December 2019/January 2020 50 pence

'a parish with a desire for church growth, mission and evangelism'

Holy Cross Church Fairwood Road West Cross, SA3 5JP

Clyne Chapel Mayals Road

Blackpill, SA3 5DH

www.parishofllwynderw.org

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THE PARISH OF LLWYNDERW Holy Cross Church & Clyne Chapel, Swansea,

in the diocese of Swansea and Brecon

VICAR The Venerable Jonathan B Davies B.Th

(Archdeacon of Gower) Llwynderw Vicarage, Fairwood Road, West Cross, Swansea, SA3 5JP

Telephone & Fax: 01792 512747 Email: ven.jbd@sky.com

ASSISTANT PRIEST Reverend Hywel D Griffiths

23 Mayals Avenue, Blackpill, Swansea, SA3 5DE Telephone: 01792 403957 Email: rev.hywel@outlook.com

SERVICES IN THE PARISH

Sunday 8.00am 9.30am 11.00am

Holy Eucharist Sung Eucharist Sung Eucharist

Clyne Chapel Holy Cross Clyne Chapel

Wednesday 10.30am Holy Eucharist Clyne Chapel

Thursday 10.00am Holy Eucharist Holy Cross

Please notify our pastoral care co-ordinator, Reverend Hywel Griffiths, of the names of those who are sick.

The Chapel of St Faith is open throughout the day for personal and private prayer.

Holy Baptism and Marriage arrangements may be made with Reverend Hywel Griffiths

The Blessed Sacrament is reserved for Communion of the sick or infirm at any time.

The Holy Oils are available for the Sacrament of anointing.

WEEKLY PARISH HALL BOOKINGS

Fridays 9.30am - 12noon Community Art Class

Sundays 2.00pm - 4.30pm Ariosa Singers & Mumbles Voices Rehearse with Les & Penny Ryan

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READERS

Dr Felicity Padley 32 Fernhill Close, Blackpill E: felicity.m.padley@gmail.com

Tel: 402437

Mrs Biddy Wigley 5 Whitegates, Mayals, Swansea E: bobandbiddywigley@gmail.com

Tel: 405404

LAY WORSHIP TEAM Felicity Barrow, Mair Kiley, Felicity Padley, Esther Searle, Biddy Wigley

PAROCHIAL OFFICERS

Parish Wardens Vicar’s Warden

People’s Warden

Mrs Lesley Morris 65 Gwerneinon Road, Sketty Miss Geraldine Twinney 23 Muirfield Drive, Mayals

Tel: 514769

Tel: 420243

PCC Secretary PCC Treasurer

Dr Felicity Padley 32 Fernhill Close, Blackpill Mr Bob Wigley 5 Whitegates, Mayals

Tel: 402437

Tel: 405404

Parish Organist Mr Leslie Ryan, BA (hons mus), LCCMD, AWCCM, CertEd (Wales) 43 Mayals Avenue, Blackpill

Tel: 406062

THE LLWYNDERW PARISH HALL

can be hired for meetings, birthday parties and other special occasions

Contact: Revd Hywel Griffiths Telephone: 403957

PARISH ACTIVITIES

Messy Church, as advised, Holy Cross Church at 3.15pm Eden Bus, as advised, Holy Cross Church at 4.00pm

Parish Prayer Group, every Tuesday Details on weekly sheet. Contact Lyn Jones: 402080

Film Club. Contact Dave & Joyce Owen: 401512

Mothers’ Union, Branch Leaders: Hazel Somers: 401705 & Elaine Griffiths: 208269

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Contributions for the FEBRUARY issue to be received BEFORE

Thursday 16th January 2020

for publication on Sunday 26th January 2020

Biddy Wigley 5 Whitegates, Mayals, Swansea, SA3 5HW

Email: llwynderweditor@gmail.com

IN THIS ISSUE . . . . . . .

5. Remembering + Preparation = Christmas 7. Reverend Hywel, Assistant Priest 8. Messy Remembrance 12. Mega Message Machine 15. Thank You, Walter & Lyn 16. Family News 17. Music Notes 18. Notices/Parish Registers 19. What is Anglicanism? 22. What’s On? 26. Introducing Bible Reading Fellowship 27. Annual Parish Charitable Donations 29. Making a Difference 32. I Love That Hymn 33. Chacarita School 34. Christmas Services 35. Hymn List - December 36. Hymn List - January 2020 37. 2020 Vision

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REMEMBERING + PREPARATION

= CHRISTMAS

Archdeacon Jonathan

A nnwyl Ffrindiau / Dear

Friends

November has been a month of

remembering. All the saints, all of

our loved ones who have gone

before us at the beginning of the

month, and those who gave their

lives for our freedom on

Remembrance Sunday.

Remembering continues during

the season of Advent, traditionally

a season of penitence when we

recall those things that are not right

in our lives, so that we can enter

the Christmas season renewed,

forgiven and refreshed. The season

starts on Sunday, 1st December

with our usual morning services

followed by a Ministry Area

Advent Carol Service at 5.00pm at

All Saints’, Oystermouth.

As remembering moves to

preparation, how are you getting

on with sending your cards and

buying your Christmas presents? I

was speaking with someone the

other day who said that she always

promises herself to begin the

preparations for Christmas early

but somehow always fails to do so.

This inevitably leads to a panic just

before Christmas.

I wonder how the three Wise

Men got on and whether they were

prepared? They had to grab boxes

of gold, frankincense and myrrh

and head off on the long hazardous

journey to Bethlehem with nothing

but a star to show them the way.

Did they panic? Somehow I don't

think they did because being ‘wise’

they were probably fully prepared.

The real preparation for

Christmas and for God entering

our lives doesn't begin in the shops

with the opening of your purse or

wallet but within your being and

with the opening of your heart to

receive the truth and love that God

longs to give you. To put it

another way, there is absolutely

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nothing wrong with having a good

time and celebrating Christmas to

the hilt but it's even better when

you know why you are celebrating.

Christmas is nothing but a word if

you take the Christ out of it.

The wise men had never known

Jesus, but when the star appeared,

they knew that this was the sign

that something out of this world

was happening and that they had

to follow it. Searching with their

hearts and clutching their gifts,

they found what they were looking

for as they received from God far

more than anything they could

have given.

So how prepared are you for the

25th December and the birth of

Jesus? Or, to put it another way,

how open are you to searching and

finding the truth and knowing

deep within your heart that you

are unconditionally loved?

The message of Christmas Day is

a message and a challenge for

every day of the year. It’s a

message on which our peace and

happiness depends. So don’t

panic! If your preparations are not

going according to plan,

everything will be ok in the end; it

usually is! But do prepare yourself

for when love comes down on

your life as gently as snow falling

to the ground and makes

Christmas a truly magical and life

changing experience. I wish you a

productive Advent, and may God

richly bless you all this Christmas

and in the year ahead.

Sharon, Phoebe and Kaiden join

me in wishing you a very happy

Christmas and a peaceful New

Year.

Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn

Newydd Dda

Jonathan

“Into this world, this demented inn in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ comes uninvited.”

Thomas Merton

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REVEREND HYWEL, ASSISTANT PRIEST

Bob Wigley

S unday 24th November dawned as

a somewhat gloomy day weather-

wise, but not so in Clyne Chapel,

where the Light of the Lord shone on

a capacity congregation of over 100, all

gathered together to share in the joy of

our friend Hywel’s licensing as

Assistant Priest by Archbishop John.

It was so good to see a cross section

of worshippers from all of our regular

Sunday and weekday services,

together with a strong contingent of

members of Hywel’s and Sian’s

families, all there to support Hywel as

he continues to fulfil his calling to the

Priesthood.

The actual licensing ceremony was

an almost humbling experience, in

terms of its dignity and sincerity, and

it was our privilege to share Hywel’s

public dedication to a life of service to

the Lord.

Archbishop John presided and

preached, and as always, his address

was pertinent and gave us much to

ponder - his initial questions about

James Bond led him on to Roger

Moore, a previous ‘James Bond’,

Moore’s earlier role in Ivanhoe, and

thence to the Crusades! An interesting

journey to say the least, thought

provoking, as usual, and entirely

apposite!

At the end of the service, a period of

informal fellowship ensued – as

Archbishop John chatted to members

of the congregation, we were treated

to a glass of sherry, a plethora of

delicious homemade cakes and tea

and coffee – then we heard the organ

strike up again – but this time, with

the Archbishop at the keyboard!

A lovely inclusive and thoughtful

morning, to say nothing of the cakes

and sherry – why don’t we do this

every Sunday, I hear you ask!!

What might Les be saying about

Archbishop John? Answers to the

editor please!

?

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MESSY REMEMBRANCE

Felicity Barrow

M essy Church in November

was arranged hot on the heels of

the largest session we have

enjoyed to date. We planned a

more chilled event with a film,

some crafts and games around the

focus of our act of worship.

It was Remembrance Day and we

chose the reading from John 15 :12-

13 - “Jesus said "Love each other as

I have loved you. Greater love has

no one than this; to lay down one’s

life for one’s friends.” We talked

about the definition of the word

“hero” and how the brave men and

women in wars have fought for

justice and freedom that we may

live as we do. These were people

who were so exceptional that they

didn’t just lay down their lives for

their friends but for total strangers

too. It was an honourable and a

great privilege to remember them

in our celebration and prayers.

This developed into the

commandment from Jesus to love

each other and the fact it is an

“order" means it is sometimes not

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what comes naturally and Jesus

understands this. Making an effort

to do as Jesus commanded is made

easier by the love He has for us

and we reflected briefly on our last

talk and Jesus’ promise to be with

us always to guide and support us.

We were thankful that as a

consequence of the sacrifice of

many, we are unlikely ever to have

to face war and be heroes in that

sense, but we can still be heroes

for Jesus by standing up for what

is right, always trying to be kind,

speaking up for those who can’t

and being the best person we can

be.

We said prayers and the Messy

Grace and a few choruses of Bind

Us Together. We then showed the

Disney film Coco which is all

about the importance of family,

love and remembrance. For those

who didn’t want to watch the

film we had crafts which were

poppy themed: look out for our

collection of poppy thumb prints,

a unique and durable record of

all present on this day. We

decorated cakes which were

devoured on the spot and

enjoyed hot dogs and fish finger

sandwiches with platters of fruit

to share.

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Before everyone left we bigged

up the Eden Bus about which there

was much excitement -the

promises of biscuits, Fortnite and

the nail bar were a definite hit (see

article on page 11). We sang our

song “be kind to one another “ and

the team headed to the pub for

some refreshment.

We look forward to our final

Messy Church session this year on

December 16th - I bet you can’t

guess the theme …but Christmas

jumpers are obligatory. We would

also welcome any suggestions of

crafts from our senior church

members which we can all enjoy

next time. I remember sitting with

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my grandmother and making

crepe decorations (huge fire hazard

as they were strung across the

lights - but great fun and

togetherness)!

If anyone has any simple ideas

which they would like to share - all

materials will be provided and

transport on the day (tea as well) -

it would be great. Whether you are

creative or not, if you would like to

join us at Messy Church next time

please say and we will ensure you

can. Just let one of us know a week

or so before. It is widely

recognised that everyone in

church, of all ages, has something

to offer - even if it is a smiling face,

a quiet word or an open ear over a

cup of tea.

Please don’t be shy ! We can all

make a difference. We are really

lucky in our parish to have so

much support for Messy Church -

with practical, hands-on help from

a reliable and dedicated team,

donations of cakes, toys and craft

materials, encouragement and

prayers. We are even luckier to

have such wonderful families who

come en masse to enjoy,

investigate and reflect on what

Church is really about.

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MEGA MESSAGE MACHINE!

Felicity Barrow

O n Sunday 17th November

we eagerly awaited the arrival of

the big, orange, Eden bus outside

Holy Cross Church. The bus is

provided by the Message Trust, a

Christian charity whose aim is to

improve young lives in the UK and

beyond. It is best described as a

mobile youth centre equipped with

all the latest electronic games and

gizmos kids love to play with.

What actually arrived was the

big black bus. Would it be as

amazing as the orange version….?

It was parked expertly by Simon

Gwynne (son of Canon Phil) and

staffed by him and his awesome

son Dylan, who provided a quick

initiation to the volunteers from

Llwynderw.

Given the age range of our

regular young cohort, this bus

could not have been better. It was a

double decker, with a curly slide

from the upper to lower deck - fast

and furious with a sharp twist and

drop which delighted all users

time and time again. Adjacent was

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a climbing wall at double height

with harnesses and belayer -we

actually saw Jonathan and Hywel

scale the wall, with varying

degrees of expertise (see

photos…)!

Tucked behind this, and out of

sight, were two gaming chairs and

Nintendo DS consoles for friends

to compete against each other. At

the rear there were more Nintendo

consoles with wide screens which

allowed for 4 people to play at any

one time - more fun if one was

reclined upside down in the

window recess. Upstairs housed a

really large screen for FIFA and

Super Mario for multiple use, a PS

4 for Fortnite and a karaoke

machine - not forgetting the nail

bar with a wide selection of

primers and polish.

There was a fantastic buzz as

children and their parents came

aboard. We were pleased to show

many parishioners around too and

cups of coffee and biscuits were

handed round as people marvelled

at the facilities.

Midway through the session we

had the ‘God Slot.’ Simon took this

as an opportunity to welcome

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everyone onto the bus and to

explain that whilst the bus is a

place to hang out and have fun, all

the adult volunteers are Christians

and the purpose of the sessions is

to give people an

understanding of and

introduction to the Christian faith.

It is against this backdrop that

the bus is provided. The asking of

questions was encouraged at any

time and everyone was told that at

each session there would be a ‘God

Slot’ and whatever people’s views,

they were to respect those of

others and to listen to what was

being said. Simon ended with an

optional prayer but

everyone joined in silently and

earnestly.

It was great to see lots of our

Messy Church families and also a

few youngsters we haven’t seen

before. Indeed there were also

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THANK YOU, WALTER & LYN

Biddy Wigley

stopped to investigate and the bus

really was a very visible tool for

witness in the community.

Once the bus was cleared of

children the team held a short

feedback session and we were

lucky to have Phoebe D to assist

with what worked well from

a younger perspective. We closed

in prayer with Jonathan giving

thanks for the opportunity the bus

provides. It will be with us again

on December 15th - we can’t wait!

W alter & Lyn Jones are

pictured at the recent Walkers &

Talkers Christmas Lunch at

Langland Bay Golf Club. The

group came into being in October

2006 and has gathered

regularly ever since. These days

there is more talking than walking,

but that in no way detracts from

the positive outcome of having

such a group in the parish. Thank

you both.

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FAMILY NEWS

Biddy Wigley

C ongratulations, Mavis Rees

who celebrated her 90th birthday

recently. She and husband Martin

have had a double celebration as

he too was 90 a few days earlier.

They have enjoyed celebrating

with many family members and

friends, and here, Mavis, pictured

below, cuts a cake to share with the

Mothers’ Union.

Congratulations, Marjorie

Griffiths whose 96th birthday falls

on 28th November - just after this

edition goes to print. Warm

birthday greetings Marj, from all

your friends in Llwynderw.

Felicity Barrow who, as you

probably know, is a passionate

triathlete, sent this picture of

herself with the caption: ‘The

picture which most accurately

reflected the joy of open water

swimming!’ She had swum 1.2

miles in the company of hoards of

jellyfish which explains her

expression! Her courage and

commitment are to be admired!

We salute you!

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MUSIC NOTES

Les Ryan, Parish Organist

O n Tuesday December 3rd at

12.45pm, I shall be giving a free

organ recital at the Brangwyn Hall,

Swansea as part of its autumn

series.

The recital will last around 45

minutes and all are welcome. The

programme will feature music by

Brahms, Pachelbel, Albinoni,

Walton, Bach and Vierne. The

recital will also feature some pieces

for organ and violin played by Sali-

Wyn Ryan, currently a member of

the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Vivian Hall committee has

invited the Ariosa youth choir and

Mumbles Voices community choir

to sing at the lighting of the

Blackpill village Christmas Tree.

It’s on Friday evening 6th December

from 7pm.

There will be carol singing,

mulled wine, mince pies, and a big

raffle. The charge is £5 per person

and the profits will be sent to Zac’s

Place in Swansea which provides a

daily caring outreach centre for the

poor, the homeless and those

marginalised in society.

The Clyne Chapel Festival of

Carols will be held on Sunday 22nd

December at 6pm. Penny and I

shall be bringing along the Ariosa

Singers youth choir who’ll be

singing carols by John Rutter, plus

some of Penny’s young singing

pupils who’ll sing items including

solos from Handel’s ‘Messiah’,

Bach’s ‘Christmas Oratorio and

the beautiful ‘O Holy Night’.

On Sunday 29th December at

Holy Cross we’ll celebrate

Christmas with Mumbles Voices

community choir and the Ariosa

Singers and soloists, around 60

singers altogether. The concert

starts at 3pm in the afternoon and

is in aid of Maggie’s Cancer Care

Centre at Singleton Hospital.

It’s a free admission event with a

retiring collection for Maggie’s.

Mulled wine and mince pies will

be served after the concert.

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Marriage

Matthew Kevin Jones and Ceri Evans

At Rest

Ivor John Scott aged 86 years

Alan Robert Brain aged 84 years

FROM THE PARISH REGISTERS

On Tuesday 4th February 2020

the Swansea Organ Association

will hold its monthly meeting at

Clyne Chapel to hear and see the

new organ. All are welcome to

attend at 7pm, admission is free

and tea and coffee will be served

afterwards. I’ll be talking about the

new organ, demonstrating the

range and sound of the stops and

playing a selection of short and

popular pieces.

NOTICE

A GENTLE REMINDER For all who pay yearly for their magazines at Holy Cross Church, I would be grateful for their payment of £5.50 as soon as convenient please. Thank you, Mair

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WHAT IS ANGLICANISM?

Kathleen Boyce

I n early October, while staying

in Cork, I was sitting quietly with

five old friends in St. Finbarre’s

Church of Ireland Cathedral

(designed by William Burges who

was also the architect of Castell

Coch and Cardiff Castle) admiring

the beautiful stained glass

windows when an American

couple breezed in with the man

loudly proclaiming, ‘ I don’t think

it’s Catholic, it ‘s Church of

England.’

He marched off muttering when

I, anxious to assert the honour of

the Celtic nations, turned to his

wife and said, ‘Actually it’s

Church of Ireland which is part of

the Anglican Communion. It was

disestablished under Gladstone’s

administration in 1869, when the

whole of Ireland was still part of

the United Kingdom and

represented in the British

parliament.

‘The majority of the then

population of Ireland was Catholic

with spiritual allegiance to Rome

(Roman Catholic), not only

Catholic in the way Anglicans

also profess in the creed. Despite

almost a century of political

partition, the Church of Ireland

remains an all-Ireland cross border

institution, with the Archbishop of

Armagh as its primate.’

The recipient of my helpful

corrective then also retreated

looking totally dazed, and

attempted to relay something of

this to her husband.

This encounter resulted in a

discussion with my companions,

who then asked about the Church

in Wales and why it was ‘in’ not

‘of’ and why it was disestablished

in 1920. We then moved on to the

Church of Scotland which is

actually Presbyterian, (not to be

confused with the separatist ‘wee

frees’) whereas the Scottish

Church, which is part of the

Anglican Communion, is of

course, the Episcopal Church of

Scotland.

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We observed that the Scottish

Episcopal Church is quite ‘high’,

(they still have Benediction*)

possibly to differentiate itself

from the Presbyterians who have a

different tradition, whereas the

Church of Ireland has historically

been rather ‘low’ in liturgical

terms, probably to differentiate

itself from the majority Roman

Catholic church. (It should be

noted that most Catholics in

Ireland dislike the prefix ‘Roman’).

Then we touched on the

Methodists, noting that

Methodism was originally an

additional activity for Anglicans,

and that its founder John Wesley

died believing himself to be an

Anglican even though his

ordination of ministers for

America had alienated him from

the (episcopal) Church of England.

Confused? No, we weren’t,

because, having been educated in

Belfast in the 1950s and 1960s,

ecclesiastical nuances were as

familiar as the ten times table. At

an early age we could define, and

even spell, transubstantiation**.

Our conversation made me

wonder if we reflect sufficiently on

the origins of Anglicanism, and

what it means for us today.

Is the Anglican communion

protestant, catholic but reformed, a

new (sixteenth century) church or

as Ussher, a seventeenth century

Archbishop of Armagh, would

have it, the restoration of a true

historic church after innovation by

the mediaeval papacy? Were its

earliest roots established by Celtic

monks rather than the mission of

Augustine?

Is it a compromise ultimately

reflected in the 1559 Elizabethan

Church Settlement, introduced at a

time when both allegiance to Rome

of the Counter Reformation or, on

the other hand, membership of the

independent Puritan

congregations when firebrand

unlicensed preachers constituted a

danger to Elizabeth’s government?

Or is Anglicanism a true via

media just as courage is an

absolute good in itself and not a

compromise between the extremes

of cowardice or recklessness?

Then we have some historical

puzzles: Was Henry VIII solely

concerned with divorce to secure a

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new wife and thence an heir?

How did he move from being Fidei

Defensor writing against the new

protestant ‘heresy’ to becoming

Supreme Head of the Church of

England? Why did Elizabeth

choose the title Supreme

Governor? Why, despite

Elizabeth’s dislike of married

clergy, did she relent on clerical

celibacy? And why, in pre-

Reformation Wales, did priests

have ‘concubines’?

How did the Civil War of the

seventeenth century and the

industrial revolution of the

eighteenth and nineteenth

centuries affect the established

church? How did the Celtic

countries respond to what was in

effect the imposition of

Anglicanism? Why were non-

Anglicans excluded from positions

in the law, army commissions, the

universities and political and

public life? How did this change?

How has the church responded

to social change and what are the

challenges of today? Does

Anglicanism have a coherent and

distinctive shared theology? Is a

broad church so broad that

anything goes? And why did the

late, and much missed, Reverend

Nigel John respond to a heckler in

a theology lecture who accused

him of bias with the words, ‘I’m

not biased. I‘m Church in Wales’?

I hope to begin to unravel some

of these questions with a series of

short articles over the coming

months.

*Benediction: A service at which the

consecrated bread of the Eucharist is

lifted up before the congregation as a

blessing from Christ’s sacramental

presence.

**Transubstantiation: A Roman

Catholic teaching that the bread and

wine become the physical body and

blood of Christ.

“Christmas is our annual reminder to look up - pondering celestial stars, to look out - serving those in need,

and to look down - glorifying our Lord in humble prayer.”

Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway

22

WHAT’S ON?

BRANGWYN HALL, SWANSEA

ORGAN & VIOLIN RECITAL Leslie Ryan & Sali-Wyn Ryan

Tuesday 3rd December from 12.45 - 1.30

Free admission

THE GOWER CHORALE

with the Choir of the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Swansea

MESSIAH — HANDEL

Brangwyn Hall, Sunday 15th December 2019 at 7:00pm

Musical Director Dr William Reynolds

Organ Glenn Crooks

Harpsichord Dr David Ponsford

Soprano Catrin Aur

Mezzo-Soprano Helen Stanley

Tenor Robyn Lyn Evans

Bass Meilir Jones

The British Sinfonietta

Tickets £20 from Andrea Bassett or any choir member or www.swansea.gov.uk/HandelsMessiahBooking

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FILM CLUB DATES

5th December Red Joan Judi Dench

19th December The Man Who Invented Christmas Dan Stevens, Christopher Plummer

The Parish Prayer Group has organized the

PARISH ANNUAL QUIET DAY

at Nicholaston House which will be led by Reverend Hywel Griffiths

on Saturday 22nd February, 10.00am - 4.00pm

Coffee on arrival & a two-course lunch Cost: £20 to be paid by 18th January 2020

Sign-up sheets will be placed in both churches.

Enquiries to Lyn Jones or any member of the Prayer Group

THE ARIOSA SINGERS MUMBLES VOICES

ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS Christmas Carols, songs, solos & choruses

Sunday 29th December at 3.00pm Church of the Holy Cross, Fairwood Road, West Cross, Swansea

Free admission Mulled wine & mince pies after the concert

Retiring collection for Maggie’s Cancer Care Centre @ Singleton

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SWANSEA ORGAN ASSOCIATION

CLYNE CHAPEL

Tuesday 4th February 2020 at 7.00pm

RECITAL DEMONSTRATION OF NEW ORGAN

LESLIE RYAN, parish organist

Tea & coffee served afterwards

Free admission

MUMBLES CHURCHES TOGETHER

COMBINED ECUMENICAL SERVICE at All Saints Church, Oystermouth

Sunday 19th January 2020 at 3.00pm

Theme: Vision 2020

VIVIAN HALL BLACKPILL

LIGHTING OF THE VILLAGE CHRISTMAS TREE

Friday 6th December at 7:00pm £5.00

Carols with Ariosa Singers & Mumbles Voices

Mulled wine & mince pies

25

BIBLE SOCIETY

HOME 360

An event to launch a new initiative will be held at Waterfront Community Church, Langdon Road, SA1 8QY

on 5th December 2019 Refreshments will be available from 7:00pm,

the event running from 7:30 – 9:30pm

This immersive Bible experience uses the latest Virtual Reality technology to introduce people to the big story of the Bible. Projected inside a 9 metre dome, a 15 minute film touches on ideas of love, loss, forgiveness and belonging – themes common to every audience. Home 360 dome will visit nine city centres from May to September 2020 for around three days at each location, enabling thousands of people to experience the Bible - Swansea is one of the nine. If anyone is interested in finding out more &/or booking a place, please visit: biblesociety.org.uk/home360

“So God throws open the door of this world - and enters as a baby. As the most vulnerable imaginable.

Because He wants unimaginable intimacy with you. What religion ever had a god that wanted such intimacy with us

that He came with such vulnerability to us? What God ever came so tender we could touch Him?

So fragile that we could break Him? So vulnerable that His bare, beating heart could be hurt?

Only the One who loves you to death.”

Ann Voskamp

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INTRODUCING BIBLE READING FELLOWSHIP

Esther Searle

I t’s said that if a ballet dancer

doesn’t practice for one day, she

notices. If she doesn’t practice for

two days, the class notices, and if

she doesn’t practice for three days,

the whole audience notices. It

might not be so immediately

obvious if Christians don’t read the

Bible every day, but, sooner or

later, it will be noticed.

Different Christian traditions

give different weight to the habit of

daily Bible study, but all are agreed

that it’s an important discipline: a

practice to be fostered, along with

prayer, worship, reflection and

service, if faith is to grow deep

roots.

Our enthusiasm for Bible reading

may wax and wain: life becomes

busy or difficult, we drift away and

don’t know how to return,

scripture no longer seems to

‘speak’ to us, we get bored,

distracted or discouraged until

daily Bible study becomes a joyless

‘ought’, another niggly, guilt-

inducing ‘should.’

But what if, instead of thinking of

Some of you may already know about the help and pleasure from using

Bible study notes from different publishers. This article from BRF offers

some thoughts about what they can offer. If you want to know more

please ask me. Tel: 402045 - email: esther.m.searle@gmail.com

27

it as a duty, we think of it as a gift:

a lovely opportunity to sit in God’s

presence, focus on his word and

keep the channels of

communication open?

Daily Bible reading notes nourish

and inspire on good days, but they

come into their own when we’re

flagging. They provide a structure,

a manageable passage of scripture

and the thoughts of a wise,

compassionate and experienced

commentator.

BRF offers six different series of

Bible reading notes from the

seriously theological to the quietly

contemplative, from notes for

women to reflections for older

people. The most popular series is

the approachable and illuminating

New Daylight, offering insight into

God and into scripture. Whichever

series you choose, it will introduce

you over time to the whole sweep

of scripture, from Genesis to

Revelation, allowing you to absorb

its wisdom, develop your

understanding and encounter daily

inspiration, encouragement and

challenge.

Eley McAinsh, Editor of Bible

Reflections for Older People

A t the recent PCC meeting,

members were reminded of the

consistent generosity of

Llwynderw in giving to those in

any sort of need.

Following the example set by

Jesus, it is incumbent on the

Church to support those in need.

To that end, the PCC commits

funds each autumn to a number of

charities - local, national and

international. This year your PCC

is able to give £5000 once again,

and the proceeds from Clyne in

Bloom are part of that.

The PCC is not forgetful of the

ongoing generosity of members

who give so readily to the

Foodbank. The boxes are

consistently full to overflowing.

ANNUAL PARISH CHARITABLE DONATIONS

Biddy Wigley

28

But it doesn’t end there. In so

many other ways, Llwynderw is

generous. Looking back through

the Treasurer’s books and this

year’s magazines we find money

raised for all manner of causes:

Faith in Families, the Bishop’s Lent

Appeal and Macmillan to name

but three. Add into that the Ariosa

and Mumbles Voices events and

we see more - Maggie’s and MS

are just two of the charities to

benefit.

Penny Ryan has been oft quoted

that ‘To Live is to Give.’ It seems

that Llwynderw has taken her

words to heart! The PCC would

like to thank everyone for their

unfailing generosity during 2019.

Parish of Llwynderw Christmas Donations 2019

Embrace (Biblelands) £350:00

Bishop’s Ministry Fund (for emergencies) £200:00

Faith in Families £1000:00

Bible Society/Open the Book £250:00

Bishop’s Fund £350:00

Ty Olwen Trust £350:00

Stepping Stones Childrens Centre £350:00

Maggie’s - Singleton Hospital £250:00

Medecins sans Frontiers £300:00

Wales Air Ambulance £250:00

Kids Cancer Charity £200:00

Christian Aid £500:00

St Stephens Night Shelter £300:00

Matthew’s House £200:00

Eden Bus £150:00

Total £5000:00

29

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Sali-Wyn Ryan

W e all try, in our own way,

to make a difference in life -

sometimes we manage, sometimes

we don’t! As a professional

violinist in the Royal Philharmonic

Orchestra, I sometimes wonder

where my overall contribution lies

in the grand scheme of making a

difference in life. Would a concert

attendee listening to the thrilling

sounds of a Beethoven symphony

really notice if I was there or not?

On a bad day - when I’m on my

seventh concert of the week and

I’ve just driven for five hours to

Scunthorpe in the north, I think,

probably not. On a good day

however, I firmly believe that I am

one tiny piece of a brilliant musical

jigsaw, bringing enjoyment,

excitement and perhaps escapism

to appreciative audiences.

We were always taught when

studying literature at school, that

one must indulge in “The willing

suspension of disbelief”. Attending

a concert can be like that too - the

power of music not only

transcends social boundaries but

can bring to the individual a

momentary feeling of being

uplifted and wonderfully removed

from the challenges of everyday

life. This surely, is the ultimate

‘feel good factor’!

Since graduating from college,

my ambition and aim has always

been to participate in as many

30

varied musical activities as

possible. I joined the Royal

Philharmonic Orchestra about six

years ago and it certainly lives up

to its recent accolade of being the

‘Busiest UK orchestra of 2018’. No

two weeks are the same; no two

days are even the same in fact! A

period of ten days can often see us

playing many different

programmes, in many different

cities, sometimes several different

countries.

The last year alone has taken us

to Germany, Italy, Spain, China,

Kuwait, Abu-Dhabi, Poland,

Russia and every corner of the UK.

A few weeks ago, in the space of

48 hours, we performed two

Mozart Symphonies, Beethoven’s

1st Piano Concerto and then a

‘Night at the Musicals’, featuring

West End veteran Bonnie Langford

singing hits from ‘Spamalot’! This

eclectic range of repertoire is

typical for us and I absolutely love

it!

It’s not just our repertoire that is

varied; at the heart of the RPO lies

our very own Education and

Outreach department, known as

‘Resound’. Run by a very small

team of dedicated staff, and

involving around twenty of us

from the orchestra, this exceptional

initiative truly does fall into the

‘making a difference’ category. We

take musicians into not just areas

with limited access to live

performances, but dozens of SEND

schools, care homes, refuge

centres, clinics and even prisons.

It’s become very fashionable to

throw around terms such as ‘well-

being’, ‘mindfulness’, ‘community

outreach’ and other such phrases

and sometimes it’s crucial to

remember what they actually

mean! All three of these,

incidentally, have their own entry

in Wikipedia so they must be

important!

I, along with some fellow RPO

members, recently attended a

launch event for a new

organisation. In conjunction with

the NHS and arts organisations

throughout the country, a brand

new ‘National Academy for Social

Prescribing’ has been created. For

those of you au fait with the ever

changing world of social media,

you’ll be aware that nothing is real

until you join a few words together

and pop a #hashtag in front of it!

#SocialPrescribing has been

31

catapulted into existence and its

relevance in modern society is

being analysed, monitored and

realised.

Is this just more ephemeral

jargon perhaps? Surely the concept

of ‘Social Prescribing’ has been in

existence for decades, if not

centuries….we’re back to that feel-

good-factor. This new Academy

promises to use and encourage

“the power of the arts and social

activities to improve the nation’s

health”. In raising awareness that

involvement in arts based activities

is, at times, worthy of being

prescribed, alongside or instead of

traditional medication, this

initiative certainly places

responsibility on organisations

such as the RPO to make sure they

have something to offer.

On a simple level, we all know

the apparent benefits of being

involved with music - it is believed

and speculated that music can help

release certain chemicals in the

brain, such as endorphins; research

is underway to see if music can aid

memory functionality, and of

course, music can help us all relax.

At the RPO, through the work of

our Resound department, we are

trying to take things a few steps

even further……….

Thank you Sali-Wyn - the concluding

part of this article will appear in the

next edition.

“...And then, just when everything is bearing down on us

to such an extent that we can scarcely withstand it,

the Christmas message comes to tell us that all our ideas are wrong,

and that what we take to be evil and dark is really good and light

because it comes from God. Our eyes are at fault, that is all.

God is in the manger, wealth in poverty,

light in darkness, succour in abandonment.

No evil can befall us; whatever men may do to us,

they cannot but serve the God who is secretly revealed as love

and rules the world and our lives.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

32

T his popular modern hymn

was written and composed in 1981

by Dan Schutte who originally

meant it to be sung as a dialogue

between a solo voice posing God’s

question, ‘Whom shall I send?’ then

the congregation responding, ‘Here

I am Lord’. The words are based on

verses from the Old Testament,

Isaiah 6:8 and 1 Samuel 3.

Dan Schutte was born in

Wisconsin USA in 1947, his parents

and grandparents were all gifted

musicians. He studied for the

Roman Catholic priesthood at a

Jesuit Seminary which triggered

his love of music in worship.

He has had a prolific career as a

composer of hymns, worship songs

and music for the church service.

He said, ‘Music stirs my soul and

speaks my faith’. Verse two, shows

this: ‘ I will break their hearts of stone,

give them hearts for love alone, I will

speak my word to them.’

For many years he was composer

in residence at the University of

San Francisco and director of music

for the Office of University

Ministries there.

Although this hymn began as

Catholic liturgical music it has

progressed into mainstream

Christian worship; surely a sign

that the sentiments expressed are

universal.

I LOVE THAT HYMN

Les Ryan

The ten most popular hymns in the 2019 BBC Songs of Praise survey.

10. I, the Lord of sea and sky

"Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world."

C.S. Lewis

33

I f you have watched any of the

colourful TV programmes on the

‘favelas’ in Brazil, then you will

have some idea of the Chacarita

area in Paraguay, set along the

river bank and near to the city

centre.

In 1972, our missionary Bishop

decided that as bi-lingual St

Andrew’s College, started as a

Kindergarten in 1963, was reaching

the upper echelons of society with

the Gospel, we could do something

similar with the very poor living in

the Chacarita. The fees from the

College he thought would support

an Annexe, so in the beginning,

much was provided, even food for

a time, as many of the children

would come to school hungry.

The Chacarita, when we started,

was a rubbish dump for the city, so

to visit ‘our’ families, we had to

use a plank to cross over the

rotting rubbish. Obviously, much

has changed over these intervening

47 years; the rubbish area has been

filled in and there have been many

improvements, but it remains a ‘no

go’ area for outsiders and the

Police rarely visit.

Many of the people living there

have been encouraged to move out

to more salubrious housing outside

the city, so when the river floods

they won’t have to up sticks and

leave every year.

Even so, the closure of the

Annexe by the Diocesan Executive,

announced at the end of this

School year because of lack of

money, came as a shock. Faced

with insufficient funds over the

past 5 years, it would seem that

Peter Bartlett, the retiring Bishop,

took that decision with the

Executive Committee, before

leaving for the U.K.

This has been very upsetting for

the staff, the 202 children and

parents and they are questioning

the rationale behind the decision.

As we are working in an area of

CHACARITA SCHOOL

Glenys Williams

34

CHRISTMAS SERVICES

Sunday 22nd December

Normal pattern of morning services

6:00pm Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at Clyne Chapel

Christmas Eve

4:00pm Christmas Family Service at Holy Cross

11:30pm Midnight Mass at Clyne Chapel

Christmas Day

8:00am Holy Eucharist at Clyne Chapel

10:00am Holy Eucharist and Carols at Holy Cross

Thursday 26th December (Stephen, Martyr)

10:00am Holy Eucharist at St Faith’s

Sunday 29th December

10:00am Parish Eucharist at Holy Cross

3:00pm Concert at Holy Cross (see details page 23)

No joint services in January

Sunday 2nd February

10:00am Parish Eucharist at Clyne

deprivation, the Ministry of

Education, who have always been

involved, have offered to fund

nine teachers for the classes K.G.

to Year 9, plus the Head for the

year 2020.

So while we give thanks to God

for the past 47 years and the

thousands who have received an

excellent Christian education, due,

in part to our Parish and

individual support, we await

developments as to the future!

35

HYMN LIST DECEMBER 2019

1st December

1st Sunday of Advent

Hark a thrilling voice is sounding

Jesus, where’er thy people meet

God of mercy, God of grace

Lo, he comes with clouds

descending

Organ voluntary:

Prelude in G minor Bach

8th December

2nd Sunday of Advent

On Jordan’s bank

Hills of the North, rejoice

Thy kingdom come! On bended

knee

Long ago, prophets knew

Organ voluntary:

Fugue in B flat Boyce

15th December

3rd Sunday of Advent

The advent of our King

Hark, my soul, it is the Lord

Come, thou long expected Jesus

Lord, the light of your love is

shining

Organ voluntary: Largo Handel

22nd December

4th Sunday of Advent

The Angel Gabriel from Heaven

came

Tell out my soul

For Mary, mother of the Lord

O come, O come, Emmanuel

Organ voluntary: Wachet Auf, Bach

29th December

1St Sunday after Christmas

Joy to the world

Unto us a boy is born

Away in a manger

See amid the winter’s snow

Organ Voluntary:

Prelude in C major Bach

Hymnal: Common Praise

Archdeacon Jonathan Davies

Leslie Ryan, parish organist

Hymns selected from the

recommendations of

the RSCM Sunday by Sunday

publication

36

5th January

The Epiphany of our Lord

O worship the Lord in the beauty

of holiness

Earth has many a noble city

In the bleak midwinter

As with gladness men of old

Organ Voluntary:

Air from the Water Music, Handel

12th January

The Baptism of Christ

Be still for the presence of the Lord

When Jesus came to Jordan

Make me a channel of your peace

God is here

Organ Voluntary:

Chorale from the Organ Symphony,

Saint-Saëns

19th January

2nd Sunday of Epiphany

Come let us join our cheerful songs

Ye servants of God

Lead us Heavenly Father

Crown him with many crowns

Organ Voluntary:

Fanfare for the Gloria, Andrew Moore

26th January

3rd Sunday of Epiphany

Be thou my vision

Dear Lord and Father of mankind

Soul of my Saviour

Father, Lord of all creation

Organ Voluntary:

Festive Fanfare, Noël Rawsthorne

Hymnal: Common Praise

Archdeacon Jonathan Davies

Leslie Ryan, parish organist

Hymns selected from the

recommendations of

the RSCM Sunday by Sunday

publication

HYMN LIST JANUARY 2020

37

20:20 VISION

Biddy Wigley

I t’s very easy to feel jaded in the

busyness of preparing for

Christmas. I seem to be less

organized each year, but I have

ordered my turkey, and the cards

are residing unwritten on the table!

The antidote to the busyness is to

make time to quietly reflect on the

reason Jesus came to live with us

as we prepare to welcome him

once again.

We’ve recently seen ‘Jesus Christ

Super Star’ at the Grand Theatre. It

was an excellent production. As

the events of Jesus’ Passion

unfolded before us I found I was

crying. Why?

I was acutely aware of how fickle

the people were; how demanding

they were; how, no matter how

often Jesus explained everything,

some of them just didn’t get Jesus’

profoundly simple message.

My tears were tears of sorrow

and shame as I reflected on all the

times I let him down and how

difficult it can be to submit every

hour of every day to his rule.

As we approach the year 2020 I

am reminded that those numbers

represent near perfect vision. We

are fortunate that opticians can

correct our physical vision. But

what about our spiritual vision?

Could our Advent preparation

be described as bringing more

clarity to the reality of Jesus’ birth

and ministry? “For God so loved

the world that he gave his one and

only Son, that whoever believes in

him shall not perish but have

eternal life.” John 3.16

Anticipating the arrival of the

Babe of Bethlehem we might reflect

on the love of God which sent

Jesus to live out his message, on

our relationship with him and his

call on us as individuals and as

Church in this place at this time.

With every blessing for Christmas

and the New Year, Biddy

38

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