Chairman’s Report for Year 2020
It is a privilege to be the Pastor of Hope Church where our passion is to be a living expression of God’s love and to create an environment of hope, acceptance and transformation. We believe that everyone deserves to be part of a family and at Hope Church you will find just that. Thank you to all who attend and serve at the church to make this a reality, we couldn't do it with out you.
January as usual was a busy month as we met with local leaders and also those from Brighton and Atlanta to plan the Wales mission. This was a great time of sharing and also a time to celebrate each others victories and blessings which encourage us and spur us on. As well as being encouraged there was also an opportunity to discuss and plan the summer mission with many Welsh church leaders in attendance and wanting to be part of it, expectation was building and we were looking forward to an amazing partnership between the churches in sharing the gospel in various and creative ways throughout the valleys.
Then came March, the month everything changed locally and globally as we found ourselves in a global pandemic. As a result the church had to close with all of it’s ministries and future plans of outreach and missions had to be cancelled as lockdown became the ‘new normal’. I know that for many of us that this was an incredibly difficult time. Many people including those who attend Hope Church felt isolated and lonely, which also had an impact their mental health and well being. There were those that were grieving the loss of loved ones and also those praying for the recovery of family members who were hospitalised due to the virus. We as a church and leadership were grieved to see so much pain and suffering and our thoughts and prayers were constantly with those who experienced tragedy and loss as well as those who experienced physical and emotional ill health. We believe in a God who is always with us and brings comfort and strength to those who are broken and hurting.
It was an unprecedented time that not only changed the way we did church but also the way we did life, for the foreseeable future.
However, I am proud of all those who attend our church because of the way in which they responded to this crisis by adapting and
embracing the change that it brought both personally and collectively.
Youtube and Facebook Live became the new normal for our Sunday services as well as online Zoom meetings becoming the main tool for our Life Groups to help keep us connected with each other. During this time we also did many devotionals to bring daily encouragement. Our kids church went online with Geraint Dyer (our children’s work leader) doing an excellent job of recreating bible stories to help and engage kids - of all ages - talking about who God was and His love for them. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone for embracing the changes, for contributing to the online services and devotions and to Geraint for his hard work and commitment in looking after the technical side of things as well as doing an amazing job of blessing the children with his short videos. The people of Hope Church are fantastic at adapting without complaining or grumbling which is one of the things that I believe makes us unique and personally it brings me great joy in leading this church.
No one knew how long this pandemic would last but sadly as time went by everyone realised that this wasn’t going to go away anytime soon. Therefore, with great sadness many of our annual events and programs had to be cancelled including our Easter and Christmas services, outreaches and celebrations.
However, we still did church but in a different and more creative way thanks to technology and the imagination of those who thought outside the box. We may have been confined by lockdown and the measures put in place to protect us but we were in no way contained in our praise and worship of God and the preaching of his word. We continued to connect and pray together as a fellowship and although we couldn't be together physically we still sensed Gods presence and power at work during this difficult time. God did not socially distance himself from us but rather He drew near to all of us who know and love him. God is good and our faith has been the anchor which has held us steadfast through this storm.
Obviously during this time our tithes and offering as a church were affected. As a result we saw a decrease in our giving during this time as the church was closed for a considerable period of time. I would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to those who continued to give
faithfully and in various ways even though we were not meeting together at the church. We are still in a healthy position at the end of the year due to God’s blessing and provision to us and also because of our treasurer Pam and her meticulous and brilliant financial skills in keeping our accounts in order. Thank you Pam for the hours, late nights and unwavering commitment to serving Hope Church in this role. You are very much appreciated.
May the Lord continued to bless and empower us as a church to serve our community and make His name known. I believe that better days are ahead of us and through faith, hard work and the grace of God we will see his church flourish and grow in Cwmaman, all for the glory of God.
Submitted by Dale Thomas (Pastor and Chairman) for the AGM.
Signed
Dale Thomas
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