Revd. Glyn Jenkins BA BD

The Revd. Glyn Jenkins was trained at Manchester University and had pastorates at Milnrow and Littleborough in Lancashire and at Dursley and Sharpness, Gloucestershire before coming to Cheltenham in 1988. His work here involved the building up of a team ministry to serve the churches in Cheltenham, and the sustaining of the central congregation at St. Andrew's.

Wider Church work

The Revd. Glyn Jenkins put in special time in supporting National and Synod work. His work as Convener of the National Nominations Committee concluded in July 2002. 2001-2 was a particularly busy year as he took on the task of covering for the Moderator of the West Midlands Synod, the Revd. Elizabeth Welch in her year as Moderator of the General Assembly. This work involved attending most of the District Pastoral Committees, the National Moderators' Meetings, and representing the Moderator at special Ecumenical events. One further commitment during 2002 was his leading of the Bible Studies at the General Assembly of the URC meeting in July at St. Andrew's in Scotland. His also saw involvement in the Gloucester District as Convener of the Pastoral and Ministries Committee.
In 2005 Glyn took a sabbatical and studied the life of the pioneer missionary, the Revd. John Williams (1796-1839.) He and his wife Sheila visited the Cook Islands and New Zealand as part of this sabbatical and part of this reasearch will be used to help Pilots celebrate their 70th anniversary in 2006.

Tony Jeans writes:

Glyn and Sheila – an appreciation.

“If you want a memorial – look around!” – Well, that’s roughly the translation of the memorial to Sir Christopher Wren in St Paul’s Cathedral., and it’s a good model in thinking about Glyn and Sheila and their dedication to the work of God and the promotion of the Gospel at St Andrew’s and in the whole URCiC.

Look around and see the URCiC . This is very much Glyn’s creation. It was his vision and insight that helped the three Churches and the District to come up with a model for a pastorate that has served us so well. When Joan accepted the call to come into the team, their working together was an inspiration and we have all had so much benefit from their love and devotion.

Look around and you will see the results of Glyn’s ministry of word and sacrament with congregations sustained and nurtured in the faith, new people brought into the church, seeds sown with those who have come to us for wedding, baptisms and funerals. If you ask, you find that a lot of current active members have come into the church as those seeds have grown.

Look around and you will see Children’s Work sustained by the leadership of both Glyn and Sheila through their care and devotion. Think of all the imagination we have seen in worship for children and young people including with students from the Ladies’ College.

We are all now much more clued up on the Bible and especially the Dead Sea scrolls. We have been so fortunate to have Glyn bring his continuing scholarly interest and insight to both the services and the various study courses he has run. And now we have “John Williams”….!

Ask and look around and you will find how much Glyn’s pastoral care and visiting is appreciated and how many people have been helped through difficult times. You can also discover how much Glyn has contributed to supporting his colleague ministers in Cheltenham and in the URC District and Synod.

Glyn took on great responsibilities during the year our Moderator was moderator of General Assembly but he has a great general track record of work for the wider URC and also Ecumenically.

Look around and see the wider life of the Church especially the Creative Cards, the Thursday coffee and the Saturday Stall and recognise how much effort both Glyn and Sheila have put into these. Think how blessed we have been in having their talents for music and drama put to such good use in Church Life. Remember as an example the Passion Play in 2000 and Glyn’s strong role in that?

Look around and see the buildings at St Andrew’s. It has been Glyn’s leadership that has helped sustain the effort of the Re-development team and it has been so good, that we have cleared the debt in Glyn’s final year with us.

Finally, think of all the happy occasions when so many of us have been in Glyn and Sheila’s company in lighter moments – Church celebrations, open house at the Manse, church visits to Germany or Sidholme.

These are just some of the many blessings of the last fourteen years when, through the Grace of God, Glyn and Sheila answered a call and came to us.

It is impossible to do justice in recognising all we have received in the ministry of Glyn and Sheila (for in their different callings they have both ministered to us). We need to praise God for this gift, for sustaining them here and for the blessing we have received. We now need to pray that in God’s strength and grace they will have a long and fruitful retirement and not too far away so that we will not loose touch with them.

God bless you both.

Glyn's last letter from In Touch

Dear Friends,

2006 will go down as a very special year. This year sees my 40th year of ordination. Sheila and I also celebrate our ruby wedding in June. It also marks the end of my work as a serving minister, though I am only too aware that one never quite retires from ministry in the church.

Many ministers would have covered 5-7 pastorates in their forty years’ ministry. I will have had only three, of which the 16 years at Dursley and the 17 years at Cheltenham have taken up the major part. As ministry is all about working together in the church, Sheila and I have been most blessed with the people who have supported us and helped us as we have lived and worked in Rochdale and in Gloucestershire. We cannot believe that the time has gone so quickly.

Rochdale taught me about multi-racial dynamics, all-age church education, and emerging 20th century church music. Dursley taught me about working with community groups, schools and hospitals – it also provided a family home for us. Cheltenham taught me about team ministry, town centre challenges, and building redevelopments. All have been stimulating and different.

Life has always been interesting and demanding. As each week comes along, there is some surprise and some way of exercising our gifts and thought. Each church has had its own character and its own characters! Such is the variety of the human race and the vagaries of human behaviour that we have to be prepared for anything in ministry. Away from the familiar routine of writing sermons, preparing worship, leading meetings, and visiting the needy, there are the opportunities to extend the boundaries. All my churches have been open to my taking on work outside the local pastorates. Without that I probably would never have had the close links with Sweden, the interest in the Qumran scrolls nor the recent discoveries in the Pacific islands. Nor would I have penetrated the inner sanctum of a moderators’ meeting!

God has been good and given us strength. I can only commend you all to God’s care in a humble spirit of thankfulness by using the words of Paul:

May God, who is the ground of hope, fill you with all joy and peace as you lead the life of faith…..(Romans15:13)

Yours in Christ

Glyn and Sheila

We give you a warm welcome to 18 Court Rd, Ross-on-Wye
whenever you would like to pop over to see us.