LIS PERKINS (Bangor) introduced the report from the Standing Committee, which discussed, among other items, the plans for the Church’s centenary celebrations in 2020. The Archbishop of Canterbury was going to visit Wales during the event, joining the Governing Body for one day of its deliberations, besides visiting the Assembly in Cardiff. Every Welsh cathedral would also hold a service to celebrate the anniversary, but plans to put on a large evangelistic rally, led by Canon J. John, had been shelved.

The Governing Body was also asked if it would permanently delegate to the Committee the authority to choose who the Church sent as its representative to Anglican Communion bodies. The Body narrowly voted in favour of this recommendation, by 60 to 40, with two abstentions.

The Archdeacon of Llandaff, the Ven. Peggy Jackson (Llandaff), presented the annual report of the Widows, Orphans, and Dependants Society, which offers a safety net to the family members of deceased priests. In 2017, the Society guaranteed an income for widows and widowers of £14,660 a year, with an additional £2660 for each child. The total grants made last year amounted to £75,000.

The Revd Naomi Starkey (Bangor) asked whether this could be extended to those divorced from clerics, as well as widows and widowers.

The Bishop of Bangor, the Rt Revd Andy John, replied that it would be up to the trustees to decide, and that any changes would require an amendment to the Society’s constitution.

The Bishop of St Davids, the Rt Revd Joanna Penberthy, presented the annual report from Trinity St Davids, University of Wales, where the Governing Body (GB) was being held. She urged the GB to actually read the report this year, a sentiment also expressed by the Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron, who castigated the lack of interest in historically Anglican bodies such as the university. “I don’t just want a nominal connection [between the Church and university]: I want a real one,” he said.