In response to:Fundamental Question.

2005-10-12T17:03:03+02:00

Your bloggers might like to see this brief report
Comments would be welcome

The Diocesan Conference..
The yearly meeting for members of the Diocesan Conference was held at County Hall, Cwmbran. Bishop Dominic gave the Presidential addressand took the chair in spite of having arrived back from Rome a few hours previously.
The bishop drew attention to the document 'Hope for Monmouth' which urges us to undertake mission work within our own parishes and deaneries. He stressed that our mission is not to preserve an institution , but to seek to further God's mission in the world.
The bishop commended the new Lenten course called " Safe Evangelism" which suggests ways of showing our faith naturally without putting people off. One statistic he quoted reflected badly on Wales which tops the league for having the largest number of people who used to go to church. He commended a venture in Manchester which succeeded in attracting large numbers of lapsed church goers on 'Welcome Back To Church' Sunday.
Apart from receiving the Reports of the various committees , the conference was addressed by Mr. Phil Bramall on behalf of Traidcraft which is part of the Fair Trade initiative which markets goods produced in the third World. Its objective is to provide markets for the sale of tea, coffee, sugar, dried fruit etc., ensuring that the profits go directly to those involved in growing these products, thus cutting out the middle men who often make huge fortunes while the farmers live in poverty. The conference voted in favour of the proposal that Monmouth should become a Fairtrade diocese, thus coming into line with the rest of the Welsh dioceses Parishes will have the option of passing a resolution to use only tea and coffee that carry the Fairtrade mark. This would apply to all parish functions.
It is worth noting that for many years Mrs Marie Thomas has been tireless in promoting Fairtrade products and regularly supplies many of us with tea, coffee and dried fruit for home use.. The slightly higher prices are offset by the high quality and by the fact that Christians are able to unite in an effective protest against injustice in world trade.
The conference concluded with prayers for the church and for the success of Bishop Dominic's forthcoming operation in hospital.
Sidonie Herbert

In response to:Fundamental Question.

2005-09-14T18:46:10+02:00

This comment is true.
Are we in the west heading for destruction through materialism? How can we reverse this direction for the sake of our yet unborn descendants?

In response to:Fundamental Question.

2005-09-14T18:44:19+02:00

I agree that the ultimate question is connected with God and His creation.
Man is a social animal and needs others with whom to associate. Sunday by Sunday in places of worship I hear the same message of 'Love' preached. I know of no other placewhere this message is heard.

Risca Gwent

In response to:Fundamental Question.

In response to:Fundamental Question.

In response to:Fundamental Question.