CHURCH AND SOCIETY
Diocesan Offering 2010
Download Liturgical Resources (Word 42k) to support the Diocesan Offering appeal and Diocesan Offering Sunday (12th September).
A message from Mrs Clare Cameron and the Revd David Lewis
The only memories Lisa Bailey had of her first son Lewys are the few precious hours she spent with him. Lewys was still born in November 2008 at the University Hospital in Cardiff. She and her husband Rodney still regret not having more time with him before she left hospital and said goodbye to him forever.
"I value the time I had with Lewys", Lisa says, "but I wish I could have had more time with my son. You are saying hello and goodbye all in one go."
A Cold Cot, brought to the Diocesan Conference by Darren & Tracey Pritchard, supporters of Sands, who are pictured with the Revd Kathy Collins, Chaplain Manager of the Betsi Cadwaladr
University Health Board
As a result, Lisa returned to the hospital to present the maternity unit with a cold cot which will allow other parents who are grieving to spend more time with their baby after a still birth. Lisa says, "I want people to be aware, that if they are going through a bereavement, that they have this possibility of bonding with their child for a little bit longer than we had."
The Board of Church and Society have decided that this year’s nominated Charity will be Wrexham & Clwyd Sands, the stilbirth and neonatal death charity. This charity provides support to bereaved families in Wrexham, Flintshire, Denbighshire and Conwy. The death of a baby can be a devastating experience for parents and families and what unites the membership of Sands is a shared experience of this terrible loss.
In order to help the grieving process and in order to enable the parents to spend a longer time with their baby, the infant can be placed in a cold cot. It looks like a conventional postnatal ward cot but, below the cot where the cupboards are usually located, there is a motor which cools the base of the cot to between 0-1°C. The base is covered by a blanket onto which the baby is placed. Wrexham and Clwyd Sands are appealing for funds for these cots and this is what this year’s offering will be supporting.
The poem below expresses the pain of grieving parents
Whispering Pain
This whispering pain - comes over me again,
It can’t be stopped - with the pills I’ve popped,
It can’t be eased - my heart has simply seized.
Life is so cruel - you’ve taken my jewel,
My precious one - my tiny baby son.
He was born asleep - with no soul to keep,
For God to hold - never to grow old.
This whispering pain - comes over me again,
It say’s your tough - you’ve cried enough,
It says let go of the life you’ll never know,
Let it run free - then you will see,
The pain you hold - will make you so cold,
It’ll suck you dry - so you can not cry,
Flow through your veins - like the winter rains.
This whispering pain - comes over me again.
It says you see - he was not meant to be,
Not strong enough - for a life so rough,
All I ask - is to have a mask,
To hide away - the pain of each day,
To make me strong - So I can sing my song,
Of my beautiful baby boy - who will fill heaven full of joy.
Serann Gettings 19.05.08
In memory of my "Bumpy" who was born asleep 9 May 2008 at 10.02am.
This year's appeal was launched at the Diocesan Conference on June 13th and the Diocesan Offering Service will be on Monday 11th October at 7 p.m. in the Cathedral.
Please support us and be a light of hope to these parents.
The Diocesan Offering 2009 was in support of the work of Rhyl Samaritans and Hafal.