BRO FAMAU GROUP OF CHURCHES MAGAZINE February 2019 In the Mission Area of Mold Rector/Vicar REVD DANIEL STROUD, Tel: 01352 810694 mob: 07391 848 903 THE NEW RECTORY, RECTORY LANE, LLANFERRES CH7 5SR Email: [email protected] USUAL DAY OFF: FRIDAY Assistant Curate REVD KATHY STEWART Tel: 01352 753 374 READERS MR. JOHN FOXLEE 01352 810 677 MRS. VALERIE SALVONI 01352 750 734 DR WENDY SHILLITO 01352 720 377 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. FEEEDBACK: The magazine panel would welcome your comments about our magazine. It could be on the size, layout, articles, children’s pages or even crosswords versus Wordsearch. Please let us know using the email address [email protected] 2 IN THIS EDITION • Letter from the Curate • Presentation of Christ in the Temple • Messy Church • Mission Area Update • Around our Churches • Prayer Diary February A SPECIAL OCCASION Many congratulations to the Stroud Family on the occasion of James Henry’s baptism. It took place in the Cathedral of St Asaph on Saturday 5 th Janu- ary. Daniel and Lara were graciously given permission by Bishop Gregory to use the Baptismal liturgy of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The service was a joyous mixture of solemn sac- rament and family cele- bration. Lara baptised Henry, Daniel celebrat- ed the Eucharist and the family of the Bro Famau churches were joined by Lara and Daniel’s family, travelling from the United States and Europe. It was a very happy occasion which ended with tea and cake in the cathedral. Everyone who attended felt blessed to have been part of a truly special day. 3 LETTER FROM THE CURATE Dear Friends Well after what always seems to be the longest month of the year thankfully we have started to see the spring flowers poking their heads out for the earth. I always feel this is a time of hope, a time to look forward to less dark nights ( or most afternoons in some parts of the Bro Famau area), and welcome a sense of God’s renewing presence with us. But this of course is the start of a busy time for our farming com- munities welcoming in the spring with new births and often the threat of colder nights and frost or snow appearing. As the church, we celebrate God in creation , our God who brings new life and new hope to us all. Our churches have begun a course called “Leading your Church into Growth”. We are looking at ways we can grow in numbers, spiritual depth and in our outreach to the community. I have been encouraged by the response to seeking new ways to celebrate church, to develop new life and us being able to look to a hope of transformation as we reach out in our communities. In all the churches there have been good responses over Christmas to the many services that took place, and for those who took part in organising, decorating the churches and providing food and drinks. This was very much appreciated by everyone who attended. There is also new birth in the Messy Church held each month. This offers family fun and there is always lovely food to share. Starting also this month will be the opening of Wellfield Farm for 4 homeless people and as a thank you for all those who have supported this project there will be a celebratory event on Sun- day 24th February 3pm at Northop Hall church Hall. Diolch yn fawr Rev Kathy Stewart 4 DIOCESAN LENT COURSE The Church in Wales has developed a Lent Course which we will follow from around Ash Wednesday through Lent and Holy Week, and unusually, on to Ascension and Pentecost. Exact dates and times will follow, but there will be an afternoon session in St Mary’s Cilcain and an evening one at Christchurch Pontblyddn. The title is ‘ Generosity and the Inheritance of Lent,’ and the subject is our attitude to generosity of spirit as an aspect of Christian disci- pleship. There is a course booklet, which is fully bilingual and can be seen at: https://dioceseofbangor.contentfiles.net/media/documents/ document/2018/12/Haelioni_a_Gwaddol_y_Grawys.pdf It can also be accessed via a link in the Bishop’s Ad Clerum on the Church in Wales/ St Asaph website. Copies of the booklet will be made available soon. Further details will be advertised in our churches as soon as we have them. Myfyrdodau a Gweddïau ar gyfer y Grawys 2019 Reflections and prayers for Lent 2019 Myfyrdodau a Gweddïau ar gyfer y Grawys 2019 Reflections and prayers for Lent 2019 5 WORSHIP IN FEBRUARY 2019 Sunday 3rd February Presentation of Christ in the Temple 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 10th February Fourth Sunday before Lent 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 17th February Third Sunday before Lent 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 6 Sunday 24th February Second Sunday before Lent 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 Week day Services Monday 9.30 at St Berres, Llanferres Tuesdays 9.30 at Holy Trinity, Gwernaffield Wednesdays 10.30 at St Mary the Virgin, Cilcain ELECTORAL ROLL REVISION 2019 17th February Notice of Electoral Roll Revision to go into all churches 10th March – Electoral Roll Revision Period 17th March 24th March Revised Mission Area Electoral Roll into all churches 7 PRESENTATION OF CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE On the 3rd February we celebrate Jesus being brought to the Temple in Jerusalem, the meeting with the two elderly and pious Jews, Simeon and Anna, and their recognition and welcoming of the Messiah. ( Luke 2:22 -40 ) Many Christian traditions hold this occasion as a feast -day, and it is variously known as Purification of the Virgin, Meeting of the Lord, and in our own and other traditions, Candlemas. You can see that there are different strands of belief running through the story; one is that Jesus was brought into the Temple to be welcomed by his religious community; another that the prophecies held in the Jewish Scriptures that the Messiah would come to his Temple were realised; also that his mother Mary came for the rite of Purification forty days after the birth of her male child. ( This rite was held at the same time as the Presen- tation.) By this time in his young life Jesus had already experienced the rite of circumcision, on the eighth day after birth. In those Churches which celebrate it, ( which does not include the Church in Wales ) it is called The Feast of the Naming and Circumcision of Jesus. This is because under Jewish law it is also when a Jewish boy receives his name. We have celebrated the Baptism of Jesus, on 13th January, done by his own choice, not under Jewish law, when he was an adult. Most of us receive our name at our baptism when we are infants; because of Je- sus’ baptism and sanctification by God and the Holy Spirit, bap- tism is a primary Christian sacrament. ( Luke 3:15 -22 ) So we have several events in the life of the infant Jesus which have come to us from Jewish practice, or in the case of baptism, institution by John the Baptist as a repentance for sins. The Presentation in the Temple is the last, which completed his membership of Jewish religion, and his mother, Mary also had become purified under the Law after his birth. Why then is it called Candlemas, when in some churches all the candles to be used during the year are blessed? 8 There are two connections. One is that the Light of the World, Jesus, has now come into the world and another with the Virgin Mary. Church candles traditionally contain beeswax because the queen bee was thought in early times to be a virgin insect since she mates high in the sky, away from human view. In very early Christian churches candles were made of pure beeswax, but it does not remain rigid in warmer temperatures, leading to bendy candles, so it was mixed with more stable waxes; these days the amount can be as low as 3%, though the Roman Cath- olic Church insists on 50% beeswax for most liturgical purposes. Candles used in church are therefore a reminder that the grace given to the Blessed Virgin remains with us. In baptism the priest ( or any Christian in an emergency ) signs the forehead of the candidate with a cross which is an invisible mark that the person belongs to Christ and is a member of the Christian Church.