Dictionary

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Bishop

‘Bishop’ comes from the Greek word for ‘overseer’. So a bishop is a senior Christian minister authorised to have oversight for God’s people. As well as duties given to deacons and priests, bishops confirm and ordain.

Diocese

‘Diocese’ refers to the geographical territory in which a bishop exercises oversight. The Church in Wales is divided into six dioceses each with its own cathedral in which is housed the cathedra (the bishop’s ‘chair’ or ‘throne’).

Episcopal

‘Episcopal’ refers to the role or ministry of a bishop. So an episcopal church is one in which oversight is entrusted to a bishop. Like many others, the Church in Wales is an episcopal church.

Lent

Lent is the six-week period leading up to Easter. It is a particular time to confess sin and to seek personal and collective renewal (a ‘springtime of the spirit’). Lent has a special focus on Jesus’s journey to the cross and prepares the Church to celebrate his resurrection.

Prayer

Prayer sustains our human relationship with God and may involve words (formal or informal) or be silent. Prayer can involve adoration (‘I love you’), confession (‘sorry’), thanksgiving and supplication (‘please’).

Home For clergy and members Lent 2021

Lent 2021

Lent Appeal

Our Lent Appeal this year will go towards supporting the Church in Wales Centenary Appeal which was launched at a meeting of the Governing Body in 2019 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Church in Wales coming into existence. The Centenary Appeal aims to raise £100,000 for the work of Housing Justice Cymru and for Christian Aid’s work in supporting peace-building in the war-torn country of South Sudan.

Sadly, but perhaps inevitably, the appeal has been severely compromised because of the pandemic and the drop in giving that most charities have suffered as a result. The current total stands at £10,878 and our contribution from the Diocese of Monmouth to this fund should give it a boost in what are very challenging circumstances.

Housing Justice Cymru
The original aim was to support the HJC’s night shelter projects but, because of the pandemic, the charity is now focussing on more preventative support in conjunction with Local Authorities and partner organisations. It has launched the Citadel project to support vulnerable people who need help obtaining and sustaining tenancies. A short film explaining this work can be found on the CinW website.

Christian Aid
South Sudan is one of the youngest and poorest countries in the world, having been established in 2011 and then spiralling into conflict in 2013. The money raised will go towards Christian Aid’s work with the Episcopal Church of South Sudan in trauma healing, advocacy, workshops and peace prayer vigils as well as training for community leaders. Again, more information, including a short video, can be found on the CinW website.

These are challenging times for all of us and money is tight for many. But I do hope and pray that we in the Diocese of Monmouth can make a particular point of supporting this Lent Appeal which will go directly towards helping some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people both in the communities of South Wales and those of South Sudan.

LENT 2021: DYING TO LIVE

Whether you are a lay leader, a licensed minister or a member of clergy, we’d love to invite you to join in with our plans for this year’s Diocesan Lent Course ‘Dying to Live’.

The Course: Key Information
The purpose of the Lent Course is to help us explore together what it means to be a life-long disciple of Jesus Christ. We’d love to see small groups across the Diocese taking this opportunity to meet virtually using Zoom (or similar platforms) and explore discipleship together.

Bishop Cherry hopes that there will be at least one group in each of our Ministry Areas, working through the six sessions on:

- Lamentation
- Forgiveness
- Prayer
- Generosity
- Solidarity
- Calling

The course will be released on Friday 29th January as a free downloadable PDF, with everything you’ll need to make your Lent group a success! You will also be able to request printed copies from the Diocesan office, if you prefer.

Please email admin.monmouth@churchinwales.org.uk to request one.

The Webinars: Get Prepared!

We’re offering two webinars to help you to explore how you can make best use of this opportunity locally, and to help you reflect on your ongoing plans to nurture discipleship where you are.

26th/27th Jan: Leading an online small group

A step by step guide to running an online small group using Zoom, or a similar platform, and facilitating group discussions. Including a preview of the ‘Dying to Live’ material!

Book a Place

9th/10th Feb: Small groups, belonging and lifelong discipleship

A chance to discuss in more depth the role that small groups and discipleship courses can play in the life of our Ministry Areas. How can small groups encourage belonging, facilitate pastoral care and enable lifelong discipleship?