Welsh Baroque Orchestra

Just a snippet from their concert with us last January. We did record the whole evening, but I'm afraid that we don't have the staff to put it all on YouTube! For now - enjoy again the finale to the Double Cello Concerto. And let's hope we can persuade them to visit again before long. Weren't they wonderful?

Seeing a Vision

Derek is always quick to tell us this is a "vision" not a "project" - and here you can see the vision! David Harvey, our architect has provided us with a video walk through of the plans to join the hall and church together. Have a look. I hope this blesses you & helps you understand better what we are trying to do.

Do keep praying. None of this happens without massive answers to prayer & massive financial provision.

But when it happens, we can do better things for kids & families, and really get to grips with doing things for the elderly in the community too. So watch, be inspired, and pray!

Happy Birthday Stewart!

The Wednesday lunchtime homegroup celebrated the end of this term's meetings by wishing Vicar's Warden Stewart Franklin a very happy birthday with his own special cake. Don't bother counting the candles - they were entirely representative!

The Wednesday lunchtime Bible group has been going for some time now, and with its steady eight or ten members has a great time every week delving deeper into the previous Sunday's readings. We enjoy it so much that soon we are going to begin what we believe will be the Church in Wales' first regular Podcast! Then everyone will be able to listen in & learn with us, and be inspired as we have a lot of fun together in each other's company and as we understand more of God's word together.

Unfortunately, cake can only be enjoyed by those actually at the vicarage...

Summer Celebration 2009

On July 12th, not ten miles away at Sophia Gardens, there were many England (And Silent Wales) cricket fans praying for rain in order to save the draw at the first Test against Australia (like the Australians are a sporting nation? Come on - we are better at the Olympics, rugby, football & tennis; how good at sport can the Ozzies be?) but here in Ponty we were praying for sunshine because it was our Summer Celebration Weekend, and as you can see from this lunchtime photo - the Lord blessed our prayers.

We had a great day. And the team that organised everything worked really hard and did a fantastic job! Rhian and Julie & everyone - this would be an enormous post if I named everybody who contributed yesterday. The toddlers ballet class danced in church (quite spectacular) and we said our thank yous to Kirsty & prayed for her as she comes to the end of her time as Children's Worker. Kirsty is amazing; her work is wonderful; I am only glad that this was "thank you" and not "goodbye" - whoever comes to take on the role will still have her around to plunder as a font of knowledge and endless resource, though families will have to allow the new person to be the new Kirsty, as they had to allow Kirsty to be the new Naomi two years ago!

Nicky Hopwood came and spent the day with us; she will be designing & making the new stained glass window that will be part of the joining of church & hall, and her workshop was really great value - though I was mistaken about it. Marcus told people it would not design the window; well, we didn't draw anything, but the ideas that came from the time we spent will certainly be used. So - those who didn't come missed a chance to be a part of the creative process in a way I wasn't expecting!

And Nicky said something, a throwaway comment, which many found surprisingly and deeply moving. She noted that one of our windows had been repaired at some point, and that clearer glass had been used for the repair than for the rest of the window. The sun had shone through it during my sermon, and at that point she had seen that it was "through broken-ness that the light shines most clearly". What a beautiful thought.

Anyway - a great day. And of course, having granted us sunshine, the Lord also granted us the miracle of Monty Panesar facing 35 balls and not getting out. Apparently Ricky Ponting whinged all night; those Ozzies really aren't terribly good at sport - or sportsmanship, are they?

Memories of 24

Anyone remember this? As part of the 2006 24 Hour Worship, we finished with a Confirmation Service... This video will be part of the new website as soon as Geraint & Marcus and TL get it up and running. This is just a taster of what we are preparing!