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Please note:

This script cannot exactly reflect the transmission, as it was prepared before the service was broadcast. It may include editorial notes prepared by the producer, and minor spelling and other errors that were corrected before the radio broadcast.

It may contain gaps to be filled in at the time so that prayers may reflect the needs of the world, and changes may also be made at the last minute for timing reasons, or to reflect current events.听

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O/A from R4听 continuity

鈥淢aking Connections鈥� is the Harvest theme in Sunday Worship now, celebrated by the staff and students of the South Wales Baptist College.听听 The music is led by the Cambrensis Choir & Ensemble; The preacher is the College principal, the Rev鈥檇 Dr. Peter Stevenson and the service, live from Albany Road Baptist Church, Cardiff, is led by the Rev鈥檇 Ed Kaneen.

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ITEM 1听 WELCOME/CALL TO WORSHIP听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 REV ED KANEEN

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Good morning.听 We join together in worship this morning giving thanks in this harvest season, believing that 鈥楨very good and perfect gift comes down from God, the Creator of the heavenly lights鈥︹��

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The Baptist College in Cardiff is one of the oldest academic institutions in Wales. For over 200 years it鈥檚 been training Christian ministers who鈥檝e served across the UK and in many other countries.

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The 4 tutors not only support the 20 students doing pastoral training here, but also deliver a variety of modules for students at Cardiff University.

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As theological educators, our desire is to equip people for effective service in a changing world by helping them develop skills in making connections between the issues life throws up, and the God revealed in Jesus Christ.

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We come to praise the generous God 鈥榳ho does not change or cause darkness by turning.鈥�

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This is the one we worship as we sing 鈥淕reat is thy faithfulness鈥�.

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ITEM 2听听听听 HYMN听听听听听 CONG / CHOIR / ORGAN / QUARTET

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Great is thy faithfulness

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ITEM 3听 PRAYER听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 REV. ED KANEEN

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Let us pray to this faithful, generous God鈥�

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Living God we praise you,

for you created the heavens and the earth,

fashioning us, male and female in your own image.

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You鈥檝e given us life,

and for our home you鈥檝e entrusted to us this fertile planet,

which year after year produces food enough for all.

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So in this Harvest season we celebrate that once again,

鈥榯he earth has yielded its increase鈥�

that 鈥楪od, our God has blessed us.鈥�

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And that鈥檚 why we gladly sing,

鈥楢ll I have needed your hand has provided,

Great is your faithfulness, Father to me.鈥�

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But as we rejoice,

we sadly confess,

that in spite of this world鈥檚 abundance,

so many people still go hungry.

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That the painful truth for so many is that

all that is needed has not yet been provided.

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So Lord we pray,

that as we celebrate your generosity towards us;

your Holy Spirit will move us to be generous,

in sharing your gifts with others.

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We pray,

and we offer our worship this morning,

in the name of Jesus Christ.

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AMEN

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ITEM 4听 ADDRESS Part 1 REV DR. PETER STEVENSON

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Earlier this year one survey suggested that almost a third of primary school pupils in Britain think that 鈥榗heese is made from plants鈥�; whilst a quarter of those children say that 鈥榝ish fingers come from chicken or pigs鈥�.

You鈥檇 have thought the clue was in the name?

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But it turns out that that upside down view of reality is also shared by 10% of young people at secondary school who think that tomatoes grow under the ground.听

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But then maybe it鈥檚 not all that surprising that some young people, growing up in an increasingly urbanized world, can find it hard to make the connections between the food they eat and the land where it grows 鈥� to see the links between the meals they enjoy and the people who help produce the tomatoes and potatoes, the milk and the meat.

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Growing up in a village surrounded by farmland it was probably easier for me to get some idea of the people and the work that lay behind 鈥榦ur daily bread鈥�. But for many in our towns and cities maybe it鈥檚 not so easy to see the supply chain that links together the food we enjoy and the farmers who work so hard to produce it?

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Year after year the church celebrates harvest to encourage us to do some of that joined-up thinking. And at harvest time people of faith take that process further by acknowledging and celebrating, that every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of lights. We want to give thanks to God the Creator, for the gift of life and for all that makes life worth living.

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Long ago when the people of Israel stood on the threshold of entering the promised land, God spoke through Moses warning them of a danger they鈥檇 face when they entered into a land flowing with milk and honey.

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And the danger was simply this:

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that they鈥檇 be tempted to forget that the land and everything it produced, were gifts from the God who鈥檇 rescued them from slavery.

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Sadly it鈥檚 still so easy today to give in to that temptation and forget the Lord our God who leads us and feeds us. But this morning we鈥檝e an opportunity to remember the goodness and generosity of God our creator.

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And that鈥檚 at the heart of the hymn 鈥楩or the beauty of the earth鈥� set to music by John Rutter, which Cambrensis Choir now present.

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ITEM 5听 CHOIR / PIANO听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 DUR:

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For the beauty of the earth (John Rutter)

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ITEM 6听 READING听听听 ERYL 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 DUR:

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Our first Bible reading this morning is Psalm 8

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Lord, our Sovereign,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

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You have set your glory above the heavens.

Out of the mouths of babes and infants

you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,

to silence the enemy and the avenger.

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When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars that you have established;

what are human beings that you are mindful of them,

mortals that you care for them?

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Yet you have made them a little lower than God,

and crowned them with glory and honor.

You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under their feet,

all sheep and oxen,

and also the beasts of the field,

the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,

whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

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O Lord, our Sovereign,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

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ITEM 7听 LINK听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 REV ED KANEEN

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That sense of awe and wonder that reverberates through Psalm 8 is echoed in this worship song by Kristyn and Keith Getty and Stuart Townend: 鈥楥reation sings the Father鈥檚 song.

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ITEM 8听 SONG听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 CHOIR / PIANO / QUARTET听听听听听听听听听 DUR:

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Creation sings the Father鈥檚 song;

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ITEM 9听 ADDRESS Part 2 REV. DR. PETER STEVENSON

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Earlier this summer my wife and I visited friends in the town of Winneba on the coast of Ghana in West Africa.听听 Winneba鈥檚 a fishing community; and for many families their livelihood鈥檚 tied up with harvesting 鈥榯he fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the sea.鈥�

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Our friends, Eddie and Constance, lead a Baptist church, which operates a couple of big fishing boats on a cooperative basis.听听

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Now, when I say 鈥榝ishing boats鈥�, I鈥檓 not thinking of sturdy steel trawlers.

For those fishermen venture out in big wooden fishing canoes carrying a crew of about 20. They do use an outboard motor to help them across the ocean waves, but they also rely on scraps of homemade sails to catch the wind and push them along. And younger crew members have the very important task of bailing out water to help keep their boats afloat.

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So for those skilful and hardworking fishermen, the task of putting a meal on the table means a daily struggle with the elements.

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When we visited them at the end of June they were passing through their 鈥榣ean season鈥�, when there aren鈥檛 any big shoals of fish close enough for them to catch. Each day they were testing the temperature of the sea, because they knew that a marked change temperature was the sure sign that powerful ocean currents would soon be bringing great shoals of herring and mackerel close to the coast, and hopefully into their nets.

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Now such a 鈥榣ean season鈥� causes fishermen big problems, because no fish to catch means no cash coming into the family purse. So theirs is a precarious existence, for in addition to the daily battle with the wind and the waves, there鈥檚 an on-going battle with poverty too.

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Alongside the services and activities you鈥檇 expect in any healthy congregation, that Winneba fellowship has developed a number of projects which seek to address the causes and consequences of poverty in the community.

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For example, running those fishing canoes on a cooperative basis, means that all crew members now get a much fairer share of the profits. And in addition the church has developed literacy projects for adults, as well as a school for children. It鈥檚 opened a small hospital and created a credit union, which is a real life-line to a number of families.

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A little while ago the minister of that church in Winneba 鈥� the Revd Eddie Enim 鈥� told me it was working through a recent course of theological study which鈥檇 given him a theology to make sense of the projects he鈥檇 felt called to introduce.

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For him the process of doing theology isn鈥檛 an abstract, tedious business far removed from the day to day realities of life. For Eddie, doing theology is a process drawing on the riches of the Bible and Christian faith, which inspires him to respond creatively to problems facing his community.

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He鈥檚 discovered something of the excitement of studying theology that I hope all our students will catch as well. For my hope is that as students embark on theological study, they鈥檒l gain a vision of the God who has the power to transform, not just individuals but churches and communities which leads to a much richer spiritual harvest.

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And that鈥檚 why at South Wales Baptist College we spend time learning to interpret and understand the world we live in; as well as learning to interpret God鈥檚 Word and get to grips with the heart of the Christian faith 鈥� and exploring how those two dimensions are connected together.

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And of course that way of doing theology is a vital skill for all who seek to follow Christ; because a grown-up faith needs that ability both to face life鈥檚 questions honestly, and to draw upon the resources and wisdom of the faith of the church.

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At Harvest time we pause to reflect on the people and processes which help bring daily bread to our tables.

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And as we pause and reflect we鈥檙e led back step by step to the one who sustains creation, moment by moment; to the one who is the giver of every good and perfect gift.

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But as we celebrate the good things we enjoy, there鈥檚 sometimes a niggling voice within which asks disturbing questions such as: 鈥榳hat about those who don鈥檛 have enough food to eat?鈥�

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As we celebrate God鈥檚 goodness this morning it鈥檚 vital that we don鈥檛 turn a deaf ear to those painful questions.

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ITEM 10听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 SONG听听听 听听听 CHOIR / PIANO / QUARTET听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 DUR:

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For the fruit of all creation

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ITEM 11听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 READING听听听听听听听听听听听听 KATH/SAM 听听听听听听听 DUR:

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In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.听He was in the beginning with God.

In the beginning鈥�God said, 鈥淟et there be light鈥�; and there was light.

And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

In the beginning was the Word,鈥�All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.

In the beginning鈥�God said, 鈥淟et us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness;听听 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

In the beginning was the Word鈥�

And the Word became flesh and lived among us.

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ITEM 12听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 ADDRESS part 3 听听听听 REV DR PETER STEVENSON

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During these last 12 months farmers have been battling with the vagaries of the British weather.听听听 But, of course, it鈥檚 not just our farmers who face a constant struggle with the elements. For many millions across the world, a changing climate with its extremes of flood or drought, makes the struggle for daily bread, a life and death issue.

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So as we celebrate the good gifts of harvest it鈥檚 right to remember and pray for people who鈥檙e struggling for survival.

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We鈥檙e conscious that we live in a world which is creaking at the joints. For as the apostle Paul put it in Romans chapter 8 鈥榳e know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail unto now.鈥�

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We live in a world groaning in travail, scarred by sinful humanity 鈥�

the complex crisis in Syria being just one example.听 We live in a world groaning in travail, where so many go hungry whilst God鈥檚 good creation produces more than enough food for everyone.

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Now, Christians don鈥檛 turn a deaf ear to a world groaning in travail; but dare to believe that even if the worst happens, it鈥檚 still possible to trust the God who is faithful. That it鈥檚 possible to trust the God who promises to sustain us whatever the future may bring.

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And the reason we can trust God is because, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

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God came down to earth in Jesus Christ to share our life, and to share in the pain and groaning of creation.

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The Word became flesh, taking upon himself the pain of this broken world, so that through Him we can experience new creation and new life.

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Or to put it another way - God came in the person of Jesus Christ to renew the broken connection between heaven and earth.听

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For the one who鈥檚 the image of the invisible God, through whom all things were created, came to reconcile all things to himself.

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And as we start to realise that the God of creation is also the God of salvation, we begin to respond and say 鈥淢y God how great thou art鈥�.

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ITEM 13听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 HYMN听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 CONG/CHOIR/ORGAN/QUARTET听听听听听听听听听听听听 DUR:

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How great thou art.

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ITEM 14听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION听听听听听听听听 3 voices

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JONATHAN

Lord, as we thank you this morning

for the fishermen and farmers,

and for all who help supply the bounty we enjoy each day;

we pray for people groaning in travail today,

wondering where their next meal will come from.

Lord, please open our eyes and hearts to the needs of people we may

never see, and show us how we can help others to find their daily bread.

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MICHELLE

Lord, we pray for a planet that鈥檚 groaning in travail:

its land scarred by our insatiable hunger for its resources,

We confess that we鈥檙e part of that consumerist society,

which gobbles up resources as if there鈥檚 no tomorrow.

Forgive us and teach us how to be better stewards of this wonderful world

that you鈥檝e entrusted to our care.

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JOY

Lord, for the land and the people of Syria groaning in travail

Ravaged by civil war.

We pray your comfort for those who grieve;

that the homeless will find shelter;

for the successful decommissioning of chemical weapons.

We ask that international leaders will work together to bring an end

to the killing,

And that seeds of peace and justice to take root.

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ITEM 15听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 LORD鈥橲 PRAYER听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 REV ED KANEEN/CONG

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In the midst of this wounded world, we pray for the coming of your Kingdom.

We pray as Jesus taught us to pray:-

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Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come, your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins as

we forgive those

who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours

now and for ever.

Amen.

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LINK听听听听听听 16听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 REV. ED KANEEN

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We gather up our worship this morning as we sing 鈥楥ome you thankful people come鈥�.

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ITEM 17听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 HYMN听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 CONG/CHOIR/ORGAN/QUARTET

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Come, you thankful people, come,

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ITEM 18听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 FINAL BLESSING听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 REV. ED KANEEN

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BLESSING 1

So let the peoples praise you, O God;听听听

let all the peoples praise you.

The earth has yielded its increase;

God, our God, has blessed us.

May God continue to bless us;

let all the ends of the earth revere him.

AMEN

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BLESSING 2

Blessed by such a generous God,

We step into this new day.

In the name of the creating Father;

In the name of the life-saving Son;

In the name of the renewing Spirit;

In the name of the Three-in-One.

AMEN

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BLESSING 3

May the Lord bless you and take care of you;

May the Lord be kind and gracious to you;

May the Lord look on you with favour and give you peace.

AMEN

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ITEM 19听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 ORGAN PLAYOUT听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 JONATHAN DAVIES

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CLOSING ANNOUNCEMENT FROM R4

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This morning鈥檚 Sunday Worship, with the staff and students of South Wales Baptist College live from at Albany Road Baptist Church in Cardiff, was led by the Rev鈥檇 Ed Kaneen.听 The preacher was the Principal, the Rev鈥檇 Dr. Peter Stevenson.听 The music was led by the Cambrensis Choir and Ensemble, conducted by Anne Brown and the accompanist was Jonathan Davies. The producer was Karen Walker.听 Next week鈥檚 Sunday Worship marks the 10th anniversary of Back to Church Sunday and comes from the new church community of Latimer Minster near Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire.听

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