An excellent opportunity in our Buckley and Deeside Circuit – further details are on the following advertisement.

Following Cardiff Methodist Community Choir (CMCC)’s tour in February 2024, you would be very welcome to join us at Wesley Methodist Church, Canton, Cardiff, CF5 1BA on Good Friday and Holy Saturday at 7:30pm.

Wales Synod Cymru Synod Enabler for Culturally Diverse Congregations, Rev Irfan John, has been interviewed by Wales Online and the article highlights that Irfan does in the Synod.

A link to the article is below.

‘By birth I’m Pakistani, by nationality I’m British, but by the grace of God I’m Welsh’ – Wales Online

Rev Andrew Charlesworth will be making his debut on Celebration on BBC Radio Wales this Sunday. He is delighted to be representing the Methodist Church on behalf of Wales Synod Cymru.

If you are up early you can catch it at 7:30 in the morning but it will be available on demand after that.

Annwyl bawb / Dear all,

We delighted to be hosting 3 Bible Month Training Day Hubs in the district on 16^th March 2024.

These are:

• Cardiff (Radyr Methodist Church)
• North Wales (Buckley Cross Methodist, Buckley)
• West Wales (St Paul’s, Aberystwyth)

This day is specifically for those involved in leading Bible Month on the ground – Ministers, Local Preachers and Worship Leaders and those working with Children, Youth and Families – and will equip them to run Bible Month in their churches and circuits. Bible Month is an annual campaign celebrates scripture by inviting the whole Methodist Connexion to feast on one particular book of the Bible together.

• Explore the text and some key features that will help you grapple with it
• Discover some of the resources on offer to help you as your prepare for worship
• Reflect on some of the key themes and stories of Genesis and how you can lead churches into them.

For more information, and to book your place please visit: Bible Month 2024 Training Day – Genesis Tickets, Sat 16 Mar 2024 at 10:00 | Eventbrite

DISTRICT DAY

A LENT JOURNEY in 2024

Exploring Lent and Holy Week

Led by MWiB District President Mrs Norma Boocock with Mrs Frances Williams

and Mrs Kathryn Williams

AT

St David’s Methodist Church

Mostyn Avenue, LL30 1YY

ON

Saturday 16^th March 2024

10am-3.15pm

Further details available via the link below.

Poster for Lent District Day 2024

The Wales Synod Cymru Office at Cyncoed will be closed from lunchtime Wednesday 20^th December 2023 to Tuesday 2^nd January 2024.

During this period, in an emergency if you need Jennie or Andrew, please contact them directly.

With every best wish for Christmas and the New Year,

Andrew Charlesworth & Jennie Hurd

Chairs of Wales Synod Cymru of the Methodist Church

Synod Office, c/o Cyncoed Methodist Church,

Westminster Crescent, Cardiff CF23 6SE

Andrew           ChairAC@methodistwales.org.uk

Jennie              jennifer.hurd@methodist.org.uk

This post is from the Methodist Church Website Blog. It can be read below or on their website with an image.

https://www.methodist.org.uk/about-us/news/the-methodist-blog/pakistani-christians-in-wales/

The contribution of Pakistani Christians to the community and society has been recognised at the Senedd Cymru – the Welsh Parliament.

A Christmas celebration, with a live nativity scene and, of course, a Christmas tree covered in twinkling lights, took place at the Pierhead building in Cardiff, Wales to recognise the Pakistani Christians’ contribution to the Welsh community and to society. Let your light shine in the world, like the Light of Christ.

The Welsh Parliament is a secular institution, nonetheless by the invitation of the Deputy Minister for Social Services Julie Morgan, the event recognising the life and contributions of Pakistani Christians took place in an atmosphere of Christmas festivity. The Urdu-Punjabi speaking community from all over Wales were represented during the event. The Superintendent Minister of the Cardiff Circuit, the Revd Catherine Gale, was present and cut a cake to move the celebration towards food and drinks.

This event is the result of a long-term ministry by the Methodist Church in Wales. This ministry started with the welcome that the Wales Synod gave to Revd Irfan and family when they arrived in the UK leaving behind persecution in Pakistan. The Methodist Church in Wales welcomed the family and the rest is history. The event at the Parliament is the culmination of 16 years of ministry working with Christians coming from Pakistan and other parts of the world.

The Synod had the vision for welcoming, bringing them in, and integrating them in the life of the Methodist Church. Revd Irfan became the enabler of Culturally Diverse Congregations in Wales. Since their arrival, Revd Irfan – and family – are coordinating a ministry of mobilising the Pakistani Community across the Synod, and also of planting new language diverse congregations. They have a Guinness Book of Records entry for the most ‘Most Nationalities in a Nativity Play’ with performers from 56 different countries taking to the stage. There are now Urdu-Punjabi-Hindi speaking congregations at Trinity Centre in Cardiff and in also in Swansea. These are part of the Circuit Preaching Plan as language diverse congregations. 

Beyond gathering the people from Pakistan, enabling a sense of being a community, of welcome and support for the new arrivals, Revd Irfan is very much focusing on encouragement for the second generation, the young people. At the event in the Welsh Parliament, the youngsters were recognised for their role in society as doctors, lawyers and business people. Amongst them, there was a well-known figure in Methodism, Daud Irfan, a former Methodist Church Youth President, and a new leader in the making, the Global Church Youth representative: Elisha Atif. Other youngsters were recognised. They also presented the live nativity scene, sang Christmas songs, and played their instruments.

The Revd Stephen Poxon, Chair of the Fellowships Sub-Committee, and R. F. Leão-Neto were present at the festivity representing the wider Connexion language diverse ministry. The Gospel of John 9:5 was read as part of the final blessing, Jesus saying: ‘As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world’. Let that light continue to shine in the wider Welsh community through the ministry of the Pakistani Christians in Wales.

Leão Neto

Global Communities Officer

What a delightful day it was on Sunday 3rd December as members of the Swansea Urdu/Hindi/Punjabi Fellowship led the day with a wonderful nativity play in the Murton Methodist Church Hall. Organised by the Rev. Irfan John who is the Synod Enabler for Culturally Diverse Congregations Wales, with great support from the Rev. Howard Long (Superintendent) alongside Rev. Andy Walker, the gathering was attended by many people from within the circuit in addition to guests from other churches in the surrounding areas.

The members of the Fellowship which is led in Swansea by Rev. Irfan, joined together to participate in a nativity play and afterwards the Word of God was shared by Rev. Howard Long who also celebrated the Welcome Christmas event by cutting the cake. Another surprise for the guests in attendance was when Santa came in to give some gifts out to those who were present and was then by the Methodist Church’s Youth Rep to the Methodist Conference, explained the true meaning of Christmas and the reason for the season, Jesus. The day was truly a great of example of the work that Rev. Irfan John is carrying out in Wales to build a bridge of care between the local communities and those who have come here to Wales seeking sanctuary.