Parish Group Profiles for the Churches of: Brynford, Gorsedd, Mostyn, Whitford & Ysceifiog November 2014 St. Michael s, Brynford St. Paul s, Gorsedd Christ Church, Mostyn Ss. Mary & Beuno, Whitford St Mary s, Ysceifiog
The five parishes are in Holywell Deanery Page1
Page2 HOLYWELL DEANERY PARISH GROUP: St. Michael s BRYNFORD St. Paul s GORSEDD Christ Church MOSTYN Ss. Mary and Beuno WHITFORD St. Mary s YSCEIFIOG and neighbouring parishes in the Deanery and Diocese
Page3 HOLYWELL DEANERY PARISH GROUP: St. Michael s BRYNFORD St. Paul s GORSEDD Christ Church MOSTYN Ss. Mary and Beuno WHITFORD St. Mary s YSCEIFIOG WHITFORD GORSEDD MOSTYN YSCEIFIOG BRYNFORD
Page4 2020 Vision and the Deanery of Holywell Following the publication of the 2012 Church in Wales Review the six dioceses of the Church in Wales have been working towards the creation of Ministry Areas. In the Diocese of St. Asaph a decision was made from the beginning to call these new formations Mission Areas. It is a name that reflects the intention of becoming a more outward focused church with the proactive desire to address and plan for growth. This is potentially an exciting time in the life of the Diocese of St. Asaph as under the banner of 2020 Vision we are determined to seek new vitality in our Church life through the structured participation of the whole people of God. The present Deanery of Holywell is a small deanery which consists of the Gorsedd group of parishes (5), the Halkyn Group of parishes (3), the parish of Flint, the parish of Bagillt and the parish of Holywell. The deanery began the move towards becoming a Mission Area in July 2014 when the clergy team agreed to endorse wider discussions in the deanery about the creation of a Mission Area based on the boundaries of the existing deanery. In October the deanery met to begin a conversation toward creating a vision for what our new mission area would look like. This was a very successful meeting with much enthusiasm being expressed about what might be achieved together. The feedback is presently being collated with the intention of using the resulting document to begin a wider consultation with the Deanery early in 2015. These are early days in the journey toward a Mission Area for this deanery and much remains to be put in place but the groundwork is being laid and a positive start has begun. The deanery looks forward to welcoming a cleric to the post of Area Dean who has the gifts to facilitate the process of discernment towards creating a vibrant and effective mission area in the future. The deanery is looking for a leader who will develop the desire for closer collaboration and whose gifts will help to unlock the potential of the family of churches in Holywell deanery. The five parishes are keen to find ways of working together more closely and to develop the church s work with families and children.
Page5 St Michael s Church, Brynford Brynford Parish is set some 230 metres above sea level and about 15 miles from Chester and Wrexham. The nearest Town is Holywell some 2 miles distance. The A55 is easily accessible. The village of Brynford has a very pleasant semirural outlook and it has a golf course within its boundaries ( Holywell Golf Course). The Church is located prominently at the centre of the village and is a Grade 11 Listed building constructed in 1853. The Church is illuminated at night as a beacon of serenity and is clearly visible when entering the Village. Holy Eucharist is celebrated each Sunday at 11.00am, except on the 3 rd Sunday when a Family Service is held at 11.00 am. On the 5 th Sunday there is a joint service together with all the congregations of the Churches within the Parish to encourage closer relationships and worship. An Anniversary Gift Collection and Commemorative Service is held each year with an invited Guest Preacher. The Parish has retired clergy who assist with services, weddings and funerals The Church is in good repair and receives regular maintenance and has recently undergone a reordering scheme. This included plumbing and electrical upgrades. A programme of refurbishment was completed in December 2012 to construct a social amenity space at the rear of the Church. The area has a kitchen, store-room/flower preparation area and toilet facilities. Tables and comfortable chairs make this a very welcoming space to use for Church and Community activities including for refreshments after services on the 3 rd Sunday family service. The PCC has a sub-group to manage and encourage use of the community social area at the rear of Church for outreach and mission to bring the Church closer to local people and make it a hub of welcome, safety and social enjoyment to foster social integration and combat loneliness and isolation. Our aim for the future year is to encourage a wider use of the social facility. St Michael s has a branch of the Mother s Union which meets in Church regularly. The Churchyard St Michael s has a traditional churchyard surrounding the building and there is a connecting new section both are well maintained.
Page6 Schools and Institutions Brynford has a combined Infants/Primary School where children attend until the age of 11. The School supports the Church by using it for special events i.e. Christmas Service. The Parish has 2 nursing homes and clergy visit regularly Statistics of the Parish of Brynford, 2013 TYPE St Michael s The population of this 2250 parish is approximately Electoral Roll 27 Weddings 4 Baptisms 7 Funerals 9 Confirmations - Easter Communicants 27 Average Sunday 18 Attendance (16+) Christmas Communicants 36 St. Paul's Church, Gorsedd St. Paul's lies at the cross roads at the centre of the village of Gorsedd which together with the adjoining village of Carmel make up the parish of Gorsedd. The parish was created from parts of Whitford and Ysceifiog parishes in 1853 when the church was built in somewhat unusual circumstances. Louisa, great grand-daughter of Thomas Pennant of Downing Hall married Rudolph the son of the 7 th Earl of Denbigh and as a gesture of thanks-giving they endowed the building
Page7 of an Anglican Church in the nearby village of Pantasaph. However, during a visit to Rome they converted to Roman Catholicism and thus the church when completed would be to serve that faith. The ensuing furore stoked, not least by the then Bishop of St. Asaph, resulted in a national appeal to build an Anglican church in the vicinity. The appeal raised some 10,806, enough to build two churches one at Gorsedd the other at Brynford. The church remains much as it was in the Victorian era, except, perhaps for the east window 'Christ in Majesty' installed in 1991 followed a little later by windows depicting 'the shipwreck of Paul' and 'Suffer little children...' In addition to the pipe organ there is a public address system incorporating a twin deck c.d. player and an induction loop for the hearing impaired. An exterior lighting system is installed to illuminate the church on dark evenings. Services Family Communion each Sunday at 9.30 am with an additional Communion Service (said) at 8.00 am on the 4 th Sunday in the month. The Church Hall Adjacent to the Church is the Church Hall, the former school. It consists of a large meeting room a committee room, kitchen and toilets. It is home to the Carmel Guides, Brownies and Rainbows and is also used by the Church Ladies Guild, Ladies Keep Fit group, Irish Dancing classes, Model Flying Club and a local pop music group. The Ladies Guild meet on the first Wednesday in the month in the Church Hall. The Guild is very active and has around 25 members and is open to all. The meetings involve speakers on a wide variety of subjects, and, of course the annual outing in June and Christmas lunch. Primary schools Ysgol Bro Carmel and Ysgol y Llan at Whitford (Church School) The Finance Group The financial affairs of the Church are managed by a small group of experienced people who meet on a monthly basis to update the records and to discuss matters of particular importance in the financial management of the Church.
Page8 Statistics of the Parish of Gorsedd, 2013 TYPE St Paul s The population of this 1600 parish is approximately Electoral Roll 29 Weddings 4 Baptisms 5 Funerals 5 Confirmations 1 Easter Communicants 29 Average Sunday 20 Attendance (16+) Christmas Communicants 78 Christ Church, Mostyn Mostyn is a small village on the estuary of the River Dee, near Holywell and with good transport links to Chester, Llandudno with the A55 being easily accessible. Mostyn is a semi- rural / light industrial area and although it is socioeconomically deprived it is a vibrant community with a primary school (very good Estyn Report 2010), well attended Community Centre and shops with a small sub-post office, Village Hall and a skate park. The parish of Mostyn was created in 1844 and the church, which was designed by Ambrose Poynter was consecrated on the 12 th August 1845. The Church is Grade II listed with many interesting features noted on the full CADW report. Christ Church has a bilingual congregation and there is a weekly service held fully in the medium of Welsh with a Cymun Bendigaid (Welsh Holy Eucharist) on the fourth
Page9 Sunday of the month. There are also festival services such as Harvest that are held in Welsh, often with attendees from outside the Parish. The organ was reordered in the 1980 s and was converted to electric. There are three organists who play on a Sunday rota and are available by arrangement for weddings, funerals and special services. There is a single bell in the bell tower which can be rung as a call to service The parish finances at Christ Church are healthy and the parish share is paid on time as are bills as they are received. The parish has no outstanding debts or loans. The graveyard at Christ Church is currently closed except for internment in an existing grave. There are on-going plans to clear consecrated ground within the churchyard boundary for extending the graveyard. Sunday & Weekday Services Sunday Services Christ Church in Month Ist 9.30am Holy Eucharist 3.00 Gosper 2 nd 9.30 Holy Eucharist 3.00pm Gosper 3rd 9.30am Holy Eucharist 3.00pm Gosper 4th 9.30am Holy Eucharist 3.00pm Cymun Bendigaid 5 th Joint Service Statistics of the Parish of Christ Church, Mostyn, 2013 TYPE Christ Church The population of this 2,012 parish is approximately Electoral Roll 23 Weddings 1 Baptisms 6 Funerals 12 Confirmations 1 Easter Communicants 25 Average Sunday 24 Attendance (16+) Average Sunday 2 Attendance (16-) Christmas Communicants 9
Page10 Church of St Mary and St Beuno, Whitford The church of St Mary and St Beuno is situated in the heart of Whitford village, overlooking the Dee estuary in a conservation area. The church is believed to have been founded by St Beuno in the 7 th C. After the Norman Conquest, the church was rededicated, like many others in Wales, to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Whitford is one of the ancient parishes of Flintshire. The earliest recorded mention of the church is in The Domesday Book in 1086 as Widford with land for one plough which a priest and six vileins hold, with a church. It is thought that in the C13 th the church suffered damage as a result of the battles, during Edward I conquest of Wales. Records show that the church received 13 shillings for damage and the loss of tithes. The history of the church from C16 onwards is entwined with that of the Mostyn family, probably the oldest landholding institution in North Wales apart from the Crown. The north aisle dates from around the 15 or 16 th C and is the oldest part of the church and known as the Mostyn aisle. Until 1690 members of the Mostyn family were usually buried in this aisle and commemorated by carved slabs in the floor and memorials on the wall. Sir Roger Mostyn who had fought in the Civil War celebrated the restoration of the monarchy and his knighthood by commissioning three bells which are still in use today. The font is dated 1649 and the altar is thought to be Jacobean. The bells were recast when the tower was rebuilt in 1843. The South aisle contains many memorials to the Pennant family and is reputed to be where Thomas Pennant is buried. The memorial to Thomas Pennant, C18 naturalist, antiquary and traveller is near the organ. In the graveyard there is a tomb and plaque in memory of Moses Griffiths artist and illustrator to Thomas Pennant. The nave was rebuilt and the south aisle added in 1846 with the support of descendants of Thomas Pennant and the Mostyn Family. The East window with the crucifixion at its
Page11 centre was installed in 1874 in memory of the Cope Family of Saithaelwyd Hall, Carmel. The church remains much as it was apart from the installation of a stained Glass window in memory of Mr Paton Watson Church Warden in the 1970 s. The organ was installed early in the C20. The main entrance to the church is the lych-gate on the Southside which has a room over the steps. The original purpose is not clear but may have been used to distribute alms or for the payment of tithes. The lych-gate on the East Side is known as Porth Sir Roger with a beam in the wall dated 1667. It is thought built that Sir Roger Mostyn provided funds to build the original gate. The gate was refurbished in the 1950 s. Services On the first Sunday of each month a Family Eucharist is held; second and fourth Sundays Eucharist; and third Sunday is Village Praise. Whitford Stones, Ancient Artefacts and Sacred Doorways A precious collection of inscribed slabs and a sarcophagus, some of which date from the C11 are held in the church. The sundial dating from C17 and incised cross were found in the churchyard with the Sarcophagus and Nobili stone brought to the church by the Pennant family. The smaller stones which include a Bronze Age whetstone were donated by Canon Ellis Davies, a respected antiquarian and author who is buried in the churchyard. He was appointed vicar of Whitford in 1913 and remained until his retirement in 1951. Whitford Church is now part of the Scared Doorways Project, is a church and chapel tourism initiative which aims to help these historic buildings become more sustainable through tourism. The visitor displays have recently been completed with St Mary and St Beuno s part of the cluster group of the seven churches and chapels in Flintshire. The project has received funding from the Welsh Assembly governments and is a joint project involving Flintshire, Denbighshire and Conwy. Maintenance Following the recent Quinquennial inspection there is some minor work to be completed. The church was re-roofed in the 1950 s. The church is maintained by volunteers particularly the churchyard. Links with the Community Ysgol Y Llan Stable leadership both in the church and the school in recent years has resulted in the strong links between them. Ysgol Y Llan is a Voluntary Aided Primary School opposite the church with a role of 100+. There are five foundation governors nominated by the PCC on the governing Boy of the school. Mr Bryan Griffiths has recently taken up his appointment as new Headteacher on 1 st September. On the first Sunday of each month a Family Eucharist is held with the children taking major role in the service. The children also provide the musical accompaniment led by the older children now at secondary school. Children of Ysgol Y LLan attend a weekly assembly in the church and this year participated in the Ash Wednesday service. The church community is encouraged by this new generation of church goers.
Page12 Sion Chapel Lloc The chapel is situated in Lloc village, a short distance away. A close relationship has been established with the chapel over a considerable number of years with Cymfanfa Ganu and concerts. Many of the worshippers are interred in Whitford churchyard. Thomas Pennant Society There are close links with the Thomas Pennant Society which holds regular meetings in the church. The Society in conjunction with the PCC have held very successful Pennant Festivals in 2009 and 2011. In 2015 there will be a celebration of the silver anniversary of the formation of the Thomas Pennant Society with a number of events including a concert. Whitford Young Farmers Whitford is a farmimg community with many of the congregation employed in the agricultural industry. The group have strong links with the church although only occasionally hold meetings in the church. Statistics of the Parish of SS Mary and Beuno, Whitford, 2013 TYPE Ss Mary & Beuno The population of this 2,247 parish is approximately Electoral Roll 29 Weddings 1 Baptisms 4 Funerals 5 Confirmations 7 Easter Communicants 49 Average Sunday Attendance (16+) 30 (Fam Euch) 8 (other services) Average Sunday 25-30 (Fam Euch) Attendance (16-) Christmas Crib Service 130 Christmas Communicants 10
Page13 St. Mary s Church, Ysceifiog The village of Ysceifiog is about 20 miles from Chester and Wrexham. The A55 is easily accessible. It is in a rural area of outstanding natural beauty and borders Lixwm and Babell. The congregation is bilingual. St. Mary s is a Grade II listed building and is thought to be one of the oldest churches in Flintshire. Reputedly St. Deiniol, 1 st Bishop of Bangor founded it in 15th Century. The present Church was built between1835-39 and was capable of seating 232 people. The style of the Church is Early English with five stained glass windows. Important ancient artefacts still remain in the Church. The oldest piece of church plate is a chalice known and inscribed as the Cuppe of Ysceifiog, dated 1633. This is still in regular use. Behind the main door of the Church, beneath the tower, there is a full-length effigy of a priest vested in chasuble and stole, his head resting on a cushion. The canopy above is of fourteenth century origin. Other memorials and relics from the old church were erected on the wall of the tower in 1962. The earliest Parish Registers in existence date from 1662 the previous ones having been burnt. Sunday and Weekday Services Sunday Services in Month 1st 2nd/4th 3rd Church St. Mary s 8.00am 11.00am & Sunday School 11.00am 11.00am & Sunday school 5th Joint Service at 10.30am
Page14 The Fifth Sunday Joint Service has encouraged closer relationship with all the churches of the Parish. Annually we take part in raising funds for Christian Aid. Our Village Carol Singing in Ysceifiog raises money for children s charities. Sunday School is a regular supporter of various charities i.e. Water Aid, Smile Train, St. Kentigern s & Hope House. Parish Organisations Ysceifiog, St. Mary s runs a Sunday school on the first and third Sundays in the month during term-time at 11.00am and afterwards join the morning service for Communion /Blessing. The Sunday School is run by dedicated Sunday School teachers assisted by young leaders. As a legacy of the Ysceifiog Arts Festival 2013, a Community Choir rehearses and performs in Church. The Churchyard St. Mary s Ysceifiog Churchyard Cross is said to date from the fifteenth century. The marks on the base are believed to have been made by archers sharpening their arrows on it. The oldest grave, located near the present door is dated 1611. The Bells The four church bells from the old building have been re-hung in 2008 for stationary chiming and are now frequently heard across the village and surrounding countryside. There is a rota of bell ringers enabling them to be rung at each Service and Weddings and funerals by request. Quinqennial Inspection Report 2011 Following the report, many issues highlighted have been addressed, including rewiring and electrics. Church/Village Hall Ysceifiog Village Hall is situated within a short walking distance of the Church. It is used regularly by both the Church, including Sunday School, and the local community. It is available for hire. There is no school in the village, the nearest school is Lixwm County Primary.
Page15 Statistics of the Parish of St Mary s, Ysceifiog 2013 TYPE St. Mary s, Ysceifiog The population of this 1,181 parish is approximately Electoral Roll 21 Weddings 0 Baptisms 6 Funerals - Confirmations 7 Easter Communicants 25 Average Sunday 23 Attendance (16+) Average Sunday 4 Attendance (16-) Christmas Carol Service 88 Christmas Communicants 44 Sunday School 10 The Vicarage St. Marys Court, Whitford Road, Whitford, Holywell, CH8 9AG The newly acquired Vicarage is built from attractive stone and is a well presented family home with extensive accommodation over two floors. Pleasant views can be enjoyed from both aspects of the property, with views towards the Dee Estuary to the front of the property and rolling countryside to the rear. The Vicarage comprises Reception hall, Kitchen/breakfast room, Dining room, Drawing room, Study, Utility room, Cloakroom, 5 Bedrooms (2 en suite), Family bathroom, Double garage and landscaped gardens
Page16 St Mary s Court is a select development nestled on the edge of the desirable conservation village of Whitford and the Vicarage is superbly situated for commuting to the major centres of the North West and North Wales coast. Whitford is characterised by deep wooded valleys and rolling countryside with much of the surrounding area owned by the Mostyn Estate. Schooling is well provided for at the highly regarded primary school, Ysgol Bro Carmel, and Holywell High School. Comprehensive amenities are available in nearby Prestatyn and Mold. Local recreational facilities include good walks, fisheries, golf courses and the North Wales coastline.