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You can help Faith in Families when you shop at Amazon by using Amazon Smile. Go to smile.amazon.co.uk and use the same account name and details as you would for amazon.co.uk. Select Faith in Families - which is listed as Swansea And Brecon Diocesan Board For Social Responsibility - and it’ll get a percentage of the purchase price of all eligible items.
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Pentecost pastoral letter from Archbishop John
‘When the Day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.’ So begins chapter 2 of the Acts of the Apostles. That early Christian community, faithful to what Jesus had told them, had regularly gathered in Jerusalem, waiting and praying for the fulfilment of his promised outpouring of the Spirit who would lead them into all the truth by bringing into their minds everything that Jesus had taught them.
Sadly, our various, current Christian communities cannot gather in one place, for we remain largely isolated, save for the very welcome efforts which many are making to ensure that worship, prayer and spiritual nourishment in other forms continue. For all of those efforts I am very grateful, and I trust that, by whatever means you are able to receive them and participate in them, you feel yourselves to still be part of the life and pilgrimage of faith, shared with and built upon our first brothers and sisters who gathered in Jerusalem all those centuries ago. I also trust that your participation is not evidence of mere habit or of a desire for normality, but a means of continuing to be open to the prompting of the Spirit, the breath of God, for the onward journey of mission and witness.
The outpouring of the Spirit at the first Christian Pentecost appears, from what we read in Acts, to have caused mayhem, with onlookers both suspecting and alleging that the apostles were drunk. The truth was that, far from being filled with and fuelled by drink, they were suddenly filled with and fuelled by courage, conviction and strength. They shared an irrepressible recognition that they had something of value to say to every nation and community on earth, represented by those from so many nations gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost. What they had to say was that everything that Jesus had spoken of, everything that he had taught was and would, if attended to and if acted upon, for ever be Good News for the world and its peoples. Far from turning everything upside down, Pentecost then put things into a true perspective, the perspective of justice, service and love.
Seen through that perspective, openness to the Spirit has, for all of us, profound consequences in terms of our daily lives and our everyday relationships. It also has consequences for the ways in which nations and communities should be governed, guided and overseen.
The Apostle Paul reminded the church in Galatia that the fruit of the Spirit – the evidence that the Galatians were truly open to the Spirit – was individual lives and community life characterised by virtues and qualities such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These virtues and qualities were and are the building blocks of good lives and just communities and, at a time when many of these are being tested, it is good that we all pause, reflect and commit to allowing them to be the building blocks of our own lives and of the communities in which we are set. They should, it goes without saying, also be the building blocks and hallmarks of our church life.
In our present isolation, we have much to preoccupy us, and we may be anxious for the time being and for the future. I urge you, to focus upon and to seek a common openness to the Spirit of God. Thus we will be inspired to continue our faith journey, growing spiritually stronger, and enabled to say to the world and to show to the world, with conviction, things of lasting value and profound substance. Thus will the world become an ever more kind, generous and just place.
At Pentecost, as always, be assured of my continued love and prayers for you all. Please accept my personal thanks for the contributions which, despite not being able to gather together for worship, so many of you are continuing to make to support the ongoing ministry and mission of the church.
+John Cambrensis
* Archbishop John will lead short act of worship with a reflection every Thursday evening at 6.30pm.
You can watch the broadcasts on Brecon Cathedral’s Facebook page.
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Full-time for foodbank that opened two hours a week before crisis
Before the coronavirus crisis the foodbank at St Thomas Church in Swansea opened for two hours on a Tuesday where it would be lifeline for as many as 15 families on a busy week.
But since mid-March volunteers have been keeping the doors open Monday to Friday and are responding to emergency calls in the evenings and at weekends.
Over 230 households have been supported with food parcels supplemented with fresh produce donated by local stores and supermarkets.
And since the schools shut, the church, working with schools in the Cefn Hengoed Cluster and Swansea Council, has also helped to coordinate, pack and deliver more than 6,000 food bags to parents and carers who qualify for free school meals.
To maintain safe social distancing there are eight volunteers within the church and two more who collect and deliver stock.
They are led by parish vicar Revd Steve Bunting.
Looking back on the last few months, he said: “It’s been a monumental task but we knew straight away it was going to be something we would need to do.”
Steve said it had been non-stop ever since.
The Cefn Hengoed Cluster was the first in Swansea to switch from daily ‘Grab & Go’ bags for pupils offered free school meals to weekly food parcels delivered directly to each home ensuring a take-up rate of almost 100%.
And while some families have now opted for direct payments since the option was introduced more than 300 have decided to keep with the deliveries.
Steve said wider demand in the community had also increased.
“Temporary staff have been laid off, there are people furloughed earning less and families whose children are now home all day are seeing additional financial pressures on them,” he said.
“There are also those who slip between the nets and we have been asked to support them.”
Steve said the foodbank, which is part of the Trussell Trust’s network of foodbanks in Swansea, had been working closely with different partners and agencies including Barnardo’s to support young care leavers.
He said the response from the food bank would not have been possible without the volunteers, and donations from individuals and businesses, including supermarkets and firms that had helped with transport.
"One thing that has been amazing is to see the wonderful people of the Eastside really come out to support us with social distance street bingo, raffles and giveaways," he said.
"We would also like to thank the Austin Bailey Foundation, Admiral Insurance, Wales Coronavirus Resilience Fund and our local councillors for all their support."
Cllr Clive Lloyd, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health Services, who is the councillor for St Thomas, said: “There has been an amazing response to the crisis in communities across Swansea but none more so than in St Thomas.
“I cannot speak highly enough of the time and effort put in by all involved in the food bank and I know this lifeline is appreciated by our community.”
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Join Mothers' Union Thy Kingdom Come 2020 service
A global worship service featuring members of Mothers' Union from across the world has been held online. It was introduced by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby with the address by the MU Central Chaplain, Emma Ineson, Bishop of Penrith. The prayers were led by the Worldwide President, Sheran Harper, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
You can watch and join in the service here. A copy of the order of service is available here.
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Christian housing association seeks director
Aelwyd, a charitable housing association with a Christian ethos which provides rented homes for people in housing need, is looking for a new Director of Housing & Communities.
You can find out more about the post here.
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Free online training: how tourism can help your historic place of worship
Churches and chapels are closed at present but the National Churches Trust's Experiencing Sacred Wales project : https://www.explorechurches.org/experiencing-sacred-wales : continues this year, supporting historic places of worship and ensuring they are ready to welcome visitors when doors re-open.
National Churches Trust is holding four free bitesize workshops on Zoom in June, designed and led by its tourism team at the National Churches Trust, exploring how visitors can benefit places of worship.
Register on Eventbrite to book your free place; and you'll be sent an invite to Zoom nearer the time. The sessions will comprise around one hour of presentation followed by 30 minutes of open questions, and the presentations will be emailed to all attendees afterwards.
All involved in historic places of worship across Wales are invited to attend.
Welcoming Visitors
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/welcoming-visitors-church-tourism-workshop-tickets-105053008376
Tuesday 9th June 2020 10.30am to 12noon.
This workshop looks at how to meet and greet visitors, including first impressions, ‘feeling open’, what to think about inside and out, signage and your online presence, with reassurance on the perceived risks involved in opening to visitors daily.
Finding and Sharing your Stories
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/finding-and-sharing-your-stories-church-tourism-workshop-tickets-105054448684
Thursday 11th June 2020 2pm to 3.30pm
This workshop helps you uncover your history, looking at why interpretation is important, and how we can share our stories, as well as traditional and modern digital methods of interpretation.
Making Publicity Work for You
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/making-publicity-work-for-you-church-tourism-workshop-tickets-105057122682
Tuesday 16th June 2020 10.30am to 12noon.
Tourism is mission and this session looks at how publicity can benefit your place of worship, how to plan PR for events, campaigns and activities and engage people to support what you do. It also explores how to catch people’s attention, reach new people, attract donations and break down barriers, with traditional and modern tools and approaches you can use.
Raising Income from Bookable ‘Experiences’
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/raising-income-from-bookable-experiences-church-tourism-workshop-tickets-105102221574
Thursday 18th June 2020 2pm to 3.30pm.
This session will look at attracting UK and international tourists, getting to know the group travel market, the advantages of working with international groups and the different types of inbound travellers. It will explore how you can create a bookable Experience, thinking about group size, time of year, visitor segment, pricing the package to market and making it bookable, as well as marketing your Experience, terms of agreement and the importance of building relationships with partners.
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Latest news from A Rocha
A Rocha's June news update - which includes environmental news and resources - is available here.
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