other community building events like the upcoming Strawberry Tea at Gwernaffield, are one of the biggest blessings of our coun- try life. Do take advantage of them!
Just as we have the new fresh expressions of the Family Services in Nannerch and Rhydymwyn, we will also be start- ing in the coming months a regular service in Llanferres. In response to several requests, we'll be matching our new
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modern offerings with an offering a bit higher up the can- dle. Keep your eyes peeled for details about a traditional "smells and bells" service with traditional language, music, and incense that will kick off this fall. If you or someone you know is interested in helping, either from the group or further afield, please contact me via email, and we'll get you involved. It's not your parent's church; it's your great -great -great -great -great grandparent's church!
Please do be aware that I may be a bit slow to respond in Ju- ly. My wife, the Rev. Lara Stroud, and I are expecting our sec- ond child to be born sometime in the coming weeks, and when he or she arrives, I'll be off for two weeks on paternity leave. In an emergency, please feel free to contact any of our readers or Wardens if I'm away.
And saving the best for last, we have very big news. Between when I write this and when you read it, Kathy Stewart will be ordained to the transitional deaconate, and will be serving with us as our Curate for the next year and change. I know that she will receive the warmest of welcomes, and that we are all look- ing forward to welcoming her as she begins her ministry amongst us here in the Bro Famau Group. With her experi- ence, energy, and talents, she will be a vital part of our work during her stay with us!
Hope to see you all out and about,
Blessings,
Daniel+
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WORSHIP in July 2018
Sunday 1st July Fifth Sunday after Trinity Cilcain 11.00 Morning Worship Gwernaffield 11.00 Morning Worship 18.00 Holy Communion (Healing Service) Llanferres 11.15 Holy Communion Nannerch 09.30 Holy Communion
Rhydymwyn 09.30 Morning Worship
Tuesday 3rd July Mission Area Eucharist
19.00 St John’s , Rhydymwyn
Sunday 8th July Sixth Sunday after Trinity Cilcain 08.00 Holy Communion Gwernaffield 11.00 Morning Worship 18.00 Evening Prayer Llanferres 09.30 Morning Worship Nannerch 09.30 Family Service Rhydymwyn 09.30 Holy Communion
Sunday 15th July Seventh Sunday after Trinity Rural Mission Sunday Cilcain 11.00 Morning Worship Gwernaffield 11.00 Holy Communion 16.00 MESSY CHURCH in the Church Hall 18.00 Evening Prayer Llanferres 09.30 Holy Communion Nannerch 09.30 Morning Worship Rhydymwyn 09.30 Morning Worship
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Sunday 22nd July Eighth Sunday after Trinity Mary Magdalene Cilcain 11.00 Holy Communion
Gwernaffield 09.30 Family Praise (in Church Hall)
18.00 Evening Worship
Llanferres 09.30 Morning Worship
Nannerch 09.30 Family Holy Communion
Rhydymwyn 16.00 Family Holy Communion
Sunday 29th July Ninth Sunday after Trinity
Llanferres 10.30 Bro Famau Group Eucharist
Gwernaffield 18.00 Evening Worship
Mid week services Tuesdays 9.30 at Holy Trinity, Gwernaffield
Wednesdays 10.30 at St Mary the Virgin, Cilcain
The Bro Famau Magazine is produced by the Editorial Team: Tracy Davies, John Foxlee, Kathleen Mason, Daniel Stroud, Wendy Shillito, Liz Thomas, Janet Wright and Cath Yeardley Please contact team members individually in parishes.
Articles printed in this publication may not represent the views of the church or all of its members. Final date for receiving material is 15th of each month at 12 noon. The right is reserved to edit submissions and the editorial team’s decision about the content of the magazine is final.
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WORSHIP in August 2018
Sunday 5th August Tenth Sunday after Trinity Cilcain 11.00 Morning Worship Gwernaffield 11.00 Morning Worship 18.00 Holy Communion (Healing Service) Llanferres 11.15 Holy Communion Nannerch 09.30 Holy Communion
Rhydymwyn 09.30 Morning Worship
Sunday 12th August Eleventh Sunday after Trinity Cilcain 08.00 Holy Communion Gwernaffield 11.00 Morning Worship 18.00 Evening Prayer Llanferres 09.30 Morning Worship Nannerch 09.30 Family Service Rhydymwyn 09.30 Holy Communion
Sunday 19th August Twelfth Sunday after Trinity Cilcain 11.00 Morning Worship Gwernaffield 11.00 Holy Communion 16.00 MESSY CHURCH in the Church Hall
18.00 Evening Prayer Llanferres 09.30 Holy Communion Nannerch 09.30 Morning Worship Rhydymwyn 09.30 Morning Worship
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Wednesday 22nd August Mission Area Service
7.00 pm Christ Church, Pontblyddyn Summer Songs of Praise
Sunday 26th August Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity
Cilcain 11.00 Holy Communion
Gwernaffield 09.30 Family Praise (in Church Hall)
18.00 Evening Worship
Llanferres 09.30 Morning Worship
Nannerch 09.30 Family Holy Communion
Rhydymwyn 16.00 Family Holy Communion
Mid week services Tuesdays 9.30 at Holy Trinity, Gwernaffield
Wednesdays 10.30 at St Mary the Virgin, Cilcain
LETTERS: If you wish to submit a letter for publication please use the contact details above. All letters must be accompanied by the name and address of the sender. Letters may be edited and shortened. The magazine panel welcomes the submission of relevant articles for consideration for publication. email to [email protected]
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On the 24th June we had the gospel from Mark which tells the story of Jesus asleep in a small boat crossing the Sea of Galilee when a violent storm blows up. The disciples are afraid the boat is going to be swamped and wake Jesus up, asking why he is not afraid. Jesus commands the storm to be still and it dies down; the disciples are amazed and ask, ‘ Who is this that even the wind and waves obey him?’ ( Mark 4: 35 -41 )
The unspoken answer is that he is the Son of God, and has ac- cess to divine power. Jesus is what in modern terms is called a role model; if we try to be like him we are living our lives in the right way. Yet how can we do anything like this, or anything com- parable with his other miracles?
I think the answer is through science. Not that we can all be sci- entists, but we can support science, which in much of its work is expensive and requires the agreement of the community to pro- ceed. Science in some quarters has a malign reputation and is even said to be opposed to religion, but I believe science is God’s partner, and a sign of his love for humankind.
I will give an example of what I mean, related to the story of Jesus calming the wind and waves.
Ancient peoples were afraid of the sea with good reason because many lives were lost on it, but they had to venture onto it.
If you visit old churchyards on the coasts of Wales you will find many graves of those who drowned in shipwrecks, the same in every coastal region of the world. The worst disaster in Wales came on 26th October 1859 when the Royal Charter , an iron hulled steam clipper built at Sandycroft and travelling between Melbourne and Liverpool was driven onto rocks on the coast of Anglesey, and c.450 lives were lost. It is said that the ship could have sheltered in Holyhead harbour, but the captain thought the storm would not be so bad and decided to go straight to Liver- pool. The people were drowned or beaten against the rocks with-
10 in sight of the shore and many efforts were made to save them; the vicar of Llanallgo, Revd Stephen Roose Edwards, worked tirelessly and himself died of exhaustion three weeks later. In what became known as the Royal Charter storm, over 200 other vessels were wrecked off the coasts of Britain. This was because ships set out to sea with no warning of ensuing storms. When lives were lost, it was counted as ‘ an act of God,’ but God had other ideas.
Vice -Admiral Robert Fitzroy had experienced losses of men and ships in his naval career. He studied the weather, which was then an amateur science and thought he could make predictions using observations and mathematical calculations. After the Royal Char- ter storm he demonstrated that its severity could have been fore- cast. He had been given £1,000 by the government to start a mete- orological office on an experimental basis ( equivalent to £88,000 today,) but ship owners took no notice; after he died, they wanted to abandon forecasts because the delays caused by prediction of storms were expensive ( losses of ships were covered by insur- ance.) However, the seagoing community, sailors and passengers, insisted on their continued use.
What part did God have in all this? Fitzroy was a deeply religious man and I have no doubt prayed for guidance.
I believe that he was given inspiration and courage to drive his ide- as forward by the Holy Spirit, who was preparing the world for air as well as sea travel. Where would we be without weather forecasting today? We cannot do as Jesus did, but can use our forecasting abil- ity to avoid storms.
There are many other miracles brought about by Jesus, and we use that term because we do not understand how they were done. A land -based one was curing lepers. Leprosy was the scourge of many countries, especially up to mediaeval times; in this country leper hospitals were established because although not a fatal dis- ease, lepers had to live separately in order to avoid infecting every- one else. Here and in Europe it was ended by the Black Death be- cause the remaining population was too sparse to support its spread. It remained a huge societal problem in many countries until the mid -twentieth century when sulphone drugs were found to be effective against it. Leprosy still exists in some parts of the world,
11 mainly poor countries where they cannot afford the entirely effective remedies available today. It could and should be eliminated.
Jesus’ criticism of the cured lepers who failed to come back and thank him might be levelled today at the majority of people who fail to appreciate that progressive scientific ideas come from God. ( Luke 17: 11 -19 )
Another incident in the Bible is when Jesus was choosing his disci- ples and sees Nathaniel standing under a fig tree before he met him. Jesus belittled his own ability in being able to see what was happen- ing in another place, but this gift was a mark of saintliness down the centuries. St Cuthbert used to pause when he was walking around market towns in northern England, and people said he was looking at was happening somewhere else. Now we have television and we are all saints! ( John 1: 46 -50 )
When atomic theory was advanced by physicists in the nineteenth century it seemed to put a completely new complexion on things, in that matter becomes rather insubstantial. Everything in creation, in- cluding ourselves, is made of very little material, since the component atoms are mainly empty space. In the 14th century though, Mother Julian of Norwich wrote down a vision that she attributed to God:
And in the vision he showed me a little thing, the size of a hazelnut lying in the palm of my hand, and to my mind’s eye it was as round as any ball. I looked at it and thought, ‘ What can this be?’ And the answer came to me, ‘it is all that is made.’ I wondered how it could last, for it was so small I thought it might suddenly disappear. And the answer in my mind was, it lasts and lasts forever, because God loves it, and so have all things their being by the love of God. ( Revelations of Divine Love, chapter 5, Julian of Norwich )
We should not be surprised that God reveals these things to us, be- cause he is the Creator and the source of all knowledge. His Holy Spirit continues to improve the lot of humankind by imparting the se- crets of nature to scientists, not all of whom recognise their source, but they are only agents. Science is for the benefit of all humanity and our knowledge of it is a sign of God’s love and brings us nearer to him.
John Foxlee
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F R
B On 3rd June Cerys Elspeth McDonald was bap sed at St John’s Rhydymwyn
On 24th June Emmy Rose Campbell was bap sed at St Michael’s Nannerch
F The late Gwilym Blackwell of Gwernaffield on 12 June at Gwernaffield
The late Roger Hughes of Gwernaffield on 14 June at Gwernaffield
The late Frank Edward Grayson of Gwernymynydd on 7th June at St Asaph Crematorium
The late Freda O'Dea of the Co age Nursing Home, formerly of London and Ty Gwyn, Nannerch on 15th June at Blacon Crematorium
‘Grant them, O Lord, eternal rest, and let light perpetual shine upon them’
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Mold Mission Area Services 2018
St John’s, Rhydymwyn 7.00pm, 3 rd July 2018 Eucharist
Christ Church, Pontblyddyn 7.00pm, 22 nd August 2018 Summer Songs of Praise
As you will see the service at Pontblyddyn will be their Annual “Summer Songs of Praise” event. Robert Parry will be the organist.
If anyone/church has a favourite hymn that they would like to suggest for inclusion in the service please can they let Carole know by Sunday August 19 th at the latest .
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O K S
Kathy will be ordained deacon in St Asaph cathedral on 30th June, Pe- tertide, which is a traditional season for ordination, since St Peter is the rock on which Jesus built his Church ( Matthew 16:18 )
Deacons are called after the Greek word ‘diakonos’ which means serv- ant. They have a long history in the Church; Stephen, who was stoned to death and became the first martyr, is considered to be one of seven deacons ordained by the apostles to distribute food to widows ( Acts 6: 1-6 ) Phoebe was a female deacon noted by St Paul ( Romans 16: 1,2 )
A deacon is the first order of ordained ministers. Most, including Kathy, hope to be ordained priest after a year, but there are those who are per- manent deacons. All those ordained, including priests and bishops, re- tain their title as deacons for life.
Kathy will be ordained, with Dominic Cawdell, Alan Cronin, Dylan Jones, John Searl, and Heather Shotton, by Bishop Gregory and any other bishops who are present, certain to include Rt Revd. Rowan Wil- liams who will preach at the service. She and the other deacons will be vested with a stole over the left shoulder and tied to cross the upper part of the body diagonally. Priests to be ordained are Rocky Bateman, Ann Chidgey, Rebecca Sparey Taylor and Jeanette Wilkes.
Please pray for all these as they make these changes in ministry. Kathy’s service will switch from being an ordinand at St Mary’s Mold to being our curate in the Bro Famau churches, though as a member of the Mold Mission Area, she will keep in contact with some of her previ- ous activities, and be available to work anywhere in the mission area.
If you are able to come to the cathedral, the service starts at 10am on Saturday 30th June. It is advisable to arrive by 9.30am because of the demand for seats. Parking is available in the grounds of Ysgol Glan Clwyd which is on the right as you enter St Asaph from the Denbigh direction.
We wish all the candidates well on their big day, and particularly Kathy, whom we welcome with open arms as our curate. May God bless them in their ministries and service to the Church.
John Foxlee
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PRAYER DIARY FOR JULY 2018 ON THESE DAYS IN THE MONTH LET US GIVE
THANKS AND PRAY FOR
1 Healing Communion Service at Holy Trinity, Gwernaffield
2 Diocesan Steering Groups meeting in Wrexham 3 St Thomas, Apostle 4 International Eisteddfod at Llangollen 3rd - 8th 5 Safe Church, diocesan course 6 St Thomas More, Martyr, AD1535 7 Strawberry Tea in Gwernaffield Church Hall 8 Family Service at St Michaels, Nannerch 9 Mothers’ Union Group Quiet evening at Nannerch 10 Midweek Communion at Holy Trinity, Gwernaffield 11 St Benedict, Abbot, c.AD540 12 Erasmus, Priest & Theologian, AD1536 13 Rashi, Jewish Theologian died in AD1105 14 Gwernaffield Village Carnival, Rhydymwyn Village Fete
15 World Youth Skills Day, Messy Church in Gwernaffield Church Hall
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16 Diocesan Advisory Committee meeting in St Asaph 17 School children, teachers, school staff and parents looking forward to the school holidays 18 Cilcain Show meeting in St Mary’s church 19 St Gregory of Nyssa, Bishop, c.AD394 20 Llangollen Fringe Festival 19th - 29th 21 International Snowdon Race 22 St Mary Magdalene, Family Holy Communion at St John’s Rhydymwyn 23 Royal Welsh Show at Builth Wells 23rd - 26th 24 Bishop’s Staff meeting 25 St James, Apostle 26 Sts Anne and Joachim, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary 27 Martha, Mary and Lazarus of Bethany 28 World Hepatitis Day 29 Group Holy Communion at St Berres’ Llanferres 30 International Day of Friendship 31 St Ignatius of Loyola, AD1556
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PRAYER DIARY FOR AUGUST 2018 ON THESE DAYS IN THE MONTH LET US GIVE THANKS AND PRAY FOR
1 Slavery abolished throughout the British Empire, AD1834
2 Modern slaves in North Wales 3 St Germanus, Bishop, 5th century 4 North Wales Blues and Soul Festival in Mold 3rd - 5th
5 Holy Communion at St Berres’ Llanferres 6 Transfiguration of our Lord 7 International Lighthouse Day 8 St Dominic, Preacher, AD1221 9 Mary Sumner, Founder of the Mothers’ Union, AD1921
10 St Lawrence, Deacon & Martyr, AD258 11 St Clare of Assisi, Mendicant, AD1253 12 International Youth Day 13 Jeremy Taylor, Bishop, AD1667 14 Maximilian Kolbe, Priest & Martyr, AD1941 15 Mary, Mother of our Lord
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16 Those from our Bro Famau who are on holiday 17 Rhydymwyn Kids’ Club 18 Knit and Knatter in St James’ Church Hall, New Brighton 19 World Humanitarian Day 20 St Bernard, Abbot, AD1153 21 International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism 22 Midweek Communion at St Mary’s, Cilcain 23 St Tydfil, Martyr, AD430 24 St Bartholomew, Apostle 25 Nicene Creed adopted AD325 26 Family Service in Gwernaffield Church Hall 27 Cilcain Show 28 St Augustine of Hippo, Bishop & Doctor, AD430 29 The Beheading of St John the Baptist 30 International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disap- pearances
31 St Aidan, Bishop, AD651
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Wordsearch
It is easy to understand the popularity of Mary Magdalene over the centu- ries: she is the patron saint of repentant sinners, and so represents all of us. We honour her on the 22 nd of July.
Jesus drove seven demons from Mary, who came from near Tiberius in Galilee. Mary is thought to have been the woman who anointed Christ’s feet in the house of Simon (Luke 7:37. She certainly followed Jesus to the bitter end – from Galilee to Jerusalem. Mary was present during the cruci- fixion, standing heart -broken at the foot of the cross. Her love for Jesus did not end there, for she went to the tomb to anoint his body on the Sunday morning.
Such faithful, humble devotion was richly repaid: she was the first person to whom the Risen Lord appeared on Easter Sunday morning. She thought He was the gardener at first.
Mary Magdalene’s feast has been kept in the West since the 8th century. England has 187 ancient churches dedicated to her, as well as a College in both Oxford and Cambridge.
Mary Magdalene Patron Saint Repentant
Sinners Seven Demons Galilee Tiberius
Anointed Feet Simon Crucifixion Jerusalem
Tomb Anoint Body Easter Appeared
Gardener feast
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AROUND OUR CHURCHES
Holy Trinity, Gwernaffield
Mother’s Union The next Mee ng will be on Tuesday 25th September - this will be a So- cial Evening where everyone is welcome, so please come along for re- freshments and a chat. New members are always welcome - we meet on the last Tuesday of every month at 7pm in the Church Hall. Please tele- phone Mrs. Gaynor Morgan (Secretary) 0n 01352 741515 for more infor- ma on.
Mold Food Bank Dona ons are very welcome and can be brought to the back of the church. Thank you to all those who donate to this vital community facility
Chris an Aid Week The final total raised for Chris an Aid was £505.87. Pat Wells and her team of helpers would like to thank everyone for their help, support and generosity
Brown Bins Our huge thanks to the local business people who have generously spon- sored the brown bins situated in both the Church Yard and the Ceme- tery. A list of sponsors will be displayed within the church
Ecclesias cal Insurance As part of their 130 th Anniversary, Ecclesias cal Insurance have offered to donate £130 to our church each me our church family (i.e., clergy, church workers, volunteers or members of our congrega on) take out a new home insurance policy with them (before 31 st December 2018). Should anyone be interested in benefi ng our church in this way, further details can be found on the table at the back of the church
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Grass Maintenance Jon Harrison has kindly agreed to undertake the grass mowing in both the Church Yard and the Cemetery going forward, and we pass him our grateful thanks
Congratula ons Congratula ons to Carol and Emlyn Knight on the occasion of their Golden Wedding Anniversary. Carol and Emlyn would like to thank everyone for their good wishes, cards and gi s that they have received
James Lambert Singers Our Recent Musical Evening with The James Lambert Singers realised £352.00 for Church funds. Many thanks to all who supported and helped, it was much appreciated
Future Fundraising Events Saturday 7 th July - Strawberry Tea with various Stalls 2.00 - 5.00pm at the Church Hall. Tickets £3.00 (any dona ons of scones, cakes and help would be very much appreciated) Saturday 14 th July – the Church will be manning a bric-a-brac stall at the Village Carnival (organised by the Gwernaffield Playing Fields Commi ee) Saturday 8 th September – Whist Drive 7.00pm at the Church Hall, ckets £2.50 Saturday 6th October - Harvest Hotpot Supper with entertainment 7.00pm in the Church Hall, ckets £5.00 for adults and £2.50 for children Please contact Carole on 01352 740550 for further details and ckets
We look forward to seeing you at our forthcoming events. If you have any new ideas for Church fundraising and ac vi es, please let us know!
St John’s, Rhydymwyn
Church Cleaning. Please note that the Church Cleaning for July has been changed to Wednesday 25th July at 9am. It only lasts for about an hour so please come and help. Thank you.
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Village Fete This annual event is to be held on Saturday 14th July at Rhydymwyn Foot- ball Ground, star ng at 1pm. There will be many stalls and a dog show, strawberry teas and the church will be organising one of these stalls. All we need is the nice sunny weather. Come along for the a ernoon.
Kids Club. This is held on a Friday evening in Rhydymwyn Football Club from 6 - 7pm. Anyone welcome from ages 5 - 11. Contact 01352 741226 for infor- ma on
Flintshire Food Bank. Please put all food items for the Foodbank into the box which is le at the back of the church.
St Mary’s, Cilcain
Community Café On Saturday 30th June the church will be running a Community Café in Cilcain Village Hall from 2 til 5 in the afternoon. All are welcome
Diocesan Mother’s Union Cafe A ernoon This was held in Cilcain Village Hall and raised £201.00, with dona ons s ll to come. It was a very successful a ernoon & Amanda would like to thank everyone for their support.
Chris an Aid The collec on for Chris an Aid this year totalled £500.76 of which £186.00 was Gi Aided. This will of course raise another £46.50 making a grand total of £547.26. Thank you to all our collectors for your hard work and to everyone who gave so generously for this worthy cause.
Cilcain Show Monday August 27th. Plans are well on the way for Cilcain Show, the brochures will be in local Churches, Village Halls, Pubs & shops soon. As is usual there will be a wide variety of ac vi es, displays, compe ons, entertainment and stalls displaying goods of all varie es. The refreshment tent will be serving the
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usual high quality refreshments and there will also be refreshments and ac vi es in the Church & the Church Grounds. There will be something for everyone to enjoy so do come and join us on this fantas c day.
St Berre’s , Llanferres
Church finances At the recent Congrega onal Mee ng (Vestry) the treasurer reported a third year of deficit for the church, with a shor all this year in excess of £2,000, meaning that we had to dip heavily into the limited reserves. There are also a number of major projects in the pipeline for 2018/19 including repairs to the bell tower, stained glass windows, boundary walls and hearse house.
We urgently need more funding and are hoping that the community will help. A few years ago the Diocese launched a giving programme called Gi Aid Direct whereby a regular dona on is given by individuals to the local church. The advantage of the system is the tax relief at 25% if the donor is a tax payer. This is collected and distributed centrally, relieving the individuals and the church gi aid secretary, of any addi onal paper- work. The Direct Debit can be cancelled at any me.
In the next few weeks we will be delivering leaflets to households in the area - if you can spare a regular amount, no ma er how small, please fill in and return the s.a.e. Please remember to note if you are a tax payer, and your church can also benefit from this vital income stream - thank you.
Church bins A er some ini al improvements, regre ably, and despite clear no ces, the church bins are s ll not being u lised correctly with wreaths, plas c wrappings and glass / ceramic grave ornaments being put in the green recycling bins, and conversely dead flowers in the black rubbish bins. The dangers of pu ng glass in green recycling are obvious.
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Whilst the Church Commi ee accepts that this may well be due to people from outside the village, it does not seem too difficult to take non recy- clable materials to the appropriate bins, especially as these have to be passed to leave the church yard.
Regre ably if the situa on does not improve, all the bins will have to be removed to prevent future accidents.
Save the date – Harvest This year there will be a Harvest supper on Thursday 18 th October with the Harvest service on Thursday 11 th October. Keep the dates free!
Church Opening The church con nues to be open during daylight hours for anyone to visit.
St Michael’s, Nannerch
Eucharist Journey Nannerch Church hummed with ac vity on the morning of Friday May 25th. Children from Ysgol Nannerch made the Eucharist Journey; star ng at the font, ‘Welcoming’ (Sta on One) with symbols of water and flame and progressing around the church to various sta ons covering aspects of the Eucharist Service. Sta on Two was ‘Forgiven’, with the symbol the cross - a me to say sorry to God and be forgiven. ‘Peace’ with the symbol of the dove, was the third sta on. A er receiving forgiveness and peace, we share that peace. We were then ‘Invited' at Sta on Four, with the symbol of bread, to remember Jesus’ last meal with his friends. At Sta on Five, with the symbol of wine, we were ‘United’ to share in the Lord’s Supper. Finally at Sta on Six, with the symbol of the empty tomb, we were ‘Sent’ out to live and work every day to God's praise and glory. All the sta ons included a talk and cra ac vity. Reverend Daniel brought the whole session together with a short talk at the end. Many thanks to Mothers’ Union and Ysgol Nannerch for their help and support.
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Following their Eucharist journey on Sunday 27th the children led the new form of Family Service with Communion. They took Communion or re- ceived a blessing. Some children who are not bap sed, have now ex- pressed the wish to complete that part of their Chris an journey.
Mothers Union Nannerch Mothers’ Union met at Rhydymwyn on Thursday 9th June. Our speaker was Peter Morris of Gideons Interna onal. He spoke with inspira- on and enthusiasm about his mission.
The Gideons were started in 1898 by two travelling salesmen who began, in 1908, to distribute free bibles to hotels. As well as hotels Gideons now distribute to the military, hospitals, nursing homes , prisons, MPs and stu- dents. Gideons Interna onal distribute 80 million bibles annually and the numbers are growing, especially in Brazil, India and Asia. In 2015 the Gid- eons distributed their two billionth bible. The first billion took 93 years to be distributed, the second billion just 14 years.
The society is named a er Gideon, the man in the bible who wanted to do just what God wanted him to do. His quali es were humility, faith and obedience. This is the standard that Gideons Interna onal is trying to es- tablish in all its members, 'each man ready to do his best at any me, in any place and in any way’. Peter’s quali es shone through and we were le feeling humbled but up- li ed.
Dates of the next mee ngs are as follows Monday 9th July at 7pm at Nannerch- Group Quiet Evening Tuesday 17th July at Woodworks, Mold- A ernoon Tea
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SUNDAY BIBLE READINGS PREVIEWED
Please use these introductions to prepare for worship. If you are a reader at home who is unable to come to church, you might like to use these pages, with your Bible, to join the congregation on a Sunday in the reading of the same passages
Sunday 1st July - 5th after Trinity
Wisdom 1:13 -15, 2:23 -24 Not long before Jesus’ time, some Jewish thinkers perceived that if death means a total end, it is wasteful. So they began to say that God created humanity for fullness of life, imperishable and eternal. Or Lamentations 3:23 -33 It is not God’s will that any should suffer, says this writer. The reading serves to introduce today’s gospel in which Jesus does the work of God in the relief of suffering.
2 Corinthians 8:7 -15 For several years Paul organised financial sup- port from the churches in Asia to help relieve poverty among the Chris- tians of Jerusalem. This passage is part of his appeal to Corinth for gener- osity that corresponds to Christ's own self -giving for our sakes.
Mark 5:21 -43 Here is a story within a story. Jesus responds to a fa- ther’s desperate plea for his daughter, and on his way performs an almost accidental healing. Jesus knew that power had gone from him.
Sunday 8th July - 6th after Trinity
Ezekiel 2:1 -5 To be an apostle means sent as a messenger. Ezekiel, like our Lord’s apostles in today’s gospels , is sent to speak in the name of God to the people of Israel. Like them, he will sometimes be rejected.
2 Corinthians 12: 2 -10 This is the last of our weekly readings from this letter, in which Paul has had to justify his mission and his message at some length. Although he writes here as if of someone else, it was proba- bly he who had this vision of heaven. Alongside such moments he has had to bear persistent pain.
Mark 6: 1 -13 Mark now moves the ministry of Jesus from Galilee to Nazareth, and shows the universal truth that it is hard to impress the peo-
28 ple you grew up with. The sceptics hinder Jesus’ work. But the time has come for him to choose. Twelve followers to be apostles for him, were sent out in pairs to teach and heal.
Sunday 15th July - 7th after Trinity
Amos 7: 7 -15 When a prophet feels compelled to speak out against kings and priests he cannot expect a sympathetic hearing. We will hear how John the Baptist suffered under Herod; in this reading Amos is banished from Israel for his message 0f doom.
Ephesians 1: 3 -14 The main theme of this letter, from which we will hear key passages in the next Sundays, is the concept of the Church as Christ’s body on earth. The idea is familiar to us, but was new then. The letter begins with great praise for what god has done in Christ.
Mark 6: 14 -29 Mark seemingly interrupts his story of Jesus to tell us how John the Baptist came to be executed because of his forthright criticism of Herod and Herodias. In truth, John was innocent and his death is a foreshad- owing of that of Jesus.
Sunday 22nd July - 8th after Trinity
Jeremiah 23:1 -6 The Lord’s people are sheep without a shepherd, says Jere- miah, as Jesus said much later. Jeremiah denounces kings for ineffective lead- ership, and promises a new and righteous king descended from the shepherd king David.
Ephesians 2:11 -22 Jesus came to save both Jew and Gentile alike. This good news brings into God’s household all those who once had neither hope nor knowledge of God. Christ has broken down all human barriers.
Mark 6:30 -34, 53 -56 The apostles returned from the mission on which Jesus had sent them, and looked for a time of rest. But people would not leave Jesus alone, and his heart went out to them as sheep without a shepherd. Al- ways, the needy drew his compassion and healing.
Sunday 29th July - 9th after Trinity
2 Kings 4:42 -44 This brief account of a miraculous meal makes us think of Jesus feeding the crowds. Elisha took a small quantity of bread and grain, and God made it more than enough for a hundred people.
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Ephesians 3:14 -21 Paul’s theme in this letter is the unity of Jews and Gen- tiles in the Church, acting as Christ’s body. He has expressed his joy that the Christians of Ephesus are fellow -citizens with all Jewish believers, and is now moved to prayer and praise.
John 6:1 -21 For a few Sundays now, we interrupt the sequence from Mark, and hear John’s teaching about bread - bread as necessary daily food and Jesus himself as bread from heaven, food of eternal life. It begins with the miraculous feeding of the five thousand.
Sunday 5th August - 10th after Trinity
Exodus 16:2 -4, 9 -15 In their desert pilgrimage, the people of Israel missed what comforts there had been in Egypt. Yet they were miraculously fed. To- day’s gospel will remind us that it was bread from heaven which the Lord gave them.
Ephesians 4:1 -16 This letter is all about the nature of the Church as Christ’s body. This section calls us to our essential unity, despite our different gifts and personalities. We are to grow into a mature faith, bound together by truth and love.
John 6:24 -35 Jesus made a small amount of bread enough for several thousand people - and they want more of the same. He teaches them the deep- er meaning of the sign of the bread he gives: that he is himself the satisfaction of all our deepest needs.
Sunday 12th August - 11th after Trinity
1 Kings 19:4 -8 Elijah had to flee for his life when King Ahab and his wife Jezebel tried to crush all worship of the Lord. In the desert he found food and water miraculously supplied -’bread from heaven’ in the phrase today’s gos- pel uses.
Ephesians 4:2 - 5:2 Life in the Church will not always be smooth and joy- ful. But Christians should be marked as gentle people, loving and forgiving, as Jesus was.
John 6:35, 41 -51 After the feeding of the five thousand, John records Je- sus speaking at length about the mysterious real and true bread he proclaimed himself to be. The listening people found all this hard to understand.
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Sunday 19th August - 12th after Trinity
Proverbs 9:1 -6 To this writer, wisdom was one of God’s personal at- tributes. Here, just as Jesus was to do, God invites all to come in and take bread and wine at the Lord’s table.
Ephesians 5:15 -20 This letter has much to say about the details of Christian behaviour and now encourages us to be sensible and moderate people, constant in worship and thankful for all things.
John 6:51 -58 For several Sundays we have been following John’s ex- tended section of Jesus’ teaching about spiritual food. To those who first heard Jesus talk about his body and blood, the words made little sense. But John and the Church cherish the words as the meaning of every Commun- ion.
Sunday 26th August - 13th after Trinity
Joshua 24:1 -2a, 14 -18 This reading and the gospel are about the one great choice we must make - to serve God or not. Joshua’s final appeal to the people is to convince them to serve the Lord their God.
Ephesians 6:10 -20 These familiar words bring this letter to a close. We need to use all the armour God provides in the Christian fight against so much that is evil.
John 6:56 -69 Jesus has been speaking of himself as the bread from heaven, of his body and blood for our eternal life. The spiritual truth of this teaching is baffling to many and offensive to some, but Peter voices the disciples’ choice to continue with Jesus and accept what he gives.
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Rector/Vicar REVD DANIEL STROUD , Tel: 01352 810694 mob: 07391 848 903 THE NEW RECTORY, RECTORY LANE, LLANFERRES CH7 5SR Email: [email protected]
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