Parish of Killay History of st hilary's church 2000 to 2016

90 YEARS 9 0 Y SERVING E A R S STHE E R COMMUNITY V I N G T H E1926 C -O2016 MMUNITY

1926 - 2016

Parish Church

of St Hilary 


A History from 2000 to 2016

by DAV ID MORGAN

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PARISH OF KILLAY, SWANSEA

J eff Ki rk ho us e

90 YEARS SERVING THE COMMUNITY 1926 - 2016

St Hilary’s 75th Anniversary Service

St Hilary’s Church Choir, 2001

Members of the PCC, 2001 Page !2

90 YEARS THE COMMUNITY 1926 - 2016 90 YEARS SERVING THE COMMUNITY 1926 - SERVING 2016

Foreword By the Reverend Phillip Gwynn B.A., M.A., Cert. Theol Vicar of Killay Living Stones “Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple” (1 Peter Ch.2 v.5)

90 years of Serving the Community A history of the Parish Church of St Hilary Killay Swansea From 2000 to 2016

Written by David Morgan B.Ed. F.R.S.A.

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I am very pleased to be writing this Foreword as we celebrate, not only the bricks and mortar of the church, but the people who form the ‘living stones’ that make up what is the real and actual church. I did chuckle when looking up the reference to St.Hilary’s Church in Killay in F.G.Cowley’s book, ‘A History of St.Paul’s Church, Sketty, Swansea’. On p.61 the author writes that Elizabeth Amy Dillwyn (then in her teens) said, ‘I think trying to civilize Killay is very hard work, and perhaps...all work to no purpose especially when people begin to talk of having a policeman at Killay because of it’s being so uproarious’. I don’t know about being ‘uproarious’ – but it is the task of the church to present lively and appropriate worship as we seek to worship Him. Let these mute stones come alive with Christian song.

Over the decades the church of St.Hilary has seen many things going on, in and around it; if only these stones were able to speak. As Fred Cowley talks of collieries and the railway as being important in the area at the time, how it has changed as we begin the Twenty First Millennia. Killay now is a suburb of sprawling Swansea, on the gateway to the beautiful Gower peninsula.

Progress and change are difficult and often painful concepts. What vision Revd. H.J. Stewart, the then Vicar of Sketty had to plan for the provision of a new church in Killay. We, who are the ‘living stones’ of our time need to have a positive vision for the decades to come for this church, it’s congregation and community in which it sits and watches over, as a lamp on a hill.

There is a danger in such an anniversary that we spend too much time looking back with the rose coloured spectacles of nostalgia. Let us use the great memories, the great energy of these past ninety years, to invigorate our faith to seek out new mission opportunities in this beautiful part of God’s Kingdom.

I commend this publication and thank all those who have contributed to it in any way. I must especially thank Mr. D.P. Morgan for his lion’s share of the work – albeit a labour of love!

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2000 - 2016

Chancellor Brian Howell Jones M.Phil retired from being our vicar”

Roy Thomas

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2000 The last year of the Second Millennium, 2000, was heralded in by two coach loads of people going from the parish on the first Sunday in January to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for what was described as the biggest 'Songs of Praise' ever.

And what an afternoon it turned out to be. The roof was closed; the visitors numbered 66,000. Christians of all ages and Christian traditions from all over Wales and beyond, gathered to celebrate the Millennium by singing hymns.

In addition to the congregational hymn singing many artists from the world of music were there and gave of their talents: Sir Cliff Richard, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Bryn Terfel, Daniel O’Donnell together with the Welsh Harp Orchestra, the Band of the Welsh Guards, a choir of 5,000 voices and the hosts Roy Noble, Don MacLean and Pam Rhodes. All that in the presence of three Princes: Charles, William and Harry.

The Vicar retires The year that followed turned out to be a very busy year, at some times hectic. Early in the year, Chancellor Brian Howell Jones M.Phil retired from being our Vicar. This called for, not only social gatherings to thank him and Monica, his wife, for all the splendid work they had been engaged in at St Hilary’s, but also to prepare for the interregnum prior to the appointment of a new Vicar.

St Hilary’s was very lucky in so much as there were four retired clergy living within and worshipping at the church: the Rev Ian Burbery, Canon Gordon Lee, Canon Geoffrey Thomas and Rev. Vaughan Lake. We were also lucky in that the four gentlemen gelled together as a sound working unit.

Canon Brian’s farewell supper took place on the 27th February, a Sunday evening, to end a day of services for large congregations. In his farewell address from the pulpit the Vicar made reference to the multiplicity of activities which are the life of the worshipping community and in carrying out those activities experiencing, the fellowship, the caring, the encouragement of one another and the support of one another in times of difficulty...all moulded within the worship and prayer of God’s people.

The farewell evening was organised by Churchwarden Dr. James Proudfoot and, in his eulogy, speaking on behalf of the congregations of St Hilary’s and St Martin’s, extolled the virtues of the Canon and his wife and the contribution they had made to the life of the parish in five, seemingly very short, years.

The evening ended with the giving of gifts, demonstrating the large amount of affection for Brian and Monica, by Jim Proudfoot and Jan

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Peebles, on behalf of St Martin’s congregation.

And so, for the duration of the interregnum, which lasted from March until August, we looked to our aforementioned retired clergy and Churchwardens Roy Thomas and Jim Proudfoot to see to it that the churches were run responsibly and well. We need not have feared - all went well.

From the 1st March the Area Dean of Clyne, Father George Bennett, had oversight of the parish until the new incumbent was Inducted. However the day to day running of the church was in the hands of our Churchwardens together with the four 'retirees'. They approportioned the work load thus:Father Ian Burbery was to be responsible for the services at St Hilary's and Rev. Vaughan Lake to do the same at St Martin's. Canon Geoffrey Thomas and Canon Gordon Lee were to share the responsibilities for Weddings, Funerals, Hospital visits and Sick Communion. They were also responsible for the Monday evening interviews. Each of them in turn wrote a Parish Letter for the monthly issue of the church magazine.

As an illustration of how the church prospered under the guiding influence of those four men, I have chosen to reproduce the account of Lent, Holy Week and Easter 2000 as written by Father Ian Burbery.

“I am sure that Canon Geoffrey, Canon Gordon, Vaughan and I have felt strong links with our time in active parish life, by being involved in the worship in St. Hilary's and St Martin's this Lent. I have been asked to write a note about this great season and it has been good how you have kindly put up with each one of us and our individual ways.

In producing the leaflet for the Lent Courses and the details of the services Page !5

during Lent, it was remembered that Canon Brian used to prepare a study guide for Lent. This was done and printed with Randall's expertise, and was available by the Sunday before Lent.

After the properly observed start of Lent on Ash Wednesday, we settled into the Tuesday evening course, which was prepared and well presented by our invaluable Readers.

Five distinct and thought provoking themes were offered.

Mothering Sunday was memorable and Canon Geoffrey celebrated and involved us in his inimitable way.

Passion Sunday brought to concentrate on the Passion and then on Palm Sunday, after the Blessing and distribution of the Palms in the hall, we processed down to the Church singing lustily. The dramatic reading of the Passion Gospel is always effective in focusing our minds, especially when we have to shout 'Crucify Him!' After the Hosannas to the King, riding in humility to reign on the tree, we had the privilege of a full round of services during Holy Week. The Eucharist on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were quietly reflective; and we continued our tradition of the Bethany lunch on the Wednesday.

Monday evening we walked with devotion, the Stations of the Cross and on Tuesday we had a contemplative Quiet Hour.

Maundy Thursday is always very special and it was a joy to celebrate at 11.00am.

The Eucharist in the evening traditionally ends with the stripping of the altar and the watch of the Passion, not only enacting the Last Supper, but also symbolising the desertion of Christ at his arrest, on the night he was betrayed.

Good Friday involved all four of us with a 9.30am service in St. Martin's; the Children's Service at 10.30am at St. Hilary's, followed by Stations of the Cross 1 – 1.15pm and the Preaching of the Page 5

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Passion from 2pm to 3pm. Being with Christ as best we can from the sixth hour until the ninth hour.

On Good Friday evening, Maunder's Cantata 'Olivet to Calvary' was presented at St Hilary's – it had been sung at Ebenezer on Palm Sunday evening. The combined choirs - 45 in number - from Ebenezer and St Hilary's had prepared the music. Margaret Williams conducted and Tony Glasson played the organ and good soloists took their parts well. A lot of hard work had been put in and it was an offering of the heart and voice so appropriate to the Passion tide.

Holy Saturday saw the church transformed, dressed for Easter, and decorated skilfully with flowers – we were all very grateful for the work given behind the scenes in getting ready for Easter. The simple progression of light, renewal of Baptismal promises , bursting joy of the Easter Vigil, although very short, deserves to be built into something bigger as we celebrate the glorious night in which Christ rose from the dead.

Easter day is always glorious. Not so many attended the 8am Communion as last year, but at the 10.30am Eucharist extra chairs had to be brought in – a joyful sight. There were 183 communicants at the service.

Another good tradition was continued in that the youngsters were given Easter Eggs at the Chancel steps, during the last hymn, while the ablutions were carried out at the altar.

Evensong on Easter day was quieter and more reflective and Canon Gordon focused our minds on the presence of Christ.

The parish had done its part in celebrating Lent, Holy Week and Easter and the Readers and the Four Retirees are grateful for your prayerful support.”

I am conscious of the fact that I have chosen one of the busiest periods in the Page !6

church calendar to illustrate how well the church was run and how joyful our worshiping was, led by our four ageing devout leaders, for, in his writing, one can discern the pride, the loving concern, the hard work and the care expressed for the worship congregation in Ian's summation of that particular time at St. Hilary's...and that went for St Martin's as well.

Apart from the regular Sunday and Thursday morning services, there were a number of interest groups taking place during the week.

Monday was the meeting day for the Pram group in the afternoon and the evening was the monthly meeting of the Music Club and the Gardening Club.

Tuesday evening was set aside for the Brownies and the meeting of the Parochial Church Council, whose number was between 16 and 20 members, when the need arose. It was also the evening when the Mothers' Union met.

Wednesday: The Luncheon Club started at 11am, The Sewing Guild at 2.30pm, The Girls Friendly Society at 6.30pm and the Ladies Guild at 7.30pm. In the summertime this was also the evening when the parish Cricket Team played their fixtures, normally between 10 and 14 games were arranged in the season.

Thursday was the evening when the Youth Club met and on Friday the Bowls club met in the afternoon and evening.

All the activities were very well attended and the Churchwardens were kept very busy indeed.

On Sunday mornings, at the time of the morning service and under the supervision of Mr Eric Thomas, Sunday School was carried out and its activity attracted quite a number of children from the parish.

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New Vicar installed

Father Tim Williams

“The new incumbent was none other than Timothy Williams�

In St Hilary's it was a case of dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, fish and even water snails Father Ian Burbery

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Those early summer months of 2000 passed by too quickly as they do each year and before we knew it, the new Vicar was installed.

Surprise! Surprise! The new incumbent was none other than Timothy Williams who had been a Curate in the parish some nine years before. He and his family moved from his parish in Knighton, Radnorshire to Killay and were welcomed as old friends.

There is a difficulty in returning to a parish where you had spent your curacy and that is, time passes. It was nine years ago since the parish said goodbye to Tim and thanked him for all his work. Now he returned with a lot more experience as a Vicar of a parish. In his September letter to the parish he wrote 'I have the utmost respect for Canon Brian, but I am not him. I have different ways. Neither am I the Curate. I am now the Vicar of Killay, so let us look forward and plough on together......'

So changes were to come - what they would be and how they would affect worship in the parish and the way the parish was run was food for thought. One thing became apparent and that was, although he was our Vicar, Timothy preferred to be known as Father Tim. A name which certainly lost that somewhat distant social standing that the word Vicar could convey and by using the title of Father brought him closer to his flock.

Late in October 2000 the Parish of St Hilary's introduced a Pet Service. A Pet Service! Have they considered the mess, the noise, the upset and so much more? Well yes they had and all those problems were taken care of. Father Tim's delight in drama became apparent as the service turned out to be a dramatised version of Mr and Mrs Noah and the problems they faced with the building of the ARK and the gathering of their animals. In St Hilary's it was a case of dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, fish and even water snails. Mr Noah spoke to the children about the care of their animals as he touched from time to time on the story of the Ark. It was a service to remember, hardly an empty seat in the church and the children with their pets were completely involved in the service, which included the blessing of each pet brought to the altar. Happily the church survived a possible mess and in his tribute to all his helpers, Father Tim spoke of the possibility of a bigger and better service next year.

As the year drew to its close the Parochial Church Council reported that, in St Hilary's outreach programme, donations had been made to the following: African Enterprise (Christian teaching) , The Camphill Village Trust (special needs) and African Harvest appeal (agricultural improvement), St Luke's Hospital, Sons of the Clergy and the Leprosy Mission on behalf of the worshipping congregation.

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Roley Thomas

The P.C.C. had also acquired a package of resources for children 8 to 11 years old and intended to make the contents available to our local Primary Schools for their use. This was to be launched in the New Year 2001 at a meeting with local school representatives.

Following the success of the Pet Service, everyone looked forward to the first live animal Crib service on Christmas Eve. Two Donkeys and a Shetland Pony were amongst the many animals brought along to the service and it went very well indeed. So much so that it became a regular service from that moment on and has been a focal point of St Hilary's children gathering at Christmas. Mrs Phillipa Grove of Penmaen supplied the donkeys, her family pets, for that first service and has done so every year since, and we are very grateful for her participation in such an original way of bringing the Christmas Story to young and old.

2001 “ Early this year the very first combined service of worship was held at St Martin’s”

John Bristow

2001 Page !8

For those of you who have a copy of the edition celebrating the 75th anniversary of the opening of St Hilary's Church we have reached that year 2001 and can I remind you of the extensive programme of events that was planned for the year. Besides the annual Parish outing in August there was to be an anniversary service, a barbecue, and a barn dance and many other activities which will be recalled as we go through that year.

Perhaps the most newsworthy item in the Parish Magazine for January 2001 was in the Youth Club news when we read of the support the youth club had given Father Tim when he sat in a bath of beans in the Precinct of Killay to raise money for the Children in Need fund. Two youth club members held buckets for donations during Tim's beanfest or is it feast? A total of £1250 was raised by everyone supporting the effort. The question of the day - was Tim the 58th variety?

Early this year the very first combined service of worship was held at St Martin’s and a large number of those who usually worshipped at St Hilary did attend the service. So successful was this venture that it was decided that on the fifth Sunday of any month a combined service was to be held in St Martin's. A change which was to become part of our worshipping calendar in the years that followed.

Another change at the Easter Vestry was the appointment of Mrs Eileen Nielsen as the Parochial Church Council secretary, stepping into the post vacated by John Bristow; she is still with us in the same post all these years later and is testimony to her hard work and efficiency.

Abseiling, archery, caving, assault course, body boarding, mountain biking, surf skiing, climbing wall and team challenge: these were

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the many activities on offer at the Morfa Bay Activity Centre, Pendine for our Youth Club who went on a camp from 25th to 29th July. These activities took place in the afternoon following a morning of worship and discussion and a presentation from one of the leaders on a Christian theme. In the evening, after food was taken up, either a disco or a talent show was on offer. The last night was highlighted by a water fight and Father David Payne, the leader, got a soaking. The Bishop closed the camp on the Sunday morning and all who went from St Hilary’s expressed the desire to go again next year.

The middle months of the year saw the finalising of the plans to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the opening of the church.

On Friday August 10th, a Holy Eucharist was held with the Bishop of the Diocese presiding and preaching. For the very many who attended this special service, it was good to meet, once again, a number of clergy who had been associated with St Hilary's in the preceding years: Joe Griffin, Kelvin Richards, Michael Walters and Brian Jones – word was also received from Howell Hughes, Keith Thomas and David Wilkinson who were unable to attend. The following evening, members joined together to enjoy a barbecue party. The weather was inclement but, being used to wet days at Summer Fete time, and any other outdoor activity, the proceedings flowed along and all who went enjoyed themselves. As usual, the Barn Dance, held in October went with a swing (and a dozy doe) and, although there was a Pet Service and the Christmas Bazaar to come later in the year, the celebrations for the 75th anniversary ended.

While all these activities were going on, the P.C.C. had many other aspects of running the church to consider. Among them were the following ongoing items: Page !9

Early in the year it was reported that the church's heating system showed signs of antiquity and so, at a cost of £5,900, a new gas boiler and a new gas supply were installed.

A request was received from Swansea College to use the church hall as one of their centres for adult education. This was agreed and, during the year, classes in Welsh, Flower Arranging, Art - with emphasis on painting, and Local History were started.

After many months of administration, a Christian Resources Exhibition was held primarily for the schools of our area.

Basically, the idea was that the church held a library of Christian resources and that the local schools be encouraged to borrow and use the resources in their presentations to the children. It was agreed that the first Wednesday, early evening of each month be set aside for the transfer of resources.

This worthwhile project was seen through, on behalf of the P.C.C., by Barbara and Eric Thomas.

The Sunday School changed its name to Junior Church for it was seen that the word 'school' had a certain rigorism which did not fit in with the aims and culture of the coming together of the young folk in St Hilary’s.

As for our Youth Club at that time, it was flourishing and, very much like the adult societies, had a very active programme of events. Looking back at the autumn of 2001 they were instructed in Birthday and Christmas card making, honed their art skills after a demonstration made by John Upton of the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery, enjoyed two discos, hot dogs and fireworks, a sponsored bible read and a sleepover in the hall. They raised a sum of £306 for Children in Need, helped in the Christmas Fayre, bought a portable television set to use with their Karaoke which was very popular and then came the Page 9

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festive season when they were very busy singing carols at a variety of venues. Not bad eh!

2002

Roy Chapman

“Archbishop Rowan Williams of Monmouth came to spend a quiet day with us to draw to a close our year long 75th anniversary” Jim Proudfoot

2002 Page !10

Early in 2002 we received a letter from Kitui sent by the Vicar of St Martin’s Cathedral Parish, Rev’d John Ikutcha. In his letter he wrote that Kenya was being subjected to the Aids virus resulting in a large number of, what he termed as, street children in his town. His church had taken upon itself to feed 67 children every day for lunch only. Whilst the children were at the church they were given lessons on reading, explained how Aids affected the body and also spoken to about the Bible. A very sorrowful time indeed for Africa and the world at large.

St Hilary’s was blessed when Archbishop Rowan Williams of Monmouth came to spend a Quiet Day with us to draw to a close our year long 75th Anniversary. Little did we realise at that time, but we spent the day with he who was to be the new Archbishop of Canterbury. He spoke on St Paul, and in particular, his letter to the Romans. Those who listened were uplifted by his wonderfully descriptive analogies, and were struck by his true humility, humanity and his depth of Spirituality. A meeting to remember!

During the weeks of Lent the usual mid week evening service was one of Compline followed by an address leading up to Palm Sunday and Holy Week. This year, Canon Arthur Howells was with us and gave a number of addresses which he entitled ‘Sharing with Jesus’.

On Palm Sunday he spoke of ‘In the Temple’ followed through Holy Week by ‘In Gethsemane’, ‘In the Courtyard’, ‘On the Road to Calvary’, ‘In the Upper Room’ and on Good Friday’, ‘On Calvary Hill’. It was time well spent and pleasing to see that he had a captive audience who followed his descriptive reasoning throughout the week.

At that Lenten time our neighbours, Siloam Chapel, were unfortunate to experience a decaying process in the woodwork of their building which, in order to bring about a repair, was unable to be used for their services. Coming to the rescue St Hilary’s offered the use of the Church Hall for their Sunday meeting and, in doing so, looked upon it as a privilege and a pleasure to accommodate them. It is not surprising to understand that, through this coming together, Father Tim and Pastor Heini Jones of Siloam agreed to the start of a combined service between St Hilary’s and Siloam in August and this would continue, alternating between the two venues, on the second Sunday of each month at evening time.

Childrens Good Friday Workshop

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The annual Confirmation Service was conducted by Bishop Anthony on Sunday May12th. In a packed church 15 young people confirmed the promises made on their behalf at their Baptism. Many of these accompanied the Junior Church to Brecon Cathedral the following weekend to take part in the Annual Diocesan Children’s Fun Day. It was a day packed with activity for all with, perhaps, the high spot for the children was listening to Kevin Johns of Swansea Sound talking about funny things that had happened to him.

In keeping with the rest of the United Kingdom, early June saw the celebrations held on the occasion of the Golden Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and, for us in St Hilary’s, a number of celebratory activities took place. The Mothers’ Union held a Jubilee Garden Party, the Ladies Guild a Jubilee Evening and the Bowls Club held a Jubilee Banquet. One of our parishioners, Mrs Va l P a r r y , w a s fortunate enough to be selected to attend the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Classical Concert held in the grounds of Buckingham Palace.

The weather on the day was glorious and Val experienced what is now a host of very treasured memories.

At a meeting held in July the Vicar considered the role of the Street Warden, and established a wide role of service for the members of St Hilary’s by the Warden.

Basically, it called for the Warden to be more in touch with the Vicar and their wards so that vital information could be freely passed between them.

In a recent P.C.C. meeting it was decided to formulate two sub committees: one, the Social and Fund raising committee - its Page !11

purpose being one of coordinating, planning and organising social and fund raising events that would appeal to the wider community as well as those who regularly attend church.

A Parish Centre Committee was also formed to oversee the running of the Centre i.e. the Parish Hall.

In the school summer holidays the youngsters, belonging to the church, went on a Youth Camp at Gwernyfydd, near Hay on Wye. The weather, during their visit, was wonderful and it was only on their last day that rain came. Many activities, many ‘get togethers’, sing songs, religious activities and outward bound events took place and all returned looking forward to next year’s camp.

Late in September at the annual Harvest Festival service we were pleased to welcome the Rev’d Michael Walters who had been a Curate in the church in the early 1960’s. Having left the district to become an Army Chaplain, he had retired from that post and been appointed to the Parish of Penclawdd. This service had been designated a Gift Day and the proceeds was shared between the Diocesan Board of Social Responsibility, which had taken on the work of the former Children’s Society, and the Rev. Keith Thomas’s appeal for a Hospice in Bloemfontein.

An annual service, held in December of each year, was the Toy Service which culminated in the giving of gifts to go towards the Mr X appeal ... a Swansea Charity which has run for many years. This year the service was led by the Junior Church. The theme of the service was ‘Children of the World’ and the children who attended were given the opportunity to dress up in costumes of other countries.

The appeal requested 75 wrapped parcels for named children who were in impoverished situations or who were sick... needless to say the number received was well over the requested amount.

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2003

Canon Gordon Lee

“Within the service was the laying on of hands and the anointing with oil”

Early in 2003 we heard of the Alpha course for the first time. John Bristow, P.C.C. secretary at the time, had attended a meeting in Cardiff on behalf of the church where the course had been explained. It was hoped that courses would be run throughout Wales as a practical introduction to the Christian faith. Although it was Bible based it was not a bible study course. Held over ten sessions and at a low key with an informal design, with a meal for all to share, it attempted to discover for the individual their response to Faith in God. It was hoped that if enough interest was shown the church would run such a course.

Canon Gordon Lee, although retired for some years had over the past years led worship at various times in a Healing Service. It had been decided in Parochial Church Council to establish this service into the regular pattern of worship. The fourth Sunday of the month at Evensong was chosen and, in February 2003, the first of these services took place. In the Church Magazine for February of that year Canon Lee wrote ‘There will be a slight change in the style of the service as it will, no longer, be in the context of the Eucharist but in the context of a kind of Evening Prayer.’ Within the service was the laying on of hands and the anointing with oil. Reports suggested that it was a very moving and spiritual experience.

The usual mid week Lenten service of Compline and address covered people who shared the stage with Jesus during the last weeks of His life. Holy Week included an address by Canon Douglas Davies who spoke on ‘The wounds of Christ’. During the services a song from a musical about Mary Magdalene, which Jesus initially sings to her, was turned into a prayer by Canon Davies and was remarkably effective.

2003 Celebrating Marriage Week Page !12

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Sadly at that time many nations went to war on Iraq. For the duration of the war the Church was open from 10.00am until 12 noon daily for private prayer, and from 4.00 p.m. until 6.00p.m. on Monday to Friday. A special Litany was read at 12 noon each day.

The Social and Fund Raising Committee were very busy at this time. In February a Cabaret Evening was organised in which all the separate social activity groups gave items of entertainment. Each item, in their way, was a howling success and the evening finished with songs led by Bill Riseborough who jollied along at the piano.

In March a Fashion Show was held, featuring Spring and Summer collections from Solo of Mumbles.

In June the annual Summer Fete took place in the Church grounds and the Hall. Later that month a Flower Festival was held over a weekend. Each of the Church organisations illustrated, in flowers, their favourite hymn. The Sunday morning service was one whereby the Bishop was present to confirm a number of candidates.

The Festival closed that night with Songs of Praise.

All that activity had raised £2,500 approximately, towards the church funds which at that time, and at every time, was sorely needed. Funds were needed to comply with the latest laws passed in the Health and Safety Act. Laws which stipulated how people were able to enter and exit both church and hall, how the buildings complied with fire laws and how kitchen areas and toilet areas were accessible to all who wished to use them.

This was particularly so in St Hilary’s response towards the Disability Act for it was clear that much alteration, especially of the hall, was needed. It was this compliance which occupied a lot of the P.C.C. meetings throughout the year. Plans had been drawn up to accommodate the alterations and applications for Grants had Page !13

been made. It was estimated that the work would take 9 months to complete resulting in a serious loss of income. On the plus side Entrust had pledged a grant of £12,000 towards costs.

The end of the educational year saw the retirement of the Junior Church Superintendant. Eric Thomas in his message regarding his decision, he looked back over the 40 year and more of his association with the Sunday School/Junior Church and wrote: ‘When I joined Emlyn Bawden in the ‘Hall’ Sunday School in 1962, the Hall being the Parish Hall at the top of Goetre Fawr Road, there were two Sunday Schools in the parish - in the church on Sunday morning and the Parish Hall on Sunday afternoons – staffed by different people.

When the new Church Hall was built in 1968 the Sunday Schools amalgamated and met on Sunday mornings.

After a few years the Sunday School grew to such proportions that it was decided to build the extension to the Church Hall, comprising the minor hall, the committee rooms, the office, and the store-room for garden equipment- the mower was stored in the choir vestry at that time. Eventually, all the rooms, except the store room were used for Sunday School.

As time went by the ‘Continental Sunday’ kicked in, this to my mind was the beginning of the decline in church-going.

Shops and places of entertainment opened on Sunday, sports and games were held, people were happy to work Sundays because it meant double time, and slowly but surely this impacted on attendance at Sunday School. Members of the Page 13

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St Hilary’s Church Christmas Tree Exhibition

congregation can witness for themselves the small number of children who now join the morning service compared with a few years ago.

Nowadays in school things in the curriculum which cannot be measured are referred to as ‘added value’. It is impossible to measure what effect membership of Sunday School/Junior Church has on young people. It is all down to the faith and trust of those who lead, and the hope that God will use it to His good purpose in the young people’.

Previously, mention has been made of the numerous fund raising events in order to update the Church Hall; this is to be applauded but, at the same time, monies raised were also being given to worthy causes. This year Christian Aid received £640, Diabetes received £282 and, in a published document looking back at St Hilary’s support of local, national and international agencies, the sum of £4,600 was donated. Further members of the congregation continued to donate items of Page !14

tinned food which were shared between the Cyrenian Hostel and Dinas Fechan (previously SASH) for which both organisations were extremely grateful.

Other Summer Fund raising events took place including the Table Top Sale in the Precinct and a Car Treasure Hunt. Later in the year a concert given by the Morriston Salvation Army Songsters was very well received. The Songsters numbered 45 with an excellent lively musical accompaniment.

The evening programme consisted of Christian based hymns and songs set to modern arrangements that really got the audience enraptured. Perhaps the highlight was the congregation joining in with the Songsters to sing and clap along to 'Give Me Joy in My Heart’. The evening raised £400 towards the provision of facilities for the disabled, Another ‘first’ that year was the exhibition of Christmas Trees, now a very familiar activity within the church each Christmas Festival.

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2004

Betty & Randall Nutt

“ Another of the Highlights of 2004 was once again Holy Week, led for us this year by Canon Geoffrey Thomas.”

Tony Glasson

2004 Page !15

As a change to the foregoing style of presenting the story/history of St Hilary’s it was thought that a presentation of part of the Parish Report for 2004 would illustrate and illuminate the life of the parish at that time. Its introduction, written by Father Tim Williams, is reproduced here and it covers a very wide canvas of activity and effort on the part of many.

‘Once again we can report another busy year, a flavour of which, can be picked up when reading the reports from the societies. We started the year with another successful Parish dinner, this time at Fairwood Golf Club.

Another of the Highlights of 2004 was once again Holy Week, led for us this year by Canon Geoffrey Thomas. Holy Week included a workshop on Good Friday for Children and young people, which drew in a goodly number of young people who are either on the fringes or who have had no connection with the church. The Event was advertised through the schools, all of which I continue to visit as regularly as I can. I continue on the Governing Body of Olchfa School and as an LEA governor for Hendrefoilan School. (We also continue to pay for the Gideon Bibles for year 7 at Olchfa and offer a prize at Olchfa Prize giving). My personal favourite is the Living Crib service on Christmas Eve which saw us, once again, packed out with people coming to hear again the Story and true meaning of Christmas, and to see the donkeys and pony! (Kindly brought by Mrs. Phillipa Grove). This year one of the donkeys even spoke! A Quiet Time was once again held in Lent.

We also attempted to set up a prayer group which has met several times. This needs to be worked at. This year we also introduced a pre-Christmas workshop and a Teddy Bear service in July. These were both successful and I think we will have to look at these sorts of one off events more and more in our work with children.

We had hoped to hold a scarecrow festival in June this year but, for various reasons, it did not happen. Our Christmas Tree Exhibition was once again a roaring success and I would like to thank all organisations who showed much flare and imagination in decorating the church. I would also like to thank Mrs Glenys Vaughan for leading the Flower guild and to all those who make our church look so beautiful especially at Festivals.

The Library continues in its temporary home in the Church Hall. In addition to sharing worship once a month in the evening alternating between St Hilary’s and Siloam, we extended our common Worship to the Carol Service. Once again it was at St Hilary’s at the request of Siloam.

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Yet again we shared in the Killay Community Council Fun Week, with Canon Gordon Lee (due to my being on annual leave) leading the open air Songs of Praise in the Precinct and we hosted an afternoon event for children. We also had another community Carol Service in the Precinct just before Christmas. Our other Ecumenical involvement still continues with two united services each year and the annual Quiz.

I continue the office hour in church on Monday evenings between 6.00pm and 7.00pm. For more urgent things I can be contacted at the Vicarage and, in emergencies, I am available at all times. I try to have Friday as a day off and would appreciate being contacted on that day only in an emergency. Having said that, I like to be flexible and I do occasionally change my day off according to the needs of people.

The Parish Centre continues to take up a lot of our time this year. Work started towards the end of the year and will be completed by March 2005. Mr Mike Powell felt that he could no longer continue to head this project and his place was taken

by Mr George Ward. I would like to thank Mr. Mike Powell for his hard work in Page !16

driving the project forward. Fundraising has included a Parish Dinner at the Dunvant Rugby Club cooked by myself. I would like to thank everyone who helped and supported the event especially Mr David Vaughan and the Dunvant Rugby Club singers.

Training is being undertaken by Mrs Carol Davies as a lay reader. We still need to identify a group of people to start a lay visiting course. We started to review Children’s work in the Parish.

The younger element of Junior church needs to be further thought out before beginning a “recruiting” drive. There has been a fairly radical look at the senior section of the Junior Church.

The Junior Youth club has continued to build up and we may look at a different night. Senior Youth Club continues to provide a service. Members of the club were expected to come to church during the run up to Youth Camp which saw us sending in excess of a dozen children to the camp. We tried to encourage them by holding a Eucharist with a bit of a Caribbean flavour. We were fortunate to obtain the services of someone who played the steel pans. Sadly this year we had to close our branch of the GFS due to falling

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rolls. I would also like to thank Mrs Jan Proudfoot, Fiona Proudfoot and Jan Lewis for all their work and all who have helped over the years.

This year has seen a number of changes.

Firstly, Mr Tony Glasson retired after many years as organist. We greatly appreciate all that he has done over the years. As a mark of our appreciation, a collection was made and presented to Mr Glasson. In honour of his long service the choir also organized their own farewell dinner. We were very fortunate to have secured the services of Mr Marcus Wells as organist and Choir Master and he seems to have settled in very well.

Sadly during the year one of our lay readers, Mr Randall Nutt, died. Randall’s contribution to St Hilary’s was immense. I would like to pay tribute to him and all that he has done from Church Warden to Secretary of several societies and his work with the magazine. We send our sympathy to his family and thank God for Randall’s many gifts. May he rest in peace.

I would like to thank the officers of all the societies who make things run smoothly.

Also, our organists: Mr. Marcus Wells and Mr Bill Riseborough at St Martin’s (their joint contribution to the worship cannot he underestimated) and our lay readers for their enthusiasm in taking services.

I would make special mention of and pay tribute to our retired clergy whose help is invaluable, and whose willingness to assist me in taking services has been very much appreciated. I have to say without them, as one man in a very busy parish, I would have been struggling on several occasions; our wardens also deserve a “Thank You” for all their hard work and advice as do the PCC secretary and other officers. Mr Roy Thomas ceased to be warden at Easter and is now the treasurer. I would like to thank him for his work as warden in the past. If Page !17

you haven’t been thanked for something you do before now, then thank you. We are the body of Christ and each member has their own function. Whatever is done in the name of Christ is valuable and valued.

We have been fortunate to receive bequests from Miss Lucy Davies and Mrs Joyce James for which we are very grateful. We will probably use some of the money to buy something fitting which we need. When fundraising is complete for the Parish Centre we will have to turn our thoughts to a Stewardship Campaign. There are also cost implications for work which needs to be done to St Hilary’s.

Our link with Kitui has been strengthened this year by a visit from Mrs Ann Ikutcha.

We made a collection to send out to help her and her husband (The Rev’d John Ikutcha) to fund certain projects in their Parish. We then heard that their milking cow had died so the congregation were challenged to put the cost of their Christmas Day bottle in an envelope and we bought them a new cow costing (approximately £500). We had an excellent response to these appeals and I would like to see the link and our financial commitment continue over the years.

As I said, this has been a busy year and I think, yet again, quite successful although I still remain a little unsure of the criteria of Success. The years ahead continue to pose a number of challenges to the whole Church and we will need to continue to look at new ways of being the Church. The PCC will need to do some strategic planning in 2005, asking ourselves where we want to be and what kind of church we want to be in five years time. We must move and look forward strengthening our mission and ministry in this place, where together we bring the Good News to the people in this part of God’s vineyard.’

Fr. Tim Williams Page 17

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2005

Eric & Barbara Thomas

“ The Good Friday afternoon service was preceded by a Procession of Witness starting from St. Nicholas Court”

2005 Page !18

From the January, 2005 Church magazine we learned the extent of the financial arrangements to make the alterations and renovation in the Church Centre in order to be acceptable and meet the new laws on Health and Safety. The overall cost was £95,000. At that moment £60,000 was already in hand and, from a recently arranged activitya Dinner held in the Dunvant Rugby Club - £1,556.50 was given to the Parish Centre. A number of other activities were planned including a Wine Tasting held in the Village Inn by kind permission of hosts Ken and Christine Jenkins.

Other fundraising activities, mainly for Charities, had also been organised. A Macmillan Coffee Morning organised by Barbara Thomas realised £400 and, following on a visit by Mrs Anne Ikutcha from Kitui in Kenya, the sum of £1,105 was donated for use in her parish. At the same time, following the disaster that happened in the Indian Ocean as a tsunami flowed overland causing much death and destruction, collections of money were made in a ‘bucket’ collection for relief. This was passed on to Christian Aid and amounted to £1,000. In a ‘Thank you ‘letter from Kitui we learned that the tsunami had swept across the Indian Ocean and that 7 people died in the coastal region of Kenya. Kitui also told of the setting up of the St Hilary’s Centre of Hope for 34 orphaned children, providing them with food, shelter and education.

Holy Week was celebrated in the last full week of March. Canon Peter Williams, Vicar of Reynoldston led us through the beginning of the week challenging us to look anew at ourselves. During that week we had visits from Dunvant Junior School for a Palm Cross Service and, on Maunday Thursday, from Cila School for the Stations of the Cross explained. The Good Friday afternoon service was preceded by a Procession of Witness starting from St. Nicholas Court. On the Saturday Bishop Anthony celebrated the Easter Vigil, blessed the Paschal Candle and later he cut a ribbon across the door of the completed Church Centre blessing the building and sprinkling Holy Water. This was followed by a Parish Party to celebrate the opening of the building.

At a P.C.C. meeting held shortly after the party the Vicar said, in reply to a question, that there was still £4,000 to pay for the completion of the work. He added that with two popular fundraising events coming soon: a Horse Racing event and a Concert in the Grand Theatre on the 12th June, the sum will be greatly reduced.

At that same meeting it was decided that the number of parishioners making up the P.C.C. would be reduced from the current 30 to that of 6 members to be included with officers of the church.

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A letter from Kitui told of the buying of a cow for a milk supply. It was to calve in October... two for the price of one as Father Tim commented!

Kitui is a Diocese in Eastern Kenya. The people are very poor, eking out an existence from small scale farming and tending livestock in an arid area often subject to devastating droughts and famine.

Because their resistance is so low, there was a high incidence of HIV: 40% of the beds in the four hospitals are taken up with HIV/AIDS patients. Poverty meant that people could not afford treatment and medicine. Kitui was grateful for the help given them by St Hilary’s.

It was during the academic year 2004/05 that we welcomed into the choir two young sopranos: Megan Wagner from California, who was on an exchange programme and studying, or should I say reading, History and American Studies and Helen Stokes who was at the University reading History and Politics in her third year. Their input was much appreciated and it was with sadness that we said goodbye to them both at the end of the academic year.

Falling in line with current thinking from the Archdeaconry of Gower the following posts were created and filled: Child Protection Officer - Haulwen Lumsdaine Children’s Ministry Officer - Mary Williams/Carol Conway Gift Aid Organiser - Ken James Health and Safety Officer - Cos Genko Youth Ministry - Jeremy Harris.

These posts were confirmed in the May P.C.C. meeting which, after listening to Mr Nigel King, Chairman of the Stewardship Division gave an explanation of the workings of MYCMI (Make Your Church More Inviting).

Page !19

In the June meeting of the P.C.C. the ideas behind MYCMI were discussed and from it a number of activities, which were thought to be of use, were proposed. It was also decided to approach the running of the church by introducing a Cabinet way of administration and a number of members were appointed to be responsible for the very many activities taken on.

Summertime that year saw a glorious Teddy Bear Party as a last activity in that term. A large number of families attended bringing their teddy bears. Father Tim turned up with his childhood friend. A glorious time was had by all and the food at the picnic was very welcome indeed.

The Summer Fete also enjoyed sunny warm weather and at the end of the day, £1,500 was raised. A table top sale was held in the Precinct during the August Fun Week organised by the Killay Community Council. This resulted in a further £250 towards the Church Centre. Christian Aid was also supported to the tune of £1,000 which was sent to the local organiser in Carmarthen, Mr Tom Davies.

Reading this report one would imagine that all St Hilary’s was concerned with was the raising of money. Well, yes, in a way for, in order to meet the modern laws, we were in debt, but while we were conscious of that debt, the services were regularly attended and our worship sincere. Other activities during August 2005 – the normal month of holidaying and the weekly activities resting – there were four Baptisms and, including September, six Marriages.

Early in the month of September, a Pudding Party was held in the Centre.

Organised by Beryl Harris and friends it was a glorious pudding tasting affair which tempted the eyes and strained the waistband. Naturally, it was well received and resulted in another £550 being raised for the Church Centre Fund.

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90 YEARS SERVING THE COMMUNITY 1926 - 2016

That year the Harvest Festival was conducted by the Revd Jonathan Davies and was well received. As was the Concert given by members of the Swansea Amateur Operatic Society and compered by our own Howard Phillips .This was organised by St Hilary’s Ladies Guild.

Good news came from Kitui....a beautiful heifer had arrived , to be called Consolation and the mother was producing 25 – 28 litres of milk a day of which the calf took 9 litres thus leaving a goodly amount for consumption.

This was also the time when the P.C.C. was informed that the Diocesan Office was urging Parishes to adopt one set of accounts. This meant that the accounts of St Martin’s were to be amalgamated with St Hilary’s when next presented.

Sadly on the 29th September of that year, Canon Gordon Lee passed away. He who presented, with much reverence, the Page !20

Healing Service which had become a service to look forward to, and not only that but the very many services he took part in at St Hilary’s after he retired.

Remembrance Sunday in November recalled those who had lost their lives in the service of their country, and names were read of those who were buried in the churchyard and had been associated with Fairwood Common RAF Station as well as personal friends and relations of worshippers.

The Christmas Tree Exhibition this year took the theme ‘Christmas through the Ages’ and this was preceded by a Concert given by the Penyrheol Light Operatic Society. Carols in the Precinct, Living Crib Service and the usual round of Society dinners or parties all bringing an eventful year to a close.

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2006

“Make Your Church More Inviting”

2006 Page !21

In 2006 St Hilary’s church got to grips with MYCMI as earlier reported. Make Your Church More Inviting takes one aback, for being a member for some time and being used to the running of a church, the proposition that your church does not appear to be a welcoming place would take one aback. However research has shown that a tight unit, perhaps like ours, is not aware of the signals it is giving out to those who are outside and those signals are usually of the negative welcome. So a group was formed of people from different age brackets, different length of membership, from St Martin’s as well as St Hilary’s and this ‘think tank’ met under a chairman, a facilitator, from a different parish, the Rev’d Nigel King - Ilston with Pennard Parish.

A number of meetings were held in the early part of the year and Nigel’s report published in the May, made the following observations.

1.

Killay is a successful parish. While most parishes in Wales are declining in numbers Killay has grown.

2.

That the church in Killay is not as welcoming as was thought.

3.

That, from the teenager’s point of view, the church was full of ‘moaners’ rather than loving caring people and it was boring.

4.

Killay expected too much from its Vicar for, as has been said, it was a parish that held a large number of worshippers.

From an awareness of these features a number of recommendations were proposed : a.

That Killay set a goal of achieving sustainable growth using lay people appropriately. b.

That an ‘Away Day’ be organised in May with all the congregation invited in order to discuss how to set up four working teams to tackle these four tasks: 1. Improve the welcome for newcomers and the follow up to this welcome.

2. Develop a comprehensive plan for engaging with young people.

3. Encourage realistic Stewardship programmes because there are financial implications to planning for growth.

4. Look at the pastoral care we offer in such a way that we use lay resources effectively.

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A further group was proposed to maintain the MYCMI momentum by proceeding with the ‘quick fix’ ideas generated in the MYCMI sessions.

At the MYCMI meeting held on Saturday 20 th May, these propositions were discussed and much was learned from them. The changing role of children within society was considered for, with the introduction of a ‘Continental’ type Sunday, the changes in family grouping brought about by divorce law et al, the freedom of social behaviour that was encouraged by media watching and the educational methods undertaken by them in school, which welcomed a personal active stance in their learning, then, perhaps, our old fashioned relationship with modern children was seen to be wrong and a greater freedom for the child was advocated.

Stewardship was discussed and a quotation from ‘Money Matters’ by Douglas McKearn “in many parishes a high proportion of giving comes from a small proportion of the total membership” gave rise to much interest. Mr Ken James produced figures from the weekly collection envelopes which stated that the weekly average collection in the last five years -2000 -2005 – had gone up by 50 pence and that the church quota in that time had gone up from £37,000 to £50,000, that is gone up by £13,000.

If anything would put a damper on an initiative then this news would go a long way to its demise. Later in the year an appeal went out for all to consider their amount of giving and be guided in their response to the appeal.

Earlier in the year the P.C.C. heard of the repairs to the car park, teething troubles in the parish centre, the establishment of baby changing facilities, and provision of non slip mats for the Centre. They also agreed Page !22

that the annual token to the value of £50 be awarded at the annual Olchfa School Presentation for a pupil’s service in the community. Also the Youth Club and Junior Youth Club would support the Aids Orphanage in Swaziland by giving £40 each.

A Music Quiz was held on Saturday 6th May and a Concert presented by the Music Society featuring the Morriston Salvation Army Songsters was enjoyed on the 10th July.

It was about this time that, through the good work of Mr Alan Pickard, the church offered a web site to the internet world, and Webmaster Alan updated the site on a weekly basis.

Early in September, St Hilary’s and St Martin’s, along with very many churches in the Swansea and Brecon Diocese, held an Open Churches weekend :- from 2 pm to 6 pm on the Saturdays and from 10am to 6pm on Sundays the churches were open for anyone to come in and look around and perhaps follow a trail of interest which had been put together.

The first Sunday ended with a ‘Songs of Praise ‘service and on the second Sunday at 6 pm we joined the congregation at St Joachim and St Anne’s Church to help them celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church and the ministry of Father Kelly.

A letter from Kitui was received late in the year which told of the use being made of the St Hilary’s centre of Hope, and the conditions that they were living under.

Their main hope was for the October rains to come and produce a good harvest. To help with the famine, the church, through the Charitable Giving Committee sent a gift of £1,000 to be spent on food for the children at the Centre.

The annual changing of the clock arrived and with it those early dark evenings which

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Gwynneth & Fred Prestwood

“Early in the year saw the opening of an Ecumenical Men’s Group – now named the Simeon Fellowship”

2007 Page !23

curtail outside activity. Thus the party of volunteers who had spent their Monday evenings during the summer trimming bushes and branches, cutting grass and generally tidying up the graveyard and the surrounds of the church disbanded only to reform the following year. Their efforts were easily discernible and greatly appreciated by the many people who visit the Garden of Remembrance and the graves.

In October a World’s Biggest Coffee Morning was held and, from the proceeds, we were able to send the sum of £364 to MacMillan Cancer Research.

The Harvest Thanksgiving Service was held later than usual this year in the middle of October. Fortunately we do not have the same problem as Kitui with regards to rain, in fact quite the opposite.

However the church was decorated in a very fine floral manner and the following Harvest Supper in the evening was welcomed and appreciated by all who were there.

On to the Christmas period with all the well established activities and services, including a ‘Songs from the Shows’ Concert on December 12th.

2007 Towards the end of 2006 the Parochial Church Council received a letter from Anne and John in Kitui. In it was a request for monetary help for they were undergoing great hardship. The cause of the hardship was a number of malnourished children who had been taken into the St Hilary’s Centre of Hope and had been fed regularly. This had caused and was causing a great strain on the financial running of the Centre and so the appeal for help. The P.C.C. unanimously approved a donation of £1,000: the cheque was to be sent with strict instructions that it was to be used for food only and not used for any other purpose.

In the middle of the year a communication was received from the Revd John Ikucha thanking the Church for the donation towards the running of the Centre of Hope which was established to look after orphans of AIDS victims. The centre had been able to buy 70 bags of maize and 10 bags of beans which are being used, providing meals for the children. Some of the food was being stored for later in the year when they are normally faced with famine. They had also been able to buy uniforms for the children. A little money had been used for the general running of the centre! No comment there. Their thanks ended with greetings and best wishes to all in our parish.

Early in the year saw the opening of an Ecumenical Men’s Group – now named the Simeon Fellowship. The Group was open to all men living in the area. When they held their first meeting at the end of January, 2007 a goodly number from all the religious denominations Page 23

90 YEARS SERVING THE COMMUNITY 1926 - 2016

in the area attended. Officers were chosen together with a Steering Committee which represented all the chapels and churches of the area including Three Crosses. Looking back over the last nine years I am happy to report that the Simeon Fellowship, meeting at the Dunvant Rugby Club on the last Tuesday in each month continues to thrive and is well attended and an interesting and varied programme has been received each year.

Unfortunately, as one group opened another well established group closed for it was, with regret, that those who had supported the St. Hilary’s Gardening Club had dwindled away in attendance and so, after a life span of 23 years, it was seen to have run its course. In its final meeting the chairman, Mr George Heard, recalled how he and the late Randall Nutt had formed the group, how it had prospered and now how it had declined so that the ending was inevitable. Mr. Bob Mapp, the Secretary, hoped that one day in the future, like a phoenix rising, the Gardening Club would establish itself again.

Shrove Tuesday fell in February this year and, as usual, the evening was given over to not only the consuming of pancakes of various sizes and types, thanks to all those who donated them, but also the fun packed Page !24

evening of a social nature organised by Margaret Thomas. She was aided by her spouse, Canon Geoffrey, and the evening rollicked along with many highly amusing poems and dramatic readings bringing laughter and tears to the many that were there. Indeed the evening was such a success that one voice regretted that a video film had not been made of it.......

That year the Lenten services, on a Wednesday evening, were concerned with the lives of people who were with Jesus at the time of his trial and subsequent crucifixion: Judas, Barabbas, Peter....... with Holy Week services being presented by our guest the Canon Keith Evans.

It was during this period of the church’s history that the use of the Sanctus Bell was introduced into the Eucharist service. A gift to the church by Mrs Jan Lewis, in memory of her mother, the ringing of the Sanctus Bell is now that moment in the service when we the communicants have our attention drawn to the bread and the wine and the symbolism attached to both. Bells have been rung at the consecration of the elements since the 5th century. They are rung for at least two reasons: to make a joyful noise to the Lord (Psalm 98 :4 ) and to signify adoration to God (Zechariah 14:20).

Early in the year at a P.C.C. meeting it became apparent that whereas the amount of finance needed to run the church was increasing the income was decreasing. This was because of a number of things, including movement out of the parish, old age and the tug of modern social living. In order to meet our obligations a number of activities were introduced designed to cut down on our financial outgoing. One such change was the ending of all contracts with the cleaners employed to look after the church and hall. This happened at the end of May and, in its place, there was set up a working roster of members to clean the

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church for a month. All were volunteers and it has proven to be successful as well as a great saving. Another saving was the introduction of oil filled candles for use at the altar.

That summer was a wet summer. That is usual for this part of the globe, however for on the 20th June the Ladies group had planned a walking ‘Treasure Hunt’ around Killay. Fred Prestwood, husband of the Chairman, had put a lot of time and effort into preparing the hunt with thirty obscure and rhyming clues. It rained on the night in question and so fifty members sat down to a quiz instead. The winners scored 39 out of 50 and were commended on their all round knowledge.

On the 18th August when a Table Top Sale on behalf of the Church was conducted by Eileen Nielsen the weather was described as ‘the most rainy Saturday ever’. Yet, despite that, £200 was handed over to the Church Treasurer.

The following week a Christian Aid afternoon Tea Party was held. This event raised £320 and was added to the amount raised earlier in May to make a sum of £820 sent to the charity that year. The church also funded a further £200 for the purchase of a Tap Stand to be used in the Chad/Darfur area of Africa.

In August news reached us from his home in Toronto, Canada of the passing of Vicar Hughes who had been our Vicar from 1968 to 1987. A requiem Mass was held in St Hilary’s on the 7th August followed by a memorial service on 11th September. Both services were very well attended and were a true expression of the high regard his parishioners had for their Vicar. Attending the memorial service was one of Hywel’s step sons who spoke of the Vicar’s life in Canada and of the deep affection he carried for the community of Killay and the

Page !25

worshipping congregation of St Hilary’s and St Martin’s.

Towards the end of the year, after a P.C.C. debate when the thoughts of the Vicar were considered in the Church’s meeting of new laws under the Health and Safety awareness, as well as a consideration of St Hilary’s carbon footprint re global warming, it became known that a number of minor alterations to the electrical supply socket and switch positions and lighting were to take place. Also the removal of the seating which had been in position for a number of years was proposed and was to be replaced with individual chairs of a blue padded seating together with a new carpet along the aisle through the chancel to the altar rail. Further, the rail at the west end of the car park outside the church was replaced by a low wall with barriers to prevent any structural damage.

And before, you could say ‘Dick Whittington and his cat’ all the Christmas activity was upon us. On the first day of December the Christmas Fayre was held in the Church Hall with hot soup, hot punch, hot mince pies and a large number of stalls.

It was well attended and resulted in a £600 addition to our funds.

This was followed by a Toy Service; Carols in the local Precinct; an evening with the Penyrheol Operatic Society performing carols and songs from the shows; the now annual Festival of Christmas Trees with the theme of Pantomime Stories; carol singing services at St Martin’s and again at St Hilary’s; the children’s Crib Service and seven Eucharist services over the festival period.......a very busy end to the year.

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2008

“thanks to a legacy from Richie Fuller the much loved Eucharistic Assistant and Choir Member for over fifty years - a collection of metal plaques depicting the journey of Jesus as he made His way to His cross”

Pam & George Ward

2008 Page !26

Easter, was very early, the following year (late March) and in the Lenten period the walls of the main body of the church were enhanced, thanks to a legacy from Richie Fuller the much loved Eucharistic Assistant and Choir Member for over fifty years, by a collection of metal plaques depicting the journey of Jesus as he made His way to His cross.

Mrs. Carol Davies, who has been a Eucharistic Assistant for some time completed her training as a Lay Reader and was awarded her certificate by the Bishop of the Diocese and so joined Emlyn and David in their work. Carol later went on to study and become a fully ordained Priest and is now working in Gower.

The year 2008 will stand out in history as the year of financial disaster when countries throughout the Western civilization discovered that their banks had over reached themselves and, in some cases, using sharp practice, had managed to ‘lose’ great sums of money. A period of financial restraint followed this and has lasted a very long time. I write thus for at St Hilary’s and St Martin’s the early part of the year saw a great deal of expenditure. In the P.C.C. meeting held on the 8th June its members heard that in the first six months of the year the Church had spent £24,000 on repair to the fabric of the church and £ 600 for replacement fencing, and that, because of this expenditure, the first quarter of the annual Quota had not been paid. Later, in September, a bill for carrying out necessary electrical work in the Parish Centre had cost £6,167. Indeed, as the year progressed, our outgoing far out stripped our income and the Treasurer brought this to the attention in a detailed financial statement. This led to much discussion ranging over all our financial activity and, despite the income from various sources, last year’s Christmas Fayre (£1600) and the Summer Fete (£2,000) it was deemed necessary to form a Fundraising Committee in order to hopefully increase our income.

Regardless of the desire to ensure that the church in our community was solvent, many charities were supported during the year; Christian Aid received £800, four of our youths were supported in their reaching a financial target so that they could visit India or South America and the Galapagos Islands on educational visits; donations to meet world needs, as requested, and as a support to families on occasion of the passing of one of our own. In this latter category the church met in July on the occasion of the passing of a very popular ‘Peoples’ Warden’ George Ward. George carried out his duties with kindliness, with respect, with warmth shown to everyone he welcomed to the Church.

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Thinking of George I delight in recalling a funeral at the church which was very well attended so many people that the body of the church was full and more people were coming in. George decided to use the choir stalls as extra seating and, turning to a young lady as she entered the church, said “You look as if you can sing a bit, come with me into the choir stalls.” She followed him as did a number of other mourners.

Later George found out that the young lady he had spoken to was Bonnie Tyler the well known pop singer.

Another who passed on that year was Percy Richards who for many years had been the P.C.C. Secretary and a most reliable one at that.

The year also saw the enthronement of Bishop John and, prior to his attendance at the Lambeth Conference, Bishop William Gregg the sixth Bishop of Eastern Oregon and his wife Kathy, who was a teacher, were visitors to the area. Bishop William gave an excellent sermon in St Hilary’s in the morning of Sunday, 13th July. This was followed by a Bring and Share Lunch in the hall where our guests met a large number of the congregation. During the few days he stayed with Father Tim the Bishop was able to see many of the scenic beauties of our area as well as St Fagan’s, the Mansion House and the local hostels.

In a P.C.C. meeting held towards the end of November a number of items were discussed and put into action the Christmas programme of events. The annual Christmas tree exhibition was to display the Parables of Jesus, all those who took part last year were invited to once again enhance the church with their decorative skills. The very many services planned for the Christmas period were agreed. In response to a letter from Kitui, who had appealed to St Hilary’s and St Martin’s for financial help, it was agreed that a retiring Page !27

collection was to be taken for three weeks in the near future.

Something of a novelty, which proved to be a successful venture, was the giving of a £10 note to those who wished to take part and following The Parable of the Pounds (Luke 19. V. 11 – 26) use the money to increase in value when returned. Later in the year the Church Treasurer confirmed that approximately £900 had been gained from the exercise. This activity plus the small profits made by the staging of Concerts (the Stan Stennet evening raised £500) were very welcome for the Treasurer had reported that in 2008 repair activity in both churches, necessary work carried out in the Parish Centre, especially in the kitchen, had amounted in excess of £42,000 . At that time he also said that the Quota had to be paid and the only way such sums of money are to hand would be by encashment of an Investment Bond of £30,000 held by us. The P.C.C. approved the encashment if required. As we shall read the financial situation that the Church found itself in was enough to tax the best of Treasurers.

At that meeting, Father Tim, in his Chairman’s report floated the idea of a change in the way the church was set out.

His idea for discussion in the future was the replacement of the choir stalls and replacing them with separate chairs which could be placed in different patterns dependent upon what the area was to be used for. Here he cited the area being used by visiting choirs and different ways of offering a church service, of holding musical concerts and using it for normal services when the congregation was a small number. He also proposed that the Screen in front of the Chancel be removed and relocated near the font at the back of the church. The members of the P.C.C. were asked to speak with members of the congregation in order to ascertain their Page 27

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Emlyn Bawden

“The result of the Sunflower growing competition was announced”

views on these proposals. Once this proposal was put around it became obvious that, generally speaking, two opposing camps set up; those who favoured the idea of the area being freed up and those who wanted the area to remain as it was and had been since the opening of the church. However one thing became very clear and that was no one liked the idea of the removal of the Rood Screen and this proposal was dropped. However, to meet the amount of feedback from the congregation it was established that if they felt strongly enough about either of the ways forward they should put their views in writing so that the P.C.C. members would be in a position to give a reasonable response to the suggestion. The Vicar also promised that he would fix up a visit to St David’s Church, Neath to see what effect the removal of the choir stalls had for that church. This was done in the autumn of this year, 2009. The Vicar also held a meeting to consider the matter with the Church Choir.

Here he heard that the Choir had become attached to the present lay out but did not feel prepared for a change.

But change there was at the end of the year when our very popular Organist and Choir Master Mr Marcus Wells decided it was time he retired. Marcus lived in the Ystalyfera district in the Swansea Valley and, along with his well passed retirement age, found travelling irksome. Marcus had also been responsible for the lay out and editing of the monthly magazine and together with his very scholarly articles on church music and music in general felt his decision had been made in a correct manner.

2009

2009 Page !28

At the Parish Christmas Dinner early in January a presentation was made to Marcus by the Vicar on behalf of the parishioners. It was also announced that Mr Peter Carder would be taking over the organist duties in the very near future.

Another of the church’s personnel was to leave in May when Mrs Carol Davies, Lay Reader, was accepted to train for the Non Stipendiary Ministry and was to carry out her training in Sketty Parish. At this time Mr Emlyn Bawden, Lay Reader, fell and fractured his leg. This led to a prolonged stay in hospital which ended with his being looked after in the Neath area. Emlyn never returned to St Hilary’s. He had a very long association with the church as a choirboy, and later as an adult choir member, as the Sunday School Superintendent for very many years and as a Eucharistic Assistant and a Lay Reader, devoted a great deal of his life to service in our worshipping community together with his family. It is regretted that circumstances became such that an organised farewell to Emlyn was never achieved.

Although this publication is concerned with the Church of St Hilary’s, Killay there has been, from time to time, reference made to

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St Hilary’s Church Cremation plots 2016

our sister church St. Martin’s, Dunvant and, in the July of 2009, we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the dedication of the church by the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, the Right Reverend E.W.Williamson. A dinner of celebration was held in the Gower Golf Club, Three Crosses and this was followed

by Sunday, Trinity 7, a service taken by the Archdeacon of Gower, Venerable Robert Williams, on the anniversary day.

That August the evensong service, usually conducted in the church at 6 p.m., was shared amongst the churches of the Deanery. In order, we were encouraged to visit St Paul’s, Sketty, St Peter’s Newton, All Souls, Oystermouth, the Songs of Praise in Killay Shopping Precinct and St Gabriel’s, Brynmill. The venture was deemed to be a success and the following year (2010) a repeat was held with a different site each Sunday evening.

With the year on its wain the Harvest Festivals were held at the end of September following closely behind the annual Summer Fete which was at the beginning of the month. The result of the Sunflower growing competition was announced.

Earlier in the year those who wished to compete for a monetary prize were asked to buy the seeds then sow them in their garden, cultivate them and, at the end of the season, the person who grew the tallest won the prize. Quite a large number of the Page !29

congregation took part in this fun way of raising funds for the church. The winner turned out to be Fred Prestwood closely followed by Beryl Harris - only two centimetres between them.

And so the Christmas period was upon us with its Christingle and Toy for Mr X Service which took place on the day following the Christmas Fayre which packed the Parish Centre. The Christmas tree theme was on ‘Pairs found in the Bible’, The Donkey and Crib Service witnessed the church full of eager children with their parents at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and was followed by the great clean up before the 11.30p.m. ‘First Service of Christmas’ began. Hard work, but well worth it, if only to see the children’s faces during their service. The cleaning work made that much simpler than previous years with the removal, on a temporary basis, of the choir stalls. It had been agreed that, as an experiment, the stalls would be removed for the month of December to gauge its effect on that very busy time of the year.

2010 All these activities had been discussed and sanctioned in the Autumn P.C.C. meeting together with many other items including Page 29

90 YEARS SERVING THE COMMUNITY 1926 - 2016

George Heard

The Christmas tree theme was on ‘Pairs found in the Bible’

2010 Page !30

the provision of a Provincial Code of Good Practice for the Safeguarding of Children and Young People for, in the light of new legislation, a new Parish Policy was needed. Kitui and its requests for monetary support was once again brought into consideration and it was agreed that no further money be collected or sent to Kitui until the P.C.C. is satisfied that the St Hilary’s Centre of Hope was being properly administered, who were in control, and who were the Aid Agencies involved in Kitui.

The portable Font and the Bench in the Garden of Remembrance, given in memory of the late Muriel Hitchens, were dedicated at a morning Eucharist; two oil filled candles for the Altar in memory of Mrs Joan Chapman and of Father Francis Tester had been gifted by Roy Chapman and Tim and Mary Williams were also dedicated.

Mrs Avril Cross joined David Morgan as a Lay Reader.

The Treasurer gave a very encouraging financial report in so much as the annual Quota was to be paid in March. Thanks to the generosity of the Church members last year’s envelope collection realised £57,000 and £12,000 had been gained from the Gift Aid Scheme. The latter being the result of the professional way that Ken James administered the scheme. The amount given or collected for Charity was in the region of £4,000. Good news indeed, but like all Treasures statements, there was a sting in the tail in so much as the Parish Share was to be increased to £76,000 in 2011.... a rise of £10,000 in two years!

In May there was to be a change in the first Sunday in the month early morning Eucharist service. Its venue was to move from St Hilary’s to St Martin’s Church and timed at 8 a.m. as before. Earlier it had been decided to dispense with the weekly Evensong at St Martin’s, although the combined St Hilary and St Martin service held on the fifth Sunday of a month would continue to be held in St Martin’s. In May Father Tim confirmed that these changes had been accepted and attendance had been good.

In the great scheme of things we sometimes lose sight of the smaller but necessary groups of people who work for the church. Such a group is St Hilary’s Flower Guild who sees to it that the church is decorated with appropriate flowers for the Sunday services. I mention this group because, at this time, some difficulty was being experienced by the group. The problem was one of man power in so much as the flowers needed tending when on display in the church

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and then being disposed of. An appeal went out for those whose interest encompassed this aspect of our worship and it was met.

Another ‘group’, is the one known as Fair Trade. At the end of the morning service on the first Sunday in the month it is open for business in the Parish Centre. In a report in June 2010 it was stated that over £1,500 of business was carried out by the group on behalf of goods sold from Traidcraft, the company that acquire goods from the developing world. From its dealings that year, ending March 2010, the group was able to donate £51.91 to the church. It is pleasing to report that Fair Trade is still carrying on in 2016.

The Evening service in August in Killay was held in the Shopping Precinct and was a Community Songs of Praise with the Salvation Army Band and the Bruckmuhl Youth Choir from Germany. This choir were on an extended holiday at Port Eynon and visited St Hilary’s on the three Sundays that they were in the area. The Community Songs of Praise was very successful and all who attended left enlightened by the experience.

A Flower Festival was held in the church in September and demonstrated aspects of floral arrangements, craft works and photograph on the theme of ‘A Life’s Journey’ This was followed by ‘Back to Church’ Sunday when the congregation was encouraged in bringing along a lapsed or newly interested Christian. There was a slight increase of numbers at that service.

The annual Harvest Festival service was held in both churches followed by a communal meal of fish and chips in the Church Hall.

A short study group was held by the Vicar on Tuesday evenings in October entitled ‘I believe’. Later 27/28th November he led a Parish Outing and visit to Canterbury Page !31

Cathedral which proved a most successful event.

And Lo! We are with the Advent and Christmas season once again. The services fell in line with those established by Father Tim over the years he has been with the church. The Festival of Christmas Trees was on the theme of ‘Favourite Hymns’ and Cila School choir sang a selection of Carols on the Wednesday, followed on the next day by Dunvant Primary School who sang in the afternoon.

The choir stalls were removed from the Chancel area and chairs were placed there instead on Sundays for the choir’s use.

Something, not mentioned before, is the end of year Dinners which have been held by the individual groups within the church.

This practise has been going on since shortly after the end of World War II and so to list them for this year 2010: Mothers’ Union Sketty Hall on Tuesday 7th December Ladies Guild The King Arthur on Wednesday 8th December Music Society T h e B l a c k B o y o n Monday 13th December The Bowls Groups held theirs on the Friday 17th December, afternoon group and evening group, with the Church Hall being their venue. This, too, was the way in which the Pram group celebrated their Christmas party.

2011 The Parish Dinner was held on the 7th January, 2011 at the Gower Golf Club.

During the occasion the Vicar extended Good Wishes to Lay Reader Dr. Avril Cross and her husband Professor Mark Cross on their relocation to Hampshire.

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“another Garden of Remembrance to be situated near the present one”

2011 Page !32

At a recently held Parochial Church Council it was proposed to seek a Faculty to provide another Garden of Remembrance to be situated near the present one which is behind the church and in front of the churchyard. Alongside the new garden was to be a wall to display the memorial plaques.

On Saturday evening 29th January, 2011 a very successful Quiz was held in the Church Hall. It was organised by St Martin’s Church who provided the questions and much of the food at the interval. A sum of £400 was raised by the event. It was a very pleasant evening, well organised and sociable.

On Thursday 21st April, (Maundy Thursday that year) the Vicar joined the Bishop of our Diocese to clean shoes in aid of charity...this was a brilliant way of drawing the general public’s attention to the action of Jesus Christ when he washed the feet of his disciples during the Last Supper and prior to his trial and death on the cross. The charity was the Bishop’s Lenten Appeal and the amount of £600 was sent from our churches. This also was the sum sent to the organisers of ‘Christian Aid week’ that year.

On Sunday 29th May our morning Eucharist was enlivened by the singing of the boys of Christchurch Church School, Beckingham who stayed in the hall over the Bank Holiday under the supervision of their teacher, Mr. Christian Strover.

The following month saw the annual Parish Trip go to York for a tour of the Minister, calling in at the Hilton Hotel, Birmingham on the way for the Friday night’s rest. Saturday morning completed the journey and the rest of the day was spent in the old city of York. The night was spent in The Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate and on Sunday morning, the party attended a service in York Minster before returning to Swansea.

It was the summer of 2011 which saw the end of the vocational and social studies course which had been followed on Tuesdays during term time for the past three years. Under the supervision of the tutor Robert Heskins the groups were involved in a number of activities suitable to their age and development. The group attended for a term making way for the next group the following term. Each week they started with activities designed to clean the church and, whilst doing so, learned many of the things that went on in the church.. from the font to the altar so to speak. They also spent time outside in the grounds and were especially drawn to the war graves. Whilst observing the students one was impressed by their demeanour and the way they conducted themselves. Their tutor was well pleased with the experiment.

The August Evensongs were again spread throughout the Deanery and were held at Holy Trinity, Parkway, Sketty Park, ‘Songs of Praise’ at the Gower Show Ground, Holy Cross, West Cross, St

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Peter’s Newton and finally ‘Songs of Praise’ at the Killay Shopping Precinct.

During that summer the new carpet was installed at a cost of £2,900, 104 chairs were replaced in the Parish Centre at a cost of £1794; both sets of monies were taken from restricted funds. Approval of repairs to St Hilary’s Window was received at a cost of £1800. Such necessary spending of monies put a great strain on the church’s finances and the Treasurer made an appeal for the raising of personal contributions as well as many more extra activities designed to bring in sorely needed finances.

As the end of the year approached much was done by various individuals or groups of a charitable nature. Taking part in the Gower Bike Ride 2011 a sum of £185 was raised for the British Heart Foundation. ‘It was a wet, windy and cold day and I got soaked to the skin, but with all the support I was receiving it spurred me on to the

The

Journey through life

finish’ thus spoke our intrepid cyclist, Roger Rees.

The Fish and Chips Babies Appeal, (so called because many of the new born babies in East Africa were sent home from hospital wrapped in newspaper for warmth,) was met by our nimble fingered ladies who knitted the garments for the youngsters. The organiser was constantly on the lookout for more and more wool.

The result was that a large number of small jumpers were sent to Kampala in Uganda, where they were desperately needed.

An Advent Study Group met with the Vicar on four occasions during the month of December and on the 9th of that month a ‘Day of Prayer’ for the Parish was held.

St Martin’s held their annual Christmas Dinner in the Dunvant Rugby Club early in the month and was the first of the many functions that took place.

As for services over Christmas in the 35 days from late November to January 1st a total of 25 services were held and don’t forget the Tree Exhibition that went on for five days....busy, busy, busy.

Flower Festival Plus St Hilary's Church 16th-19th September

Opening times

Thursday, Friday & Sunday 12noon-6pm Saturday 10.30am-4pm

Refreshments available Festival Songs of Praise

Sunday 6pm

Page !33

2012 In the first part of the following year a number of social events were held which went a little way towards the state of solvency that all treasurers dream of. Prior to Christmas the annual December Fayre Page 33

90 YEARS SERVING THE COMMUNITY 1926 - 2016

to Christmas the annual December Fayre brought the sum of just over £2,500 into the funds and then 1. Teenager Katie Fletcher organised a sale of nearly new clothing and a miscellany of various items together with refreshments and, through her efforts, £175 was added to the Parish Funds.

2 A Beetle Drive was held; refreshments were included in the price of admission and this venture realised over £200.

Tom Bartley

“The mid week Lenten services were based on the dialogue of the film ‘The King’s Speech’ whereby the Vicar, Canon Geoffrey and the Lay Reader drew attention to the very many Christian concepts within the story telling”

2012 Page !34

3. A Fashion Show was organised at Rowberry’s Fashions which was well supported and over £100 was added.

The mid week Lenten services were based on the dialogue of the film ‘The King’s Speech’ whereby the Vicar, Canon Geoffrey and the Lay Reader drew attention to the very many Christian concepts within the story telling.

The sum of £120 plus was donated to the Bishop’s 2012 Lenten appeal raised at a Parish Luncheon of soup, bread and cheese. That year the Bishop had centered his appeal on MAGGIE’S Centre, Swansea, and The Touch Trust which aided Autism Spectrum Disorders in the young and the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East.

Perhaps the biggest social event at this time was the Concert held in May by the Gwalia Singers. The voices blended well with each other and the acoustics of the church seemed to fit in with the music.

Almost a packed house with a goodly sum entered into the Church funds.

This was followed by the annual Summer Fayre when so many people give of their time and energy to attract visitors and here again the treasurer smiled.

The middle of the year saw a change in the layout of the Church magazine: a different cover from the one that had been used for the last number of years, more photographs, pages set out slightly differently as was the fonts used in the printing. Altogether it was a very fresh approach to the magazine from that of the past editions.

The reason for this was that Roger Rees had taken over as Copy Editor. Roger had spent a lot of his working life in the Graphics Department and his expertise showed. This also became apparent in the occasional notices he produces – attractive as well as informative. The retiring Copy Editor was thanked by the Vicar and Roger was kind enough to say that he paid tribute to the way his predecessor had carried out his duties.

From the magazine report of the Ladies Guild we learn of one of the activities that took place to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

‘One long table was laid down the centre of the hall, which had been beautifully decorated by the Mothers’ Union for our ‘Street Party’.

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Several members told us of their memories of Coronation Day, 2nd June 1953: this was followed by the meal, after which we toasted Her Majesty with a glass of bubbly.

Owenna Lloyd entertained us with a short story, which was interspersed with members singing lines from various well known songs, it was great fun. The memorable evening was a great success, enjoyed by over 100 people who attended.

Early in July the Pram Group held their end of year ‘Teddy Bear Tea Party’. 18 families attended with a host of Teddy Bears of all colours, shapes and sizes. The children, whose ages were between 2 and 3 years old, played for a while, sang for a while and enjoyed the snacks that had been prepared for them. The highlight was the singing of two action songs ‘The Flippy, Floppy Scarecrow’ and ‘Wake-up Little Bunnies’ being especially well performed.

Early on the morning of Friday, 27th of July both churches, along with many others throughout the realm, rang the bells to celebrate the opening of the Olympic Games 2012 centered in London. This was followed by a feast of television viewing as the country followed the many activities associated with the Olympic meeting.

August of that year saw the church hall closed during the first two weeks for the renewal of lighting and heating in both halls and the Sunday school room. St Hilary’s was fortunate to win a grant to cover the cost.

It was also fortunate that the work was completed on time for that month we welcomed Harald Hoschler and the 57 strong youth group from Bruckmuhl, Bavaria. We were privileged to have these young people singing to us and sharing our Eucharist on three Sundays. On that final Sunday a BBQ was held in the newly furnished hall 200 burgers, 100 sausages and cut open bread rolls to accompany Page !35

them was served along with very many cakes, crumbles and fruit tarts provided by the church members. On the last night of their visit a Songs of Praise was held on the beach at Port Eynon and many of our congregation attended for two hours of delightful music.

Autumn arrived and, with it, many charitable and fundraising events. Amongst them: The MacMillan Coffee Morning, celebrated by very many groups throughout the land, amounted to over £400.

A very large Book Sale, over 5000 books were donated and realised the sum of almost £200 at the end of the day.

Advent and Christmas saw the usual activities:- the St Nicholas Fayre, The Christmas Tree exhibition with the trees decorated to illustrate the decades from 1850 onwards, The delightful Crib Service and the very many Carol Services and Eucharist services that span those two seasons of the Christian year. The last of the celebratory meals was the Parish Dinner - which that year was held in the Tapestri Restaurant in Swansea.

That time was also one of sadness for, within a few short weeks, a number of regular communicants, who had spent a great deal of their lives working for the good of all and especially their church St. Hilary’s, passed away. Perhaps it is not fitting to mention by name those who do sterling work otherwise this booklet would become a litany of names, but in this case I venture that these are honoured by being singled out: George Heard, Warden and many administrative posts within our societies.

Roy Thomas, a communicant for over 75 years, a Choir member all that time, Warden for a number of Vicars, Treasurer and general factotum since he retired.

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Tony Glasson, our Organist for many years and who carried out his duties with reverence and expertise.

Fred Prestwood, who helped wherever and whenever he could.

2013

“Another ‘first’ this year was the celebration of the Passover Meal on the Wednesday evening of Holy Week”

Eileen Nielsen

2013 Page !36

Fred was a great fan of the Quiz evening and always looked forward to the annual Quiz held on the Thursday before the start of Lent at its rolling venue. The Quiz has become a focal part of that time of year and has been going for over 25 years. In the past the various religious teams seemed to have produced a winning side which remained champions for some time. St Joachim and St Anne were the ones to beat in the early days for they were unsurpassed. It was then the turn of Three Crosses who captured the prize, a silver cup, for a number of years. The prize yo-yoed between these two for a while with Ebenezer, Siloam and St Hilary’s always ending the evening as also rans. This year the venue was at Ebenezer, a splendid repast was offered and consumed and...wait for it...the ladies team from St Hilary’s came out as winners. Great celebrations and a sense of ‘well done’ our side.

Another ‘first’ this year was the celebration of the Passover Meal on the Wednesday evening of Holy Week. It was led by Rev Philip Gwynn (little did he realise, at that moment, what was waiting for him in three years time). The evening was organised so that the Jewish celebration was followed and explanatory notes accompanied the proceeds. There were forty four who sat down to eat matzos, bitter herbs, haroseth and drank wine at the appropriate times. The festive meal was cawl and David Vaughan was master chef. During the ceremony a child was to find the broken matzah and was then presented with a Christian Easter egg. The musical highlight of the evening was the rendition of ‘How did Moses cross the Red Sea?’ performed by Father Danny Bowen and others who acted it out superbly.

The evening was an excellent team effort and since that year has become a regular addition to our celebratory Holy Week.

Incidentally that year the Holy Week daily services were carried out

by Father Howard Jones and many grateful thanks went his way. For those who are wondering what has happened to the Vicar, Father Tim, this was the time of that year when he went on a sabbatical, visiting churches in Africa and the U.S.A.. He kept in touch by sending his monthly magazine letter in the form of a diary by which we were able to follow his movements and his impressions of the experiences he was having.

That summer the church magazine’s Copy Editor submitted two editions to the Association of Church Editors as entries to their annual competition in this field. Subsequently an invitation arrived

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to visit Westminster Central Hall on their prize giving day in May with the news that the entry would be formally acknowledged in at least one of the six categories. That attendance revealed that our Church magazine was first in the Cover Design category and also a commendation for the category ‘Use of Graphics’. What a wonderful honour!

That summer also saw a Garden Party. The Garden Party had not been held for many years, the last one being in Killay House, although St Martin’s held garden parties for m a n y a y e a r.

However this garden party, held at 425 Gower Road, was in aid of charity, and was the result of a talk given to the Simeon Men’s’ Fellowship earlier in the year. The subject was on the Children of Chernobyl and the speaker, Lay Reader Roy Gambold of St David’s Church in Morriston, spoke of how the children had been affected by the nuclear disaster and how St David’s had set up a bi-annual visit of children from that area to Swansea, where they were housed and shown the very many places of interest in the area. The Garden Party realised £1,500 and was passed on to Mr Gambold to further St David’s splendid efforts.

That summer there was a visit to the Lord Mayor of Swansea’s Mansion House for a cream tea. The Lord Mayor welcomed the party and they were able to tour most of the house. The cream tea was donated by local businesses in Killay and resulted in £467 for the Church Funds.

The Gwalia Singers, with Guest Performer Jonathan Lycett, also helped with a Fundraising Concert which realised £400.

The annual Eileen’s Table Top sale on a Page !37

Saturday Morning in the Killay Shopping Precinct raised almost £400.

These Fundraising activities were very welcome for, earlier in the year, the fabric of the building showed its age in so much as the stone work around the window, the bell tower and the roof were in need of repair. Estimates were sought by the P.C.C.; a builder was chosen and the work was done over the later months of the year at a cost of £8,000.

In the July of 2013 it became known that the organisation of the churches within the Bishopric of Swansea and Brecon were to change along with the other Dioceses in Wales. Simply put the parishes would be placed in a Ministry Area: for St Hilary’s and St Martin’s this would mean working together with the churches at Tycoch and Sketty as a Ministry Area.

Moving towards this new type of administering the three parishes as a single unit called for many ‘get togethers’ for all and, during the rest of the year and onwards, clergy, P.C.C. members and representatives, who were especially chosen to plan the way forward, met in discussion.

Considering the implications of the movement towards Ministry areas, which will become apparent later, it is very pertinent to place on record part of the church’s year. The Advent/Christmas period of 2013 is shown below where it is easily seen that a great deal of work, both clerical and lay people, was used to attract worshippers in the community.

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Advent & Christmas 2013 Sunday December 1st Advent 1 9.00am Holy Eucharist (St Martin’s) 8.00am Holy Eucharist (St Martin’s) 10.30am Holy Eucharist (St. Hilary’s) 10.30am Holy Eucharist (St Hilary’s) 6.00pm St. Hilary’s, St Martin’s & Siloam 6.00pm Advent Carol Service (St Hilary’s) Carol Service (St. Hilary’s) Sunday December 8th Advent 2 Christmas Eve 9.00am Holy Eucharist (St Martin’s) 6.00pm - Living Crib Service, with live animals 10.30am Holy Eucharist (St Hilary’s) (St. Hilary’s) 4.00pm Toy Service (St Hilary’s) (Children are invited to dress in traditional nativity costume) Monday December 9th 11.30pm The First Eucharist of Christmas 10.00am - 6.00pm A Day of Prayer (St Hilary’s) (St. Hilary’s) December 11- 16 Christmas Tree Exhibition Christmas Day Wednesday 11th December 8.00am Holy Eucharist (St. Hilary’s) 7.00pm Ladies Guild & Mothers’ Union Carol Service 9.00am Holy Eucharist (St. Martin’s) (St Hilary’s) 10.30am Holy Eucharist (St. Hilary’s) Sunday December 15th Advent 3 Thursday December 26th St Stephen’s Day 9.00am Holy Eucharist (St Martin’s) 11.00am Holy Eucharist (St. Hilary’s) Later in that year the P.C.C. discussed the feasibility of having a second cremation plot in 10.30am Holy Eucharist (St Hilary’s) Friday December 27th Apostle & Mr Roy the churchyard. It was agreed that this was a necessity and John, the Warden, 6.00pm Killay Precinct Community Carols Chapman, began research into the matter. By Evangelist the February of 2014 he was able to report Wednesday 18th Eucharist (St. Hilary’s) that plans of its December site had been agreed, it would10.00am be nextHoly to the current plot running parallel 6.30pm Memorial Carol Service Hilary’s) Holy Innocents with the boundary hedge(Stand that a grant ofSaturday £8,000 December had been28th obtained from Swansea Thursday 19th December Waste Disposal Co. Ltd and that work would commence 10.00am Holysoon.

Eucharist (St. Hilary’s) 11.00am Holy Eucharist (St Hilary’s) Sunday 29th December Sunday December 22nd (Advent 4) 10.30am Holy Eucharist (St. Hilary’s)

‘the young people from Bruckmuhl visited us on what has now become 2014 their bi-annual camp at The early months of 2014 threw up many problems for the church concernwith themselves PorttoEynon... with. Generally speaking, the rising average age of those who attend hasspent gone up over the Sundays past twenty years – an aging population and so many of our faithful membersand have passed worshipping on. Thus the amount of finance has fallen and because of this, entertaining St Hilary’s were us allunable at St to meet the yearly requirement set by the Diocese. However, in Hilary’s mitigation, was pointed withitwonderful out by our Treasurer that the figures of population attending regularly music’ were not correct and, as a Parish, the charge was far higher than it should be. Our attendance had fallen Page !38

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2014 Page !39

due to a number of things and, because of that, the Parish Share asked of St Hilary’s was in excess of what it actually should be. At this juncture we had a shortfall of £24,000 approximately.

Another problem was that concerning the Vicarage in Goetre Fach Road.

Here, again, after much deliberation concerning what to do with the property that was in need of much repair and renovation, the Parsonage Board, who is responsible for looking after church properties in the Diocese, decided that it would be best to put the Vicarage on the open market for sale. The result of this would be that Vicar Tim and his family would move elsewhere if a suitable accommodation was found. Although dialogue had been going on between Father Tim and the Parsonage Board regarding the state of the property coming out of the blue as it were that the Board were prepared to sell the property on the open market was quite an alarming proposition. Could it mean that the Vicar would live outside the parish?

Was that a major factor in his subsequent leaving the parish and going to Kidderminster? I pose this question for we are all aware of what transpired in the summer of 2015 when Father Tim announced his leaving the parish.

Returning to a consideration of the proposed Ministry Area, in the Parish Report for 2014 the Vicar gave an assurance that, before any decisions were made, the Congregation would be consulted and, after explanations and presentations made, would be told that the Vision being formulated would become the Ministry Area Vision.

Further more, each parish, Killay, Tycoch and Sketty, would remain because they are legal entities, but they will share resources, share youth workers, share clergy but not finance. He also pointed out that such a change in working was not going to happen overnight and would take a long time to become a unit with the three parishes working together as one.

In the summer of 2014 the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon issued a pamphlet ‘The Next Steps’ in which the parishes were arranged into Ministry Areas and the Ministry Areas were placed into four new Deaneries; Swansea, Gower, Brecon and that of Radnor, thus replacing the current eleven area deaneries. In his introduction, Bishop John stated that this pattern for the future, offering fresh and exciting opportunities, was being adopted by the whole Church in Wales.

Finance was again most uppermost in the activities at St Hilary’s in 2014. Perhaps one of the most successful activities at that time was the ‘Twmpath’ held on St David’s day. In his resume of the event, Nigel Fletcher, who organised the event, wrote ‘What do Belfast Duck, Siege of Ennis and Strip the Willow have in common? They Page 39

90 YEARS SERVING THE COMMUNITY 1926 - 2016

were all dances performed by a packed house who attended the Twmpath held in the Parish Hall. Around 70 people ranging in age from 8 months to 80+, enjoyed themselves at a Welsh themed evening.’

This activity was followed by a fundraising Concert in church given by the Abbey Players which was well received. This was followed by the annual Summer Fete, a number of Coffee mornings and the Vicar organised an Italian evening in late summer. The Gwalia Singers also gave a concert in the church in August. A number of fund raising events were held including ‘Stop the Clock’ (won by Gillian Hutchinson), Water Aid and Table Top Sales in and out of church.

All these activities brought the sum of £7,000 plus towards the deficit we were carrying.

It was also the Summer when the young people from Bruckmuhl visited us on what has now become their bi-annual camp at Port Eynon... with Sundays spent worshipping and entertaining us all at St Hilary’s with wonderful music. Their visits ended with a BBQ held at the Parish Hall on their last Sunday visit. Much food, laughter and music was enjoyed in a warm friendly atmosphere.

We also played host to a number of G.F.S. delegates, forty in all, who were visiting Swansea for a G.F.S. conference. As you have read earlier our Girls Friendly Society group ran for a number of years until its closure in 2005. A buffet was held in the church hall and the delegates, from Japan, United States, Australia and the Home Countries enjoyed the hospitality provided.

In September, the parish outing was to Salisbury and the Cathedral. It was a success with all arrangements moving smoothly thanks to Colin Williams who has a knack for organising trips and dinners. St Martin’s Christmas Lunch was held at the Page !40

Gower Golf Club on December 12th. Prior to that, on the 6th, the St Nicholas Fayre was held in the hall. This year’s theme for the annual Christmas Tree Exhibition was that of ‘Festive Carols’ which illuminated the church during our Christmas services.

Here I must thank Mrs Phillipa Grove of Parkmill for, after many years of freely bringing her donkey to St Hilary’s to take part in the crib service, she judged that time had caught up with him and regretted that her donkey would no longer be a focal point for the children at this time of the year.

Shortly after the Christmas festival period St Hilary’s received a thank you communication from Mr X appeal. The Church has been a staunch supporter of this annual appeal and we were pleased to receive this acknowledgement of our efforts. In the letter it was stated that, in 2014, the appeal was able to supply two gifts to just fewer than 4,500 children in the Swansea and South Wales area.

2015 Early in 2015 it became apparent, through Health and safety considerations that the stage in the main hall constituted a considerable hazard and so it was decided to remove the stage. The financing of this operation was a grant of £7,000 donated by Swansea Waste Disposal Co. Ltd which was successfully applied for by the Secretary Mrs Eileen Nielsen. The staging was removed later in the year and would have shown a loss for the tight budget, but the Vicar was able to announce that an additional grant of £4,000 for the work had been received which would enable the work to be fully financed.

Furthering the work of the three parishes in their grappling with the establishment of the ‘Clyne Trinity’ Ministry Area, a

90 YEARS THE COMMUNITY 1926 - 2016 90 YEARS SERVING THE COMMUNITY 1926 - SERVING 2016

Rev. Vaughan Lake

“Clyne Trinity Ministry area is established”

Canon Geoffrey Thomas

2015 Page !41

meeting was held in the Church Hall in January whereby the clergy of each parish and their P.C.C. met and socialised and enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Father Tim. His cooking skills received much praise and applause from those who had attended. The evening went a long way towards creating a harmonious atmosphere and a sense of goodwill pervaded the meeting.

A few days later the church was saddened to receive the news of the passing of the Rev Vaughan Lake. After his retirement in 1999 he lived in the area and carried on his ministry in Killay and Gower. He became a firm ‘favourite’ of St Martin’s congregation and was always to be counted on in filling a gap in the clerical side of the parish.

Socially a number of activities took place: the Passover Haggadah was held on the Wednesday evening of Holy Week. A most instructive evening, following on from previous years, whereby the Jewish festival of Passover was gone through and explained. As part of the evening and, finishing with a flourish, the shepherds’ pie was very well received.

The 70th Anniversary of Victory in Europe (V.E.Day) was celebrated with an afternoon Tea Party. Bunting festooned the hall and many wore clothing recalling the war years.

A Garden Party was held by Sarah and Jeremy on the Bank Holiday Monday, a most enjoyable get together. The weather was dry and reasonably warm and a number of visitors were there to sample the cream teas and go home with a sampling of jams or chutneys and cakes resulting in more help to the ailing finances.

Early in July St Hilary’s received information that a Diocesan Grant, which had been applied for by Mrs Pam Davies, when she was in office as the Treasurer, had been successful and that the sum involved went a long way towards the balancing of our budget, but not completely. Near that time two celebrations were held in the church with Sung Eucharist. Canon Geoffrey Thomas’s fifty fifth anniversary of his ordination on 21st June was followed by Father Tim’s twenty fifth anniversary of Priesthood on the 24th a few days later. The second service was attended by Bishop Anthony and a number of clergy from the locality and further afield to celebrate. A buffet style meal was put on by the church members, very much appreciated by the visitors, and laughter was very much in evidence.

A few days later Father Tim made it known that he was to leave the Parish after 15 years spent working in the community. He was Inducted into his new post at Kidderminster on Sunday 6th September. His last service at St Hilary’s was the morning of the 19th July, 2015.

During the period of the interregnum the Rev. Philip Gwynn, Area Dean and Vicar of All Souls, Tycoch was to be the authoritative Page 41

90 YEARS SERVING THE COMMUNITY 1926 - 2016

Canon Geoffrey & Margaret

“ In October the Church learned, with some relief, that the Rev. Philip Gwynn was to be the Vicar of Killay”

Pam & Murray Davies

Sarah & Jeremy Harris

2016 Page !42

cleric and it was he who would be responsible for the arrangements of services and carrying on the general running of the church. The Wardens, Jeremy Harris and Val Beynon, would be responsible for the day to day running.

Rev. Gwynn was no stranger to the Parish because of his work as Area Dean but, from his personal view, the amount of work that he had shouldered was very arduous indeed. Not only was Killay without a Vicar, but St Paul’s, Sketty was losing their Vicar on retirement and their Curate was leaving for another Parish. This meant that Rev. Gwynn had three parishes under his wing. It was fortunate that he was able to call upon Canon Geoffrey and the Rev Judith and Peter Phillips, together with the Lay Readers of the three churches, that a creditable coverage of services in all churches was maintained.

In October the Church learned, with some relief, that the Rev. Philip Gwynn was to be the Vicar of Killay. However no date for his Induction had been given at that time and the Church waited until January 2016 before he was officially Inducted into the post of Vicar of Killay and also of Tycoch. Earlier, on the first day of January, the post of Area Dean became defunct as new deaneries were set up, as explained previously, and so Clyne Trinity Ministry Area became part of the New Deanery of Greater Gower.

Much had been accomplished behind the scenes regarding the setting up of the Ministry Area. A Steering Group had been established under the chairmanship of Stephen Gardner from St Martin’s and that Group had met on many occasions to formulate the way in which the three parishes would become one.

Four combined services had been held – two in Tycoch and one each in Sketty and Killay. Naturally the clergy and the steering group have analysed the response of the general worshippers and all the drawbacks that people have vocalised but, generally speaking, it would appear that, as the Ministry Area becomes established so, hopefully, there will be a general acceptance of the new ways of administering the Ministry Area.

Jim Proudfoot, who is one of the St. Hilary’s representatives on the Steering Group, submitted the following article for the Parish magazine. As the future for our church lies with the Rev. Phillip Gwynn and our response to the Ministry Area I have reproduced Jim’s work to end the review of the previous fifteen years... St Hilary’s Church from 75 to now 90 years old.

2016 onwards Ministry Areas ~ The story so far ..

90 YEARS THE COMMUNITY 1926 - 2016 90 YEARS SERVING THE COMMUNITY 1926 - SERVING 2016

Most of you will be aware that Killay Parish has been grouped, with Tycoch and Sketty, in the “Clyne Trinity” Ministry Area. This is a sub-set of, but distinct from, the new Deanery which will come into force in the New Year. Ministry Areas were set up to try to stimulate more lay involvement in all aspects of Church life, particularly bearing in mind the reduction in ordained clergy available within the Diocese. A useful by-product has been the increased interaction between the constituent congregations, leading to economy of scale efficiencies and sharing of good practice.

To date, Ministry Areas have been given no formal remit or responsibilities – indeed the Bishop is keen that each one works out its own way of working as best suits itself. From what we hear, Clyne Trinity is well in advance of most other areas in its organisation and in what it is doing – our practice is being held up as an exemplar to other areas! The Area is organised at present by a Steering Group of representatives from each Parish. Killay is represented by Jeremy and myself with Stephen Gardner from St. Martin’s chairing the Group.

Our work so far has been largely concerned with establishing working procedures, gathering information on and collating the activities within each Parish and starting to establish better communication between us all. There have been, of course, the “5th Sunday” joint services, which come round every 3 months or so (last one just past, in November) a number of joint social events and the Area Christingle service in All Souls on the 11th December. We have been a little stymied by the vacancies in Sketty and Killay – until Rev Gwynn’s induction to Killay and Tycoch, and the new appointment in Sketty, it is difficult to take some of the more radical decisions that we envisage for the Area to work effectively.

The Area's Vision states "We welcome the diversity in our Parishes and we look forward to sharing opportunities for new growth and having a Church that meets the needs of the local communities."

If you would like any further information on Ministry Areas or would like to feed back comment to the Steering Group, please talk to any of your representatives.

Jim Proudfoot, November 2015

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Bowl’s Club

Vicar with Church Wardens

Mothers’ Union

Luncheon Club Page !44

Mary Williams Farewell Thanks

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4th Killay Brownies

Members of the PCC Page !45

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What might have been! -‘Proposed new church for Dunvant’ as shown in the Builders’ Journal & Architectural Record, Wednesday, August 8th, 1900

Father Tim’s farewell

Luncheon Club Page !46

90 YEARS THE COMMUNITY 1926 - 2016 90 YEARS SERVING THE COMMUNITY 1926 - SERVING 2016

Servers with Canon Geoffrey & Revd. Phillip Gwynn

Confirmation Service with Bishop John

Ladies Guild

St Hilary’s Church Choir Page !47

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Father Tim’s Farewell Service

Wardens

Treasurer

PCC Secretary

2000 2003 2007 2010 2013 2015

2000 2007 2010 2014 2015

2000 John Bristow 2003 Eileen Nielsen

Jim Proudfoot, Roy Thomas Jeremy Harris, Roy Thomas Jeremy Harris, Alan Pickard Jeremy Harris, Roy Chapman Valerie Beynon, Roy Chapman Valerie Beynon, Jeremy Harris

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Roy Thomas Steven Lewis Alan Pickard Pamela Davies Alan Pickard

Published July 2016