St. Teilo's Church, Llandeilo Fawr

Part of the Bro Dinefwr Local Ministry Area (LMA)

This Church is an inclusive Church

We believe in inclusive Church - church which does not discriminate on any level, on grounds of economic power, gender, mental health, physical ability, race or sexuality. We believe in Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.

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St Teilo’s is in the Archdeaconry of Carmarthen and part of the Bro Dinefwr LMA.

A local ministry area (LMA) is a geographical area made up of a group of parishes which will be a collaborative area of Christian witness, worship and work. The new LMAs will enable the churches within the groupings to support one another in mission and ministry and so encourage sustainability and growth. Each LMA will provide priestly and pastoral oversight within their communities. Each LMA will also reach out to share the good news of Christ, grounding all our mission in the example set by Jesus Christ and those who, in His name, built the early church seen in scripture by the guidance of the Holy Spirit through devotion and prayer.

Each church within the LMA, whilst working together on the bigger picture of mission and evangelism, will retain its own identity. The LMA Council will delegate to Church Committees care of the day to day matters related to the running of the local church. The responsibilities of these Church Committees will include maintenance of church buildings, fundraising, cleaning, grounds, church yards etc. Each church within the LMA will have such a Committee and will therefore require a chairperson, treasurer, secretary, usually church wardens and representatives of the congregation.

The LMA Council is the representative body of the churches within the Local Ministry Area (i.e. a council of people made up of members from each worshipping church in the LMA structure). Each LMA Council will have, as well as its clerics, two wardens, a secretary, and a treasurer. It will be convened by a lay chairperson. Oversight and policy on outreach, ministry and evangelism within the LMA will be taken by the LMA Councillors representing all the churches within the LMA, with a view to sharing the Good News of the Gospel and finding new ways of serving the specific needs of their local communities.

Churches in Bro Dinefwr LMA

• Eglwys Fair Memorial Church/Hall, Carmel
• Holy Trinity, Pontargothi
• Holy Trinity, Taliaris
• St Cathen, Llangathen
• St Egwad, Llanegwad Nantgaredig
• St Egwad, Llanfynydd
• St John the Evangelist, Felin-gwm
• St John, Maesteilo
• St Mary, Cwrt-Henri
• St Michael, Golden Grove
• St Michael, Llanfihangel Rhos-y-Corn
• St Michael, Llanfihangel-Uwch-Gwili
• St Teilo, Brechfa
• St Teilo, Llandeilo

Dean Bro Dinefwr LMA: Rev. Canon Sian Jones - revsianjones@btinternet.com

St. Teilo's Church Management

The LMA council delegates day to day running of St Teilo’s to the church committee (CC) in order to address the issues facing the church at the present time. The new committee met for the first time on 24 February 2022 and has already been pro-active in organising two ‘spring cleaning days’ when a large group of members cleared the church of years of accumulated rubbish, enough to fill a large skip. The building is much cleaner and more attractive for dispensing with the clutter. Under the guidance of the Archdeacon, the CC organised a number of special services over Easter 2022 and the large attendance indicated how glad people were to return after the disruption of Covid.

The following sub-committees have been formed:

Worship, Pastoral and Mission

This sub-committee examines the health of the church community and focuses on:

1. A General Ecumenical Mission. This includes organising the Annual Prayer Walk around the town and a setting up a new regular Prayer Support Meeting enabling others to pray for the church and community;
2. A Spiritual Mission which can be fostered and grown. The sub-committee considers such issues as how to re-instate or begin extra services and worship groups, across the widest range of formats, in order best to cater for the needs of all worshippers past, present and potential.
3. A Pastoral Mission allowing St. Teilo’s to serve God through service to the local community. For example, how to make St. Teilo’s a vibrant community hub once more. Other issues which fall under the remit of this sub-committee are: the weekly ‘Cares of Pre-schoolers’ group , providing public access to the Llandeilo Gospels Exhibition and holding regular coffee mornings for the lonely and elderly. It encourages and promotes church-led community activities.

Communication

This sub-committee considers how the church might more effectively communicate its mission to the wider community. It considers what image of the church should be conveyed and how that is best achieved. Banners and notices outside the building make a clear declaration of its inclusivity. The congregation and wider community are consulted about the types of service which they find relevant to them and carefully considers the responses to decide which can practically be adopted. The church website and Facebook page are regularly reviewed to ensure that they are attractive, relevant and informative.

Maintenance

All buildings of this age require regular maintenance and St Teilo’s is no exception. In fact, there are many issues which have been identified and which urgently need to be addressed. The most pressing of these is to provide adequate and effective heating for the comfort of worshippers and the sub-committee have this well in hand. Other matters are dealt with according to:

• Urgency
• Cost

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Church Officials