Ordeinio 2022: Helen Franklin
Dros Ŵyl Bedr eleni yng Nghadeirlan Deiniol Sant ym Mangor, bydd Helen Franklin a Selwyn Griffith yn cael eu hordeinio yn Ddiacon
Fe’u gelwir i “adeiladu corff Crist fel y cyrhaeddwn oll hyd at yr undod a berthyn i’r ffydd ac i adnabyddiaeth o Fab Duw” (Effesiaid 4).
Dyna’u tasg ar y cyd – ond mae gan bob un hefyd eu straeon personol eu hunain am alwad Duw ar eu bywydau.
Yma, cawn sgwrs â Helen am ei alwedigaeth i weinidogaeth oreinedig.
Dywedwch ychydig wrthyf am dy hun
Deuthum ar wyliau i Gricieth am y tro cyntaf pan oeddwn yn bedair oed. Roeddwn gen obsesiwn gyda'r iaith. Rhoddodd fy rhieni un o'r pensiliau i mi gyda'r ‘lle hir’ arno ac yna stopion ni blismon ar y stryd un noson pan oedden ni allan am dro i ddarganfod sut roeddech chi'n ei ddweud mewn gwirionedd. Roeddwn i'n arfer crio pan oeddem yn gyrru adref o Gricieth oherwydd roeddwn i'n ei garu gymaint. Pan ddechreuais i wirfoddoli gyda thîm Cenhadaeth Traeth Scripture Union yn Abersoch fe syrthiais mewn cariad â’r gymuned, gyda’r bobl, gyda’r gwaith ac felly nawr, ar ôl symud i Gymru gyda gwaith naw mlynedd yn ôl, rwy’n byw’r freuddwyd. Dyma fi yn y rhan orau o Gymru yn gwneud y math o bethau dwi wrth fy modd yn eu gwneud. Roeddwn i'n mynd i ddweud “gwneud y gwaith rydw i'n caru ei wneud”, ond rydw i newydd ymddeol. Mae ‘na sylw clasurol o, ‘dydyn ni ddim yn Gymry oherwydd cawsom ein geni yng Nghymru, rydym yn Gymry oherwydd cafodd Cymru ei geni ynom ni.’ Dyna sut dw i’n teimlo. Felly dyna fi, dwi’n meddwl. O, ond mae'n rhaid i mi gael y rhan Iesu i mewn hefyd! Er mai cariad at Gymru ddaeth yn gyntaf, mae cariad Cymru nawr yn canolbwyntio ar y profiadau rydw i wedi’u cael wrth geisio rhannu Iesu gyda phobl. Dwi wir yn byw'r freuddwyd.
Ydy'r eglwys wedi bod yn rhan o dy fywyd erioed?
Cefais fy magu mewn eglwys Fethodistaidd. Aed â ni i oedfa yn y bore, byddai Ysgol Sul yn y prynhawn. Fy Mam oedd yn rhedeg yr adran gynradd a fy nhad oedd yn rhedeg yr adran iau ac yna byddai un ohonynt yn mynd i’r gwasanaeth fin nos. Felly ces i fy magu yn yr eglwys mewn gwirionedd.
Ond dim ond pan es i ffwrdd i'r coleg y dechreuodd hi olygu rhywbeth i mi. Roeddwn i’n meddwl fy mod yn methu adref ond penderfynais yn y diwedd fy mod yn methu fy ‘dragwyddol gartref’. Ar y pwynt hwnnw dechreuais feddwl drosof fy hun pwy oedd Iesu ac, felly, daeth yr eglwys yn rhan o fy mywyd trwy ddewis.
Beth mae dy ffydd yn ei olygu i ti?
Wn i ddim sut rydych chi'n byw hebddo. Rwy'n edrych o ddifrif ar rai pethau y mae pobl yn mynd trwyddynt ac yn meddwl, sut ar y ddaear yr ydych yn gwneud hynny heb wybod bod Duw yno a gyda chi ynddo, heb wybod, er gwaethaf sut y gallai deimlo, fod yna Dduw sy'n eich caru ac sydd â cynllun i chi? Sut ydych chi'n ei wneud?
Wrth yrru o gwmpas yr ardal hon rwy'n edrych ar y harddwch ac yn meddwl, sut na allwch chi feddwl bod rhywun wedi cynllunio a chreu hwn mewn gwirionedd? Ar un olwg yr ateb yw, popeth oherwydd ni allaf ddychmygu bywyd hebddo. Ond, mae yna bwynt lle rydych chi'n meddwl ei fod yn beth dwy ffordd, mae gen i ran i'w chwarae yn hyn hefyd. Roedd moment arswydus pan oeddwn yn gwrando ar rywun flynyddoedd yn ôl yn pregethu am y darn lle gofynnodd Iesu i Pedr, “Ydych chi'n fy ngharu i?” Roedd yn ddychrynllyd oherwydd meddyliais, ‘Os nad wyf yn caru Iesu, a fydd yn troi cefn arnaf?’ Ac ni allaf ddychmygu pa mor ofnadwy fyddai bywyd pe bai hynny'n digwydd. Diolch byth nid wyf yn meddwl mai dyna sut y mae'n ein trin ni am un eiliad. Sut mae pobl yn bodoli hebddo? Dydw i ddim yn gwybod.
Fe wnes ti weithio i Scripture Union am...
Un ar ddeg mlynedd ar hugain!
Beth oeddet ti’n ei wneud o’r blaen a sut mae’r ymdeimlad hwnnw o alw i’r weinidogaeth ordeiniedig wedi datblygu a beth mae’n ei olygu i ti?
Cyn hynny roeddwn yn ffisiotherapydd ac yn gweithio yn y gwasanaeth iechyd am ddeuddeg mlynedd a hanner. Dechreuais ar y tîm cenhadaeth traeth chwe mis ar ôl i mi ddechrau gweithio felly aeth y ddau fath o law yn llaw a byddwn yn trefnu fy ngwyliau er mwyn i mi allu gwneud y genhadaeth traeth. Tyfodd yr ymdeimlad o alw o hynny. Roedd yna bwynt pan oeddwn i’n gwybod, pe bawn i’n gallu gwneud unrhyw swydd, heblaw bod yn ffisiotherapydd, y byddwn i’n hoffi gweithio i Scripture Union. Ac yn awr mae rhyw fath o newid yn yr alwad. Efallai ei fod oherwydd fy mod wedi ymddeol a bod angen rhywbeth arnaf i'w wneud? Dydw i ddim yn meddwl ei fod mewn gwirionedd. Dwi jyst yn meddwl bod yna gynnydd ohono wedi bod. Daeth peth ohono allan o'r pandemig a gweld pobl yn methu â chymryd y Cymun ac roedd yn bwysig iawn iddyn nhw eu bod ar goll. Roedd yna ymwybyddiaeth na allwn, fel person lleyg, gynnig popeth y gallai Duw ei gynnig iddynt. A’r peth arall oedd ymdeimlad o eisiau bendithio pobl na allaf fel person lleyg ei wneud. Mae yna lawer o bobl sy’n cario llawer o euogrwydd o gwmpas, teimlad o, ‘Alla i ddim delio â hyn, mae wedi gwneud llanast arnaf’. I lawer o bobl nad ydyn nhw’n ‘gwneud’ eglwys maen nhw angen rhywun sy’n cael ei gydnabod fel rhywun sydd ag awdurdod i ddweud hynny ar ran Duw. Felly, mae’r ymdeimlad hwnnw o fendith ac ynganu maddeuant yn wirioneddol bwysig. Ond mae wedi cymryd amser hir i gyrraedd lle rydw i nawr.
Beth fyddet ti’n ei ddweud wrth rywun sy’n archwilio’r hyn y gallan nhw ei gynnig i eglwys Dduw?
“Mae hynny'n wych. Beth wyt ti’n meddwl mae Duw yn ei ofyn iti ei gynnig a beth sydd wedi dy helpu di i feddwl hynny? Dywedwch wrthyf sut mae Duw wedi siarad â chi amdano.” Ac yna byddwn yn gofyn â phwy y mae angen iddynt siarad i fynd ag ef ymhellach. A hyd yn oed os nad nawr yw'r amser iawn, daliwch ati i wrando oherwydd pwy a ŵyr i ble y gallai fynd yn y dyfodol.
Ordinations 2022: Helen Franklin
This Petertide at St Deiniol's Cathedral in Bangor, Helen Franklin and Selwyn Griffith will be ordained Deacon.
They are called to “build up the body of Christ until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Ephesians 4).
That is their common task – but each also have their own personal stories about God’s call on their lives.
Here, we talk to Helen about her vocation to ordained ministry.
Tell me a bit about yourself
I first came on holiday to Cricieth when I was four years old. I was obsessed with the language. My parents gave me one of the pencils with the long place on it and then we stopped a policeman on the street one evening when we were out for a walk to find out how you actually said it. I used to cry when we drove home from Cricieth because I loved it so much. When I started volunteering on the Scripture Union Beach Mission team in Abersoch I fell in love with the community, with the people, with the work and so now, having moved to Wales with work nine years ago, I’m living the dream. Here I am in the best part of Wales doing the sort of things I love doing. I was going to say doing the work I love doing, but I’ve just retired. It’s that classic comment of, ‘we’re not Welsh because we were born in Wales, we’re Welsh because Wales was born in us.’ So that’s me, I think. Oh, but I have to get the Jesus bit in too! Although the love of Wales came first, the love of Wales now, is focussed around the experiences I’ve had trying to share Jesus with people. I really am living the dream.
Has church always been a part of your life?
I grew up in a Methodist church. We got taken to a service in the morning, there would be afternoon Sunday School. My Mum ran the primary department and my Dad ran the junior department and then one of them would go to the service in the evening. So I really was brought up in church.
But it only began to really mean something to me when I went away to college. I thought I was home sick but I decided in the end that I was ‘eternal home’ sick. At that point began to think for myself about who Jesus was and, therefore, church became part of my life by choice.
What does your faith mean to you?
I don’t know how you live without it. I seriously look at some things people go through and think, how on earth do you do that without knowing God is there and with you in it, without knowing that, despite how it might feel, there is a God who loves you and has a plan for you? How do you do it?
Driving around this area I look at the beauty and think, how can you not think that somebody actually planned and createed this? In one sense the answer is, everything because I just can’t imagine life without it. But, there is a point at which you think it’s a two way thing, I have a part to play in this aswell. There was a terrifying moment when I was listening to someone years ago preach about the passage where Peter is asked by Jesus, “Do you love me?” It was terrifying because I thought, ‘If I don’t love Jesus, will he turn away from me?’ And I can’t imagine how awful life would be if that happened. Thankfully I dont think that that is how he treats us for one moment. How do people exist without him? I just don’t know.
You worked for Scripture Union for...
Thirty one years!
What were you doing before that and how has that sense of calling to ordained ministry developed and what does it mean to you?
Before that I was a physiotherapist and worked in the health service for twelve and a half years. I started on the beach mission team six months after I started work so the two sort of went hand in hand and I would arrange my holidays so that I could do the beach mission. The sense of calling grew out of that. There was a point at which I knew that if I could do any job, other than be a physiotherapist, I would like to work for Scripture Union. And now there’s a sort of change in call. Maybe it’s because I’m retired and I need something to do? I don’t think it is actually. I just think there’s been a growing of it. Some of it came out of the pandemic and seeing people not being able to take Communion and it really mattered to them that they were missing. There was an awareness that as a lay person I couldn’t offer them everything God could offer them. And the other thing was a sense of wanting to bless people which as a lay person can’t do. There are a lot of people who carry around a lot of guilt, a feeling of, ‘I can’t deal with this, it’s messed me up’. To a lot of people who don’t ‘do’ church they need somebody who is recognised as having authority to say that on behalf of God. So, that sense of blessing and pronouncing forgiveness is really important. But it’s taken a long time to get to where I am now.
What might you say to someone who is exploring what they can offer to God’s church?
That’s brilliant. What do you think God is asking you offer and what’s helped you to think that? Tell me how God has talked to you about it. And then I would ask who they need to talk to take it further. And even if now is not the right time, keep listening because who knows where it might go in the future.