Dear  Friends

Excuse me if you get this multiple times or if you have already replied.

I want to share a vision and a challenge.

As our 15 months of prayer across Wales draws to a close in unpredicted and unpredictable circumstances, I note that May 24^th falls on  a Sunday, with Pentecost falling on 31^st May, the last day of our schedule.

So the vision: Will you join me in encouraging 100 people across our synods and churches in Wales to join in a Zoom prayer meeting for renewal of the church and saving the world from the virus between 8.00 pm and 9.00 pm on those two Sunday evenings? The choice of time is so that our hearts might be strangely warmed at a quarter before nine. Each evening could include arriving for coffee from say 7.30, some worship, scripture and lots of prayer.

NB People will be able to join by computer or ordinary landline telephone.

If you share the vision please email back a brief message of encouragement.

I will then give it more thought and a loose outline structure and circulate the Zoom link for you to forward to your network.

I look forward to hearing from you – please do get in touch to offer support and encouragement.

God bless

Stay safe!

Paul (Donnison)

Randall Peers,one of the Congregation at Northop Hall Methodist Church, was voted the regional winner in the Methodist Insurance Community Volunteer Awards. The voting is now on to find a national winner.

The voting continues until July. The link is below.

https://www.methodistinsurance.co.uk/volunteerawards/

Thank you for your support.

Easter Sunday’s BBC Radio Wales Celebration will be led by Rev Dr Stephen Wigley.

The programme start at 7:30 and will repeated on BBC Wales at 18:30.

The service will also be available on BBC Sounds after broadcast.

The Synod Office will be closed at Cyncoed Methodist Church for the time being.

Both Stephen and Wendy will be working from home.

We can both be contacted by e-mail:-

Stephen – wigley@methodistwales.org.uk

Wendy – office@methodistwales.org.uk.

A Pastoral message for Easter from the Synod Chair

Dear Colleagues,

I’m very conscious that our preparations for this Easter will be like no other I’ve experienced in my life-time. Instead of planning for special services and gathering round the Lord’s Table to celebrate Christ’s risen presence with us, most of shall instead be at home, looking to stay in touch with family, friends and neighbours, offering our prayers for those in need and trying to help out in such practical ways as we can in accordance with Government guidance (and there is a link to the most recent Methodist guidance on this on the Synod website.)

At the same time we shall be offering our thanks to those brave colleagues in the health, emergency, and also care and retail services who are currently going the extra mile, trying to support and sustain all those directly affected by the corona-virus and ensure that life remains manageable for the rest of us. It’s been heartening to hear the response and gratitude expressed to all such workers, for example on Thursday evening at 8pm.

Our Government has been reminding us of the need to stand ‘together’ on this and to be ‘as one’ if we’re to defeat the pandemic. But that’s not just the thrust of the recent public health campaign, it’s also a deeply biblical message.

Those following the lectionary in our excellent Prayer Handbook will be aware that over this last week we’ve been following St. Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians about the importance of sharing together in the life of Christ, indeed using the image of the body and its members. We’ve read how ‘God has so arranged the body… that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.’

Our country, like other countries right across the world, is currently facing an extraordinary challenge. In the midst of this challenge, some commentators are noting how it is that people are starting to rediscover the value of community and our shared inter-dependence upon one another. But that’s not a new message; rather it’s one that goes to the heart of the Christian message in the earliest writings of the New Testament in the letters of St. Paul.

So while we may not be able to celebrate the good news that ‘Christ is risen’ in our usual services this Easter, perhaps as we learn new ways to support and encourage one another through this crisis and beyond, we will discover afresh what it means to share in the risen Body of Christ and proclaim his resurrection life.

With every blessing for Easter,

Stephen

Rev. Dr. Stephen Wigley,
Chair of the Wales Synod

The BBC Radio Wales Celebration on Sunday 9th August will be led by Rev Dr Stephen Wigley.

The programme start at 7:30 and will also be available on BBC Sounds after broadcast.

Coronavirus – guidance from the Methodist Church

We recognise the challenge which the whole country is facing as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. Helpful guidance for our life as a church which is regularly updated can be found on the Methodist Church website at:

https://www.methodist.org.uk/about-us/news/latest-news/all-news/the-methodist-church-coronavirus-guidance-and-resources/

‘Stormy weather & the sunshine of your smile’; the President & Vice-President’s visit to Wales 7-9 February

We were delighted to welcome Barbara Glasson and Clive & Jill Marsh to Wales on a weekend which just happened to coincide with the slightly less welcome arrival of storm Ciara. Reflecting both the geography and the working together of the 2 Synods across Wales, the visit took part in 2 stages, with the President visiting north Wales and the Vice President south Wales over the Friday/Saturday, before joining together in Aberystwyth on Sunday for a bi-lingual service of Holy Communion at which the President presided and the Vice-President preached.

Barbara’s train arrived into Welshpool on Friday afternoon, in good time for her first engagement with us that evening. This took the form of an informal gathering at the Synod Cymru manse, where a group of minsters, officers and partners enjoyed the opportunity to meet the President. Stories were shared and pizza was eaten, and Barbara learnt more of what it means to be Welsh and Methodist. The group valued hearing of her experience of her Presidential year so far in a relaxed atmosphere of laughter and fellowship.

Come Saturday morning, the President was on the road to St David’s Methodist Church, Craig-y-Don, Llandudno, where about 60 people gathered from both Synods for a session on this year’s presidential theme. “So, what’s the story..?” asked Barbara, enabling those present to answer the question for themselves. This took place first of all through a five minute listening exercise in pairs before moving to a more complicated activity – at least for some! Barbara encouraged us to fold a pyramid-shaped ‘snap dragon’ from a square of paper onto which we were invited to write facts about ourselves as significant elements of our story. Once again, learning took place through laughter and fun, while not avoiding the more challenging aspects of life as well. The afternoon gave the chance for Barbara to share in the Momentwm North Wales ‘Big Day Out’ youth evening at Trinity Methodist Church, Prestatyn. Here she led a similar session to the morning, skilfully tailored to a group of 18 young people. It was a much appreciated element of their day.

Amazingly, given the forecast of what was to come, the weather on Friday afternoon was bright and clear as Clive & Jill arrived in South Wales. We took the opportunity to visit 2 key mission projects, the Amelia Methodist Trust Farm in the Vale of Glamorgan, where Clive was able to hear from the Director Karen Turnbull of the pioneering work with young people carried out on the Farm for nearly 30 years now, before going on to the Trinity Centre in Cardiff, to hear from the Synod Enabler Irfan John of its work both with culturally diverse congregations and also with asylum seekers and refugees. Friday evening finished off with a visit to the Cardiff University Chaplaincy, where we met with the Chaplain Delyth Liddell and Clive led a lively conversation with students on the subject of ‘Faith and Film’.

Greeted by sunshine on Saturday morning, we travelled to Jersey Marine where Clive led a session of the Presidential theme, ‘So what’s the story?’ to an engaged audience before travelling on to Taibach, Port Talbot where the ‘Big Day Out’ was taking place with some 40 young people and their leaders, organised by Momentwm on behalf of the 2 Synods. Some good conversations took place over lunch, although we declined the opportunity to take part in some of the physical exercises accompanying the spiritual ones. Then on the way back to Cardiff we visited Cardiff Bay and the new Senedd building in Cardiff, where the Vice President was able to see a model for parliamentary engagement somewhat different to Westminster.

Sunday morning dawned with the expected winds and waves in Aberystwyth, but wonderfully both President and Vice President had arrived safely and were able to lead us in a service of Holy Communion. This was followed by a time of refreshment over a shared lunch before people made their separate ways home, in the President’s case by a longer car journey than expected given that the rail network had by then large closed down. So we give thanks for Barbara and Clive’s visit to Wales and their ministry among us, and trust that some of their experiences over the weekend can only add to our stories, to share and to treasure.

Jennie Hurd & Stephen Wigley.