Board members
Our Board’s officers are engaged in various areas of community work and outreach.
The Venerable Chris Potter is Chair of the Board.
Revd David Lewis is lead officer for the Board and oversees the different aspects of work.
Revd Canon Phillip Williams as World Development Officer has done considerable work in developing fair trade in our Diocese.
Revd James Aylward is chair of the Wrexham Asylum and Refugee Support Group.
Kay Polley is the organiser for TCC and works with people on issues of citizenship.
Revd Stuart Elliott is responsible for the Board's work in Ecology
Ros Crawford is responsible for the Board's work in World Mission
Together Creating Communities
TCC is an alliance of community, faith and school groups in north-east Wales who act on the basis of shared values.
TCC were instrumental in encouraging the Diocese of St Asaph to adopt the Living Wage campaign. Read our press release about it here.
CHURCH AND SOCIETY
Resources to support parishes and individuals during recession.
Mental Health First Aid
The Diocese of St Asaph is hosting a one day course for Clergy and Lay People designed to raise awareness and help our understanding of mental health issues.
The course takes place in Corwen on Wednesday 30 May and costs £15. The picture shows Revd Carol Wardman, Bishop's Advisor on Church and Society.
Church and Society supports Wrexham event
The Board of Church and Society helped support a weekend of events in Wrexham.
They were run by Ffynnon PPD - a company that help to support people in the care professions.
Ffynnon is also run by an Ordinand in the Diocese of St Asaph who is training to be a NSM.
World Mission
The Board of Church and Society want every Parish in the Diocese to be involved in World Mission. Mrs Ros Crawford is the new World Mission Officer.
Find out more and read about some of links we have with charities like Christian Aid.
Special offers on SWT Communion Wafers
You can now order Communion Wafers online to support the work of our linked Diocese of South West Tanganyika.
Wafers start from as little as £4.50 for 300 or two bags for £8.00. Priests wafers are also available at competitive prices! Click to order.
What should our attitude be to ecology?
Find out how Revd Stuart Elliott is heating his water and read the vision for "A Diocese with Ecology at its Heart"
David Lewis, Church & Society Officer, writes,
The work of the Church and Society Board, I think is summed up in the words of a poem by a ten year old girl, as part of a series of poems published by Shelter and written by children on the themes of homelessness and poverty.
HUNGRY
I could smell the barbeque.
I could hear the children laughing,
The dog barking.I turned away,
Hungry for food,
Hungry for laughter.
To me that little poem, written by a ten year old, sums up the work of the Church and Society Board. We are to help bring Christ’s hope and promise of resurrection to those in our world who are marginalized and are hungry for justice and peace, hungry for food and for laughter. And our work as a board has helped bring Christ’s light to people.
In January 2007, £8,000 was given to the Pennant Melangell Centre as part of the Diocesan offering. This Centre offers healing, both spiritually and psychologically to the people of our diocese and beyond.
We have been working in partnership with TCC in the establishment of a hostel for roofless people in Wrexham. A temporary shelter was established this last December and it is hoped a permanent shelter will soon be able to open its doors. The board has been able to give £5,000 to this important work of reaching out to those on the edge of our society.
The Board has been supporting the important work of the Asylum and Refugee Support Group in Wrexham and has given a grant of£3,000 to support its work in drop in centres and offering advice and support.
The board is supporting the work of a community worker on the Parkfield estate in Mold.
The Board, at Bishop John’s request has been instrumental in setting up a CHASE group in the Diocese to look at how we as a church can respond to environmental concerns and the changing world climate.
The board has been engaged in partnership with other Boards to help clergy deal with changing situations in Parish and Diocesan life. A two-day training was held for Area Deans in January, followed by a clergy study day in February. The board is now actively engaged in preparing for a clergy residential to be held in September in Lancaster at which Rev Art Gafke will look at the area of clergy mentoring and support.
To end I would like to return to Leah’s poem. Our ministry as a Board is simply about bringing God to people hungry for laugther, hungry for dignity, hungry for hope.