Governing Body to meet in Newport in September

The Governing Body of the Church in Wales will convene this month for a comprehensive two-day meeting at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Newport on September 9 and 10. The gathering will bring together 143 elected clergy and lay representatives from across all six Welsh dioceses.

The agenda will open with a keynote Presidential Address by the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Reverend Cherry Vann, which will set the tone for the meeting discussions among members.

Members will debate a significant private members' motion proposed by the Venerable Andy Grimwood and seconded by Ms Anna Cory. The motion calls for the Representative Body to present a financial and budgetary analysis in April 2027 regarding stipend and pension parity with the Church of England, followed by a set of options for a sustainable and dignified clergy retirement housing scheme in September 2027.

Throughout the sessions, attendees will hear from external speakers, including the Reverend Canon Dr Duncan Dormor, General Secretary of the United Society Partners in the Gospel, and Dr Helen Paynter, Director of the Centre for the Study of the Bible and Violence at Bristol Baptist College. She will be delivering a talk to Governing Body about Christian nationalism and the rise of the far right.

Governance matters will also take centre stage, featuring discussions of  reports from the Bench of Bishops, the Representative Body and the Standing Committee , which proposes some amendments to the Constitution of the Church in Wales and to the Safeguarding Policy.  There will also be discussion of the proposed adoption of the latest chapter of the Code of Conduct for clergy and licensed lay ministers, which focusses on financial integrity.

In addition to business sessions, the meeting will incorporate acts of worship including a celebration of the Holy Eucharist. On the evening of September 9, the Governing Body will travel to Newport Cathedral for Choral Evensong, a service that will incorporate a sacred synod which will see the election of the new Bishop of Bangor officially confirmed.

The proceedings will be open to the public and can be followed online via a live-stream link available on the Church in Wales website at www.churchinwales.org.uk and its official YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/churchinwales