PART TWO: DEANERY MISSION PLANS
2.4 Bedwellty Deanery:
(Allocated 7 stipends)
In powerful language, the plan set out to challenge people to ‘think larger than our existing place of worship and parish’. The deanery must now become the focal point. Over the years, we have all become parish orientated— ‘our parish’ and its well-being have conditioned our lives. We must now make a very conscious effort to widen our horizons to embrace the deanery unit as the new focal point of local church life. Clergy and laity are going to need the mutual support and encouragement of each other as never before.
Priority is to be given to the development of collaborative ministry teams. The NSMs, local deacons and eucharistic ministers should be licensed to the deanery instead of to a parish or benefice. Meetings for mutual prayer, support and joint planning should include NSMs and Readers where possible.
The deanery is keen to develop and encourage post-modernistic, contemporary styles of worship, beginning with two centres, possibly Tredegar and Pontllanfraith or Blackwood. Ideally, a Deanery Missioner (ordained or lay) skilled in developing new forms of worship should be appointed. Alternatively, there needs to be expertise at diocesan level to facilitate this happening at deanery level.
A Team Co-ordinator, ordained or lay, should be appointed. That person would know the times of service in each church throughout the deanery, ensure that clergy holidays are staggered by consent so that cover can be provided, and that mission and community projects are established as an integral part of deanery team policy. Community projects would have to be lay-led, and the type and siting of such projects would need to be carefully researched and planned.
Lay people must be motivated to take a full role in church life. More NSMs and Readers will be required in the next ten years. Ecumenical co-operation, which would include offers to share buildings, should be encouraged. Consideration should be given to the closure of church buildings where there is a small congregation with diminishing numbers, though the opportunity should first be given to evangelise and grow.
The proposed benefice structure is:
The Rectorial Benefice of Mynyddislwyn (2 stipends)
Blackwood and Fleur de Lis (1 stipend)
Bedwellty and New Tredegar (1 stipend)
Tredegar (1 stipend)
Rhymney with Abertyssswg (1 stipend)
Newbridge,Crumlin, Abercarn and Cwmcarn (2 stipends)
It is hoped that a curate might be allocated to the deanery in a parish where s/he would receive the best training