Meetings to discuss Uniting Church in Wales

The Gathering                                                                                                                                                               Credit: The Church in Wales

From the Church in Wales:

Two special meetings will take place in the Diocese of St Asaph next week as the Anglican Church considers closer ties with other Christian denominations in Wales.

At the Governing Body meeting of the Church in Wales in April, there was a vote to continue with discussions of the proposals outlined in 2012 (pictured) for the future of the Covenanted Churches across Wales.  If approved, it could pave the way for one Uniting Church in Wales taking in people from Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and United Reformed traditions.

The meetings on Wednesday 21 May will gather together all the Christian denominations represented by the Covenanted Churches and allow everyone to discuss and respond to the plans for a Uniting Church in Wales.

A presentation will be made at each of the meetings by Sister Eluned Williams MBE, Chair of the Commission of the Covenanted Churches in Wales.

The Bishop of St Asaph, the Right Revd Dr Gregory K Cameron said:

?We have been challenged by the Gathering of Churches in Wales to seek for unity among Christians.

“These meetings will allow us to have an introduction to the proposals, and to give honest reactions.  Jesus requires his followers to be one family: it’s time to take that command seriously.”

The meetings will both take place on Wednesday 21 May.  The first is at the Council Chambers, Connah’s Quay at 2pm before a second at the Acton Community and Resources Centre, Wrexham at 7pm.

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The Gathering of [a few of] God's People

Ecumenical Communion at The Gathering 2012               Credit: The Presbyterian Church of Wales

After posting my previous entry I was reminded by a reader that the Church in Wales had approved the rite of Holy Communion for Ecumenical use. The rite, "The Gathering of God's Peopledanquot;, can be found here. But is it the Sacrament of Holy Communion for Anglicans or an Agape Feast?

The gathering together of Christians is to be welcomed but there is a heavy price to pay when so-called 'unity' puts the Church in Wales outside the greater gathering of the Orthodox and Catholic Church.

The "Ecumenical Communion" service begins with a passage of scripture which has been used  to justify just about every liberal departure from the historic Christian faith, in particular the ordination of women: "In Christ Jesus we are all children of God through faith. There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female: [Response]We are all one in Christ Jesus.

What is unsaid is more alarming. Later in the service there is "An Affirmation of Faith"which replaces the Nicene Creed:"Let us proclaim our faith:

We believe and trust in God the Father,

who created all that is.

We believe and trust in his Son Jesus Christ,

who redeemed the world.

We believe and trust in his Holy Spirit,

who gives life to the people of God.

We believe and trust in one God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen."

That is fine for Sunday School children but how can that be reconciled with The Constitution of the Church in Wales which, under theFormal statements of faith, states:

"The Church in Wales is a fellowship of dioceses within the Holy Catholic Church, constituted as a Province of the Anglican Communion. It maintains the threefold order of bishops, priests and deacons which it has received, and acknowledges as its supreme authority in matters of faith the Holy Scriptures as interpreted in the Catholic Creeds and the historic Anglican formularies, that is, the Thirty Nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordering of Bishops, Priests and Deacons as published in 1662. Its calling is to nurture men and women in the faith of Jesus Christ and to aid them to grow in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, so that the good news of God’s grace may be clearly proclaimed in the world and that God’s Kingdom may be honoured and advanced."

The Catholic Creeds are central to our faith but the bishops of the Church in Wales skirt around them. Then in Holy Scripture: "We often see what we want to see ... We often use Scripture to reinforce viewpoints that we have already arrived at in other ways and for other reasons". – The Archbishop of Wales (here). That excludesGalatians 3:28 of course when it is wrongly used to justify the ordination of women.

The Bishop of St Asaph, the Right Revd Dr Gregory Cameron said: “We have been challenged by the Gathering of Churches in Wales to seek for unity among Christians. ... Jesus requires his followers to be one family: it’s time to take that command seriously.” Quite so Dr Cameron!

Back in 2008 Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Pontifical Council of Christian Unity posed the question to Anglicans: "Are you Protestants or Catholics? He said it was time to decide: "Ultimately, it is a question of the identity of the Anglican Church. Where does it belong? Does it belong more to the churches of the first millennium, Catholic and Orthodox, or does it belong more to the Protestant churches of the 16th century? At the moment it is somewhere in between, but it must clarify its identity now and that will not be possible without certain difficult decisions." See Fr Z's blog here.

Metropolitan Hilarion of the Russian Orthodox Church, a noted theologian and church historian, made a similar point when he blasted Anglicans for Renouncing the Faith here.

The response in Wales? "Chapels and churches from five denominations are being encouraged to think of themselves as The Church Uniting in Wales" - The Presbyterian Church of Wales (here).

Barry and his bishops are unable to spot the difference. Those who can are being ostracised for keeping the Catholic faith. Surely it should be the other way round if the Constitution continues to have any relevance in the Church in Wales.

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What a gay day

Source: Twitter

The Gathering is "a safe place for the LGBT+ community in Cardiff to explore the Christian faith". They meet in the "Upper Room" every Sunday evening at the City United Reformed Church in Cardiff.

Added to the list of LGBT highjacking of the rainbow, pride, gay and, more recently, love, it is no surprise to see the Upper Room with its biblical connotations figuring prominently in the latest LGBT+ affirmation by the Church in Wales. A marked contrast with the constant claims of persecution and allegations of not being welcome in the church.

I cannot be alone in having gay friends and acquaintances whom I have met solely through the  church. All are equally appalled at the current media intrusion into their lives.

The music hall humour ofWhat a gay day Larry Grayson in 'Shut that Door' and the like has become open that door with the first woman bishop in the Church in Wales, the so-called 'best person to be a bishop' eager for the LGBT limelight.

What a gay day it promises to be. If the bishops had spent as much time and effort on retaining disillusioned Anglicans as they have promoting LGBTQI they would not have to scour the margins to recruit people who prefer to put their own interpretation on the Bible to support their cause.

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God of pride

The Golden Calf, with apologies to Poussin

Like it or not the Diocese of Llandaff is gearing up to celebrate Pride with the LGBT+ community this August Bank Holiday. That is according to a Llandaff diocesan press release.

The diocese will once again be partnering with The Gathering, the Cardiff LGBT+ worship group, to host the Faith Tent at Pride Cymru today, Saturday 24 August. They will also be marching in the parade with 'supporters from our many churches'.

In October 2017 I referred to an impending LGBTQI+ takeover. Today politics, the media, commerce and even parts of the Church are obsessed with waving the LGBTQI+ flag. Squalid attempts by political parties to gain votes have become as normal as waving the gay flag. Businesses looking for custom to add to their profits is no surprise but for the Church to become so passionate about distorting the truth is scraping the bottom of the barrel.

According to the diocesan press release, "the Right Revd June Osborne, Bishop of Llandaff, is proud to celebrate Pride. She says, 'It’s a privilege once again to be supporting Pride Cymru. The Faith Tent seeks to celebrate the spirit of acceptance I can think of no better context than Pride Cymru to show our LGBT sisters and brothers that they are truly loved'.”

There is no evidence that LGBTQI+ is putting bums on seats. On the contrary, given the level of support, the campaign appears to have more to do with accepting bums already on seats as if gay people were not previously accepted.

The Church in Wales is becoming a national scandal.

From God of pride in Christian Concern:

"While English cathedrals host helter skelters and bishops fail to defend the unborn, we can rejoice that the Church of England has not yet sunk to the depth of the Church in Wales (which, though disestablished is also a member of the Anglican communion).

"The Diocese of Llandaff is throwing its weight behind this year's Pride Cymru, which takes place in Cardiff this weekend - the latest in a seemingly never-ending series of LGBT+ Pride events around the UK."

Orthodox Anglicans will find the article truly shocking but that will not be a problem for the Church in Wales today since they count for nothing so far as the bench of bishops is concerned.

Llandaff diocese press release readers are invited to follow events on Twitter #WhereLoveMatters. Surely Where sex matters would be more accurate.

Postscript [29.08.2019]

Soapbox trans activist speaks for many of her colleagues about the "democracted values we have cherished for so long". Can't be the Church in Wales then!

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