MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF WALES

APRIL 2020

the

In view of the presentemergency, a decision wastaken last week by thePublications Department thatthe Treasury and the Welshlanguage weekly Y Goleuadwill not be published asprinted editions for the nextthree months. Instead, bothwill appear as onlinemagazines. With less activityin church buildings, there willbe fewer items of News fromthe Churches, but as it is likelythose with iPads, iPhones andother such devices will beusing them more regularly, wehave decided to publish abriefer version of ‘theTreasury’ twice a month. Inthis way, we can report anynews and other relevantinformation more quickly inthese fast changing times thatCovid-19 has brought about.

We have been greatlyimpressed by the way in

which churches and chapelsall over Britain have beenresponding to their enforcedclosure. Instead of calling acommittee or wringing hands,ministers, other leaders andmore active members swunginto action without any delayto arrange online services andinitiate plans ensuring theirself- isolating members arephoned and cared for.

Closure of all kinds ofbusinesses and forcedunemployment are creatinggreat financial concerns formany. The Church is notexempt from sharing thatexperience through theenforced cessation of itsweekly activities and serviceswith loss of offerings. Theclosure of our Centres atTrefeca and Coleg y Bala areadded worries. Perhaps localchurches will be able to asktheir members and friends to

consider sending their gifts tothe treasurer directly eachmonth, or by donating throughtheir bank’s app.

Meantime, Food Banks whoare well supported bychurches are struggling tomeet the increasing demandfor help from many who neverimagined that having been

regular contributors untilrecently, they would findthemselves in such asituation. With Christian Aidweek just a couple of monthsaway, charities that partlydepend on door to doorcollections face particularchallenges too. All kinds ofcaring organisations faceextra pressures in addition tothe NHS. With more time topray, we remind ourselves ofPaul’s instructions in1 Timothy 2: 1 ‘that requests,prayers, intercession andthanksgiving be made foreveryone.’

Tim Stanley’s column in theDaily Telegraph at the outsetof this crisis was aptly titled‘Faith has much to offer whennature goes mad’.

We hope our twice monthlyissues will provide someadditional blessed readingover the next few months,although we are consciousthat in doing so we will only bereaching the digitallyenfranchised.

TREASURYEDITORIAL

As public buildings and non-essential shops close, the Church meetsthe challenge through online ministry

Local businesses in Mancot andHawarden situated in closeproximity to Mancott chapel.

Revd Iain B. Hodgins

A word to greet you in anunexpected and extraordinarytime! It is hoped that by now ourministers, employees and all ourchurch secretaries havereceived the latest guidancefrom the Cardiff Office (dated 17March 2020) and are acting onit. I would like to thank theGeneral Secretary, our Officers,as well as the staff at theAssembly Office and at ourCentres for their efforts and co-operation in ensuring that ourresponse as a Connexion istimely and lessens the dangerboth to ourselves, and

especially to others. TheAssembly Officers will consultregularly and update you ifneeded.

From the point of view of thechurches we advise that publicworship should not be held inour buildings during this time (orallowed to be used by outsidegroups). This means that anybaptismal services andmarriages will be postponed. Inthe case of funerals, all that willbe allowed at best in ourbuildings will be a privateservice, for immediate familymembers, and no food or drinkswill be prepared. In all cases,steps will need to be taken tothoroughly clean the premises,giving individuals theopportunity to wash handsand/or to use hand sanitiser,ensuring paper towels areavailable to dry hands. Theabove is just a summary of whatis in the complete guide and Iappeal to everyone to getacquainted with the advice. Up

to date information can be foundon our websitewww.ebcpcw.cymru

We are well aware of ourresponsibility to be a caringpresence in situations wherepeople may be sufferingphysically, anxiety, caring for afamily member or friend, whilehaving to restrict their ownmovements temporarily. Whilekeen to ensure that care isoffered, ministers and leadersshould exercise sensitivity whenasking whether a homevisit is appropriate.It would be moreappropriate topick up thephone, askeeping intouch isabsolutelynecessary.Remember,too, at a timewhen our usualservices cannot bemaintained, there is

enough devotional materialavailable from our website, andmany of our churches areoffering livestream services.

A time like this is a challengeto the faith of our members, andwe pray that everyone willdiscover afresh the ability totrust our Redeemer throughwhatever we have to face. Becareful of yourselves andespecially of others. Pray toknow strength to experienceChrist’s peace in the midst ofevery storm. In conclusion, I

think the verse which is thetheme of my time as

Moderator is providential,My grace is sufficient foryou, for my power ismade perfect inweakness. Wishing youfaith, hope, and love.

Yours in His service.Revd Marcus Wyn

Robinson (Moderator of the General

Assembly)

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The Garden, the Curtain andthe Cross family devotional!These fifteen Bible times aredesigned to be used with theaccompanyingcalendar, starting theSunday before PalmSunday, to prepareyour family’s heartsfor Easter as youjourney togetherfrom the very start tothe very end of theBible.  

They’re written tobe used both byfamilies who arenew to looking atthe Bible together and thosewho already do so.

Each Bible time should lastabout ten minutes (the earlierdays are deliberately a littleshorter), and they follow thesame format each day.

All you need to do is readthem out! Each devotionincludes the Bible text, takenfrom the International Children’s

Bible. For children who canread, we recommend givingthem their own copy of the ICBpassage to read along with.

In each study you’ll find:

• a short opening prayer.• a starter question or task to

begin conversations andintroduce a concept that

children will needto understand.• a question to think

about or action todo as they listento each Biblepassage. Thishelps childrenengage with thetext. Questionsthey’re asked priorto the passageare deliberatelyrepeated straightafterwards.

• “Let’s Think” questions, whichwill help your children thinkmore about the Bible passage.

• Brief sections for you to readout.

• Application questions, whichwill help your children to seewhat the Bible passage meansfor them.

• A prayer at the end (laterdevotions get children involvedin coming up with and sayingthe prayers).

• An optional “Let’s Think a BitMore” section, for use witholder children or if you havetime. (You’ll need to look upthe passage for these: a usefulonline resource isbiblegateway.com.)

If you’d like some more tips forhow to get the most out of thisbooklet, go to:

thegoodbook.comgccfamilytimes

The studies look at thepassages that underpin themessage of The Garden, theCurtain and the Crossstorybook, and a lot of thephrases in these studies comefrom that book. You don’t need

to have read it in order to enjoythese studies; and if yourchildren are familiar with it, theywill still find a lot in thesestudies that isn’t in thestorybook.

We pray that you’ll enjoy yourtime looking at God’s word, andthat you will all grow in love forJesus together.

Carl and Lizzie LaffertonPrice: £5.09 direct fromthegoodbookcompany.co.ukdiscounts apply for four or morecopies.

A holy week resource for families and

Concerned at COVID-19

children

Stay safe on-lineNone of us are beyond being taken in by rogues and on-linescammers. Even in a time of a national emergency when so many arepulling together, and keeping in touch with isolated friends by email,it is regrettable that bogus emails circulate too. This week Revd NeilKirkham’s name was linked to an email purporting to be from him,asking for a favour and saying don’t ring back because I’m busy. Itwas a scam! We encourage our readers to be doubly vigilant.

An on-line Easter miniissue of 'the Treasury' will

be published onThursday, 8th April 2020.

Today we have faced anotherday out of our normal comfortzone catching up on thosemany jobs that have neededdoing for some time. I hope youhave a successful day andmanaged to do some of them!And so we have had time on

our hands.Perhaps you have been able

to read a book that you havebeen meaning to pick up forsome time, and now you havethe opportunity to do so. Perhaps you have offered a

prayer for the world at this lifechanging time? Time is on ourhands, and it gives us theopportunity to engage with

others by phone, letter orFaceTime as we work our waythrough the day. Here is a word I have chosen

to help us to concentrate onGod, His world, His Son, JesusChrist, and ourselves.

Devote yourselves to prayer,being watchful and thankful.And pray for us, too, that Godmay open a door for ourmessage, so that we mayproclaim the mystery of Christ,for which I am in chains. Praythat I may proclaim it clearly, asI should. Be wise in the way youact toward outsiders; make themost of every opportunity. Let

your conversation be always fullof grace, seasoned with salt, sothat you may know how toanswer everyone. (Colossians4: 2–6).

A Prayer:Lord Jesus, Shepherd, Friendand Comforter, watch over usduring these worrying days aswe come to terms withseparation, isolation andloneliness. Grant us your presence as we

go about our day filling up thehours with relaxation,concentration, work and lookingafter our children with theirchanged daytime hours. You are the One who can giveus peace. Help those who havenone. Let us be patient as others

seek ways and means toovercome this virus and returnour lives to normality again. In your mercy, Lord, hear ourprayer. Amen.

Revd Brian Reardon shouldhave concluded his year asModerator on 31st March.Because of the cancellation ofthe Association in the East dueto Covid 19, it has been decidedthat he will continue in the rolefor another year.

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From the confinesof 23 North Roadby Moderator of the Association in the East

We all have responsibilities Inthe Covid-19 lockdown and inmy house I’m in charge of PEand Evening Entertainment. PEis easy, morning break affordstime for a quick game of Gardencricket, T20 style. Each of thebatsmen (my boys) has one life,faces a maximum of three oversand highest score wins. Itencourages fast scoring withplenty of boundaries particularlyin the latter stage of theinnings. Lunchtime is more complex.

By 11 o’clock the washing ishanging out in the back gardenand so we move to the front.With an hours play available,each player has three lives. Twolives can be played with thefavoured hand but the thirdplayer is ‘last man’: left handers

play right handed and viceversa. The front of the house istarmaced and so my slow legbreaks which were easilydispatched on grass suddenlybecome vicious off-breaks (I liketo think!). Today’s game was aparticular triumph with a greateffort by a night watchman,some wonderful one handedcatches and a nail biting finish.So that’s sport sorted.

Evening entertainment is atouch more difficult because fivepeople like five different things,thus we have turned to the TVsubscription services. Webegan with a free monthssubscription to Britbox and anintroduction (for the children atleast) to Joan Hickson, thearchetypal Miss Marple. I canrecall watching these as a boywith a sense of foreboding. Thecredits are spooky, the musiccreepy and Joan Hicksonperfect at capturing MissMarple’s sad acceptance of theinevitability of human depravity.Unfortunately A Pocketful of

Rye was deemed ‘freaky’ by theten year old after episode one,when ‘the Queen’ wasmurdered ‘eating bread andhoney’. By the time ‘the maidwas in the garden pegging outthe clothes’ he had his handsover his eyes and his fingers inhis ears (quite a feat) and, for

us at least, Miss Marple hadsolved her last case. So we turned to Netflix and

their new drama The Letter tothe King. This was a massivesuccess. Exciting, scary, andwith plenty of knights and fightsthis was a thrilling romp thatkept us all engaged up to thelast (slightly downbeat)episode. For me the best episode was

the third, when Tuiri findshimself in the monastery at theend of the world. It is, to quote adifferent kind of knight from adifferent kids film, ‘a wretchedhive of scum and villainy’headed by an Abbot who is, byhis own confession the worst ofthe lot. He tells Tiuri;

“Undoubtedly my own appetitesare some of the darkest of themall. Sometimes I miss it ofcourse. There’s nothing quitelike the sound of a skull beneathyour boots. But there’s no goingback. Not now.And at my age? Who’s got

the energy!”

Why do I like it? Because herein a multi million dollar Netflixfantasy drama is a characterthat represents reality. A publicsinner who’s face is scarred bythe wounds that came fromfighting, now a changed man;

changed by grace from fiendinto friend.Recently I met a man who

had seen this, not in a film but inreality. The friend had a cousin.The cousin had a foul andspectacular temper. He wouldregularly beat people up and gotinto trouble with the police onmany occasions. In the end hehad been put in prison.While in prison he professed

a Christian faith. But how couldanyone be sure that what heprofessed was true? My friendtold me he knew that hiscousin’s faith was genuine onenight when they were makinghot drinks. My friend passedhim a cup of tea andaccidentally spilt it on hiscousin. Six months before myfriend would have found himselfcoming round in the corner! Butnot this time. Instead his cousinstopped, but his tongue andwaited for his anger to subsideand peace to return. What wasthat but the work of grace in thelife of an angry man? He haddark appetites, perhaps at timeshe missed them, but Christ hadcome into his life. There was nogoing back. This is the glory ofChristianity, Christ winning fromthe cross new sinners andturning them into saints; everyconvert a story worthy of a boxset.

ONEMORETHING

ReverendJonathan Hodgins

by Revd Gareth Roberts

In this passage Jesus counselshis followers against worrying somuch about what may come inthe future that all the joy of lifein the present disappears. Weneed to put our trust in Godtoday and also for tomorrow. In his book ‘The Strange

Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’Robert Louis Stevenson writesthe following: “Quiet minds cannot be

perplexed or frightened, but goon in fortune or misfortune attheir own private pace like aclock in a thunderstorm”. Whatever the weather the clockkeeps evenly ticking andwhatever the storms of life theperson with the quiet mindremains calm and collected.This is essentially what theApostle Paul meant when hewrote: “We are afflicted in everyway, but not crushed; perplexed,but not driven to despair”(2 Corinthians 4:8). As we face the current

situation surrounding COVID-19the question is how can weobtain this ‘quiet mind’, duringdays of danger how can weattain a calm confidence, duringdays of tension how can wemaintain a sense of peace,during days when so muchseems to threaten ourhappiness how can we live lifewithout fear? Jesus Christ helps us to find

the answer. He says we mustlearn to live one day at a time.“Do not worry about tomorrow”we are told. To live one day at atime is one of the most difficult

things for us to learn to dobecause we have the power offoresight, and yet, we must try. Principal Robert Rainy once

said: “Today I must attend acommittee meeting; tomorrow Imust preach; someday I mustdie. Then let us do each duty asit comes as best we can”. Wewill be well on our way toobtaining a quiet mind if we canlive each day as it comes. Many people cannot help

crossing bridges before they getto them, but worry is usuallywasted effort. Worse, worryingunduly about something canactually impair our ability tocope with a thing when it doescome.

1. Therefore, let us turn to Godin faith and trust in his strengthand lean on him for comfort. IfGod is with us we are neveralone, he is “an ever presenthelp in times of trouble”(Psalm46:1). Though you may be livingby yourself in your homeremember that you are notalone, God is with you. The coronavirus pandemic is

a very grave situation for thewhole world and there seemslittle point in denying it.However, though it is importantto state and face our difficulties,it is a mistake to brood overthem. We must try not to worry.Through our faith we must seekthe comfort and strength of God. These are the days which

challenge and test our faith andour Christianity. It is easy tohave a serene and solid faith inGod when things are going well.However, when days like thesearrive, many are threatened witha collapse of their faith. Therewas a certain point in the life ofJesus Christ after which itbecame increasingly clear thatthe path he was on was leadingnot to triumph but rather to thecross and John in his Gospelcomments on this with a verypoignant statement: “From thattime many of his followers wenthome and walked no more withhim” (6:66). They left him whenthings became difficult. Let uspray that however dark thingsmay become our faith is nevereclipsed because we proveourselves as Christians partly bythe way that we meet ourproblems.

As well as being days whichmay test our faith, I believe thatthese are days which show usthe value of our faith. I believethat our faith better enables usto face the world and itsanxieties and uncertainties.There may be times when weare the end of our tether, butbecause of our faith we arenever at the end of our hope. Itis a saving grace for theChristian that though we may bephysically confined andrestricted there is always theavenue of escape throughprayer into the spaciousness ofAlmighty God. Therefore, during these days

when many of us will be limitingthe amount of social contact wehave with others let us use it asan opportunity to deepen ourexperience of the preciousnessof prayer and commune withGod.Because of what we are

facing I am certain that ourprayers will not be a formaloffering of words to God, but

rather a lifting up to him of ourvery hearts and souls on behalfof ourselves, our friends andneighbours, our community andour whole world. So, far from viewing the

present situation with gloom oreven despair, let us see it as atest of our faith and a challengeto show the worth and depth ofour faith. May we find the peaceof mind which comes from beinghonestly able to say “My timesare in your hand” (Psalm 31:15).To have complete trust in God isto know no fear. During thesedays may we seek and find atrust like this. To each one of you I wish all

strength and blessing over thedays and weeks ahead and beassured of my prayers for youall. Amen.

Adapted from a messagedelivered to the congregationsof St Thomas’s Denbigh, Ruthinand Nant Hall, Prestatyn on thefirst Sunday after churches wereclosed for public worship andother meetings. Readers areinvited to use the on-lineresources of St Thomas’sDenbigh for personal and familydevotions during the ongoingCovid-19 emergency, seest-thomas-denbigh.co.uk

4      the TREASURY – APRIL 2020

A MESSAGE OF HOPEfrom Matthew 6:25-34

BUILTH WELLSRevd Brian Reardon is keeping a brief dailydiary, adding a prayer and thought for theday. Email him to receive this atrevbrian@me.com

MORETONFor those missing spiritual nourishment intheir local church, Moreton PresbyterianChurch are putting on their website theweekly “Devotional Guide” that is usuallygiven out to Moreton and Two Millsworshippers as part of a printed weeklynewsletter when they attend on a Sunday.There is a Bible reading for every day, takenfrom Scripture Union’s Daily Bread Biblereading aid, and a commentary on thepassages. Also for each day there is aprayer topic - which obviously can beadapted for your local circumstances. TheDevotional Guide on the website will beupdated every week until life returns to

normal and you can return to your localchurch.As Holy Week will feel very different this

year, Dr Mike Ward is publishing every dayfor Holy Week a sermon, based on hispublished sermons previously delivered atthe Christian Medical College, Vellore. Allthese resources can be accessed atwww.moretonpresbyterian.org.uk.

CITY ROAD, GOLFTYN,MANCOTT AND NORTHOPHALLA service each Sunday at 10.30am can beaccessed through the Facebook page ofNorthop Hall or Mancott. You’ll find anevening devotion there with Revd JonathanHodgins each night.

BRECON PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHRevd David Jenkins is posting a sermoneach Sunday. Details of past and upcomingweeks are available on his Facebook page.

ARGYLE RHYDDINGS PARK,SWANSEADetails of Revd Charles Chua’s ministry online can be found on his Facebook page.

ST THOMAS’S DENBIGHSee the reference to their weekly service atthe end of the article by Revd GarethRoberts on page four in this issue(st-thomas-denbigh.co.uk)

SANDFIELDS, PORT TALBOTVisit their Facebook page for details of theirweekly Sunday service that is going outthrough Facebook, other links to helpfulresources, and their Story Time with Jesusread by Samantha Hodgins.

PARK END, CARDIFFRevd Owen Batstone will be delivering alive message and leading prayers onSunday evenings at 6pm via the church’sYouTube video stream. Access via YouTubeor via the Park End Facebook page.

The list is not a complete one of all theresources available on line from theEnglish language churches of theConnexion. We invite those notmentioned on this occasion to sendtheir details to the Editor for inclusionin a further list of on-line resources inthe mid April edition of ‘the Treasury’.

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THE TREASURY incorporating Glad Tidings • English publication of the Presbyterian Church of Wales. Published monthly – Price 50p.

Editor: Revd IAIN B HODGINS, 1a CHESTNUT GROVE, HAWARDEN CH5 3HDe-mail: iain.hodgins@ebcpcw.cymruUnless otherwise stated the views expressed are those of the individual contributor and are not necessarily the view of the General Assembly or the Editor.

Enquiries about orders and subscriptions should be addressed toGWASG Y BWTHYN (PANTYCELYN), Tº CADNANT, ZONE 2, LÔN HEN FELIN, CIBYN, CAERNARFON LL55 2BDTel: 01286 672018 • gwasgybwthyn@btconnect.com

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9 771476 469042

I S S N 1 4 7 6 - 4 6 9 5

Vol. XLVI No. 4APRIL 2020

CHURCHESON LINE

NOT QUITE ACOMPETITIONWe invite our readers to submit apicture for inclusion in futureissues of some local scenethey’ve encountered in walkingwithin the vicinity of their homes.Ideally, it should not includeanother person. Just a picture,with a brief description of itslocation. Suggested subjectsmight be a colourful garden youpass on your walk, a springlandscape, or an interestingfeature of a building that might beof wider interest. This issue of ‘the Treasury’ is

bring produced for Palm Sunday.In parts of Wales the day is oftenreferred to as Flowering Sundayor Sul y Blodau when familymembers decorate their lovedones graves in the local cemeterywith flowers. It is unlikely that willhappen this year, but with that inmind the Editor begins the serieswith a photograph of thegraveyard at St Deiniol’s Church,Hawarden that is currently filledwith ‘a host, of golden daffodils’.

A view from anIndian doctor

“Social distancing is aprivilege. It means you live ina house large enough topractise it. Hand washing is aprivilege too. It means youhave access to runningwater. Hand sanitisers are aprivilege. It means you havemoney to buy them.Lockdowns are a privilege. Itmeans you can afford to beat home. Most of the ways toward the Corona off areaccessible only to theaffluent. In essence, adisease that was spread bythe rich as they flew aroundthe globe will now kill millionsof the poor. All of us who arepractising social distancingand have imposed alockdown on ourselves mustappreciate how privileged weare. Many Indians won’t beable to do any of this.”