The Bangor and Holyhead Circuit stretches across parts of Conwy, Gwynedd and Môn. We are a single-station Circuit, well blessed with Supernumeraries and preachers, which currently comprises five churches in the following places:

Penmaenmawr and Llanfairfechan, two large coastal villages just west of the fortress town of Conwy; Bangor, an ancient cathedral and University city nestled on the Menai Straits; and, over onto Anglesey, Amlwch on the northern shore and Holyhead on the far west, looking out towards Dublin, our nearest capital city!

The Circuit has never been a large one as far as the number of people or congregations go; chapels sprang up from the 1830s onwards, initially to accommodate English speaking workers and their families coming to places like the copper mines and port of Amlwch and then later, as the railways opened up, to minister to tourists in places like Penmaenmawr, a holiday spot made popular by Gladstone. Although chapels did open for a while in Porthmadog and Caernarfon, since 1926 there have always been just the five chapels dotted along the NW Wales coastline.

Our congregations are not particularly big: people who come to St John’s in Bangor are drawn from a wide area around the Menai Straits and are supplemented by university students, many from overseas; Sunday attendance can regularly be between 40 and 50 people on a Sunday; St John’s is an Eco Church, used heavily by local community groups and youth organisations and is actively engaged in mission work in the city with a strong CYTUN. Along with two other churches it has recently set up a full-time Youth for Christ post within the city. Its membership makes up half the Circuit.

The other four chapels, whilst small numerically (worshippers on Sunday usually number between 10 and 20) are each active and involved in their communities in different ways: for example, Penmaenmawr has a thriving Messy Church ministry, and Anna Chaplaincy, with its spiritual care of older people, is being embedded in residential and care homes in both Pen and Llanfairfechan; Amlwch congregation regularly organise Sunday services at Hafan Cefni, a large residential home in Llangefni and are trying to develop this worship ministry; Holyhead have a strong sense of fellowship and their service to the community is expressed through their own innovative efforts and in partnership with the local CYTUN.

As a whole Circuit we are trying to do things differently: for example, we have been exploring Wild Christianity, with seasonal walks around our area looking at the impact of people on the environment and celebrating the beauty of this part of God’s creation. Our team of Circuit Stewards have in 2023 been engaged in the Transformational Leadership Learning Community, as we seek creative and imaginative ways of working together to ensure the sustainability of our Circuit for the future through  engagement with the varying needs of each local community.

Nick Sissons, Superintendent Minister, Bangor & Holyhead – Nov. 2023