A plan to transform the way it serves its parish is taking shape at the 700 year old St Edmund’s Church, Crickhowell. The staff will be augmented to meet the needs of both ends of the age spectrum and its building made more useful for services as well as more extensive community use.
A small team of Lay Pastoral Visitors, led by newly ordained deacon, Revd Sally Rees, will focus its work on meeting the needs of elderly residents in the town, and early next year a families and children’s worker will be appointed to build on the work of Families@4’, an established monthly Messy Church. In the church building there is an urgent need to upgrade the lighting and other electrical systems to comply with today’s regulations and this will make it a bright, safe and attractive venue for further community use.
“This is an ambitious development plan” says Julian Stedman, lay chair of the Parochial Church Council “but we are tremendously encouraged by the amazing generosity of members of the regular congregations who have already endorsed its direction by contributing or pledging within a month over £45,000 towards the £60,000 needed to get the priorities underway.”
“We are aware that some of our friends in the town have indicated a desire to help us in this venture and we would, of course, appreciate any financial support they can offer.”
Anglican churches in Wales do not have central funding available for local projects such as those that St Edmund’s is undertaking. Local congregations and communities have to find the resources if valued work and buildings are not to be closed down.
Photograph by: www.creativephotographywales.com/
