PART TWO: DEANERY MISSION PLANS

2.5 Blaenau Gwent Deanery
(Allocated 4 stipends)

The deanery set out clearly the great involvement with the local communities that the churches already have; the ecumenical contacts, children's work, and the involvement in nurture and mission by individual parishes. They also recognised that in any deanery reorganisation they had to reflect the fact that there were issues relating to the ordination of women priests.

Emphasis is placed on encouraging lay ministries so that lay people may use their gifts for the growth of the Kingdom. The deanery is seen as a Mission Area with over 30 pastoral areas, each with its own needs. Providing pastoral care for each area is possible if the gifts of laity as well as clergy are considered. It is essential that parishes determine who are the teachers, preachers, evangelists, pastors, prophets and administrators, and use each according to his/her gifts. This is already being developed in some parts of the deanery but further development is necessary.

The clergy throughout the deanery are very much involved with their local communities, and church buildings are used for community activities.

A programme to further mission and provide nurture is in place with courses, a teaching mission and conferences. Outreach work with children and young people is high on the agenda, and there is a need for trained children's and youth workers. Lay people should be encouraged to develop their gifts and exercise this ministry.

All members of all congregations should be made aware of the biblical principle of tithing and encouraged to tithe their income in their giving to the Church of God. This could provide funding for additional clergy to serve the Deanery in a team ministry.

External funding should be sought to provide industrial chaplains, a hospital chaplain, and a chaplain to serve the educational establishments in the deanery.

Laity should be encouraged to take on much of the work of parish administration. Parish offices would encourage laity in this role. The administrator could be paid or use could be made of a retired person working in a voluntary capacity.

The state of church buildings was reviewed. While most have a viable future, St. Paul's Church at Cwm is in a poor state of repair, and the vision is to have one church building in that village.

Deanery boundaries were considered and the option favoured was to expand the present boundaries of the Blaenau Gwent Deanery to include the parishes of Brynmawr and Tredegar, becoming a deanery that encompasses the whole area covered by the Borough of Blaenau Gwent.

The present allocation of four stipends would be distributed between two proposed administrative areas as follows:
Ebbw Fawr Valley—The Rectorial Benefice of Ebbw Vale (2 stipends)
Ebbw Fach Valley—Blaina & Nantyglo, Abertillery, Cwmtillery, Six Bells, Llanhilleth (2 stipends)