Saint David’s Uniting Church 
Minister: Rev. Dr Phil Wall
Tel: 01443 300345 Mob: 07855090360
Website: www.stdavidsuniting.org.uk
10th March 2019
We welcome you all to our Annual Gymanfa Ganu! If this is your first visit, we hope you will enjoy the experience and feel the warmth of our welcome.
Through good times and bad, the congregational praise given at a Gymanfa Ganu has been the annual highlight of many a Welsh community. Traditionally given on Easter Monday or Whit Sunday after weeks of rehearsals, the singing celebration offered the community the chance to gather together for worship and witness. A lot has changed since the golden Gymanfa era and 3 years ago, as part of our Inter Cultural Festival, St David’s Uniting Church revived this tradition, albeit with a contemporary twist. This year is the third year then that we’ve been blessed to have Jonathan Gulliford and Darya Brill-Williams lead our St David’s Gymanfa Ganu celebrations and it is a thrill to welcome them back once again as we prepare to worship God through the medium of magnificent music…
All are invited to stay and chat over a cup of tea or coffee after the service when homemade cakes and hand-made cards will also be on sale.
A reminder that the Copper Pot and Foodbank boxes are in there usual places waiting for your contributions.
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Diary for the Week
Monday 12th123123Language Class 9.30-13.00
Elders Meeting 19.30
Wednesday 13th Ladies Guild 12.30 (see This Week…)
Friday 15th Lent Lunch at Castle Sq URC 12 – 1.30pm
Saturday 16th Cantorion 10.30-11.30
Sunday 17th Our Family Worship at 10.45 will be led by Rev Dr Phil Wall. The service will include communion. At 4pm we meet for our Monthly Film & Chat. (see This Week……)
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Church Family and Pastoral News
People to hold in your thoughts and prayers:
- All who have been bereaved in recent days.
- Jayne B as she copes with unexpected news.
- Alan and Stephanie who have celebrated 60 years of marriage.
- Those who are ill or lonely and all who care for them.
- People for whom this time of year holds sad memories
- Members who are leading worship elsewhere: Ray at Zion, Ynysybwl and Iestyn at Danygraig, Risca & Merthyr Vale
Special Days this week
12-19 March Dementia Prayer week
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This Week and in the future
At Ladies Guild this week we will have a visit from members of RCT Creative Writers Group will present ‘Taking Care’ a presentation with Marie Curie . Join us on Wednesday at 2pm in the Victoria room!
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For our Film and Chat session on Sunday 17th March as it is St Patrick’s Day we will be watching a drama which tells the true story of how a community hall became a centre for religious and political struggles in 1930’s Ireland.
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URC Synod Big Day Out is on Saturday 29th June – Make a note of the Date! Do you knit or crochet? We invite you to make hats, balaclava’s etc to warm mariners’ hearts and heads in the cold weather. We will also be making some stunning pompom bunting & curtains on the day! If you are interested Marcia has patterns.
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Notices
Lenten Discipline. Today is the first Sunday of Lent and with 42 days until Easter Sunday, it’s not too late to take on a Lenten discipline for the next 6 weeks. Some of us will be using the ‘Art of Lent’ books as a daily devotion. Others might like to consider doing ‘Meat-free Mondays’ as an act of good stewardship [more on this next Sunday] or perhaps to attend the Llanfair Uniting Church Nurture Group to which we have been invited [Phil & Julie are going on the 18th so could give a lift if needed]. Here are some other ideas from the ‘Living Lent’ community. (www.livinglent.org.)
- take up an alternative form of transport
- give up single-use plastics
- have an ‘electricity free’ hour every day
- buy only locally sourced food
- commit to buying nothing ‘non-essential’ new
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Church membership and baptism
As part of your Lenten prayers, you might want to consider whether you are being called to baptism or church membership. We are intending on welcoming people to the church through these acts as part of our Pentecost celebrations this year (9th June) and after Easter, Phil will be arranging sessions for those who want to talk further about this so do please tell your elder, Lynda, the church secretary, or Phil if you are interested.
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During February we received 26.3 kilos of food and £61 in cash. ‘Thank you to all who gave so generously.’ Sadly the need doesn’t go away!
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Good News! The Red Box Project has fulfilled its purpose and the local 
project will be closed at the end of March! From April onwards Rhondda Cynon Taff Council will be providing the service throughout the schools in the county.
Thank You’ to all who supported it!
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March Flowers are being donated by
Val Stone, Gordon Thompson, Janet Bayliss
Doreen & David Marshman, Marlene McCloy,
Stephanie & Alan Hills, and Jean & John Davies
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Pulpit Supplies
Mar 17th am Rev Dr Phil Wall
4pm Film and Chat
Mar 24th am Rev Dr Phil Wall
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A Thought for Lent.
“Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy.” — Pope Francis