St Thomas’s Church Denbigh
Rev. Gareth Roberts
Annual Report 2010
MINISTER'S FOREWORD
It is with great pleasure that I commend our church's 2010 Annual Report for your perusal. Again this year I must thank Mrs. Mary Dent, our Church Secretary, Mr. Nigel Thomas, our Church Treasurer and all the Elders for their hard work throughout the year on behalf of our church and the cause of Jesus Christ.
These are times of change and challenge within all denominations, and the Presbyterian Church of Wales (PCW) is no exception. Today there are fewer than 60 full-time PCW ministers throughout the whole of Wales, when seventy or so years ago there were over 700! Then, ministers couldn't find pastorates, whereas now, pastorates can't find ministers!! The consequence of this is that in the future, church members will need to be prepared to receive training and carry out more of the roles which have traditionally been left to ministers, such as conducting services.
There is such a thing as the ministry of all God's people, which is all about discovering and mobilizing the gifts of all of God's people so as to enable the Church to fulfil its common ministry. This does not mean allowing everyone to do anything. Enthusiasm and desire is all very well, but it must be backed by genuine ability. For example, the fact that someone wants to preach is not the same as having the ability to preach. The ministry of all God's people is about the Church acknowledging and nurturing the gifts that exist among its members. In a lecture delivered to PCW ministers, my former Principal in Theological College, Reverend Dr. Elfed ap Nefydd Roberts said this, "Those gifts may be varied and vide in scope, from teaching in Sunday School, to leading children and youth clubs, to using musical, dramatic and vocal talents to enrich worship, to assisting in pastoral work and counselling, to administrative and practical gifts such as producing a church or pastoral magazine, to financial or statistical responsibilities, and so on. A great many of these gifts exist within our congregations. In fact there are very few members who do not have some kind of gift that could be utilized to help the church's work". '
In the same lecture, Elfed told of when he led a Bible Study for a clergy training day for the Diocese of St. Asaph. The key speaker was a mission consultant from the Diocese of London. He was a layman and spoke of his experience working with growing churches. He identified eight elements that characterized growing churches: a warm, open and welcoming fellowship; the priority given to prayer and devotion; priority given to children and young people, and the careful choice and training of leaders and teachers; a willingness to change; the development of worship which is a lively, relevant and a joyful celebration of faith; utilizing the gifts of members; adopting at least one project of service to the community; and finally, encouraging others to join the church by targeting new arrivals, the friends of members and any who have some kind of contact with the church, and helping members to have the confidence to invite others to come with them to worship on a Sunday. "But what was interesting about these eight points' said Elfed, 'was that they arose from among lay people themselves and were adopted and put into practice by lay people ".
There is such a thing as the ministry of all God's people, which is all about discovering and mobilizing the gifts of all of God's people so as to enable the Church to fulfil its common ministry. This does not mean allowing everyone to do anything. Enthusiasm and desire is all very well, but it must be backed by genuine ability. For example, the fact that someone wants to preach is not the same as having the ability to preach. The ministry of all God's people is about the Church acknowledging and nurturing the gifts that exist among its members. In a lecture delivered to PCW ministers, my former Principal in Theological College, Reverend Dr. Elfed ap Nefydd Roberts said this, "Those gifts may be varied and vide in scope, from teaching in Sunday School, to leading children and youth clubs, to using musical, dramatic and vocal talents to enrich worship, to assisting in pastoral work and counselling, to administrative and practical gifts such as producing a church or pastoral magazine, to financial or statistical responsibilities, and so on. A great many of these gifts exist within our congregations. In fact there are very few members who do not have some kind of gift that could be utilized to help the church's work". '
In the same lecture, Elfed told of when he led a Bible Study for a clergy training day for the Diocese of St. Asaph. The key speaker was a mission consultant from the Diocese of London. He was a layman and spoke of his experience working with growing churches. He identified eight elements that characterized growing churches: a warm, open and welcoming fellowship; the priority given to prayer and devotion; priority given to children and young people, and the careful choice and training of leaders and teachers; a willingness to change; the development of worship which is a lively, relevant and a joyful celebration of faith; utilizing the gifts of members; adopting at least one project of service to the community; and finally, encouraging others to join the church by targeting new arrivals, the friends of members and any who have some kind of contact with the church, and helping members to have the confidence to invite others to come with them to worship on a Sunday. "But what was interesting about these eight points' said Elfed, 'was that they arose from among lay people themselves and were adopted and put into practice by lay people ".
As you read through this Annual Report, pray that God will show how YOUR gifts can best be used for the church. To those of you who are already giving of your time and talents, I offer you my heartfelt thanks. There is an old saying, 'What we are is God's gift to us, what we become is our gift to God'. What is YOUR gift to God through our church?
With every blessing
Gareth
Gareth