Peninsula Information and news for the communities of St Ishmaels, Hasguard, Herbrandston, Robeston West, Dale, St Brides and Marloes. January Produced by the Church in Wales Parishes of St Ishmaels, Hasguard, Herbrandston, Robeston West, Dale and St Brides with Marloes. The Church in Wales Parishes of Dale, St Brides with Marloes, Herbrandston, Robeston West & Hasguard with St Ishmael's Parish Priest The Revd. Linda Evans B.Th Diocesan Evangelist Revd.. Captain David Evans Contact 01646 636966 or [email protected] Postal Address The Vicarage, 172 Castleway, Dale, Haverfordwest, SA62 3RN Church Wardens Dale: Mil Reynolds 636671, Billy Bevan 636335 St Brides: Mary Lewis 636430, Peter Evans 636366 Marloes: Yvonne Evans 636251, Heather Morse 636399 St Ishmaels: Eira Best 636403, Pam Cook 636237 Herbrandston: Josie Owens 692203, Sylvia Davey 695843 Robeston West: Margaret Lewis 01437 890683, Gillian Thorne 01437 890693 Baptist Chapels: Moriah --- Marloes and Aenon --- Sandy Hill The Revd Paul Bartlett 01646 692084 PENINSULAR CLASSIFIED Do you have anything you want to sell, or need? Maybe something you don’t use anymore and can give away. Re Cycle instead of taking it to the tip. Put it in the new classified section. It’s FREE and reaches all the homes in the six parishes. Just send details to the editor, or phone 636966. No Classifieds this time - but a perfect place to get rid of those unwanted presents next month!! Church News Greetings from the Vicarage It seems strange to be writing this before Christmas has even happened. Your mince pies may even still be un-opened and I am certain that Santa hasn’t been to fill your stockings yet! But when you read this Christmas will be over and a new year will have started, a year full of hopes and dreams. The New Year for David and I brings exciting news, we are going to be grandparents for the first time. Our daughter Victoria and her partner Tony are expecting their first child in May, we are very excited. My plan was do some knitting in time for the baby’s arrival, but I am sure you will not be surprised when I say that the needles lie unused so far, I never seem to find the time to start. We have been working flat out over the last few weeks, planning and preparing for Christmas, the days have just flown by. Everything is ready, the only item we are short of is time. Time, I’m sure we all would like more, where does it go? This made me think about the year that has almost finished. The weddings and christenings, the people we have lost and the new babies born in our villages. All life is here, and yet often we don’t stop to give it a second thought, it just happens and passes us by in a flash. So I have decided that 2012 will be different for me, I’m going to make time to just ‘Be’, to try and see the bigger picture, take in the whole lot and value everything and everyone. See you in 2012 With Love Linda X Venturing in Mission As you will recall last June St. James Church Dale held a hymns and brass event on Dale beach to raise funds for a day out for the Young Carers of Pembrokeshire. The cause was very much in the minds of a lot of generous people and together with gifts in kind raised just short of £2000. This is what happened to some of the money. Friday the 16 th . December “Panto Day”. The organisers were out at 8-30am to collect 43 packed lunches, kindly subsidised by the Old Deli on the Marina at Milford . Then on to Tiers Cross to Edwards coaches to board the coach very kindly donated by Mr Robert Edwards. Our first collection was from Haverfordwest then on to Milford, Pembroke Dock and finally to Tenby. We then settled in for the drive to Pont Abraham where we stopped for lunch etc.and the chance to chat and get to know our fellow travellers. On to Swansea, we parked a few hundred yards away and walked to the Grand Theatre. This was quite exciting keeping tabs on 30 odd kids plus helpers to make sure that nobody was mislaid in the crowds of shoppers.. On arriving at the theatre all the children were given pocket money and a programme. We were met by Mr Jim Hughes, an International Barker for the Variety Club of Great Britain, who very kindly donated the tickets for the Pantomime. We were invited to wait in the theatre after the show as members of the cast wished to meet with the young carers, a very pleasant surprise indeed. The Show was fantastic, lots of “he’s behind you”, hissing and booing, screaming and shouting. The expression on the faces of the children was magical. Talking of magic, the 3 D effects were incredible. I don’t want to say too much about this in order not to spoil the surprises for any one who is going to see the Panto. If you didn’t have plans to go then may I suggest you change your mind and go. It is fantastic! and well worth the trip. After the show the principle members of the cast joined us in the stalls together with Jimmy Osmond, to meet and chat with us, and committee members of the Variety Club from Cardiff. For the youngsters, and might I add some of the shall we say more mature helpers with our party this was another highlight to be enjoyed. Thank you Variety Club for arranging this, a great finale to the show, we were treated like royalty. After battling through the crowds of people at the bus station we arrived back at our coach to the great relief of all, with yet again a full complement. We then proceeded to the finale of the day, a fish and chip supper at the Crisp and Fry chippy in Cross Hands for yet another generous subsidised meal. After which we arrived home at 9-30pm.tired and happy, safe and sound, thanks to the expertise of our friendly driver Lee. The generosity of everybody needs to be recorded as without them the trip could not have taken place. South Hook Terminal: Edwards Coaches Tiers Cross: G Edwards Office Supplies: Capeston Organic Chickens: Taberna Quiz nights or should it be Knights! Milford Town Council: , Dale Community Council: Milford Probus Club: Mr Michael James: The Old Deli Milford: Crisp and Fry Cross Hands: and to all the good folk of the area who donated and helped to this cause. A VERY BIG THANK YOU. As for the organisers the look of pleasure and wonderment during the show and the trip was reward enough. CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM THE BISHOP OF ST DAVIDS Two thousand years ago, the focus was on a family: one particular family; displaced and in difficult circumstances, but together. Ever since that momentous event in the stable in Bethlehem, Christmas has been a time for families. Today, for many, it may be the only time in the year when families meet together across the generations. But for us as Christians, the family has a broader meaning. We are the family of Christ. So our family knows no walls or boundaries. And it is for life, not just for Christmas. The Christian family is for everyone, forever. It reaches beyond the celebration of the season into everything we do and everything we are. It is about community. Actually, I prefer to think of it as neighbourhood. Our faith in the redeeming nature of Christ inspires us to reach out to everyone around us. But when we are commanded to love our neighbour as we would ourselves, it does not just mean the family next door or over the road; or, indeed, the person in the pew next to us. We have spoken at length in recent months about where we as a Church should be going in the next decade. And one of the themes that has emerged most clearly is a desire to embrace a wider community and to be more welcoming to our neighbours, by offering ourselves as a focal point for the common good. Quite what that is will depend very much on where you are. But wherever we are, and whatever is needed, it is part of our mission to do what we can to offer it. And we must be pro-active, seeking out the needs rather than waiting for them to present themselves to us. In the words of St Matthew, you shall know them by their fruits, their deeds. Let us take the life-affirming opportunity of Christmas to show the world around us what we have to offer. For the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit are surely the greatest gifts of all. May I wish you all a Joyful Christmas and a Blessed and Fruitful New Year. Wyn Marloes ,St. Brides and Dale Mothers Union Thank you everyone who joined us for the Christmas meal at "The Vine" in Johnston. We had a superb meal, good company and lots of chatter! Dates for your diaries. "Service of Light " Sat Jan 7th at Neyland 2.30pm, please contact Jane (636518) if you would like to go with her. Mothers’ Union AGM on Tues. Jan 10th 7.30pm in Marloes Village Hall. Poetry reading and please bring a plate of food for "bring and share". Jane, Heather and Marina wish you all a very "Happy and Healthy New Year " and we look forward to the tremendous support from our members and also anyone who would like to join us.