At the 2020 Diocesan Conference it was announced that the parishes in the lower Cynon Valley, (Abercynon, Penrhiwceiber, Mountain Ash, Aberaman and Cwmbach) will be moving forward with the Diocesan plan to become a Ministry Area, which makes 2021 a year of planning and prayer as we become one parish by the 31st December.
We will be developing a strategy to move forward and whilst it is a step into the unknown one of things we’ve learnt during the COVID crisis is that God provides new ways to worship and reach out.
This brings encouragement for our worship and community involvement in mission at Abercynon to be supported as we share with other local congregations. The diocese is providing ministry areas with access to youth workers and community workers and we certainly would love to grow in cooperation with out school's work, projects and administration.
At the same time it will be the end of Abercynon Parish’s independence in making decisions and controlling finances. The ONE NEW parish will have its own PCC (called a Ministry Area Council) to oversee everything and its is likely that each church or area will have its own committee making sure the local scene is governed and can flourish.
At the end of 2020, the 5 existing parishes had representatives that met up with the Bishop and her team to talk over issues and raise questions.
The next stage in January 2020 is to plan our steering group which will act as a ministry area transition team discussing and putting things in place
The bishop has asked if Peter will be the Ministry Area lead to help coordinate all these changes. He was in the Parish of Pontypridd when 5 years ago they undertook the same changes, joining together (7 separate parishes in 2004, 4 separate parishes in 2012, 1 parish in 2015) so he can relate to a sense of concern and uncertainty but can also testify to something great that can come as a result.