The impact of social trends on people living in rural areas and what churches can do to help will be the focus of the first of a new series of seminars run by the Church in Wales.
Experts on rural life will discuss the causes and symptoms of social change at the first of the Church’s “Rural Hub” series at the Royal Welsh Showground at Llanelwedd on Thursday (Oct 7).
Dr Nerys Owens, Jonathan Radcliffe and Dr Lawrence Kitchen, from the Wales Rural Observatory will give a presentation on the subject before it is opened up for discussion.
The seminar will be chaired by the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, the Rt Revd John Davies. It is the first in a series of 10 events which the Church is holding in partnership with the Welsh Assembly Government and the Trustees of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society to tackle the needs of today’s rural communities.
The Hub was launched at the Royal Welsh Show in July and its themes will include pastoral care, CAP changes, subsidies, markets and shows, rural poverty, housing and health, loneliness and isolation, ministry, climate change and animal disease.
Revd Canon Robin Morrison, Bishops Adviser on Church and Society, said, “The programme reflects real concerns about learning and training needs for clergy and parishes in rural areas at a time of change and new challenges.
“We want to encourage and engage with the challenging issues of rurality which face Wales in the future. We hope other churches and agencies will join in the process. The challenges extend to all parts of rural communities but are particularly relevant for agricultural families, organisations and communities. While agriculture is only a very small part of GDP, most geographical areas of Wales are rural and a rural self image remains a crucial part of national identity.”
The second seminar in the Hub series will take place on December 3 and will focus on the pastoral care of agricultural communities and families.
