Croeso Winter 2022 | Diocese of Llandaff

Hope in Justice

ESGOBAETH LLANDAF | DIOCESE OF LLANDAFF

Bishop June has always been passionate about church involvement with social justice issues. This stems from growing up in a poor community herself and the feeling of food and money running out before pay-day not being alien to her.

In her presidential address to the diocesan conference in September, Bishop June was clear of the message that the mission of justice for others is, and should be, at the heart of the Church, particularly in the Diocese of Llandaff. She said, “Mission is not primarily an activity of the Church, but an attribute of the God we worship. God is a missionary God, the Son

and the Spirit through the Father, in movement of love towards the world. This mission always includes a quest for justice, and we will find ourselves this winter needing to take up the cause of those without food or heat.”

The cost-of-living crisis has been at the forefront of our minds over the last few months, which is why the Church in Wales has recently launched the Food and Fuel campaign – an initiative to help churches show outstanding generosity and take action to support their communities. However, it is not just the UK that has been facing particularly hard times in 2022. Churches have also been

hard at work giving what they can to Ukraine, Pakistan and other world-wide appeals. This sense of generosity, justice and mission along with the message of the gospel has been concentrated into the Diocese of Llandaff’s Advent message for 2022: Hope in Justice.

This magazine brings together some of the joyful stories of the work in our churches with the theme of Hope in Justice running through. This edition is also the Bishop June’s last, so we take this opportunity to wish her well and look back on some of her highlights.

For the Church ought never to function as part of a fearful border guard, but always as those who bring good tidings. With the strong conviction that mission is ‘the Church for others’.

Why Christians Care About Social Justice

Though we often think of justice through a criminal lens, the concept of justice in Christianity is much more than one of punishment. The story of justice in the Bible is a story of righteousness, of mercy, and of love. In Luke’s Gospel, when Jesus preaches in the temple and identifies himself with the Messiah, he brings us back to Isaiah and those famous lines about good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, and that the Lord will save his people (61.1-2). But these verses also cross-reference with Isaiah 58, and that’s important.

Whilst Isaiah 61 is prophesying what the Messiah will do, Isaiah 58 is what God is calling people to do then and there – to “remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice and let the oppressed go free. Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.”

This is not a passive waiting, but a practical call to action. God is calling all his people to stand with the most vulnerable and against injustice.

author and theologian Tim Dearborn

radical love for the dignity, flourishing and the sacredness of all life, then we can start on a common ground that points toward the ultimate just society that is yet to come.

God is challenging us to act justly. But it can get messy. It’s easy to get lost in the ‘what’ of justice, the politics, and forget about what’s important – people.

Hope for Justice in the Advent Story

Advent is about preparing for the birth of Jesus and the incarnation of God among us – God being with us in the mess of our ordinary, everyday lives. Again, this reminds us of the importance of people. If we start with this and build our sense of justice around God’s

Just as Israel waited for justice, we do now – and in a world of war and refugees, of starvation and food banks, of freezing temperatures and escalating fuel bills, perhaps today more than ever. But that child in that manger 2,000 years ago, the Messiah so longingly yearned for, is still with us, and as we yearn for justice, waiting for God and the salvation to come, he challenges and empowers us to do justice now in our own lives. What are we waiting for?

As

writes, the pursuit of social justice for the poor and oppressed is the decisive mark of being people who submit to the will and way of God

Written by the Diocesan Senior Outreach and Social Justice Officer, Christoph Auckland

Photo: Huw Ryden

Cylchgrawn Croeso Gobaith yr Adfent

Beth yw gobaith? Os ydyn ni am gael ateb i’r cwestiwn yma, gallwn ni fynd ati’n ddigon syml i gamu i mewn i dymor Cristnogol yr Adfent ac ystyried y cyfan sydd ganddo i’w gynnig. Rydym yn meddwl amdano fel ‘tymor o obaith’.

Mae gobaith, wrth gwrs, yn ymwneud â disgwyl, edrych ymlaen o ddifrif, yr awydd y gallai’r hyn sydd o’n blaenau fod yn llesol inni. I’r rhan fwyaf o’n teuluoedd, mae’r Adfent yn ymwneud â disgwyl y Nadolig. Mae’n calendrau a’n canhwyllau Adfent i gyd yn arwain at ŵyl yr Ymgnawdoliad. Rydyn ni’n gobeithio am amser gyda’n gilydd, dathliad gobeithiol y bydd Duw gyda ni, genedigaeth Iesu Grist yn dod â gobaith i’r byd. Does unman arall yn ein blwyddyn yn llawn cymaint o gynlluniau gobeithiol â’r mis cyn Dydd Nadolig. Does dim o’i le ar obeithion sy’n ymwneud ag edrych ymlaen at bethau daearol a phethau nefol. Creaduriaid ydyn ni sy’n gobeithio am y gorau.

Eto i gyd, mae gobaith hefyd, yn ôl disgrifiad Thomas Aquinas, yn ‘agwedd ar yr ysbryd’, neu fel y dywedodd Martin Luther yn yr un modd, yn ‘ddewrder ysbrydol.’ Pan agorodd Pandora focs ei gŵr a gymerodd ei henw hithau wedyn, allan ohono daeth holl ddrygioni’r byd. Yr hyn a adawyd ar ôl o’r diwedd, yr hyn a barhaodd pan gafodd y byd ei felltithio, oedd gobaith. Yn yr un ffordd mae’r Adfent yn ein hannog i ddal gafael ar obaith pan fyddwn ni’n edrych i wyneb rhai o’n profiadau caletaf. Wrth inni deithio drwy’r gaeaf caled hwn, mae materion sydd wedi’u

Bishop’s

Column

disgrifio’n draddodiadol fel y ‘pedwar peth olaf’, marwolaeth, barn, y nefoedd, ac uffern, i gyd yn gofyn inni obeithio. Dyma hefyd pam rydyn ni’n defnyddio thema tywyllwch yn troi’n olau i’n hatgoffa’n hunain nad yw’r tywyllwch byth yn ein trechu. Rydyn ni’n bobl sy’n gallu gobeithio’n ddygn yng Ngoleuni Crist gan wahodd eraill i ganfod y goleuni hwnnw drostyn nhw eu hunain.

Eto i gyd, nid set syml o ddymuniadau na theimlad o ddycnwch yn unig yw gobaith. Mae hefyd yn rhywbeth rydyn ni’n ei faethu drwy weithio er mwyn iddo ddigwydd, gweithgaredd yn hytrach na chyflwr meddwl.

Efallai ein bod ni’n credu mai mater o sicrwydd yn y dyfodol yw dyfodiad Teyrnas Dduw yn ei holl dangnefedd a chyfiawnder. Mai dyna ble rydyn ni’n anelu. Ond os ydyn ni’n gobeithio amdano, rydyn ni’n aros yn amyneddgar, ac yn ymdrechu i’w gyrraedd hefyd. Rydyn ni’n tyfu’r Deyrnas ac yn adeiladu’n gallu i wneud daioni. Mae gobaith i ni yn dod yn weithgaredd yn hytrach na chyflwr meddwl, ac rydyn ni’n camu i mewn iddo gyda phendantrwydd llawen a sicrwydd tawel. Oherwydd fel y dywedodd Sant Paul, nid yw’n gobaith ni byth yn ofer, a thrwy obaith am y pethau na allwn ni mo’u gweld yr ydyn ni wedi cael ein hachub. Haleliwia! (er nad ydyn ni’n cael dweud hynny yn ystod Adfent!)

+June Llandaf

Advent Hope

What is hope? If we want an answer to that question, we simply have to step into this Christian season of Advent and explore all it has to offer. We think of it as a ‘season of hope’.

Hope is, of course, about expectation, an earnest looking forward, the desire that what lies ahead might be for our good. For most of our families, Advent is about the expectation of Christmas. Our Advent calendars and candles are all counting us down to that festival of the Incarnation. We hope for time together, the hopeful celebration of God being with us, the nativity of Jesus Christ bringing hope to the world. Nowhere else in our year do we live with quite so much hope-filled planning as we do in the month before Christmas Day. There’s nothing wrong with hope being about our anticipation of things earthly and things heavenly. We are creatures who hope for the best.

Yet hope is also, as Thomas Aquinas describes it, a ‘disposition of the spirit’, or as Martin Luther similarly called it, ‘spiritual courage.’ When Pandora opened her husband’s box which then took her name, out of it flew all the evils of the world. What was left at last, what persisted when the world was cursed, was hope. In the same way Advent encourages us to hold on to hope when we look into the face of some of our

hardest experiences. As we journey through this tough winter, matters which have traditionally been described as the ‘four last things’, death, judgement, heaven, and hell, all require of us hope. It’s also why we use the themes of darkness to light to remind ourselves that in all our tribulations the dark never overcomes us. We are people who can hope tenaciously in the Light of Christ and invite others to find that light for themselves.

Yet hope is not simply a set of desires or a feeling of tenacity. It is also something we cultivate by working for it to happen, an activity rather than a state of mind.

We may believe that the advent of the Kingdom of God in all its peaceableness and justice is a matter of future certainty. That is where we are heading. But if we hope for it, we both wait patiently, and we struggle to attain it. We grow the Kingdom and build our capacity for good. Hope becomes for us an activity rather than a state of mind, and we step into it with joyful obstinacy and a tranquil assurance. For our hope, as St Paul said, is never in vain, and it is in hope of the things we cannot see that we have been saved. Alleluia! (though we’re not allowed to say that in Advent!)

Adults Committing to Jesus

There are so many inspiring stories of how adults are finding Jesus who transforms their lives later in life. Recently, 76 adults and children were confirmed in the Cynon Uchaf Ministry Area. Here we speak to Emma who was baptised with her husband and two children in the summer at St Fagan’s Church, Trecynon, and Rachel who, with her husband Steve and daughter Sophie, was confirmed at St Lleurwgs Church, Aberdare in the autumn.

Emma

As a child we regularly holidayed in France and visited different Churches which made me aware of how attending Church can bring everyone together to feel safe and familiar and bound by belief yet in different counties and languages which fascinated me.

Over the last 5 years I have been attending Church and since moving to Trecynon we now attend St Fagan’s. The welcome, feeling of belonging and unity in Christian values and beliefs is evident and why I enjoy attending so much.

My husband and I and our two children got baptised all together in August, which was really special.

It was really humbling. With a chaotic life and busy work and kids, in that moment in the church, everything’s calm and just tranquil and just lovely.

I can’t recommend it enough. It will make you feel part of a community and they were so fantastic at reflecting on the passages from the Bible, but then bringing that to current life and how we might be feeling now with something that’s going on in a world community and how we might think about things now in 2022. The Bible is helping us get

through everything. So I get a lot from going to church on a Sunday. I really enjoy it from a community point of view and a reflective point of view. And a sort of empowering point of view I guess to make you feel like actually yeah, we can all do this. We’ve got that power within us. Our beliefs, help us get through whatever challenges may face us in life. I think it’s definitely different as an adult.

Rachel

We both attended church as children, Steven at St Cynogs, Penderyn and myself in Aberaman. Steven was in the choir which he loved even though he couldn’t sing! Through his teenage years and twenties he did lose touch with the church, returning for the first time about 10 years ago with our young daughter Sophie. He went to many a service on a Sunday and was really sad when the church was closed despite numerous fund-raising efforts.

We had been told lovely things about St Lleurwgs, Hirwaun, and so as a family we decided to go along to a service on a Sunday. We instantly felt welcomed. For me after not having been to church for so long it gave me a lovely feeling of comfort and peace. Sophie has enjoyed the Sunday Club where she has made

many friends and Steven and I have too made many new friends. We feel like we have a new family.

Church has now become an important part of our life. As a couple we decided we would both be confirmed along with Sophie. It would show our commitment to our faith. The day of our confirmation was very special and one which we will always remember.

Planting and Growing

Making new disciples is the ultimate goal of the Church as we seek to spread the gospel and incite people to follow Jesus as we do.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hebrews 6:19

The Rev’d Ryan Forey, vicar of Citizen Church, Cardiff, has and is planting new locations in Senghenydd and Pontypridd. Here Rev’d Ryan talks about how he has seen successful growth of Church communities:

We never intended to set up a church for Christians. We always wanted to reach the people no one is reaching, and so set up a church aimed at the 99% of people that don’t yet go to church. To do that, we felt like a big part of that for us is Alpha [an introductory course to the basics of the Christian faith through a series of talks and discussions].

We found Christians wanting to travel to Citizen Church were finding it difficult

to convince their friends to travel to try church for the first time. With our new locations we want to get local so that we can run Alpha and tell people about Jesus in a context that works for them. And so, what we’re doing Cardiff is very different to what we’re doing in Senghenydd, and even Pontypridd will probably feel a bit different as well.

We’re pretty keen on enabling people to belong before they believe. We feel like everyone needs to be needed and known. And so, as soon as someone starts coming along we look at how we can get them on a team and belonging in a small group.

We want to break the stereotypes of church and also breach loneliness.

We do lots of big invitational events. Alpha is the big invitation, but soon it will switch to Christmas events.

The biggest way that we’re inviting people in is word of mouth and building that level of trust that when you bring your friend here, they’re going to have a great time. They’re going to hear about

Jesus but they’re also going to meet friends. Loneliness is at an all-time high right now so that’s something we’re really trying to tackle. We want to build real authentic community for people to belong to before they believe and really find a home here.

Senghenydd

“The congregation at Senghenydd has a lot of young families and is set up and committed to providing engaging content for all children, allowing parents to start finding their own community in the space.

“They then plan to offer the Alpha course to those parents who have gotten to know them through our child provision, including the midweek toddler group. The culture at Senghenydd also strives to combat loneliness which elderly people and students can often struggle with alike. “It’s about community.”

Hope in Justice for School and Church

Week 2 - Hope in Community

Who is my neighbour? When Jesus is asked that question in the parable of the Good Samaritan it’s not out of nowhere – people had been pondering that question since the Old Testament. It can be easy to think of your neighbour as someone next door, or across the road, someone a lot like you, but Jesus’ challenge is to re-think that, to see our neighbours as everyone in the community. Week two of Hope in Justice asks “who is my neighbour” and encourages us to see ways to show love to them.

Schools and Churches are invited to follow the Hope in Justice 4-week course for Advent. The course has been compiled by the collaboration of the Diocesan Head of Education, Beccie Morteo, and Senior Outreach and Social Justice Officer, Chris Auckland. Resources for this course will include activity ideas, readings, liturgy, prayers, and collective worship slideshows. The four weeks look at helping each other in different areas in our lives and how the goodness of justice is demonstrated in the Advent story and the life of Jesus.

Week 1 - Hope in Action

Advent is a time of waiting – waiting for Jesus’ birth, waiting for Christmas. But more than that, it is a time when we reflect on the long wait for the Messiah and the justice to a damaged world that he brought. Starting with the prophet Habakkuk’s sorrowful plea to God of ‘how long must we wait?’ week one of Hope in Justice explores what justice is and how we can show it. What are we waiting for?

Week 3 - Hope in the World

The Bible talks a lot about welcoming strangers, but how often do we stop and remember that Jesus was himself a refugee, fleeing Bethlehem for safety in Egypt? Building on the incredible work of our Schools of Sanctuary, and the fantastic Taith Advent project, week three of Hope in Justice challenges us to think about those seeking sanctuary and reminds us of the words of the ancient Celtic poem – “often goes the Christ in the stranger’s guise.”

Week 4 - Hope in Jesus

Joy to the world, the wait is over! The birth of Jesus ends the long wait for justice as an inextinguishable light joins us in the darkness. In week four, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we explore how the incarnation of Jesus amongst us in the mess of our everyday lives also challenges us to participate in his mission of justice. What are you waiting for?

Find all our Advent Hope in Justice resources on our website llandaff.churchinwales.org.uk/hope-in-justice/

Warm Hubs for a Tight Winter

Multiple churches across the diocese are setting up as Warm Hubs with the help of grants which will be open at least one day a week to the community as a comfortable space with free food and drink, games and places to natter.

Rhondda Ministry Area already provide this for the Dementia Support Group and are now partnering with other denominations and primary schools to open up in a similar way for everyone.

Bishop June herself is providing some

financial support for the initiative.

She said, We know that there are very many people in our communities who are in trouble in their own homes of being able to, to heat send the simple comfort of being able to stay warm. And so, the initiative to create warmth hubs, community places, which are safe which where people feel that they can gain bodily comfort, but also

social encouragement is a wonderful initiative. And churches will be joining with other community groups to make that happen. We wish it were not so we wish that people could be able to finance and afford their own heating. But on the other hand, the spin off from it is that we will be able to meet with people and to care for them. And to make sure they know that there is this safety on offer in the community.

Christians Against Poverty Around the Dicoese

Proverbs 14.31

As the Cost-of-Living crisis escalates this winter, CAP projects offer useful tools to offer practical and emotional support to help people get more from the money they have, whether that’s reducing debt, changing jobs, or better budget management. In the past 12 years CAP have helped over 20,000 people in the UK to become debt free, and in the last year alone over 13,000 people have been supported through a journey out of debt. This is done in the firm conviction that God calls all of us to support the marginalised and care for those struggling with poverty.

At St Donnats Church in the Cynon Valley South MA, the church is

working hard to establish a CAP Job Club for this November to which the diocese is proud to be giving financial support. The Mother’s Union are donating devices to the Job Club for the attendants to use in the sessions to begin applying the skills they have learnt. This is a brilliant example of diocese, CAP, church and community collaboration that can bring these valuable local services to South Wales.

Almost a quarter of people in Wales live in poverty, and the Diocese of Llandaff includes 6 of the 10 most deprived areas of Wales. The diocese is dedicated to supporting our churches and Ministry Areas to deliver CAP projects, such as Life Skills, Debt Centres, Job Clubs and Money Courses, to help these communities during the cost-ofliving crisis and beyond.

Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but those who are kind to the needy honour him. –

Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbour in your land.’

Bishop June’s Highlights

An interview with Bishop June about some of her highlights as Bishop of Llandaff

Knowing the Flock

For the first year of her time as Bishop of Llandaff, The Rt Rev’d June Osborne travelled around parishes and congregations as part of her induction. She was given biographical summaries of the life of each parish and still holds them dear.

“You know, the ordination service for a bishop talks about being known, knowing your people and knowing the flock. I still have the biographical summaries of the life of each parish that were given to me in my office and I still look at them, I still go back to them.

Certainly in the first couple of years, they were invaluable to me because, of course, I was learning about the diocese. I was a bit of an unknown quantity to the diocese and so what I count as very precious really is the generosity of the welcome that I had from people right across the diocese as they got to know me as the new bishop.”

Ordinations

During her five years of service, Bishop June ordained over 50 deacons through to priesthood.

“It rests very firmly on a bishop’s shoulders that you replenish and renew the ministry of the church. You’ve travelled with the candidates for quite a long time, and you’ve seen them through their discernment processes. But at the same time there’s no point in me ordaining somebody unless the community of the church, and the congregation that’s gathered as a representative of the wider church, recognises the calling and legitimacy of this person. The ordination prayer has a number of different elements to it, but at the actual point of laying my hands on the heads, I ask the congregation to sing the Taisei Chant, which is “Come Holy Spirit”. It’s on top of the prayers of the people that I then lay my hands on the candidate. It’s a goose bump moment which the candidates will remember forever. It’s an extraordinary privilege and honour to be ordaining people.”

Resilience in Lockdown

March 2020 to 2021 saw the closure of hundreds of church buildings. For Bishop June, this time displayed the true heart and resilience of the Church she serves.

“Right at the core of my time as bishop was two years of lockdown. I am so proud of the way that the whole diocese and especially the clergy, just simply hung in there. Who could have believed as a bishop, that they would be asking the communities to close their churches? Yet they adapted. We discovered digital church, new ways of pastoral care, and clergy adapted to the horrendous nature of funerals. We will in years to

“

come, look back and remember how horrible lockdown was, but there was lots of resilience and determination to stay true to who we are.”

Not a rounding off… An opening up.

I am a great believer that a lot of what you do, you do for your successor. Sometimes you make some hard decisions. But you know, in every job I’ve done, I have right from the first day thought to myself, “What will my successor bless me for?” It’s like a relay race. I’m a great fan of Reinhold Niebuhr who said, ‘Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore, we must be saved by hope.’

“I was blessed by all the faithfulness of my predecessors, and all the labour they put into this diocese. It’s a relatively short time, five years, though people tell me that I’ve done quite a lot. I knew when I would retire, I would look back not just on what I have done, but what baton I am handing on.”

Photo: Huw Ryden

At the end of her final presidential address at Diocesan Conference, Bishop June said, “Thank you for allowing me to be a part of shaping Llandaff. It has been such a privilege. You have done me the greatest honour in supporting me in this calling. I thank you for your prayers. You have been such a mighty blessing to me.”

In response, Archdeacon Mike Komor has written this letter of thanks to The Right Rev’d June Osborne:

Dear Bishop June,

On behalf of the diocese, it’s my privilege to thank you for your ministry to us and among us since 2017. You came to us as someone unknown to the great majority of people in the diocese, but you worked incredibly hard in your first months to familiarise yourself with Llandaff’s people and places. Very quickly you immersed yourself in our culture and customs, and swiftly began the serious work of constructing a new vision for the Church in this corner of God’s vineyard. During your oversight of the diocese, you have invested heavily, time and resources in enabling both lay and clergy to develop their leadership potential, while simultaneously driving the diocese forward along its path of reform. So many people in Llandaff have benefitted so much from the compassion, wisdom, and boldness that you have brought to bear on your episcopacy. Never one to duck the hard decisions or avoid the difficult conversations, your desire at all times has been the good of the diocese and its people.

Your energy and enthusiasm for ministry has been awe-inspiring, and now that the time has come for you to take some well-earned rest our hope and prayer for you is that you will have a long, happy, and fulfilling retirement.

May God bless you, as you have blessed us.

The Ven. Mike Komor

The King Comes to Llandaff

A significant moment for all of the Diocese came on Friday 16th September when His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Consort Camilla attended the Welsh National Service of Prayer and Reflection for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Introducing the New Dean of Llandaff Cathedral

We

Canon Richard has had a long connection with the Church in Wales, leading retreats, preaching, and teaching across Wales. As Dean of Llandaff, Canon Richard will lead Llandaff Cathedral in its mission and ministry and will become an integral part of the bishop’s leadership team.

Looking ahead to starting his new role, Canon Richard says, “Llandaff Cathedral is uniquely placed to be at the heart of Wales’ capital and its national life. Forging relationships across this diverse city with other faith communities, business and politics will be an important part of my work. Developing Llandaff Cathedral as a visitor destination where tourists can become pilgrims and where people of all faiths and none find a home is part of God’s call to us in the twenty-first century.”

Born in Chesterfield, The Rev’d Canon Richard Peers trained and worked as a teacher before being ordained in 1993. Since then Canon Richard has served in parishes in the Dioceses of York, Portsmouth, Lichfield and Southwark as well as spending time as Director of Education for the Diocese of Liverpool. He has long exercised a combined ministry in education and as a priest. In addition, he was a founder and first Superior of the Sodality of Mary, Mother of Priests, a dispersed community of Anglican priests with members around the world. He has advised other new, emerging expressions of community life in the church. Most recently he has been serving as Sub Dean at Christ Church, Oxford.

Announcing Canon Richard’s appointment, the Rt Reverend June Osborne, Bishop of Llandaff, said, “Richard brings a wealth of experience which will enrich the life of the Cathedral and make a significant contribution to the life of the Diocese. With his immense experience as priest, spiritual advisor and sub dean, Richard is ideally placed to further develop Llandaff Cathedral’s reputation as a place of excellent worship and thriving choral tradition.”

Canon Richard Peers said, “I look forward to praying, working, and living in Llandaff as part of the strong team in the Cathedral. This is an exciting time for the Church in Wales and for Llandaff Diocese and Cathedral. The Cathedral is a place where faith matters and I will be glad to lead the Cathedral as it further develops the diocesan vision to tell a joyful story, grow the kingdom of God, and build the capacity for good of churches across the Diocese.”

Richard lives with his partner Jim, a garden writer, and their dog Teilo. Gardens and garden design are a significant part of their life together.

He said “I look forward to living in joyful, confident abundance with the community at Llandaff and with the clergy and laity of the Diocese. Jesus calls us his friends and friendship with Jesus is at the heart of who I am as a person, I will be glad to renew old friendships and make new friends across the Diocese.”

are delighted to welcome The Reverend Canon Richard Peers as the new Dean of Llandaff Cathedral.

Young Faith Matters Team do ‘Experience Christmas’

Our Young Faith Matters aim across this Advent period is to bring the joyful story of Christmas to children through two weeks of storytelling in churches across the Diocese. Schools and families love coming to churches during the Christmas period, and we want to make the most of this opportunity by offering fun, interactive stations that children can move around to experience the different aspects of Christmas. ‘Experience Christmas’ includes 6 stations that the children explore with 10 minutes per station, including the angel visiting Mary, the birth of Jesus promised, Mary and Joseph making their way to Bethlehem, and finishing with the gift of Jesus.

This is a great way to explain the real reason for Christmas to young children and open the discussion of who Jesus is, and why Christmas is so important to Christians. The Experience Christmas pack offers pictures and a script of how to run each station allowing for effective communication of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Experience Christmas is building on the work that the YFM Team did through ‘Experience Easter’ earlier this year. Experience Easter was a chance for Ministry Areas to collaborate with schools and to begin to build strong partnerships. In just a month, the team connected with 661 children and developed 126 volunteers. During these sessions we had lots of positive feedback, including one child who said, ‘Experience Easter was great, lots of fun activities, and my favourite part was eating the bread’ (at the last supper station).

As the YFM Team, we are praying that Experience Christmas is equally as successful and well received. This year we are heading to four Ministry Areas to be able to equip, enable and

empower churches and Ministry Areas to deliver Experience Christmas or Easter themselves. We are also excited to see these initiatives lead to positive connections between Ministry Areas and schools.

If you’d like to get involved in delivering your own Experience Christmas or want to know more, please get in touch with Simon Evans (simonevans@cinw.org.uk) the YFM Lead, who will be happy to discuss this with you (details on the Young Faith Matters webpage), or you can order your own Experience Christmas pack at jumpingfishpublications.co.uk.

Written by Simon, Emilia, Sam, Steve and Phil (YFM)

Schools of Sanctuary

The education team have been working with schools across the diocese to develop children and young people’s understanding of why people seek sanctuary and how we can welcome them. This started with the Taith Adfent project focusing on theme of refuge and led to a group of our schools working towards the School of Sanctuary Recognition.

Head of Education for the Diocese of Llandaff, Beccie Morteo said, “The Schools of Sanctuary key aims combined with the Christian values of love and compassion makes this recognition a great opportunity for our schools to learn, share and celebrate together. Children and young people who understand and show empathy to their neighbours, as Jesus taught us, will build a bright future for us all.”

St Monica’s Church in Wales Primary School were one of the first Church in Wales Primary Schools to achieve the recognition. As a small, inner-city, Church in Wales primary school situated in the Cathays area of Cardiff, the school welcomes a steady stream of new arrivals throughout the year, including asylum seekers, refugees, children of students and children who have moved from other areas of Cardiff, the UK or from overseas.

Twenty-four different languages are spoken in the school. The school offers a warm welcome to all children and families but wanted to extend that further through the Schools of Sanctuary programme.

One of the first things they did was enable all staff, pupils, and parents to learn about the issues faced by refugees and asylum seekers. Older pupils then shared this knowledge

throughout the school with their peers and with groups of parents. They were commended by the assessment panel for showing a high level of understanding and empathy for families in need of refuge.

The school demonstrates excellent examples of partnership working with the local community with initiatives such as ‘Helping Hands’ (a group of parents and volunteers that work together on projects within the schools) and by providing weekly meals (made by pupils) for low-income families at ‘The Table’ – a local community café.

The school also has strong links and works closely with the Roath and Cathays Ministry Area, the local mosque and Cardiff Muslim Primary School.

Headteacher of St Monica’s, Abi Beacon, said, “We are thrilled to be recognised as a School of Sanctuary. At St Monica’s we are committed to helping our children, staff and wider community understand what it means to be seeking sanctuary and extend a welcome to everyone as equal, valued members of the school community. We are proud to be a place of safety and inclusion for all.”

Beccie is keen for all Church in Wales schools to think about what their school could do to be a place of ‘sanctuary’ in their catchment area, however that may look. She said, “As a diocese we want to encourage and enable as many of our schools as possible to engage with the Schools of Sanctuary programme as not only does it support the core purposes of the Curriculum for Wales, but it allows church schools to focus on putting their Christian values into practice, offering welcome and support to all.”

of Italian woman

Finished 39 Relaxes

First man 44 Miner’s goal

California (abbr.)

Famous female pilot Earhart

OT abode of the dead

Talky

Say

Swill

Speck of wood, etc. (KJV)

acorns 65 Compass point 66 Stitch

Copyright © by Cliff Leitch, The Christian Bible Reference Site, www.ChristianBibleReference.org. Used by permission.

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