The Future of ARM(Wales)

Brian Newsom,  Secretary

First some history; Anglican Renewal Ministries in Wales grew out of a group of like-minded Anglican ministers, that used to meet at Llanidloes.  They were linked with an ecumenical group that held conferences at Aberystwyth and a Renewal Day at Brecon Cathedral.   At the 1985 Renewal Day the speaker was David Pawson who  driven by the Spirit,  told them that they had to stop messing about enjoying themselves and get down to the real business.    That same afternoon the ecumenical steering group for both these events felt they had to shut the whole thing down at once.   Everyone felt shattered and abandoned.    However the Anglican group felt that it was time to concentrate on  Renewal within the Church in Wales.

After prayer the name the group felt was given them was the Welsh one: Adnewyddiad Eglwyswyr Cymru, it means: The Renewal of the Church in Wales, that is the Anglican Church in Wales.   The English name came later as an addition to come into line with ARM in England.     It was initially a discussion group until in 1987 the first conference, for church leaders, was held at Cefn Lea, Dolfor.  Subsequent conferences increased in size and in 1994 the Executive Committee of ARM (Wales) was given a vision to expand their horizons to set up an event which could offer a programme for the whole family of the Church.  As a result the 1996 Fanning the Flames conference was held in June at the Royal Welsh Showground.  Then in 1997 this format was enlarged to include a programme of events for children and youth under the title of  Flames of Fire.  Since then it has continued each year and grown from strength to strength.  Unfortunately for us, the RWS has refused to let us have the August Bank Holiday week-end because they can get more revenue from other, bigger events.  As a result we have been landed with the same week as the National Eisteddford.

In the meantime, the Executive Committee has been praying and listening to the LORD in order to discern the best way forward; posing questions like: is Flames of Fire viable under these conditions, and how can ARM (Wales) pursue its proclaimed mission to advance Christianity through the promotion and encouragement  of spiritual renewal ?  One way would be to allow the Conference to be adopted by New Wine Cymru (NWC).  So who are they, and what does this mean and what difference will it make?

NWC is an organisation which is managed by Welsh church leaders for Welsh churches, and is in the process of being set up as a charity.  It is entirely separate from New Wine – England which holds a annual conference at Shepton Mallett.   New  Wine is in effect a brand name which encompasses a particular way of doing things like conferences, and there are New Wine organisations in England, Scotland, Scandinavia and the U.S. which are each independent and self-managed, just as ARM (Wales) has been independent of ARM- England.

New Wine and NWC are both run by Anglicans, and in Scotland the New Wine conference is called Clan Gathering  and is run by Presbyterians, but people have learned that the New Wine brand name means that the conferences are not restricted to or biased towards one denomination, rather they are trans-denominational, they welcome all kinds of Christians.

If the Conference were handed over to NWC it would mean that our Executive Committee would not have to spend time worrying about it and could concentrate on other matters, and ARM (Wales) would not have the financial responsibility.  Also it would mean that the Conference organisers would be able to draw on the experience and expertise and the body of speakers contained in the New Wine  mother organisation.  Flames of Fire has in fact been doing this anyway, but the link would become stronger.  In addition, with the marketing and publicity generated by the New Wine organisation, numbers would increase just as they did for Clan Gathering.  We know that many people in Wales take the New Wine magazine and also attend their conference and they may well transfer their allegiance to Flames of Fire, which would be a conference within Wales, run by Anglicans, and there would be a Eucharist at which Christians of all denomination would be welcome.

We have no doubt that people coming to the Conference would notice no difference.  The style would be the same, so would the worship and ministry.  We have in fact been largely following New Wine procedures except for the selection and management of speakers.  Some procedures would be tightened up because of regulations about Data Protection, Health & Safety and Child Protection.  Thus the only grounds for rejecting this change would be if the New Wine vision, values and practices which govern the running of the conference were unacceptable, and a document laying these out will be made available to Members before a final decision is made.

So be assured that the Executive have not yet decided on how we move forward, and we want to be transparent and open on this issue.  We are proceeding carefully and prayerfully, and this article is to prepare you for what may be ahead.  Please pray and think about this situation and write in to us if you have any pertinent thoughts or revelations.