A keen supporter of Cardiff City has been signed up for a team of vicars serving in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Reverend Martyn Perry begins his ministry in the Vale this week after he was licensed as Team Vicar of Cowbridge by the Assistant Bishop of Llandaff, David Wilbourne. He will focus on the north of the parish.
Originally from Sebastopol in Torfaen, Martyn served in Cilybebyll for 14 years before moving to the Vale with his wife Fay.
Martyn said he was looking forward to being part of a team of clergy. He said, “It feels like the right time for me to explore ministry as part of a larger team. Cowbridge seemed like a natural fit. And, of course, it will be good to be closer to Cardiff City – regardless of the colours they play in!”
The Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, who is also Bishop of Llandaff, said, “It is excellent that someone who has previously had sole charge of a parish wants to be part of a collaborative team. Normally a team vicar in a Rectorial parish moves to be an incumbent with sole charge. Martyn has set a precedent and has an excellent record of collaborative working with lay people in Cilybebyll.”
As well as being Team Vicar, Martyn will continue to chair the World Mission committee of Llandaff Diocese, which, among other things, helps facilitate the diocese’s links with Bangladesh. He is also a patron of the Anglican Friends of Israel.
He said, “Engaging with the wider communion can enrich our own experiences and can be really exciting. I hope to continue to build on the links with the Church in Bangladesh.”
He said he was also looking forward to engaging with communities across the parish. “I really want to integrate young people and families into the life of the church,” he said.
In his spare time Martyn enjoys writing and recording electronic music with a friend in a band called ‘Schrage Musik’. Last year he brought out a charity single for ‘Harry’s Fund’, in memory of five- year-old Harry Patterson, a member of the Sunday school at Cilybebyll parish who died in a tragic accident.
In his address at the service to license Martyn, the Assistant Bishop of Llandaff, David Wilbourne, said, “Martyn and Fay you have a marvellous track record of bringing light into the darkest of tragedies. God bless you as you bring that light to your new ministry, may you as light bearer be met by light. Your view of ministry, decidedly collaborative, harnessing everyone’s God-given gifts is so very refreshing, a light to cheer our darkness.”
Martyn said, “Our welcome has been very warm, the church communities here are very welcoming. It has been really good to be received in that kind of way as we begin to look towards the future and think together about how we can develop our parish.”
