Good evening my friends,

What a couple of weeks it has been! I’m glad to be getting back into some sort of routine, well as much as ministry can offer a routine (!), and writing to you is something that is a pleasure and a joy to do today. We are still surrounded by boxes, there are no pictures up yet, and I think the word chaos would be a good one to use. I’ve not found half my clothes and there isn’t enough storage for all my shoes (I know, we could have seen that one coming), but on balance we are very very glad to have moved and are already enjoying being in Usk. Thank you so much to all of you for the cards, the flowers, cake, wine, dinner, so much generosity and warmth from you. Will and I have been really overwhelmed. Thank you thank you thank you xxx

What do I need to share with you this week? 

Well the work to replace the roof on Bettws Newydd Church has begun and sadly the initial findings are showing that the work will be a little more involved than was first hoped. In order for this to be as easy and safe as possible we have made the decision that Sunday worship will not happen in the church building in the village for a while and Clare has arranged for services to be at their usual time and the usual dates but in the village hall instead. I’m really glad that it has been possible to continue to worship in the village and although we have planned for this to happen until the end of July, ask for your patience as the team works on the plans and the work progresses for this essential project. 

My second thing to share is that plans are progressing for our Leading Your Church Into Growth (LYCIG) project which is due to start at the beginning of June. This will consist of six sessions which are fun and engaging, allowing us to be excited as a whole ministry area whilst also looking at the local and what works for each of our communities too. For this to be successful it would be wonderful, perhaps essential, for all of our churches to be part of the evenings. Please can you begin to chat amongst yourselves about how to help each other to be part of this. It is important to say that this isn’t just for the well-established, long serving church members, but also for those who are new to church and those who attend infrequently. We all have insights, talents, and something to offer and the more who take part then the more exciting this will be. many hands make light work I am told, and I don’t want anyone to stay away because they are worried they will be asked to do something they don’t have time for or don’t feel equipped for. Come along – see what it’s all about, and let’s see where God leads us! The first session is 7pm , Thursday 4^th June. Flyers, invitations, and more information to follow over the next week or two. Please invite the world and his wife, or husband – really truly – everyone is invited!

So with all that in mind, my prayer request this week is for our LYCIG project – that it will capture the imagination of many, and be fruitful, encouraging, and above all, positive for our churches. please join me in this prayer.

With my love and thanks for all that you do, and for who you are. How lucky I am to be able to minister in such a wonderful Ministry Area.

Sally xxx

God of Mission 

Who alone brings growth to your Church, 

Send your Holy Spirit to give 

Vision to our planning, 

Wisdom to our actions, 

Joy to our worship,

And power to our witness. 

Help our church to grow in numbers, 

In spiritual commitment to you, 

And in service to our local community, 

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please note that Friday is usually my rest day. Emails received on Friday may not be responded to until after the weekend. Thank you for your understanding.

Good evening all,

Well it has begun – we have entered the Triduum – a wonderful word for the three days that make up Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Day. I was explaining to some folk earlier today how we risk viewing this as three separate days, and several separate services, but that doesn’t do it full justice – the Maundy Thursday service is the beginning of one long liturgy that stretches through until Easter Morning, with its ups and downs, its hard and its marvellous moments. We haven’t got one this year, but this time also might include an Easter vigil that is traditionally on Saturday evening. There is one in the cathedral if you are interested (8pm) which is a beautiful service, I recommend it.

We have our Easter sunrise service at sunrise on Sunday (6.15 start) I believe there is a little confusion about the start time but it doesn’t seem to matter how clear I am, other messages leak out! I’m not complaining, I’m laughing – all will be well. The only thing that could go disastrously wrong is if you were thinking of coming and you don’t alter your clocks – they go forward one hour on Saturday night! so please don’t forget otherwise you will arrive just in time for a cup of coffee before the drive back home! This sunrise service is very special and I hope to see as many of you there as possible. If you’ve never tried it, then come along – we meet in the carpark at the top of the Blorenge.

I must confess the next couple of weeks are feeling like a mixed blessing – clergy are traditionally instructed by the bishop to take six days off after Easter – doing no work until the following Sunday, which is great, except that we are moving house. Suddenly that week is going to be extremely busy! The movers arrive on Monday 8^th April and we will be in the new vicarage on Thursday 11^th. I will endeavour to get my study sorted as a matter of priority but please bear with me if I’m a little bit chaotic for a couple of weeks. Normal service will be resumed as soon as I can find it in one of the zillion boxes I anticipate unpacking!

Lastly can I let you know that today the local wardens of all the churches received a large and I hope comprehensive survey about the communications that happen in each and every one of our churches. I am hoping to capture the detail as well as the big picture, because I suspect there is a lot happening that I don’t know about, and there are things that we could help with and make easier across the Ministry Area. I worry that sometimes things slip through the net and I really do want all our churches and communities to thrive – one of the essential ways to make this happen is if everyone knows what is going on! It is not the warden’s task to fill the questionnaire alone, I would like as many people as possible to have sight of it, so that we get the most comprehensive picture. If you have anything you would like to say or any other kind of contribution to make, please ask your local warden for sight of the document and feel free to add your bit. There are no right or wrong answers and I certainly don’t want anything missed out or censored 🙂 

oo, not lastly, because this is lastly – there will be no Just Five Minutes and no LIFT until the week beginning 15^th April. I will keep an eye on urgent matters during the week of the move so please don’t hesitate to be in touch if there are urgent pastoral needs. Emails that are about other stuff may take a little while to get back to, let me know if something becomes urgent and I seem to have missed it. 

It’s a little premature, but if I don’t see you on Sunday, may I wish you a blessed and bountiful Easter, my prayers are with you, and I look forward to what is coming next in our church lives (Leading your Church Into Growth, for those of you who don’t mind a spoiler! Google it, and get excited!)

With my love, Sally xxx

Please note that Friday is usually my rest day. Emails received on Friday may not be responded to until after the weekend. Thank you for your understanding.

Good evening lovely people,

I wanted to thank you all for the way you supported, encouraged and took part in the Lent Walks with me. I rather naively thought that you might wave me off, would hopefully greet me when I arrived, but that I would be walking alone. That couldn’t have been further from the truth! I had company for every walk – sometimes too many people to talk to everyone properly! For most of the walks I really didn’t have a clue which of the routes would be best, but I had help with those, and some experienced walkers to give me all the guidance I needed. Thank you to you all, whatever you did, you were amazing. Every single church greeted me like an old friend, and I was really overwhelmed with your kindness and all the energy and time that you all offered along the way. Thank you so much.

What did I learn? Well I discovered that our communities are linked by a series of tiny lanes that make so much more sense than the more main routes. I learnt that whether it’s raining or bright, the countryside is beautiful. I found out that walking is a great way to get to know people. I realised that despite my lack of self belief, I can actually walk for miles!

I have always loved rural ministry, it has been about the people and the communities – there is beauty in the small, the hidden, and the intimate. Now I love the scenery, the rolling hills, the sense of space, the height and depth, and the amazing way that for being just a few miles outside a village or town we can be in peace and tranquillity. The interconnectedness is of course about people, but it’s also about hedgerows, lanes, flowing water, and a sense of shared understanding. 

Care of God’s acres is a huge responsibility. The spiritual care of those who care for God’s acres is equally huge, and I am so pleased to be able to be part of the team offering this care. On my walks I saw God at work in every field, every cloud, every animal, every person. How lucky we are to be surrounded by such beauty. I am not blind to the challenges, or the hidden difficulties, but I do trust God that he wants his church to continue to grow in Monmouthshire, and we are all part of that good news.

I’m sure there will be lots of things that have yet to surface that will excite me and help with my ministry, but for now, I make this prayer below my own. If you would like to pray it too then please do (it is from the URC).

With my love and gratitude for you all, Sally xxx

God of field and mountain 

we hold before you the rural communities of this land.

We pray for congregations and people witnessing to the Good News

in villages, hamlets, and in isolated farms and homesteads.

We pray for those who live in rural areas, and for all who serve our churches.

God of valley and stream

we hold before you the work of the countryside:

farmers, labourers, those who make and maintain equipment,

auctioneers, veterinary surgeons, cleaners, publicans, teachers,

doctors, nurses, bus drivers, rangers, foresters,

all their families, and so many others.

God of forest and moor

we hold before you those who visit our countryside, and those who live and work there.

May each person ‘see beyond the view’ both to stand in solidarity with rural issues,

and to discover you and your purpose for their lives, more fully.

In the name of the One who retreated to the quiet places.

Amen.

© The United Reformed Church

Please note that Friday is usually my rest day. Emails received on Friday may not be responded to until after the weekend. Thank you for your understanding.

Sally’s arrival at Usk after the long walk from Wolvesnewton. 19 down only one to go!

Bishop Cherry is delighted to announce the appointment of Revd Dr. William Ingle-Gillis, as a Vicar in the Heart of Monmouthshire Ministry Area.

Will, originally from Texas, has served in Monmouth Diocese since his ordination at St. Woolos’ Cathedral in 2004. He has served as Curate in the Rectorial Benefice of Caldicot; Priest-in-Charge in Caerwent, later forming the Wentwood Ministry Area; then again as Priest-in-Charge of Maindee & Lliswerry, later becoming the Ministry Area leader of the Beechwood Ministry Area.

In addition to holding several small Diocesan roles over the years, Will has taught ordinands in Cardiff and currently serves as a Diocesan Vocations Advisor. In his spare time he enjoys science fiction, language learning, travel, writing, and cookery (not least American slow-cook barbecue!). He is currently working on a book based around daily prayer with the lectionary readings.

Will is looking forward to returning to rural ministry, and to joining the lively, innovative team in the Heart of Monmouthshire.

He will take his final service in Beechwood on Easter Day and be licensed on April 30th in St Mary’s Church in Usk.