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Welcome to Cwmbran Ministry Area

Cwmbran Ministry Area

It is wonderful to welcome you to Cwmbran Ministry Area.

You may not know it, but Henllys Church in Wales School becomes The Worship Centre on a Sunday morning.

Each Sunday, we meet at 9.15am and hold all-age services for the community. Some of our members are unable to attend Church buildings and like the all-access support of the school campus. Some members have young children who are comfortable at the school but find an older church building unsettling.

We welcome everyone. Our younger members learn about faith through play, activities, crafts and fun. They join the rest of the congregation in the main hall at the point where we say The Lord’s Prayer together. We try to finish with a fun song that the children know from assembly.

Sometimes the children lead the service for us, not just the nativity or Christingle, but also in the summer where we learned about Jacob. There is also chance to learn about Communion and how to be an altar server or acolyte.

Each season of the year is celebrated, starting with Advent into Christmas, then Epiphany into Lent and Easter, Whitsun and Trinity, all the way through to Harvest and Remembrance.

It is such a pleasure to lead the children in worship in the hall in assembly on weekdays, and welcome them back to The Worship Centre on Sundays. It helps them understand that God is with us everywhere and even a school hall can be a sacred space. It brings life and meaning to Scripture that we live out everyday:

‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us….and they will call Him Emmanuel, which means, ‘God is with us.’’ (John 1.1,14 and Matthew 1.23)

For further information about the Monmouth Diocese please click on the link below:

https://monmouth.churchinwales.org.uk/en/

A Ministry Area is a group of churches in the Church in Wales that work together to serve the people in a particular geographical area. Cwmbran Ministry Area has seven places of worship:

  • St Gabriel’s Church, Old Cwmbran is our Mother Church, that is, the main church in our area.
  • Holy Trinity Church, Pontnewydd, is a daughter church.
  • St Mary’s Church, Croesyceiliog, is a daughter church.
  • St Michael’s Church, Llantarnam, is a daughter church.
  • St Peter’s Church, Henllys, is a daughter church
  • Henllys Church in Wales School Worship Centre, which is called The Worship Centre, is a daughter church.
  • All Saints, Llanfrechfa, is a daughter church

While each church centre has its ‘area’ for pastoral purposes, in fact anyone can go to any church. Each has a slightly different form of worship that may appeal to different people. Some people like to go to their local church, others prefer to find a church that suits their style of worship and prayer.

We encourage people to visit us in any of our locations to find the fit that suits them best, knowing that each church holds the Bible at our centre and the sacraments of the Church in Wales.

A congregation is the group of believers that attend a particular church. A Benefice is the people of a particular area whether or not they attend a particular church. If you live in Cwmbran, you are part of our Ministry and we are here to support you, whatever your need.

The Ministry Area is led by Reverend Nick Perry. He is our Rector and the spiritual leader of both the clergy and people of Cwmbran. We look to him for guidance about services, information about outreach, and support in our Christian lives. Reverend Perry is based in Old Cwmbran in the Rectory in Clomendy Road and, while he can be found at different services across the Benefice, is based in St Gabriel’s Church. He can be contacted by telephone on 01633 482300 or by email.

As Cwmbran is a large area, Reverend Nick has a second-in-command called a Team Vicar whose job is to support the Rector and clergy of the Ministry as well as take responsibility for key areas of service, outreach and care. Our Team Vicar is Reverend Elizabeth Kerl and she is based in Henllys in the Vicarage in Longhouse Grove, and while she can be found at different services across the Benefice, is based in The Worship Centre and St Peter’s Church. She can be contacted by telephone on 01633 974973 or by email.

In addition to the Rector and Team Vicar, we are blessed to have an experienced team of clergy who work in the different centres.  Reverend Sue Hobbs can be found in Holy Trinity, Pontnewydd and Reverend Wendy Taylor can be found in All Saints, Llanfrechfa.

You will also see Lay Ministers at services and around the Ministry. Lay Ministers are members of the church who are called to support the clergy with sacraments, visiting, teaching, outreach and many other gifts.

Last but not least, we have some wonderful people who are training for different types of service both Lay and Ordained, these will be met in churches across the Ministry accompanied by one of the clergy as they learn what to do and build their skills so that they can go on to lead congregations themselves.

There is plenty going on across the Ministry in addition to our Sunday services. Sunday is the time when we meet to share Holy Communion, fellowship with each other, pray for each other and support each other as we walk with Jesus. During the week there are also Communion services in the different churches.

In addition to these services, there are baptisms, weddings, funerals, prayer meetings, bible studies, fellowship groups, coffee mornings, assemblies and school classes, visits to hospitals, the housebound, care homes, prisons and uniformed groups. 

We support our communities by attending meetings, participating in village fetes and festivities, taking part in fundraising, charity work and volunteering. There’s plenty to choose from and we try to help in any way we can.