Anglican Communion News Service - Digest News

The Revd Aled Edwards is to be the new Chief Executive of CYTÛN: Churches Together in Wales.

For the last seven years Revd Aled Edwards has been the CYTÛN National Assembly for Wales Liaison Officer. He is a joint honours graduate in History and Theology of the University of Wales, Lampeter, where he served as President of the College's Christian Union.

The Revd Aled Edwards trained for the Anglican ministry at Trinity College, Bristol, and was ordained in the Diocese of Bangor in 1979. For eight years (1985-93) he served as rector of a joint Anglican/Presbyterian Local Ecumenical Project on the Llyn Peninsula in Gwynedd before becoming Vicar of the key Welsh language parish of Eglwys Dewi Sant in the centre of Cardiff.

He brings to the post of CYTÛN Chief Executive a strong commitment to ecumenism and a public profile in Wales as a campaigner for asylum seekers and refugees. He also has a thorough knowledge of devolved Welsh politics. 'I have a deeply held conviction,' Aled says, 'that ecumenism flows from the very will of God for his church and world. I believe passionately in a Wales where people come together in a vibrant and new sense of nationhood in a society where no-one gets left behind - especially the most vulnerable and excluded.'

The Revd Aled Edwards chairs a number of voluntary bodies including the Welsh Refugee Council and Displaced People in Action. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Welsh Affairs.

He helped set up the Inter-Faith Council for Wales in 2001 and subsequently the National Assembly's Faith Communities Forum. And has also produced and taken part in a number of services and celebrations to mark national events, including the inauguration of the National Assembly for Wales in 1999, the Wales Remembers event to mark the 60th anniversary of the ending of the Second World War in 2005, and last year's UK Police Federation Memorial Service held in Saint David's Hall, Cardiff.

A regular broadcaster on Welsh and English language radio and TV, he has authored a number of works, including Transforming Power - A Christian Reflection on Welsh Devolution and co-wrote  Considering Contrasts and Futures - A Faith Reflection on Devolution with Graham Blount, the Scottish Churches Parliamentary Officer. He writes weekly articles for BBC Wales' Welsh language website Cymru'r Byd.

The Revd Aled Edwards succeeds the Revd Gethin Abraham-Williams, who retires as CYTÛN Chief Executive at the end of August. Welcoming his appointment, Gethin said, 'CYTÛN is blessed to have a candidate with his background and experience, and it gives me great satisfaction to know that he will succeed me in this wonderful ministry of helping the Churches to discover what they have in common and how they can work together in mission and service in the new Wales and beyond.'

The Revd Aled Edwards is married to Marie, a speech and language therapist. They have three grown-up children: Seimon, Meleri and Steffan.

He has a passionate interest in Welsh rugby and supports the Llanelli Scarlets. His other hobbies include watching Star Trek and the hit American political show The West Wing.

Ends

Notes to Editors
Members of CYTÛN: Churches Together in Wales are: Church in Wales, Presbyterian Church of Wales, United Reformed Church, Methodist Church, Covenanted Baptist Churches of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Roman Catholic Church, the Union of Welsh Independents, the Baptist Union of Wales, the Congregational Federation, the German Speaking Lutheran Church, the Salvation Army, and the Religious Society of Friends.

Please visit www.ctbi.org.uk for further information and resources.