ODDI WRTH YR ESGOB...
FROM THE BISHOP...
On this page you can read an edited version of Bishop Gregory's letter to the clergy of the diocese.
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July 2009
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January 2010
Ad Clerum * Feast of the Epiphany
6 January 2010
Dyrchefwch eich calonau!
Lift up your hearts!
Dear friends,
“Lift up your hearts”. A new year is always the opportunity for new beginnings. I trust that you will have received many blessings over Christmas, either in your home or at church – or both. We’ve had a good first Christmas in Esgobty, and the snow has been both blessing and meant disruption. I hope that you’ve coped well with the snow of the last couple of days, and that all is well.
Now we all face the challenges that 2010 will bring, but I hope that we can do so: first, confident in the God who gives us strength, and sets a vision before us, and secondly, optimistic about the potential within our family life as churches and as Church to grow into the fullness of life to which God invites us. Reading the Old Testament reading at Morning Prayer on Monday, I renewed my acquaintance with that remarkable story of the Crossing of the Jordan. I’ve always noted that the waters of the Jordan do not part until the priests are actually obeying God’s command about walking into and through the river and are up to their waists in the flood. So it is often with our ministry, when our discernment calls us forward, we must persevere, but it may only be in the arduous process of doing what God calls us to that we discover his supporting and empowering grace. But let us lift up our hearts: God is good, good things are happening, the potential, especially if we pull together, is great.
Ave atque Vale
Warm congratulations go to James and Anna Aylward who celebrated their Ruby Wedding Anniversary on 20th December 2009. By happenstance, on the very same day Mike and Pam Powell celebrated their Silver Wedding Anniversary, so we join in congratulating them as well.
Following the retirement of John Barden Davies, there is some re-organisation going on in the Dyffryn Clwyd Deanery. Huw Butler is to become Area Dean, and will be inducted into Llanynys and Rhewl in addition to Llangynhafal, Llanbedr DC, Llanychan and Llanarmon yn lal. Richard Carter will take up the role of Priest-in-Charge of Llanfair DC, Llanelidan, Efenechtyd, (with whom he has already been working) and taking on, in addition, Clocaenog and Cyffylliog. There will be a great service of commissioning, inducting and licensing on 14th January, and we extend our warmest good wishes to these clergy, their families, and their parishes, as all enter a new chapter in their lives.
With the creation of the new Rectorial Benefice of Rhos Cystennin, Bob Griffiths becomes Rector, Warwick Jaundrill and Peter Walker, Team Vicars, and Robin Green and Pam Wright Assistant Curates. There will be another grand group commissioning and licensing for the Benefice and its ministry team at Candlemas, details of which I refer to below.
Dates for the Diary
I would like to draw your attention to some specific events happening in the future, in which you are encouraged to participate.
14th January –Commissioning and Licensing for Huw Butler and Richard Carter in the Dyffryn Clwyd Deanery, in Llanbedr DC at 1900hr.
19th January – CME Day for all the clergy at Theatr Clwyd, Mold. We begin as usual at 1000hr for 1030hr, with the intention of completing the programme by 1500hr. The theme of the next day is “Working with Schools”, and we’ll be looking at ways of supporting the Education work of the diocese, and our own ministry in schools.
29fed Ionawr – Plygain Esgobaethol yn y Gadeirlan, 1915hr. Roedd hi'n bleser arbennig i fod yn y gwasanaeth Plygain yn Eglwys Sant Grwst, Llanrwst y Sul diwethaf. Hwn oedd y gwasanaeth Plygain cyntaf erioed i mi, ac er fy mod wedi clywed ychydig amdano 'roedd hi'n ddiddorol iawn i gael profiad o'r traddodiad. 'Roedd y canu yn dda iawn, yr awyrgylch yn ardderchog, ac 'roeddwn i'n falch i fod yno. Pan ddeuthum i'r esgobaeth, un o'r anrhegion cyntaf a dderbyniais oedd C.DD. o wasanaeth y Plygain esgobaethol, a deallaf fod y gwasanaeth i'w gynnal unwaith eto yn y Gadeirlan am 7.15. y.h. ar y 29ain o Ionawr. Byddai'n dda iawn petai cynifer a phosibl yn cefnogi'r gwasanaeth arbennig yma.
2nd February – Service to inaugurate the new Rectorial Benefice of Rhos Cystennin, together with the group commissioning and licensing of the new team. This will be held at 1900hr, in St Paul’s Church, Craig-y-Don.
6th February - “World Focus Service”at the Cathedral at 2.00pm. The service has been organised by the Diocesan Christian Aid Committee, among others, and the theme will be 'Water'. The service will also take a collection on behalf of the “Diocesan World Mission Appeal”, whose aim this year will be to raise money for two water-based projects, one in Kenya via Christian Aid, and one in the Diocese of SW Tanganyika, our link diocese. There will be stalls open from around midday, and the service itself will begin at 2.00 pm. The Revd Nan Powell-Davies will speak on behalf of Christian Aid, and we are particularly pleased that Bishop John Simalenga (our link bishop) will be able to join us to speak about his diocese, and strengthen our link.
10th February – The next Open House Eucharist will be held at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Prestatyn, beginning at 0930hr. As usual, this will be an opportunity for Eucharist, Bible Study and discussion together. I am finding these opportunities to pray, study and talk together very useful. As many as wish are very welcome to join me.
17th March – Open House Eucharist. This will be held in the Wrexham Archdeaconry – details to be confirmed in due course.
Notes and Queries
Research Questionnaire. Sue Last, a member of the congregation and steward of the cathedral, is studying for a MTh at University of Chester. She is now in the process of writing her dissertation on the topic A Christian approach to Mental Illness. Sue has discussed this with me and I have given her permission to send a questionnaire to all clergy as part of her research. The questionnaire will be circulated by e mail very shortly and I would ask you all to take a little time to complete it
The Diocesan Cycle of Intercessions. I hope that you are making good use of the Diocesan Cycle of Intercessions, produced so capably for us by Quentin Bellamy. I am personally humbled, but encouraged, by the realisation that prayer is daily offered for my ministry, and it is important to build our fellowship by praying for one another, our parishes, and the Anglican Communion. I was asked the other month about whether I knew any of those mentioned in our cycle, and the answer is that I often do. The comment was also offered that it would be helpful if I offered some insight into our prayers, and I’ll give it a go this time. Let me know if this sort of thing is helpful.
Many of the dioceses prayed for this month are in “The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)” – to give it its full title. Many of us know the fearsome reputation of its Primate, Peter Akinola, who will be stepping down soon, and who has been the scourge of liberal thinking in the Communion. The Province is seeing phenomenal growth, and increasing the number of its “missionary dioceses”, especially in the northern part of the country, and therefore choosing and ordaining missionary bishops at a rate of knots. Bishops are “elected” by the House of Bishops in Nigeria, and men are chosen for their love of the Lord, and their ability to plant churches and to preach the Gospel. We can pray for these bishops that their faith may be grounded in a true knowledge of Christ, and of the tradition into which they are ordained, and for wisdom in their witness in a rapidly changing context.
We’ll be praying this month for several whom I consider good friends: Phillip Aspinall, (on 3rd) the Primate of Australia, a man of dry wit and good humour, who is leading the Australian church with wisdom; Stephen Pickard, (7th) the Assistant Bishop of Adelaide, an intelligent and perceptive theologian, who has a knack of relating the Gospel to the modern world; Bill Love, (20th) Bishop of Albany in the US, a gentle man who is seeking to hold together a diverse diocese of conservatives and liberals in the radical context of TEC; Stephen Andrews, (21st) a bishop even newer than I, having been consecrated at the end of June, and who is another wise (moderately conservative) theologian. On Sunday 24th, we pray for the Province of Burundi, one of the poorer areas of the world, where there is a flourishing French speaking Anglican Church, which bears courageous witness in a situation of political and social instability and hardship. Its Primate, Bernard Ntahoturi, is another friend and theologian, who is also a significant figure in the life of the World Council of Churches, where he chairs the Special Commission bringing together Orthodox and Western Christians, and is Chair of the new Inter-Anglican Standing Commission for Unity, Faith and Order, which works to bring some order into our life as a Communion, and also review our ecumenical affairs. His name, by the way, for those who will be leading intercessions that Sunday is pronounced “nn-ta-who-tour-ry”. Andre Soares, (28th) the bishop of Angola, is another who is working hard to develop the life of a small and poor Church. Andre was involved in a serious car accident several years ago. Todd MacGregor (29th) is Bishop of Tulear in the Indian Ocean, having been a missionary in Kenya for many years, and Roger Chung (30th), an ethnic Chinese, ministers to a diocese of very diverse racial backgrounds in Antisirana in the Indian Ocean. It’s actually amazing how tight and small a family we are over the world, and all these are good Christian leaders, who deserve our support and prayers.
I hope that we can hold all of these and one another in the fellowship of prayer in the coming year. Lift up our hearts, and let them be lifted to the Lord.
