Engage

We have been taking more time to engage over the past few weeks; this has looked like putting on the sorts of events and services that reinforce our position at the heart of our communities. Remembrance was an especially good time to engage, as people are searching for meaning, and an eternal context in which to set their hopes and fears.  Many of you will have been to visit the brilliant Remembrance Display at Merthyr Mawr over the last week; there are opportunities for all our churches to connect with local people in similar ways.

From engaging, we move to invite. Hopefully you’ve been inviting your friends and family to join us this Sunday, 17th November at 10am for our joint Confirmation service. Offering a personal invitation is the thing to do if we hope to see friends return to church, or new people join for the first time. We are going to think a lot about what sorts of things we might invite particular people to attend. For starters, we are inviting people to attend Alpha (click here for more about this) which begins on January 13th. As Christmas draws near, our churches will be producing Invitation Cards for you to give to people you know who might want to come to church. Click here for more information about what’s on across the Ministry Area over Christmas

It all begins with an invitation. Not everyone will respond, but as some will. We will be able to extend a warm welcome to them – and nurture them as they take further steps on their journey of faith. In the meantime, we who are already part of the Christian community here in Penybont need to ensure that we are safeguarding the future of our churches and congregations. We are now making a Financial Update available. It is not all easy reading, but it is valuable – as we realise just how much we rely on God, and begin to see him at work in our churches. If you haven’t seen a copy - please email me: Mark.Broadway@cinw.org.uk