Parish of Llandudno North Wales, Rector's letter

July 2012

On Sunday July 1st there will be two important but very different events taking place in the parish, unfortunately at more or less the same time. Both events, however, are central to the mission of our parish.

At 2 p.m. there will be a Messy Church afternoon at Holy Trinity. The two previous Messy Church sessions we have held have been very successful, attracting a goodly number of children and their parents, and so we have great expectations for the third.

But what is Messy Church? The term ‘Messy Church’ conjures up all sorts of images of chaos and devastation. I can assure you that our   MC sessions are nothing like this at all! ‘Messy’ in this context means that everybody gets involved in arts or crafts or other activities of one sort or another – and this might involve getting a bit messy if you’re not careful, and it certainly won’t be quiet or tidy! ‘Messy’ also means that an experience of worship is offered which is very different from the ordered and dignified services which are our normal fare. Messy Church worship is geared very explicitly to children and may involve story-telling, with puppets, with simple choruses and prayers.

It is vital that as a parish we explore different ways of experiencing what it means to be part of the church and to come together as the family of God to worship him. Don’t worry – we aren’t going to abandon the liturgical worship which is at the centre of the life of our parish. At least while I am parish priest here the ordered celebration of the Eucharist – the sacrament which Our Lord gave to us as the main focus of his presence with us - will always be the principal act of worship. But if we want our parish to thrive and to grow, and, more importantly, if we want to bring many folk into a relationship with Our Lord in the fellowship of his Church, then we must provide ‘ways-in’ which are appropriate to the needs of different groups. Messy Church is one way of doing this, Exploring Worship is another. No doubt others will come along and we must be open to them as well. Meanwhile if you wish to get involved with Messy Church, especially if you are good at arts and crafts etc. and get on well with children, have a word with me.

The other event on July 1st is the Service of Thanksgiving and Re-dedication at St Tudno's at 3 p.m. At the time of writing I have only seen the newly renovated St Tudno’s from the outside and have yet to venture within. The outside looked impressive enough but I am told that the inside is splendid too. An ancient building has been given a new lease of life!

For large numbers of people today, ancient churches in beautiful surroundings such as St Tudno's, are a powerful witness to the presence of God in a noisy and busy world. The great spiritual tradition of this place stretching right back to the time of Tudno himself is part of the appeal of this special place. So St Tudno’s is a vital part of our mission as a parish.

The service on the 1st is designed to be one of thanksgiving. We will thank all those who supported our sponsor-a-slate appeal and so helped to make the renovation possible; we will also thank the members of the Friends of St Tudno’s Church who do so much to raise funds and to help the Wardens with the running of the church, and of course our architect and the contractors who carried out the work and have done a magnificent job. More importantly we will give thanks to God who has given us this wonderful church.

The service will also be one of re-dedication. On July 1st those who worship regularly at St Tudno’s, and hopefully many others from the parish and our family of Friends, will come together to re-dedicate themselves to the service of God in this holy place. The Deputy Mayor of Llandudno will be present to represent the Town and the patron Emeritus of the Friends – the Very Revd. Alun Hawkins has kindly agreed to come and preach. We look forward to a moving and splendid act of worship.

Fr. John

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