Looking back at the year so far, and mapping the road ahead…
Welcome to our new edition of our Ministry Area newsletter for the Trinity Season.
Inside you’ll find the latest updates from our Ministry Team, and discover how our new ECMA Mission is being worked out across our churches, in our schools and communities. You can also read an important update on our finances.
Now Summer has finally arrived, why not find a spot where you can enjoy the sunshine and read on!
Prefer to read the print version of this newsletter? Pick a copy up from the back of church, or click below:
Ministry Team News
New Vicar for Liturgy & Worship
Just before Easter, we were delighted to announce that Bishop Cherry has appointed the Revd Marja Flipse as our new Vicar for Liturgy and Worship.
Following her ordination in the Diocese of Llandaff in 2008, Marja served in three different parishes before moving in 2020 to her home country of The Netherlands to serve in The Hague. She has extensive gifts in liturgy and music which we look forward to her sharing with us in the Ministry Area.
It has taken a little while to get all the visa arrangements in place for Marja’s return to Wales. However, all being well, her licensing will take place on the evening of Thursday 28th September.
New Lay Officers and Committee Members
Following our Annual Meetings, we’ve welcomed a number of new lay officers to our East Cardiff team. Our thanks to those who have joined as new Ministry Area Council and Church Committee members, to our two new Church Treasurers (John Bonelle from St Mellons, and Cathy Young from St Augustine’s), and to Rosemary James who has agreed to become our new Ministry Area Safeguarding Officer.
Mthr Tina’s Ordination and First Mass
We are also really looking forward to celebrating with Mthr Tina, as she will be ordained to the priesthood at the end of June.
This year’s Diocesan Ordination service will take place in Newport Cathedral on Saturday 24th June at 10.30am, when Mthr Tina will be priested, alongside Dawn Lindsey, Julia Durham, Ruth Rowan and others who have connections to our Ministry Area.
The following day, Sunday 25th June, Mthr Tina’s First Eucharist will be at 10am in St Augustine’s Rumney. This will be the only service taking place across all our churches on that Sunday. The service will be followed by cake and fizz in St Augustine’s Church Hall.
Our Ministry Roadmap
Earlier this year, we launched our new ECMA Mission with three key intentions which are now the focus of our ministry in our churches and community: Justice, Compassion and Faith. As a Ministry Team we’ve started to prayerfully map out the way forwards, finding ways that we can all grow together in our shared mission.
Intention 1: To Stand for Justice
Our priorities:
- Grow in Diversity, by creating and nurturing affirming spaces.
- Challenge Poverty, by understanding and confronting economic inequality.
- Care for Creation, by promoting and demonstrating sustainable living.
Work so far…
- Hosting the Radical Welcome course on Sunday evenings, building on the warm welcome our churches already provide and increasing our understanding of diversity and inclusivity.
- Working with a local legal advice charity, Speakeasy, to provide free advice and support to local residents through a weekly surgery at St Teilo’s School.
- Continuing to address Food Poverty, by supporting Cardiff Foodbank, Trowbridge Food Pantry and the Puffins scheme with regular donations of food and/or volunteering.
- Providing initial funding for a new Breakfast Club at St Teilo’s School, alongside Newport and Llandaff Cathedrals. This enables pupils who couldn’t afford breakfast at home, to start the day with a good meal.
Future plans…
- To launch the East Cardiff Open Table Community, a safe space alongside our usual church services, for people who are LGBTQIA+ to feel cared for and supported.
To develop further our Puffins scheme, which provides food for local families, and integrating it more fully into the life of our churches. - To work with Together St Mellons and Citizens Cymru to understand better the needs of our local community, and listen to local residents.
- To explore how to make our churches more sustainable, through the A Rocha Eco-Church Awards.
- To think more about the eco-systems of our churchyards and other green spaces, and come up with ideas to make better use of them for mission and ministry.
Intention 2: To Act With Compassion
Our priorities:
- Practice Hospitality, by fostering and extending a radical welcome.
- Respond to Isolation, by reaching and embracing the solitary and lonely.
- Meet Human Need, by listening and responding to the disempowered and disenfranchised.
Work so far…
- Nurturing a team of people who will offer a warm welcome to our services, especially to life events.
- Hosting our incredibly successful Easter Eggstravaganza for families.
- Piloting new Diocesan training for Lay Pastoral Visitors, encouraging them to offer pastoral care alongside our clergy.
- Continuing the fruitful midweek activities taking place in our churches, which offer welcome and fellowship.
- Working towards our target to raise £10,000 for good causes, through the Earthquake Appeal, Revd Anthony’s Lent Appeal and Christian Aid week.
Future plans…
- To plan more activities for young people and families over the summer.
- To host a Summer Celebration for the whole Ministry Area.
- To explore how we might offer more long-term bereavement support, alongside our existing funeral ministry.
- To establish regular services for residents in several local care homes.
- To continue improving the pastoral care we offer to our congregation and community members.
- To look for further opportunities to provide community activities for those who may be isolated or lonely.
Intention 3: To Walk in Faith
Our priorities:
- Grow Leaders for Christ, by preparing and commissioning teams of lay people.
- Strengthen Discipleship, by guiding and encouraging our congregation members.
- Share the Good News, by exhibiting and proclaiming the life-giving Gospel.
Work so far…
- Printing new seasonal service booklets to ensure the worship across our churches is engaging and accessible.
- Encouraging opportunities, on Sunday evenings and midweek (eg. Advent Compline), for us to worship together across our churches.
- Re-launching our Sunday Schools and All Age services after Covid, encouraging new leaders and volunteers.
- Continuing to invest in life events, with around 30 christenings so far in 2023, welcoming over 1,000 visitors.
- Recruiting new Altar Servers, and continuing to support our lay worship leaders and assistants.
Future plans…
- To create new discipleship courses and other opportunities for those exploring faith and preparing for Confirmation.
- To offer further Quiet Days and retreat opportunities to encourage our congregation members in their personal faith.
- To further invest in, and build on, the strengths of our music ministry.
- To work with the Diocese to explore the possibility of growing a new worshipping community based in St Teilo’s School.
- To think about how we can encourage rhythms of justice, compassion and faith in our everyday lives.
Finance Update
In order to break even on this year’s accounts, we have set ourselves an ambitious goal to boost our income by £39,000, or £15 for each regular worshipper per month. Unfortunately, although there have been some positive signs, we are still some way short of our target.
Here’s a summary of our Ministry Area accounts for this year to the end of April 2023:
| Income | Expenditure | |||
| Giving | 34,969 | Ministry Share | 46,728 | |
| Gift Aid | 7,482 | Ministry Team Expenses | 2,487 | |
| Service Fees | 2,268 | Maintenance of Services | 5,696 | |
| Grants & Investments | 3,843 | General Church Expenses | 10,038 | |
| Venue Hire | 2,506 | Maintenance of Church Property | 13,023 | |
| Fundraising | 11,336 | Home/World Mission | 2,005 | |
| Total Income | 62,404 | Total Expenditure | 79,976 | |
| Deficit | (17,572) | |||
What is the actual cost of maintaining our ministry?
This year, our total Ministry Share contribution allotted by the Diocese is just over £140,000. This has been calculated by adding up the full cost of our clergy stipends, minus a discount based on the socio-economic context of our communities, and a generous additional support grant of £15,000 which was awarded to us for this year.
We benefit from lots of other sources of income, like grant, wedding and funeral fees and venue hire, as well as all our fundraising efforts as local congregations. However, to be sustainable in the long term, our regular planned giving should at least cover the cost of Ministry Share.
Altogether this averages out at approximately £67 a month (or £16 per week)
for each regular worshipper attending our churches.
We are already doing so much good together across our churches and communities. Please consider prayerfully whether you might be able to give more regularly, or increase your giving, to help strengthen our finances.
How can you play your part?
Pray
Everyone can commit to pray regularly for our East Cardiff churches and schools, our Ministry Team and our mission to our local communities. You can use our Ministry Area prayer to do this:
Bind us together, O Weaver of our souls, into a single garment of destiny that stands for justice, acts with compassion, and walks together in faith; grant us imagination in deepening discipleship, courage in extending your love, and enthusiasm in nurturing the gifts of others; we ask this in the name of Christ, who calls us to this mission and in whom we face the future without fear. Amen.
Serve
We’re always looking for people to help serve our churches and community. If you’re interested, chat to your local church wardens or to one of our Ministry Team.
Give
We rely entirely on your donations to sustain the life of the Church and enable us to serve our local community. We’re so incredibly thankful for all those who give faithfully and generously.
- Online: To set up you regular giving online, please visit: eastcardiff.church/giving.
- By Post: Pick up a Gift Direct booklet from the back of church, fill it in and return it.