Good evening friends,

Just a short email this evening to remind you of a couple of things – 

First – the enthronement of the archbishop, and our party in Raglan Church from 2pm on Saturday. Everyone welcome! Thank you to Sue Russell and Sarah Byford for leading on this (and Will for his tech support). We all know how blessed we are to have Cherry as our bishop, how wonderful that we get to be part of spreading the good news of her ministry a little further afield!

Also, don’t forget there are a number of different opportunities across the Ministry Area to commemorate Remembrance. This is a very special time of year and one in which we very often share the space as churches, with a wide section of the general public who are not weekly church folk. What a wonderful opportunity to have conversations, to invite people to Carol Services, and to show what it means to be Christians. Thank you to all who will make an effort this weekend and at other times too.

With that, it’s a trip to the airport now to collect Eli who is popping home for the weekend. It will be very lovely to have him home.

With love and gratitude for you all,

Sally xxx

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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,

That hour change in our time makes such a difference to the evenings doesn’t it? My heating is on, hot chocolate is back on the agenda, and it’s time to get the blankets out. 

News this week includes another reminder about the nine days of prayer we are invited to undertake, in readiness for the enthronement of Archbishop Cherry. You can find the link to the prayers here – https://churchinwales.contentfiles.net/media/documents/2511_-_Novena_for_the_Enthronement__Cherry_w8V7I5d.pdf

Archbishop Cherry has a huge task ahead of her and values our prayers tremendously. Please do try to find a few minutes every day to seek God’s blessing for this extension of her ministry. I wonder if she knew what she was getting into when she joined us in Monmouth, just as Covid 19 began? 

In addition, it’s not too late to let Sarh Byford or Sue Russell know that you will be in Raglan for a live stream party on Saturday 8^th November. I’ve had a sneak preview of the Order of Service and now know that although the service itself starts at 3pm, the processions will begin at about 2.40/2.45. I hope the live stream will already be operating at that time so that you can see all the formal preparations as the procession enter the cathedral and take their seats.

Finally, a prayer request please. I am aware that lots of us are struggling with various illnesses, bereavements, or other stresses, and we cannot underestimate this has a wider community as well as within our trusted circles. We have so much to be grateful for and hopeful about, but these things get lost when we are tired, upset, or anxious.

Let us pray for each other, that we know the gentle and caring hand of God upon our lives, and that we are able to see his love in those around us. May we seek the rest and support that we all need, and may we always offer kindness to those around us, conscious that we don’t know the struggles they may be carrying.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

With love, Sally xx

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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 friends,

Who’s looking forward to an extra hour in the morning on Sunday? As I am on the rota for the 8am service I must confess to feeling very lucky! 

Now then, what do I need to share with you this week? I think the most important thing is an invitation to pray. The Dean of the cathedral has written a special series of prayers called a Novena – nine days of prayer specifically for us to pray as we approach the enthronement of Bishop Cherry as the Archbishop of Wales on 8^th November. The theme of the prayers each day focuses on aspects of the archbishop’s presidential address at the recent Governing Body meeting and it is hoped that the whole province of Wales will unite in praying as we approach this new season in the life of our church. At a clergy training day today, Bishop Cherry thanked us for our prayers, and then added “please don’t stop”. It was heartfelt. So please click the link and have a look at the materials. If you would like a hard copy printed, just let me know.

https://churchinwales.contentfiles.net/media/documents/2511_-_Novena_for_the_Enthronement__Cherry_w8V7I5d.pdf

Also, don’t forget that if you would like to watch the enthronement in good company, Raglan Church will have a big screen up to live stream the service – 3pm 8^th November. Just bring a plate of food to share and join the party. (Sue Russell and Sarah Byford are collating numbers).

My last thing to mention is that next week I am taking two days off (Tuesday and Wednesday, 28^th and 29th). The rest of the team are working so please don’t hesitate to be in touch with them if you need anything – the team is so strong and we are all aware of each others’ work and situation so someone will be able to help. I really do think we are in an amazing place with the various clergy and lay people who work so hard to pull together for the mission of God. Thank you to everyone who contributes to church life, I’m very aware that you make my role much easier than it might be, and we shine the light of Christ for all to see, when we work together. Thank you.

Someone said to me this week that they never know whether they really can ask me for prayer when I offer. Yes you can – I keep a note of everyone, week by week, on my desk and you can be assured of my prayers when you need them. So just let me know.

With love,

Sally xxxx

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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,

I am soooooo tired this week! I can’t work out why, and there have not been too many late nights, but I’m tired none the less! So I am very much looking forward to my rest day tomorrow – a slower start and then getting my hair cut, for the first time in many months! 

Enough of my moaning! What can I share with you? 

Well – on Saturday 8^th November, 3pm, Archbishop Cherry will be formally enthroned in a service at St. Woolos Catedral, Newport. It’s a ticket only service which I suspect has disappointed some of you who would have liked to go, so I’m very grateful to Sue Russell and Sarah Byford who have a plan! We will be live streaming the service on a big screen in Raglan Church and you are invited! Come along to the church and bring your friends and family, with a plate of food, and join the party. It promises to be a wonderful service and a great afternoon. Why not celebrate with others who wish they were there? Please let Sarah or Sue know you are coming so they can set up the space properly, and spread the news!

My second and final thing to mention is a prayer request – you know how important I think prayer is in our lives and how wonderful it is that we can pray together and be a real force for change – 

Please can you pray for all those in our communities who are living in fear. I see and hear fear in the context of misunderstanding, misinformation, change, difference, and so much that is in our news. I understand why people can become fearful, but we need to make sure that people know that our churches and the faith we have is a good news story and that we are open to love everyone without judgement. I know you are already good at this, and are possibly already praying this way, so thank you if you are, and thank you if you begin to pray for this as a result of my writing. We are in a position to offer hope and safety to those we know and love, why wouldn’t we want to pray for more opportunity to do that? Thank you.

And now I’ll finish. Please let me know if I can pray for you, it’s always a privilege, and is an important part of my ministry amongst you.

With love,

Sally xxxx

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,

A day early this week, because Will and I are doing as we are told! Last year the Bench of Bishops amended the conditions for clergy rest and annual leave. As you know we have traditionally had one rest day per week, and this has now been changed so that we are to take a full 48 hour break once in each month, which effectively means one day off every week and then once a month we can have a second day. We are doing that tomorrow! I must confess it is extremely difficult to take that second day, but tomorrow it’s going to happen! 

September was ever so busy and I don’t feel as though I’ve really caught my breath, I suspect it’s been similar for many of you too. I must confess to sometimes getting a little frustrated that much of my day is spent keeping my head above water, when what I’d really like to be doing is getting creative and planning and dreaming new stuff for us all! And now I’ll stop moaning, no one likes a moaner 🙂

I wonder. If you could dream your biggest dream for our churches and communities, what would you dream? Money no object, time no object, resources no object. Dream big, tell me! It will be interesting to see how many of you have the same dreams and hopes. It might get us started on something!

And with that, I’ll finish for now. Please find below a prayer for us all unashamedly stolen form the Methodist Church – 

Father God,

We pray for creativity in our lives. Help us to think outside the box and to find new and innovative solutions to problems. May our creativity bring joy and inspiration to ourselves and to others. Let us use our creative talents for good.

Thank you for the gift of creativity. Help us to nurture and develop it in all areas of our lives. Guide us to use our creativity to bring about positive change in the world, addressing challenges with fresh perspectives. Help us to find inspiration in your creation, drawing on the beauty and diversity of the world around us. May our creative efforts be expressions of our unique gifts and talents, reflecting your creativity in us.

We pray for those who feel stuck or uninspired. Help them to tap into their creative potential and to find new sources of inspiration. Thank you for the joy and fulfilment that come from creative expression. Help us to embrace and celebrate our creativity every day.

Amen.

You know how to be in touch if you need anything from me.

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 friends,

How are you all this week?

Just a quick catch up with you this week – it’s been an immensely busy week and it’s not over yet. 

The clergy team had a restoring quiet day on Monday and you were all prayed for. We are going to have a Ministry Area Quiet day next year, as we know it is something that many of you either love to do or would like to try. I’ll confirm a date with you in the next couple of weeks.

You might also be interested to know that there is a bit of a plan bubbling up to live stream the enthronement of the new Archbishop of Wales in one of our churches, on a big screen. This will offer an opportunity to gather as a satellite congregation and celebrate with food if you choose to. We will be sorting out the details of this in the next couple of weeks and will let you know more as we do.

Finally, please can I ask you for prayer. There are tensions and anxieties around us that are wearing and troublesome. Some of the concerns are personal and others are about the wider world and political situations. Please will you join me in prayer, asking for the love of God to shine through everything, so that we never lose sight that he is our guide and our help. Thank you so much.

With love to you all,

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 friends,

Autumn is here, without doubt, and I am really very happy about that! I love the colours (of course!) and there is something very special and different about autumnal light. I know it’s a little bit cooler, and wetter and windier, but the changing seasons remind us that a force far greater than ourselves is at work. God is amongst us, ensuring that summer will turn to winter, and soon enough we will be watching snowdrops rise and daffodils bloom. How thankful I am for God and his cycle of seasons. 

With autumn we of course also have a season of harvest services, please look out for the one near you. Many of our churches are collecting for organisations who support those living with food insecurity, and many again are ensuring that their harvest service also includes an opportunity to eat together – breakfasts, lunches, and suppers all feature. Thank you so much to all those of you who decorate, organise services and food, collect and redistribute food donations, and any other work that makes this important church season so successful locally. Thank you.

Just one important MA date to remind you of, coming very soon – there is another Big Breakfast on Saturday 27^th Sept – 8am-11am in the Memorial Hall in Usk. This is a whole MA effort to bring people together over a really tasty, locally sourced breakfast – light mission, done brilliantly, please come along and bring a friend – let’s show them how friendly we are! We had a wonderful opportunity to do this at the Usk show last week, another opportunity grasped and made wonderful by so many people pitching in. Thank you!

And with that, I will finish. I’m looking forward to a day of nothing tomorrow – I hope to pick up my knitting and might encourage Will to take me out for a meal, we shall see 🙂

You know where I am if you need me, and be sure of my prayers.

With love,  Sally xxxx

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 friends, 

How are you this evening? 

This week saw the start of the Bible Course sessions and we have been delighted by the turn out. There have been some good discussions and lots of opportunity for us to learn together, so well done and thank you to everyone who has signed up. It’s not too late to join one of the groups, so please can you let us know if you are going to come along – there is a book to buy and we’ve used all the spares! I can get some more though, if needs be. Just let a member of the clergy know

Our harvest services have begun and it’s really pleasing to see so many of our churches collecting food or cash for local foodbanks and pantries. We are such a generous people and I think living in an area where farming is so visible and personal makes us generous people. Thank you 🙂

Just a couple of dates to tell you about – don’t forget The big Breakfast this Saturday. It is the Memorial Hall in Usk form 8am-11am. You are assured a warm welcome and a hearty locally sourced breakfast. Come alone and make friends, or bring friends and family. We usually cook and serve at least 100 breakfasts to people from across the whole Ministry Area, you will be very welcome.

Finally – Hannah, Will, Helen, Stephen, Bill, and myself are on a Quiet Day on Monday. We will be praying together, and taking the Ministry Area with us, in spirit, as an opportunity to step back from the day to day stuff and actually try to tune into God’s purpose for us all. Please let us know if we can pray for you that day. The place we are going to is somewhere we are exploring for a MA Quiet Day. Watch this space for more information.

And now for some dinner. Will is walking up to the Indian restaurant for a take away and I’m about to put my pjs on! See you soon, and do let m know if I can pray for you.

With 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.