English Congregational Church
Lammas Street
CARMARTHEN
News and Reports
Copyright (C) 2008 English Congregational Church. All Rights Reserved
Another year has left us and once again we stand on the threshold of a New Year. No doubt we wonder what the year will hold for us both as individuals and as a Church. Certain events happened (luring the year 2009 that we had not counted on, some brought sadness and others - joy. Yet throughout the year, God remained faithful and He says to us at the commencement of a new year - "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." As we look back, we give God thanks for the faithfulness of His people at our Sunday services and for those who have proclaimed His Word with conviction in their hearts. After all we should not be attending services for our comfort but to be challenged, that our hearts and our spirits may be stirred within us, and make us more zealous in the work of the Lord.
Our Sunday School still survives and we are grateful to Mrs. Pat Howeils and Mrs. Jane Jones for their faithfulness, which, I am sure one day will be rewarded. Then, as part of our morning worship and before leaving for the Schoolroom, Tasey Wright will sing a solo (sometimes, depending upon the number of children present she will be joined by others) and she will offer a prayer which she has written herself. Our wonderful, hard working Church Secretary – Mrs Beti Hare, also delights the congregation with her "Children's Stories” and for these people and their contribution we thank God,
2009 was the year when we had a new heating system installed. For all the care given to the fabric of the Church, we are grateful to members of the Diaconate. There are monthly Deacons* Meetings and here all matters appertaining to the Church are discussed,. Then we are most fortunate in having our own Fabric Officer. He is Mr.Roger Gingell and he devotes a great deal of time seeking tenders, arranging contracts, etc, for any works which have to be executed During 2010, if is hoped that Disabled Toilets will be constructed and again Mr.Gingell will be fully committed to seeing the works carried out. We thank him for all he has and is and wilt do in the future for the benefit of the Church.
Thanks go to Mrs. Anne Halborg, our Treasurer for her services and also Miss Nan Evans, Mr,Ron Thomas and Mr.Glyn Morgan for their kind assistance in financial mailers. Last year! mentioned that our Senior Deacon – Mr,Geoffrey Wright was working hard on the project, of creating a Web page for the Church. By today that is up and running and is not just a "web page" but ;'-web pages!" 'Through this members of the public can read about the events which are taking place in the Church and he has also included a number of photographs in the Gallery section if you have access to the Internet then please look up the web pages and see his handiwork. We are deeply indebted to him for all he does for the Church. Then 2009 was the year when Mr and Mrs, Glyn Morgan retired from the post of Caretaker/Cleaner of the Church after a period of some thirty-three years. "This is a marvellous record and we sincerely thank them for all they have done. The new Caretaker/Cleaner is Mr,. Frank Hare and we thank him for taking up the post and wish him well for many years to come,
During the year we celebrated the life of two members who were called to glory and I refer, of course., to Mr. Edward Stanley Fryer and Mrs. Irene May Lewis whose funeral services were held in the Church on 29th May and 10th June respectively. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to the families and to other members who too have suffered bereavement during the year.. On a happier note, two marriages were solemnized in the Church,. The one on 1st August was that of Mr. Stuart Kavanagh and Miss Nia Young. Then on 5th September, Mr. Eoin Thomas Kenny and Miss Victoria Louise Bateman were married and have since regularly attended our services. We wish both couples well end pray they wit! have a long and happy married life.
On 6th June, the Annual Mystery Tour took place and the destination this time was the Lloyd George Museum,' Cricieth,. We returned to the Grannell Hotel, Llanwnnen, Lampeter for the evening meat. This was of an exceptionally high standard and was enjoyed by all who numbered in total forty-seven made up of members and friends '
On Saturday, 12th September Mrs. Audrey Fretten opened the grounds of her home and welcomed everyone to a Barbeque This too seems to be an annual event; the proceeds on this occasion amounted to £100 and were donated by the Church to UNICEF,. We are indebted to Mrs Fretten for this and would express our thanks also to her son and daughter-in-law for all they do and their contribution to our Church, Thanks also go to those who provided prizes for the raffles and helped in whichever way they could. Then I should like to thank Mrs Enid Davies and Mrs Marianne Wright for organizing the Christmas Dinner on 29th November. This was thoroughly enjoyed by all present,They are so wiling to organize teas when required and in December 2008 Messrs.Oliver Evans & Son held a Service of Remembrance in our Church sacred to the memory of those who had departed this life during the year. The Guild organized tea etc, after the service and so well was the attendance that a similar service was held in December 2009. In October., the Rev, Gill Stephens, President of the Congregational Federation gave the address at our morning service and this too was one of the highlights of the year. Finally, we offer our prayers for those who are ill and unable to attend our services If unable to attend the services and you would like me to visit or if you would like Communion at home, please let me know. Meanwhile may God's richest blessing rest with you and be upon your homes.
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Our thanks go to Miss Nan Evans for a!! the work she puts into organizing this event which is no mean task. On 13th June, Miss Evans again organized another event - this time the "Crocus Walk" in aid of "Breakthrough Breast Cancer". There were eight walkers and the excellent sum of £260 was raised Some are born organizers and she most certainly is one!
A message from Rev. Elwyn J. John
Rev. Elwyn J John
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.
The AGM was held in the Church on the evening of Thursday, 29th APRIL.
The meeting followed the usual routine, the only item of real importance was the confirmation by the members of the action taken by the Deacons to co-opt ROGER GINGELL, our hard-working Fabric Officer, onto the Diaconate.
The meeing was also informed of the resignation of Miss Nan Evans from the Diaconate and the resons for her resignation. The meeting approved of the actions taken by the Diaconate over this matter.
Ladies served tea and biscuits to those attending after the conclusion of business.
Annual CHURCH MYSTERY TRIP
Saturday, 12th June, a gloriously fine day, took us to Slimbridge bird sanctuary followed by a visit the the Roman ruins at Caerleon, with a meal on the way home. A good time was had by all!