Day 149: Praying for the continued blessing of the five Cynefin communities (2022)

Join with Salvationists of the Wales Division for day 149 of 150 days of prayer.

• 'The people who belong to God should be very happy, because he has made them great. They should always sing with joy, even when they lie on their beds at night' (Psalm 149:5, EasyEnglish Bible).

2022

Building on the work done before Covid by the South and Mid Wales divisional headquarters team on introducing cluster groups of corps around the division, the new Wales divisional team started to invite corps officers to form Cynefin communities with the commitment to ‘live life together, love God together and lead on God’s plan together’.

Jonah Mayo (www.twinkl.co.uk) explains the meaning of the word ‘cynefin’: 

‘Cynefin is a Welsh term defined by Curriculum for Wales as “the place where we feel we belong, where the people and landscape around us are familiar, and the sights and sounds are reassuringly recognisable”. Although it can be translated to “habitat” in English, “cynefin” is not just the area in which we live… Cynefin is also used in the broader sense of community, culture, heritage and identity. It is a holistic concept that encompasses the physical, social, cultural, spiritual and economic dimensions of a place, and how these dimensions interact with each other. It is seen as the historic, cultural and social space which is shaped and defined by the community that inhabits it.’

The invitation to form Cynefin communities across geographical areas across Wales, starting with officers and developing to include all corps members, is a step of faith, as expressed by Major Noreen Batt:

‘What if the time is right, under God, to allow his Spirit to create Cynefin communities of disciples who dwell together with him and inhabit the spaces of our communities across Wales? What if the time is right to follow the ancient path of groups of disciples meeting together to share hospitality over a meal, share the Scriptures and their faith stories with each other and to seek after God together in prayer to determine together how we can best declare the praises of him who has called us into the light of the knowledge of Jesus Christ? What if the time is right to earnestly discover all the gifts God has bestowed upon his children and seek for as many to flourish in those gifts as possible rather than maintain community or worship programmes shouldered by the few?’

The adventure continues…

Prayer

• Pray today for the Wales Division: the protection of its people, the power of the Spirit in the lives of each serving member and the possibility of new things to come.