Introducing a new Taizé singing group in New Tredegar, starting the first Friday in September. Taizé singing comes from the non-denominational monastic Taizé community in France. The songs are simple and repetitive with beautiful harmonies and are often sung in a variety of languages. The sessions will include a gentle warm-up for our voices, several songs taught a cappella, and a short period of silent, reflective meditation at the end. The songs are taught each week by ear and do not require that you be able to read music, although music books will be available for those who want them. The sessions will be at 6-7:30 P.M. every week in St. Dingat’s church, New Tredegar, and will be hosted by Salvia (they/them), an experienced community song leader, who can be contacted on WhatsApp on 07534 844429 if you have any further questions. 

Rev Ralph is our new curate here is his contribution to our series on call and Vocation.

In 2010, after returning from a mandatory national youth service program required for all young  graduates in the country of my birth, I planned to embark on a professional career in administration,  aiming to build a solid profile for myself. During this period, I became a member of the youth group at  my local church and began volunteering, eventually becoming a volunteer leader supporting the  presiding Chaplain. 

Tragically, the presiding youth Chaplain died in a car crash, which dealt a massive blow to the faith of  our young members. This devastating event challenged me, as a leader, to provide comfort and support  to the group in the absence of our key figure. This period was a faith-challenging phase in my life, filled  with questions about the loss of our cleric that seemed to have no answers. However, it was also during  this time that I realised my compassion for people and my growing heart for service. I developed a  passion for expressing the love of God through my understanding of the Scriptures and a desire to  increase in the knowledge of His will. 

I have since felt a profound and unique call to ministry, which has grown stronger through prayer,  reflection, and the affirmation of my Christian faith. This calling is rooted in a deep desire to spread  the gospel and teachings of Jesus Christ, serve others, and make a meaningful impact on individuals  and the broader community. My journey has been marked by pivotal experiences of faith, the realities  of Scripture, and answered prayers, leading to aligning sequences of life-changing events and an  increased awareness of the transformative power of God’s love and grace. 

My faith journey reflects a deep commitment to understanding and living out Christian principles.  Through dedicated study of Scripture and teachings, I strive to embody a vibrant and robust faith,  drawing inspiration from Ephesians 4:13, which speaks of “the unity of faith and the knowledge of the  Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” This verse, in  which Paul encourages both the faith community at Ephesus and believers today, to strive to become  more like Christ, has shaped my desire to reveal the Son of God even more through my ministry. 

A Statement From Rev Matt Davis, Ministry Area Leader,  About The Curacy Of Rev Ralph Aladese 

Today, I am delighted to share some fantastic news with our church community at Mynydd Bedwellte Ministry Area.

Some of our churches have known Rev Ralph for a while now. His presence has already brought us great joy and spiritual enrichment. With great Joy, I announce that Rev Ralph is formally taking on a curacy with us.

Rev Ralph joins us with his family from the Anglican Church in Nigeria, bringing with him a wealth of experience and a heart dedicated to serving God and His people. Over the past year, he has worked in the Rhymney Valley Foodbank, demonstrating his commitment to community service and outreach.

Over the next year, we will see much more of Rev Ralph. He will be deeply involved in our worship, pastoral care, community outreach, and various other activities that make our ministry area so vibrant. His dedication, warmth, and spiritual insight will continue inspiring and guiding us all.

Please join me in welcoming Rev Ralph into his new role. Let us support him and his family with our prayers, encouragement, and assistance as they settle into our community. Your warm welcome and helping hand will make a difference as they transition into this new chapter.

The clergy team and I look forward to working alongside Rev Ralph. 

His presence will enhance our ministry and help us grow together in faith and love.

For those interested, the official statement regarding Rev Ralph’s curacy is posted at the back of the church.

Official Statement Regarding Rev Ralph 

The Rt Revd Cherry Vann, Bishop of Monmouth is delighted to announce that Ralph Aladese has been offered a curacy post in the Mynydd Bedwellte Ministry Area.

Originally from Nigeria, Ralph relocated to South Wales in 2022. Since then,   he has deeply embedded himself in both church and local community activities, playing a supportive and coordinating role at the local foodbank within the Upper Rhymney Valley.

Bishop Cherry said: “Ordained in the Church of Nigeria, Ralph is an extraordinarily gifted young priest with an energy and a passion for God and for the gospel. His faith and his ability to speak about it is attractive and infectious and he will be a wonderful asset to the ministry team and the churches of the Mynydd Bedwellte MA. He is already well known and much loved and so I am thrilled that the Candidates’ Panel enthusiastically support him completing his curacy there and hopefully taking on an incumbent’s post in due course.”

Ralph is a dedicated clergy from Nigeria with a professional background in administration. Before his ordination in 2020, he had a career in administrative roles where he led a team of software developers for various shipping organisations within the maritime sector. Seeking new possibilities for growth and family development, he relocated to South Wales in 2022 and has demonstrated a commitment to serving others and fostering community spirit.

He said: “I have a passion for nurturing a strong network of believers within the Mynydd Bedwellte Ministry Area. I am eager to explore my giftings to support a diverse congregation and enhance the bonds within the local communities through my ministry.”

I suppose my journey to ordination, began long before I realised it myself. 

10 years ago, I was seeking to change my busy and demanding life for a more balanced and less complicated lifestyle. I wanted to work to live and not live to work. This required some radical decisions, as a family we downsized so we could work part-time, and I decided to apply for the Children’s Ministry Officer’s job in the diocese.

Also at that time, a small group of people from our local church, ‘The Making Space Community’ were seeking to develop a pattern of prayer within our daily lives.

Prayer is powerful and as we still ourselves in God’s presence and as we seek his will and purpose for our lives, things begin to happen, and everything seems to fall into place.

In the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 6, Jesus teaches the disciples to pray and tells them not to worry about life or be anxious about what we eat or what we wear, but he says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” 

Prayer makes a difference to how we live and see the world, it allows us to consider what is important and what isn’t.Through prayer we gain a very different perspective, and by his grace, we can live our lives knowing that God is there with us every step of the way. 

When I was asked to consider my vocation within the church, I was uncertain that ordination was the right path for me. It was not something I had envisioned for myself. I was encouraged to trust in the process and rest in the knowledge that it is God will lead and guide us in his way. 

Ordination is not a destination but a gateway into another field, a new space, in which we have the privilege of serving others in the joys of life or through the sorrow of death and all the ordinary days that exist in between. It is truly wonderful to be able to offer the word and sacrament in church and to encourage and support others on their journey of faith.

I wonder, “Where is God leading you?” 

• Rev Rachel Nelmes – Curate 

Thanks for reading. Over the next couple of weeks, we will hear from a few people about their calling and sense of call. Rev Matt.

Matt asked me to write a piece about what drew me to the priesthood. Those who know me know I’m an oddity, but they know I’m a person who gets things done, and they can trust their life with me, so let’s start.
It’s not where you would think.

While on a weekend in Copenhagen, a staunch unbeliever friend of mine argued with me into the night, “Why on earth would I waste my life on being a Christian?” I was successful in everything I did and had a great family. I explained that all I had was because God was in my life, not despite God being in my life. To this date, I have never been able to persuade him, and I think of him as a work in progress, although I am chipping away at the edges.

However, he told me a story that surprised him and me. His father, who was even more of a verdant atheist while on his deathbed, insisted on having a priest to see him and give him his final rights. Take from that what you think.

Let’s go back further; I went to church as a child. I went to St Johns, Dowlais, which was a cathedral of a massive church built by Lady Charlotte Guest, wife of the steel master John Guest. I started in Sunday school, where my mother was the teacher, and I also went to the Welsh services with my father; I was a server and head choir boy.

We had a very active church, and every year, we did an extremely popular pantomime where I was always part of the comedy duo, and my father was the dame (mainly because he couldn’t remember lines but was great at ad-libbing). As mentioned, I always went to church but drifted in and out of regularity during my college years. After college and a stint as a secondary school teacher, I started working for oil companies worldwide. This is where the true faith journey starts.

I’m not very flowery in my conversation and tend to the point. This period made me grow up very quickly. I was sent to wonderful countries as well as numerous war zones- Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, and Nigeria were pretty bad, also. I became highly worldly, and more importantly, I also saw many miracles (and these will all appear in my autobiography when I get around to it.)

Unlike most people in the faith who say that their faith grew over some time, mine was dramatic. I am proud to say that I have witnessed many out-and-out miracles accompanied by God’s full, loud, and dramatic voice. Maybe this is what God knew I needed; others need to grow organically. I don’t want to cheapen these miracles by discussing them here in-depth, as they need their true validation with respect.

So why the priest route? After a profound realization, I prayed and prayed, asking God how I could help in his mission. Then, one evening at its peak, my priest, who had not been an enthusiastic evangelist, posted on Facebook about the need for priests.

The odd thing about this was the person who posted it did this type of post often, but the timing was on the button.

I believe we talk to God all the time, not only when we’re praying. I always try to be with God in everything I do physically, mentally, and spiritually. Needless to say, I’m always floundering, but I’m always with God.

Lyn

Thanks for reading this testimony of God working in Lyn’s life. Over the next couple of weeks, we will hear from a few people about their calling and sense of call. Rev Matt.

Mark your calendars for Thursday, July 4th, as we are gearing up for a general election. 

As a church, it is essential to speak up for things in society that matter but not be held by party politics. Making sure that every voice is heard is part of this, so here is some information about the general election on July 4th. A few of our churches will also be used as polling stations for the day. 

Here is some information you may still need to include: the boundaries have shifted for Aberbargoed, Abertysswg, Bedwellty, Rhymney and New Tredegar. So they are no longer with Merthyr but now with Blaenau Gwent. 

To find out who is standing in your area (available after June 7th), go here and for general information about elections in general: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/your-election-information

Click here to register to vote (You have until Tuesday, June 18th 2024): 

https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

No ID apply for a Voter Authority Certificate Here:

https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate