A group of young adults from The Wales Synod and Synod Cymru are participating in an exchange to Jamaica, with our folks travelling this year and the Jamaican young people returning next summer. Our group are out there from the 17th July, for two weeks, returning on Monday 1st August. During their stay they will be taking part in the Jamaican Methodist District Youth Camps, either as leaders or participants, leading a Holiday Bible Club at the Jamaica National Children’s Home in Kingston as well as engaging in many other cultural activities. A prayer has been specially written for them which you’ll find in both English and Welsh.

Our young people are; Gruff, Bethan, Owain, James, Anna, Annie, Katie, Katherine and Charlotte and their leaders are Rev Cathy Gale and Deacon Jon Miller.

We pray for our young adults and leaders journeying to Jamaica on their exchange. In their travels throughout that beautiful country may they know your blessing and protection, and your joy in connecting with a different culture, forging new friendships, seeing new places and experiencing the sights, sounds, smells and tastes that Jamaica has to offer.

Lord God, may they become ambassadors for you both through their words and in the sharing of gifts and talents in your service. May their vision of the God they serve and the worldwide family of which they are a part grow; and their faith be renewed and strengthened through this experience, as they seek your plan for their own lives upon their return.

Gweddïwn dros ein hoedolion ifanc ac arweinyddion wrth iddynt deithio i  Jamaica ar eu taith gyfnewid. Boed iddynt brofi dy lawenydd wrth iddynt gyfarfod â phobl newydd, gweld lleoedd newydd a phrofi golygfeydd, synau, arogleuon a blasau newydd. Boed iddynt brofi dy amddiffyniad wrth iddynt deithio; i Jamaica ac i’r nifer o fannau y byddant yn ymweld â nhw yn y wlad hardd honno. Boed iddynt fod yn llysgenhadon i ti ym mhopeth a ddywedant ac wrth iddyn nhw ddefnyddio eu doniau mewn gwasanaeth i ti.

Arglwydd, gweddïwn y bydd ein pobl ifanc yn dy weld di mewn ffordd wahanol ac ehangach wrth gyfarfod â phobl o wahanol ran o deulu Duw mewn diwylliant gwahanol trwy’r ymweliad hwn. Gweddïwn y byddant yn tyfu mewn ffydd ac yn dychwelyd o Jamaica wedi eu hadnewyddu a’u nerthu ar gyfer y dasg sydd o’u blaen. 

Rev. Felicity Jepson-Randall
Superintendent Minister
Llanelli and Carmarthen Methodist Circuit

Keeping the tradition of worshiping with the Culturally Diverse Congregations in the Wales, the 8th Annual Urdu Conference was held in Cardiff on 19^th of March 2016 at Trinity Centre Cardiff, organized and arranged by Rev. Irfan John, the Synod Enabler for Culturally Diverse Congregations in Wales. This conference was attended by about 146 people from all around Wales.

The theme of the conference this year was Healing and blessings.

The highlights of this conference were the different sessions including worship through singing, main preaching session, group learning, children teaching, refreshment with lunch and evening tea.

Key speaker for the event was Rev. Irshad John, Vicar of St Andrews Church, Dioceses of Lahore, Church of Pakistan.

A special singing session was led by Gospel Worship Band “ABBRR” from London.

The remarks from the attendees expressed their happiness, fruitful involvement in worship, and blessed Christian gathering.

Although not a complete surprise in light of the job losses announced in January, the recent decision of Tata Steel to sell all it’s UK business nevertheless comes as devastating news to communities across south Wales, not just to Port Talbot but also to the communities around the steelworks in Llanwern (Newport) and Llanelli, as well as Shotton in North Wales.

We recognise the importance of the critical talks underway involving both the Prime Minister and the Welsh First Minister and their cabinets about the future of the British steel industry, and we hope that in these discussions there will be the same kind of strategic consideration given to the importance of the steel industry as was given to the financial services industry when that was under threat, as well as a commitment to financial support for those communities most directly affected.

Our focus will be on being the church in the midst of just these communities, and for us this will involve particularly the Neath Port Talbot, Buckley & Deeside, Llanelli & Carmarthen and Newport & Lower Wye circuits, and so we ask your prayers for Rev’s. Chris Gray, Rosemarie Clarke, Flis Randall and Preben Andersen and their colleagues in these challenging times.

Some may ask ‘What is the message of Easter’ to these communities at such a time. There are no easy answers to give and the challenges are very real. However, I am reminded that the Easter message includes both the harsh reality of Good Friday as well as the joy of Easter Sunday and that our risen Lord still bears the scars of the Cross. It may be that our best witness will be simply to stand by the Cross in solidarity with those communities which are suffering and bear witness to the God whose love ‘bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.’

Stephen Wigley, Synod Chair

(We also understand that there may be a further article coming out in next week’s Methodist Recorder)

Superintendent Minister of the Buckley and Deeside Circuit, Revd Rosemarie Clarke and preacher in training Ms Michele Jones visited all the churches of the Circuit on foot over two days, a distance of 31 miles. Praying in each church they also raised over £500 for Sport Relief.

The Wales and Cymru Synods were delighted to welcome Rev. Steve Wild and Dr Jill Barber to Wales in the spring sunshine last week. We began with their coming to the meeting of Y Cyngor (in Shrewsbury!) on the Thursday after which Steve came down to South Wales to share in a meal hosted by the Tongan fellowship in Pontnewynydd and then to address the hundreds gathered in Blackwood for the Big Sing, while Jill visited places of historic interest in the Llanfyllin area. On Friday Jill travelled to Aberystwyth to renew contact with old friends from the time when her husband Peter was minister there in 1984-94 while Steve visited Mary Jones World in Bala and was able to hold a facsimile version of Mary Jones’ Bible. On Saturday we travelled to North Wales where Steve and Jill together addressed a gathering at St Paul’s, Abergele, before Jill returned home to lead a special service at Englesea Brook commemorating the centenary of the recognition of Conscious objection to serving in the armed forces. Steve continued on to visit St Winifred’s Well in Holywell and then shared in a Circuit tea at Mold, before leading worship on Sunday morning at St John’s Llandudno (and then flying out to the Isle of Mann to address a youth rally on the Sunday evening!)

It was an action packed visit shared across the 2 Synods – but one full of energy and encouragement, and there will be many people who will have had their photo taken with the President via ‘selfies’ taken on his tablet. We wish them both well for the remainder of their Presidential year – and note that a fuller account of their visits across the year can be found on their BlogSpot at http://www.methodist-presandvp.blogspot.co.uk/

Sunday Worship on 28th February will be coming from Gresford Methodist Church near Wrexham. The service is one of a series of services following the CTBI Lent course on ‘Pilgrimage’ and will be exploring the theme ‘Becoming Present’. It will be led by the Superintendent minister of the Wrexham circuit, Rev. Richard Sharples with the Synod Chair, Rev. Dr. Stephen Wigley, as preacher and music from the Sirenian Singers. The service will be broadcast live on Radio 4 from 8.10am.

The notes for this week’s ‘Word in Time’ Bible Study (from 31st January – 6th February) have been prepared by the Synod Chair, Rev. Dr. Stephen Wigley. They are taken mainly from Mark’s Gospel chapters 6 & 7 and follow the theme, ‘Jesus – Shepherd and Teacher.’

You can find the notes on the main Methodist Church website at:

http://www.methodist.org.uk/prayer-and-worship/a-word-in-time/2016/31-january-6-february-2016