History of St Hilary's in the parish of killay

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90 YEARS SERVING THE COMMUNITY 1926 - 2016 A further group was proposed to maintain the MYCMI momentum by proceeding with the ‘quick fix’ ideas generated in the MYCMI sessions. At the MYCMI meeting held on Saturday 20 th May, these propositions were discussed and much was learned from them. The changing role of children within society was considered for, with the introduction of a ‘Continental’ type Sunday, the changes in family grouping brought about by divorce law et al, the freedom of social behaviour that was encouraged by media watching and the educational methods undertaken by them in school, which welcomed a personal active stance in their learning, then, perhaps, our old fashioned relationship with modern children was seen to be wrong and a greater freedom for the child was advocated. Stewardship was discussed and a quotation from ‘Money Matters’ by Douglas McKearn “in many parishes a high proportion of giving comes from a small proportion of the total membership” gave rise to much interest. Mr Ken James produced figures from the weekly collection envelopes which stated that the weekly average collection in the last five years -2000 -2005 – had gone up by 50 pence and that the church quota in that time had gone up from £37,000 to £50,000, that is gone up by £13,000. If anything would put a damper on an initiative then this news would go a long way to its demise. Later in the year an appeal went out for all to consider their amount of giving and be guided in their response to the appeal. Earlier in the year the P.C.C. heard of the repairs to the car park, teething troubles in the parish centre, the establishment of baby changing facilities, and provision of non slip mats for the Centre. They also agreed Page !22 that the annual token to the value of £50 be awarded at the annual Olchfa School Presentation for a pupil’s service in the community. Also the Youth Club and Junior Youth Club would support the Aids Orphanage in Swaziland by giving £40 each. A Music Quiz was held on Saturday 6 th May and a Concert presented by the Music Society featuring the Morriston Salvation Army Songsters was enjoyed on the 10 th July. It was about this time that, through the good work of Mr Alan Pickard, the church offered a web site to the internet world, and Webmaster Alan updated the site on a weekly basis. Early in September, St Hilary’s and St Martin’s, along with very many churches in the Swansea and Brecon Diocese, held an Open Churches weekend :- from 2 pm to 6 pm on the Saturdays and from 10am to 6pm on Sundays the churches were open for anyone to come in and look around and perhaps follow a trail of interest which had been put together. The first Sunday ended with a ‘Songs of Praise ‘service and on the second Sunday at 6 pm we joined the congregation at St Joachim and St Anne’s Church to help them celebrate the 40 th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church and the ministry of Father Kelly. A letter from Kitui was received late in the year which told of the use being made of the St Hilary’s centre of Hope, and the conditions that they were living under. Their main hope was for the October rains to come and produce a good harvest. To help with the famine, the church, through the Charitable Giving Committee sent a gift of £1,000 to be spent on food for the children at the Centre. The annual changing of the clock arrived and with it those early dark evenings which
90 YEARS SERVING THE COMMUNITY 90 YEARS 1926 - SERVING 2016 THE COMMUNITY 1926 - 2016 Gwynneth & Fred Prestwood “Early in the year saw the opening of an Ecumenical Men’s Group – now named the Simeon Fellowship” 2007 curtail outside activity. Thus the party of volunteers who had spent their Monday evenings during the summer trimming bushes and branches, cutting grass and generally tidying up the graveyard and the surrounds of the church disbanded only to reform the following year. Their efforts were easily discernible and greatly appreciated by the many people who visit the Garden of Remembrance and the graves. In October a World’s Biggest Coffee Morning was held and, from the proceeds, we were able to send the sum of £364 to MacMillan Cancer Research. The Harvest Thanksgiving Service was held later than usual this year in the middle of October. Fortunately we do not have the same problem as Kitui with regards to rain, in fact quite the opposite. However the church was decorated in a very fine floral manner and the following Harvest Supper in the evening was welcomed and appreciated by all who were there. On to the Christmas period with all the well established activities and services, including a ‘Songs from the Shows’ Concert on December 12 th . 2007 Towards the end of 2006 the Parochial Church Council received a letter from Anne and John in Kitui. In it was a request for monetary help for they were undergoing great hardship. The cause of the hardship was a number of malnourished children who had been taken into the St Hilary’s Centre of Hope and had been fed regularly. This had caused and was causing a great strain on the financial running of the Centre and so the appeal for help. The P.C.C. unanimously approved a donation of £1,000: the cheque was to be sent with strict instructions that it was to be used for food only and not used for any other purpose. In the middle of the year a communication was received from the Revd John Ikucha thanking the Church for the donation towards the running of the Centre of Hope which was established to look after orphans of AIDS victims. The centre had been able to buy 70 bags of maize and 10 bags of beans which are being used, providing meals for the children. Some of the food was being stored for later in the year when they are normally faced with famine. They had also been able to buy uniforms for the children. A little money had been used for the general running of the centre! No comment there. Their thanks ended with greetings and best wishes to all in our parish. Early in the year saw the opening of an Ecumenical Men’s Group – now named the Simeon Fellowship. The Group was open to all men living in the area. When they held their first meeting at the end of January, 2007 a goodly number from all the religious denominations Page !23 Page 23
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History of St Hilary's in the parish of killay

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