Lisa Medina

All are welcome to join us to welcome Rev. Evelyn Bhajan to the Circuit.
Tuesday 30th August, 7.30pm
Wesley Methodist Church, Caerphilly

It was lovely to Worship together as a Circuit on Sunday at Wesley Methodist Church in Caerphilly. We had the opportunity to say thank you to Alana and Paul for their Ministry, love and friendship and to wish them well as they prepare to move to their new Circuits. We also had time to share in fellowship afterwards as what Methodist gathering is complete without tea and cake! A video of the Service has been produced for those who were unable to attend. Please contact Lisa at the Circuit Office if you are interested in receiving it.

Churches across the Circuit celebrated Easter Day in many ways with outdoor Worship on Caerphilly Mountain, Llandaff North Weir, at Roath Park, in Radyr and in Llanishen’s Quiet Garden. Many Churches also created Easter Crosses decorated with beautiful flowers. We hope you enjoy the photos below from a few of our Churches.

Cathays Methodist

Cyncoed Methodist

Llanishen Methodist

St. Andrew’s Methodist

Wesley Methodist, Canton

Whitchurch Methodist

Llandaff North Methodist at the Weir

Radyr’s Puppets

CEEMC at Roath Park

A number of our Churches have held Prayer Vigils, invited people to light a candle
and raised money to help support and show solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Llandaff North Methodist gave people the opportunity
to light candles and donate
during their Sunday Worship and raised
£300 for the All We Can Ukraine appeal.

St. Andrew’s Methodist held a prayer vigil
giving people the opportunity to spend time
lighting a candle and praying for Ukraine.

Radyr Methodist invited all to
come and light a candle and donate
to the DEC appeal for Ukraine.
They raised £200 before gift aid.

Cathays Methodist also held a time of prayer and the opportunity
to light a candle after their morning Worship.

You can download the latest version of the Circuit Plan below.

Circuit Plan March – May 2022

(Please note that this plan looks a little different to previous plans. Churches are now listed in alphabetical order rather than in the old clusters. Additional information about Lent Studies and prayer sessions, Holy Week Services and early morning Easter Services are not included on this plan but will be uploaded to this website soon.)

Rev. Irfan John
(Synod Enabler for Culturally Diverse Congregations Wales)
and Daud Irfan
(Methodist Youth President)

Men on a Mission Walk
Cardiff to London
27th February – 5th March 2022

They will set off from Rumney Methodist Church in Cardiff to walk to the home of John Wesley in London. They will aim to walk over 160 miles over the course of 6 days with a set mission in mind.

As Father and Son both working in leadership roles within the Methodist Church in Britain they will aim to promote, encourage and inspire ethnically diverse Christians throughout the UK to pray upon their calling as disciples of Christ.

A poster with more information is available here

There will be an exhibition featuring the work of Irfan and Daud, “Leadership on a Journey”, at Rumney Methodist Church on Sunday February 27^th and at Cyncoed Methodist Church on Monday February 28^th. More information will follow, but we hope you will be able to come and support.

Please keep Irfan and Daud in your prayers.

Our friends at Taffs Well United Church
invite children aged 5-11 to join them at their
‘Wellbeing Weekender’
Saturday 19th February
from 2pm – 4pm
(younger children are welcome, but will need to be accompanied by a parent)
£1 per child.

Contact pilots.taffswell@gmail.com

Today’s thoughts are provided by Rev. Nick Oborski

You can download a copy of these prayers here. 

Dear friends, today is the last day of our month of prayer. I hope you have found it an encouragement and help to have journey through this month. Of course, prayer does not stop today so I encourage you to continue to pray for our world and the Methodist Church every day. Please join the District prayer meeting tonight at 8pm on Zoom. If you want the password to join please contact your Minister.

Hear my prayer, LORD; let my cry for help come to you … Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly.’
PSALM 102:1–2

As you know I have used material from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC) and today is no different. Tomorrow the differences between England and Wales become more pronounced as children in England begin to resume schooling. My own granddaughter is in yr. 6 and will be back in school tomorrow. It seems right to finish our month praying for those in Education. Again, below are thoughts from those who are involved in education

Giving thanks …

• ‘I see God in the social, emotional, physical, and practical work being done by schools to support pupils. Nearly half of our pupils received free school meals. Over the past nine weeks, staff have delivered food to their homes.’ Teachers are ‘selflessly still going to work to care for others, putting themselves at more risk and giving up their free time, in most cases unpaid.’

‘Ask for God’s help…
Pressures: What are the pressures affecting this context?

• ‘The pressure is for those children and young people who are considered vulnerable – those with special educational needs, those eligible for free school meals, those who are on child protection registers. There are many children who experience difficult or less than loving homes and schools are their safe spaces.’

• ‘New online ways of teaching are very demanding, and many teachers are feeling isolated and stressed, complaining of very bad headaches and sleeplessness.’

• ‘Where we’re predicting student GCSE and A level grades, we feel pressured to make sure that we do it accurately, and it will be hard dealing with the fallout from students and parents if they don’t like what they get.’

Praying God’s heart for these people and situations…

Loving God we thank you for the gift of Education. We pray for all those working to educate our children, grandchildren, our nephews, nieces, and cousins who would normally be in school. Help them as they produce and mark work to be mindful of the different needs of each child. We pray for those who should be going back to school tomorrow, some excited, some fearful and for their parents agonising over whether it is right to send them. We ask that your peace may descend, and right decisions will be made. We know that school cannot be the same, but we ask that you will help teachers and children to adapt to the new ways of working that will begin tomorrow. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen

Praying for the Wales Synod and Our Circuit

I invite us to use this Pentecost to pray for an outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit upon us, our churches, and our nation.

A Prayer

Loving God we thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit, forgive us when we fail to acknowledge your presence or allow you space to move in our hearts and minds. Father, we have seen revival in Wales in the past and we pray for another revival in this place. We ask that you send down your Spirit upon us. Give us the courage to follow you and to proclaim your love and power to everyone we meet. Help us to be bold to pray asking and expecting you to act and we ask that you would indeed honour our prayers as we seek the rebuilding of your kingdom in Wales. Amen

Today’s thoughts are provided by Rev. Kofi Amissah

You can download a copy of these prayers here. 

You can watch a video to accompany this here.

The name given to the month of May by the Gà people of Ghana, is ‘Agbienaa’. Farmers who sowed seeds in previous months are hopeful that the rains will fall in great measure to water and nourish the crops so that there will be a bumper harvest. For fishers, ‘Agbienaa’ begins the harvest season when great catches are expected. Thus, aside the rain, bumper harvest is the real thing in May for the Gà people of Ghana.

We all anticipate one harvest or another in various areas of our lives. The church also looks forward to the harvest of souls into God’s kingdom. God promises those who obey him that he will send rain on their land in its season, so that they may gather in their grain, new wine, and olive oil to eat and be satisfied (Deuteronomy 11:13-15).

So, pray that as you obey God’s commands, God will send seasoned rain of blessing upon you so that all that you have laboured for will flourish and prosper.

Pray that the harvest of souls will continue in the life of the church and that all our labours will bear fruit.

Pray for the Methodist Synods in Wales and the Methodist Church to be the beacon of God’s love to the nation and the barns upon which God’s end time harvest will be stored.

Pray for yourself and your community, bringing needs and desires before God who promises to answer us.

Pray for a bumper harvest for the world in the fight against COVID-19, that all efforts made in all fronts will yield positive results to bring the pandemic to an end.

THE PEACE OF GOD BE WITH YOU.

Today’s thoughts are provided by Rev. Alana Lawrence.

You can download a copy of these prayers here. 

In all we do as church members we must not forget that it is God’s will and God’s Spirit that moves and shapes, inspires and recreates the Church. The Church is made up of living stones, as an expression of God’s Spirit and as a witness to God’s kingdom come, here and now. The Wesley Triptych is a work of vision not locked into the past but reflecting how past and present flow together onwards in accordance with God’s will and the assurance of God’s continued presence and work in Caerphilly. The sun, the light of the world, shines across the Triptych, across time, and across the people, churches and mountains in and around Caerphilly. God’s will be done, yesterday, today and eternally.

Let us remember that God’s will be done in every place and every time, and that we are called to be living stones making up the Church, body of Christ who is our cornerstone. Let us give thanks to God for calling us across time in this and every place, as living stones in the Spirit renewing the Church and bringing the good news of salvation through Christ our Lord, to all the world. Amen.