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| The six Church in Wales diocesan bishops with the newly appointed 'youngest ever bishop' (left) Source: Church in Wales |
"Some people say 'the Church is always after your money' and that money shouldn’t be discussed in church. We believe that with over 2,350 verses in the Bible relating to money and possessions, the subject cannot be ignored. Indeed, the Church in Wales recommends that its members should give 5% of their take-home pay to the Church. We believe that the way we deal with our money speaks volumes about our discipleship. Giving money is part of giving the whole of yourself to God."
In many churches money is necessarily discussed regularly as they try to make ends meet while struggling to pay their diocesan 'share'.
Using some rounded numbers, in Wales 5% of average monthly take home pay of £2,000 amounts to £100 (around £25 per week) which is earmarked for the Church before more deserving causes.
One may ask, What could be more deserving than the Church? There are many deserving causes. The poor. The hungry. The dispossessed. Many relying on charity. The list is endless.
Instead of being a place for worship the Church has become increasingly politicised providing a platform for secular causes, a situation many resent supporting with predictable consequences.
The Church in Wales has long since ceased to be an example of good stewardship, maintaining a bloated structure reminiscent its former thriving self.
In 2012 the Harris Review recommended structural changes including reducing to three administrative centres (Recommendation XXII) followed by Recommendation XXV: "The recommendations XXII, XXIII and XXIV should be reviewed after three years and a judgement made about whether the Church in Wales is best served by six dioceses with three administrative centres or whether it would be more effective to reduce to three dioceses, together with four area bishops."
Instead the bench of bishops have extend their empire, adding assistant bishops, advisors and administrative staff while turning the Church into a home for factional groups seeking to 'legitimise' their secular activities at the expense of the faithful.
The Church in Wales says, "We believe that the way we deal with our money speaks volumes about our discipleship." - Exactly!
With dwindling membership a once thriving Church has become largely irrelevant to former worshipers.
Fortunately the good shepherd knows His sheep and His sheep know Him.
The cult in Wales doesn't need, and won't be getting a penny of mine.
ReplyDelete£3 billion in assets, selling off church buildings, not providing vicars, blowing £100 million on vanity projects, and six Dioceses each with its own bloated establishment to boot.
With less than 10,000 regular worshippers, there only needs to be one Diocese.
They need 4 diocese to be recognised as a province by the Anglican Communion so I believe. Other than that I agree 1 is plenty.
DeleteDim Diolch
Province? More like a rump.
DeleteAnd the cult in Wales is no "in communion" in any case.
It's virtually all mincing woofery and poofery with a splash of dykery thrown in to tick a couple more Stonewall inclusivity boxes.
Bewildered
"Mincing woofery and poofery" us hilariously accurate.
DeleteBut sad, as well. How the land of the great revival has fallen at the hands of the devils among us.
The devils have been among us for decades. Glyn Simon, Eryl Thomas, Poole-Hughes, Roy, Satan's Imp Barry Morgan and Caiaphas.
DeleteIt is little wonder the Llandaff Diocese is a shambles and source of ridicule.
The greatest achievement of Typhoid Mary thus far is to have been so pathetic that she's managed to keep a low profile but the Diocese still flounders.
Just one "ordination" on Saturday in the cathedral of the Chocolate Teapot's diocese: I just can't fathom why virtually nobody wants to clamber aboard the sinking ship of the Cult, or to be under the "leadership" (I use the term very loosely) of the aforementioned Teapot.
ReplyDeleteStill, with dwindling Misery Area Leaders to be paid, nobody should need to donate anything very much.
If you mean just the one Ordinand, pray it won't be the creature with green hair and former Mayorette of Bangor.
DeleteThe attendees should be spared that horrific spectre, this ordinand is female of the "L" alphabet variety, and looks far more normal, but will, if perceptions are correct, be ruthlessly ambitious to boot.
DeleteThe solo ordination at Bangor tomorrow coupled with the lavish spending of the CinW and Bangor cathedral particularly resonates. Just a single item on the long list of pre and post celebrations - the erection of a beer-tent on the Deanery lawn - will set Bangor's accounts back a staggering £1,700 and this doesn't begin to ponder the cost of flowers, food, travel costs per mile of the processions of diocesan clergy who will drive in for some Saturday shopping and an ordination 'side-show' ... just for one deacon to become priest!!! Thankfully 'spend spend spend' ap Rhys-Evans is no longer entrusted with the cheque book otherwise new vestments would be purchased, a new piece of music commissioned, and Fortnum and Mason wines crated up from London.
DeleteThe lone "L" alphabet Ordinand is unlikely to relish the prospect of any erection on the Deanery lawn, beery or otherwise.
Delete🤣
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/06/26/church-england-leaders-threaten-split-same-sex-blessings/
ReplyDeleteSome common sense breaking out at last.
Stuff the CofE and their queered trans BS.
Bewildered
Does the CinW seriously think churchgoers - especially the usually big-giving traditionalist - are going to give them anything at all? These they have betrayed and courted instead the gay lobby who, even if they go to church, don't give a button.
ReplyDeleteIt's called shooting yourself in the foot, like '7 sacred spaces', pilgrimage to Santiago, lesbian bishops ,etc,etc
LW
We should be allowed to know if the clergy are setting an example on this by giving 5% of their stipends to the church.
DeletePostie
@LoneVoice
ReplyDeleteYou're far from alone in perception that Bangor's lone ordinand for 'priesting' this weekend (Ms Godfrey) is probably 'ruthlessly ambitious'. There was the madness (and muffled laughter) of her ordination as Deacon when on Day One straight out of University and attired in all the pomp of a Vatican priest wearing Beretta and the intricately laced surplis of Catholics she demanded to be called 'Mother Jose'!!! Even in the catholic church those ordained at this level begin as Novice, then Sister and after many years, Mother. But that's by the by. The days of Pontiff ap-Rhys's theatre.
But more concerning now is that she's promoting herself (not yet priested) as Chaplain to North Wales Police!!! Eh? What? Who on earth from the barmy Diocese of Bangor endorsed that? There's a professional association of Police Chaplains and very properly among their primary qualifications is that any applicant MUST have a minimum of FIVE YEARS post-ordination parish experience under their belts. Just as high in demand is their pre-requisite for specialist training in those many aspects of mental stresses and traumas which Police officers experience including bereavement management. Police rank among the highest of all employments in notching up long periods of 'post traumatic' sickness leave and any pastoral priest MUST have some knowledge and accomplishment in working with their spouses and children too. As from Sunday, The Rev. Ms. Mother Jose will have knocked up less than 24 hours experience as a priest and all her Deacon-preparation spent at Bangor Cathedral which long since abandoned any thought of providing pastoral care to its members lest of all to be able to train-up to Police Chaplain standards. This is appalling.
Imagine the poor copper in floods of tears in his locker-room or suffering nightmares at home and someone suggests the Force Chaplain might be helpful ... and in comes a young lady with not a clue how to handle the situation. Not just appalling. Its downright dangerous.
It is amusing that you hold such opinions of a woman whose name you are unable to even spell .
DeleteAscendit525
Ah, but she will be wearing Doctor Martens boots which will make it all fine.
Delete@Acidtit525
DeleteOh horror of horrors. I accidentally excluded the letter 'i' from Josie typing Jose instead. That's hardly the point or even worth a whinge . But if you want it in full, the Reverend (unpriested) Josephine May Godfrey. OK? Maybe sleep better now eh? (and no opinions expressed about the young lady ... simply the system that allows her to promote herself as a Police Chaplain without a day's experience of parish pastoral care or any of the other pre-requisites of which I think high level of multi-faith theological understanding is demanded).
Adding to the aforementioned concerning deficiencies in appointing a wholly inexperienced deacon - soon to become assistant curate - as chaplain to North Wales Police what thought, if at all, to the one-third of North Wales Police who are first language Welsh speakers. Anyone who knows a jot about mental distress (cause of officers' often urgent care needs) knows that sufferers find it difficult enough to express themselves in their own language without the added stresses of mentally translating their thoughts to English and to be emotionally communicated to a Buckinghamshire lass.
DeleteBut there again, this is the Diocese of Bangor where lessons are never learned. Bangor with its bishop who thought fit to appoint a half-baked excuse for a curate to rank of sub-dean ... and look where that got them. Disaster. Except that ap Rhys-Evans wasn't playing with real lives and emotions. I'm aghast at the appointment of this young lady to such a delicate task. I have to wonder if North Wales Police is fully acquainted with her very limited experience or whether like the former chief constable of Northumbria her 'CV' has been perhaps manipulated.
Never mind opinions, misspellings or typos, which (if any) of the stated claims do you dispute As endit525?
DeleteIt is amazing that Rev Mother Josephine should become Chaplain to North Wales Police, but is it not equally if not more astonishing that someone higher up must have appointed her? With her record of completely ignoring people in the Cathedral, let alone being friendly to them, I cannot imagine why anyone should think her suitable for any job which consist of giving pastoral care.
DeleteWhat's Pastoral care?
DeleteThe Church in Wales neither knows nor cares what that is anymore.
@ Altar Angel
DeleteAs I contributed to this dialogue it seems a trite unfair to use it as an attack on the Rev. Godfrey personally; a young lady who only 12 months ago was a college student which is why the Association of Police Chaplains insists on at least five years parish experience before even considering application. But you are right to ask who it was who put her up to it. I think you might find that -it was none other than the defunct, disgraced Sub-Dean Sion ap Rhys-Evans who - if rumours of his demise are correct - perhaps thought it might be a good idea to have 'someone on the inside'. However, Bangor's then Bishop Andrew John sanctioned it. More fool him.
Seems your nastiness earned you retards an article in the Church Times. Publish this! I bet you don't.
DeleteRetardio
Where? I’ve just searched through the online edition and found nothing. You could include a link to it in your own posting. I’d certainly like to read it!
Deletehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz47jne2n84o
ReplyDeleteThe only surprise is that Justine Welby isn't at the front of the parade, leading with a Living in Lust and Filth rainbow banner, wearing only a purple thong and a dog collar.
Bewildered
'Living in Lust and Filth'. That made me laugh. I'm gay myself but I can see that this is funny.
ReplyDeleteSadly I can't remember when either lust or a bit of filth came my way. Truth to tell, we gays, lesbos and queers lead quite boring lives. I was shopping, not dogging last night.
LostLust
Cottaging rather than dogging, surely?
DeleteSo, what is happening to the church in Wales? I went to St Mary Swansea today, my first time home since the pandemic. My friend, whom I was with, pointed out the subdeacon and told me he was a Welsh non-conformist Chapel minister. What has gone on there, said ex-Welsh non-conformist Chapel minister, is a warden of the church and also serves at the altar when still taking services for the Welsh non-conformists. I was told that said Welsh non-conformist Chapel minister. It is also more Anglo-Catholic than the Current Priest at that Church, it tells. The verger there was telling us that a Welsh non-conformist Chapel minister went to St Padarn’s and washed out. Is this the new church the bench keeps talking about? Rather than talking to the unchurched, we talk to Ministers of chapels who can't stick it and think they are in a Mini Rome.
DeleteAmerican Visiting Wales
Not quite all of #American Visiting Wales's comment is comprehensible.
Deletehttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/07/01/thieves-caught-ton-crucifixes-stolen-spain-graves-cemetery/
ReplyDeleteThe religion of peace busy once again?
Bewildered
I have to agree with Matthew, what is being asked here? Is it the seemingly blurred picture betwixt chapel and Anglo catholic or the ridiculously wokism that the afore mentioned St P is pushing. I am led to believe that anyone there with an ounce of traditionalism in views or values is soon ‘dispatched’ as not suitable. The recent appointment in St David’s diocese of a very grumpy lesbian thingby 4.5feet up and across former Baptist minister and her/he/its heretic opinions appears to us all to be proof. Sad times I think.
ReplyDelete