A Report of the address given by
Trevor & Chris Evans
at the AGM on 10th November, 2001.
Brian Newsom
Chris started by thanking Phil for giving them this opportunity to share what is on their hearts, saying she hoped that it would help and encourage others. She felt that God was saying to her; "Tell it as it was, tell it as it is. Look back a bit to see what God has done." We ourselves often don't see what is happening in our family, or church, or even in the Cathedral - but others come back to them, and they do see these things.
Her journey to where she is now - married to a cleric for nearly forty years, had not been spectacular, there had been no drama. She had always believed in God, but it was a beach mission, when she was a child, that made her fully committed. Little events in our lives shape our future. She can see God's hand in everything. She intended going to college, but she met a boy who showed her the university, and she liked it so much that she worked harder for her A-levels and so got to university instead. In her first term she joined the C.U. and there she met Trevor - an Anglo-Catholic whose churchmanship was poles apart. After they were married, with two children, and Trevor Vicar of Llandudno, where they were very happy and thought settled, the opportunity came to move and take on the parish of Llanidloes. Just at this time they were introduced to the Fisher Folk, and they developed a thirst for what they had. Later they visited David Watson's church, St Michael-le-Belfrey, York.
Then came ARM (Wales). They took the stale crumbs of their music group to the first conference at Dolfor, with an attendance of 30-40, and see how it has grown to around a thousand! Chris started the Bethany Books shop in Llanidloes, and now that experience has been very useful in the Cathedral. God has somehow used everything that has happened to them, however ordinary. Just as Archbishop Rowan told them : Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and something will happen. Now they have 20 months to Trevor's retirement - what will happen next? Then Trevor took the floor. He said that he was always sure that God was calling him to the ministry, but he allowed him to do science first and then theology. He went to Mirfield because he came from Dolgellau, and that is what all the clerics there did, and he became an Anglo-Catholic.. But through Renewal he has lost his labels (or did he say marbles?).
At first Trevor and Chris said they wouldn't go to Llanidloes, but then they said yes to the Bishop and yes to God. It was at York that he first really tasted Renewal - he saw people actually enjoying being Christians and he knew what God wanted. But at Llanidloes some friends came into the church and prayed for them to be filled with Holy Spirit, and they entered into Renewal with the congregation. They also had their friends Dennis Parry and Trevor Blackshaw close by in neighbouring parishes.
When Trevor leaves Bangor Cathedral in 2003, he is confident that it will be in a better state - structurally if nothing else. Originally he hated the cathedral, because when he was ordained, at the high altar, he was out of sight of his family and friends; but now he loves it because it gives him opportunities not available when he was in charge of a parish, and he has a bigger view of the diocese. He believes that we are on the threshold of a major change in our way of being Church. We are far too dependant on clerics, in particular in Bangor diocese, where there is a shortage of Welsh-speaking clerics. It is time for all members of the Church to share in ministry. Trevor said he has been thrilled to see the way ARM (Wales) has grown in recent years, and he has enjoyed being at the Flames of Fire conference without having to be involved in the organisation. But he is concerned that people tend to think that Renewal belongs only to the Evangelical wing. ARM (Wales) belongs to the middle way and we should minister to the whole of Wales. There followed a general discussion in which speakers agreed that we should drop all churchmanship labels and endeavour to share Renewal with Welsh-speaking parishes and chapels. Finally the Chairman thanked all the speakers for their contributions and closed the meeting with a prayer and blessing.