Dean’s Blog: Monday 16th January 2017
Celebrating the Baptism of Christ – Ethiopian Orthodox Church: Monday 16th January 2017
There was a great sense of joy among the Ethiopian Orthodox community as they celebrated the baptism of Jesus.
Having begun their service in the Alun Morris Hall, they came out to the car park to be sprayed by their priest in richly colourful robes with a powerful spray hose.
This was not just a few drops of water but a good soaking for many, but much enjoyed by all who were there – and there were many. I am not sur that it would be received so cheerfully by an English parish!
An Ambassador’s Scribblings: Poetry, Literature and The Life of a Diplomat: Sunday 15th January 2017
It is not often that we have the opportunity to listen to an Ambassador when he is not there specifically representing his country and country’s views, but the subject matter for tonight’s Living Room Dialogue allowed HE William Roebuck, the U.S. Ambassador the opportunity to wear his heart on his sleeve and share some of his poetry and reflect on the circumstances in which they were written. Each of the three he chose were prompted in some way by death of people close to him: the first by the death of the American Ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, killed in Benghazi, whom he followed as Charge d’Affaires; the second was the deaths of Embassy security guards, on a visit to Gaza, when the second car was blown up by a roadside bomb, when he would normally have been travelling in the second car; and the third was a reflection following his father’s death and the experience of many expatriates away from home at significant occasions. Amazing that we could spend an evening with the American Ambassador and the Presidential Elections were not mentioned once!
New Year visit by the Tamil congregation: Friday 13th January 2017
A lovely tradition of the Tamil congregation is to visit the home of the priest and his family to honour them, so we were delighted to welcome the growing congregation after their service.They sang
a hymn, read a scripture and prayed and then presented us with a bowl of fruit before we had tea and samosas together. 
Some of the men wore dhotis, in solidarity with the Indian farmers.