Ordeinio 2023: Glenys Samson
Dros Ŵyl Bedr eleni yng Nghadeirlan Deiniol Sant ym Mangor, cafodd Glenys Samson, Andy Broadbent a Josie Godfrey 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 Glenys am ei alwedigaeth i weinidogaeth oreinedig.
Dywedwch ychydig wrthyf am Glenys. Pwy yw Glenys?
Fel plentyn cefais fy magu mewn cartrefi plant a chan rieni maeth a rhai lleoedd creulon iawn. Ni chefais unrhyw addysg ffurfiol o gwbl, ond yn y cartrefi cefais ddysgu darllen, ysgrifennu a rhifyddeg. Cyfarfûm â fy ngŵr cyntaf yn ystod fy amser yn y lleoliad maeth diwethaf. Roeddem gyda'n gilydd am un mlynedd ar ddeg cyn, yn anffodus, bu i'n briodas chwalu. Roedd gennym dri o blant gyda'n gilydd. Cyfarfûm â fy ail ŵr, Jim, allan yn yr Almaen. Roedd fy ngŵr cyntaf a Jim yn yr Awyrlu Brenhinol a dyna pam roeddwn i yno. Roedd Jim a minnau ill dau yn athrawon Ysgol Sul gyda thua 60 o blant yn dod yno. Roeddwn hefyd yn ymwneud â Guiding tra roeddwn i yno gyda phecyn dwyieithog. Bu i mi barhau i wneud hynny yma yn y DU a bûm yn ymwneud â Guiding am 39 mlynedd a hanner. Pan wnaethom symud yn ôl i’r DU aethom i Eglwys y Bedyddwyr ond fe ddechreuom ni fynd i Sant Cybi yng Nghaergybi, yn fuan ar ôl priodi a chymryd rhan yn helpu i lanhau’r eglwys, rhedeg boreau coffi ac ymuno â phopeth oedd yn digwydd gan gynnwys yr Ysgol Sabothol ac Eglwys Messy am ychydig. Rwyf wrth fy modd yn cerdded, yn gwneud crefftau ac yn gwneud unrhyw beth o gwbl gyda phlant a bod allan yn y gymuned.
Mae'r eglwys wedi bod yn rhan o'ch bywyd ers amser maith felly
Do, mae wedi. Aeth ffrind i mi, pan oeddwn yn aros gyda fy rhieni maeth diwethaf pan oeddwn tua 14 oed, â mi i gyfarfod mawr mewn pabell. Dywedodd y dyn a oedd yn pregethu, “Mae gen i deimlad efallai bod un neu fwy o bobl yma nad ydyn nhw'n teimlo eu bod nhw erioed wedi cael eu caru.” Dywedodd ei fod yn gwybod yn sicr fod yna rywun sy'n ein caru ni. Gallaf gofio eistedd yno yn meddwl nad oes neb yn fy ngharu i. Roeddwn yn dal dig. Roeddwn i'n casáu'r byd. Yna dyma'r pregethwr yn dweud, “Iesu ydyw. Mae'n eich caru chi." Mae'n rhaid ei fod wedi sylwi arnaf, oherwydd dywedodd, "Rydych chi'n edrych yn ddryslyd." Atebais nad oeddwn yn gallu gweld unrhyw un o'r enw Iesu ond yn sydyn fe gliciodd ac roedd y ffaith bod rhywun yn fy ngharu i yn anhygoel. Tyfodd fy ffydd yn araf ond yn sicr o hynny ymlaen.
Dywedwch ychydig o'ch taith i ddod yn Ddarllenydd
Pan gyrhaeddodd y Parchedig Kevin Ellis fel arweinydd yr Ardal Weinidogaeth dim ond rhyw dri mis gymerodd iddo ddechrau curo ar fy nrws i ofyn a oeddwn erioed wedi ystyried bod yn Ddarllenydd. Yr ateb yn bendant oedd na. Curodd a gofynnodd eto ac, eto, dywedais na. Fe ddaeth yn ôl am y trydydd tro a gofynnodd y tro hwn a fyddwn i'n ystyried dod yn Ddarllenydd. Roeddwn i'n mynd i Walsingham yr wythnos ganlynol felly dywedais wrtho y byddwn yn rhoi ateb iddo ar ôl cyrraedd yn ôl. Yr oedd pob darlleniad o'r Ysgrythur a phob pregeth " Paid ag ofni," medd yr Arglwydd." Felly fe ddes i'n ôl a ffoniodd gwraig fendigedig oedd wedi fy mabwysiadu'r noson y daethon ni'n ôl a dywedodd wrthyf fod yn rhaid i mi ddweud ie wrth Kevin. Ei darlleniad o’r Beibl y bore hwnnw oedd, “‘Paid ag ofni,’ medd yr Arglwydd". Allwn i ddim dweud na!
Roeddwn i'n meddwl y byddai'r aseiniadau'n amhosibl o ystyried na chefais unrhyw addysg. Ond roeddwn i'n teimlo pe bai hyn i fod yna byddai Duw yn fy helpu i lwyddo, ac fe wnes yn iawn. Cefais wahoddiad wedyn i astudio ar gyfer y diploma. Nid oeddwn eisiau ei wneud ond eto roeddwn yn ei weld yn hawdd i mi.
Beth ydych chi wedi'i fwynhau am fod yn Ddarllenydd?
Rwyf wrth fy modd yn gweithio 'dros' y gynulleidfa yn hytrach na 'gyda nhw' os yw hynny'n gwneud synnwyr. Dechreuais ddod allan o'm cragen wrth bregethu ac arwain gwasanaethau. Yn anffodus, yn fuan ar ôl i mi gael fy nhrwydded dechreuodd y pandemig ond parheais i ysgrifennu myfyrdodau a gafodd eu cynnwys yn y llythyrau a anfonwyd yn yr Ardal Weinidogaeth bob wythnos.
Sut y datblygodd yr ymdeimlad o alwad i fod yn Ddiacon?
Roedd pobl nad oeddwn i hyd yn oed yn eu hadnabod yn anfon neges ataf trwy'r pandemig yn gofyn i mi weddïo drostynt. Yna, bu i Gyfarwyddwr y Weinidogaeth ar y pryd fy ffonio a ddywedodd fod Arweinydd yr Ardal Weinidogaeth, y Parchedig Rob Wardle, wedi siarad ag ef amdanaf i yn dod yn Ddiacon. Fy ymateb ar unwaith oedd, “Nid wyf yn meddwl.” Ond, eglurodd Dominic fod y ffordd roeddwn i'n gweithio o fewn fy rôl fel Darllenydd mewn gwirionedd wedi dod yn rôl Diacon. Roeddwn i eisoes yn gwneud y rôl honno! Fe wnaeth fy ffonio wythnos yn ddiweddarach a'r ateb oedd, 'Ie'. Roedd cymaint o arwyddion clir gan Dduw ar hyd y ffordd yr oeddwn i wir eu hangen oherwydd mae hi wedi bod yn flwyddyn anghyson am bob math o resymau.
Beth allech chi ei ddweud wrth rywun sy'n ystyried bod yn Ddarllenydd neu'n Ddiacon?
Byddwn yn ceisio eu hannog drwy ddweud yn union beth mae'n ei gynnwys. Daeth y cyfan fel sioc i mi - nid oeddwn yn gwybod sut beth fyddai'r hyfforddiant na beth i'w ddisgwyl. Byddwn yn eu sicrhau y bydd Duw gyda nhw'r holl ffordd drwodd ac yn rhannu ychydig o sut mae Duw wedi bod gyda mi trwy fy un i.
Ordinations 2023: Glenys Samson
This Petertide at Saint Deiniol's Cathedral in Bangor, Glenys Samson, Andy Broadbent and Josie Godfrey were 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 Glenys about her vocation to ordained ministry.
Tell me a little about Glenys. Who is Glenys?
As a child I was brought up in children’s homes and by foster parents and basically some really cruel places. I received no formal education whatsoever, but in the homes I was taught reading, writing and arithmetic. I met my first husband during my time at the last foster placement. We were together for eleven years before, unfortunately, our marriage split up. We had three children together. I met my second husband, Jim, out in Germany. Both my first husband and Jim were in the RAF which is why I was there. Jim and I were both Sunday School teachers with about 60 children coming along. I also got involved with Guiding while I was there with a bilingual pack. I continued to do that here in the UK and was invovled with Guiding for 39 and a half years. When we moved back to the UK we attended the Baptist Church but we started going to Saint Cybi’s in Holyhead, shortly after getting married and got involved helping to clean the church, running coffee mornings and basically joined in with everything that was going on including the Sunday School and Messy Church for a while. I love walking, craft-work and doing anything whatsoever with children and being out in the community.
Church has been a part of your life for a long time then
It has, yes. A friend of mine, when I was staying with my last set of foster parents at about the age of 14, took me to a big meeting in a tent. The chap that was preaching said, “I have a feeling there might be one or more people here who don’t feel they were ever loved.” He said that he knew for certain that there is somone who loves us. I can remember sitting there thinking that nobody loves me. I had a real chip on my shoulder. I hated the world. Then the preacher said, “It’s Jesus. He loves you.” He must have spotted me because he said,”You look puzzled.” I replied that I couldn’t see anyone called Jesus but all of a sudden it just clicked and the fact that someone loved me was amazing. My faith grew slowly but surely from there.
Tell me a little of your journey to becoming a Reader
When the Revd Kevin Ellis arrived as Ministry Area leader it only took him about three months to start knocking on my door to ask if I had ever considered being a Reader. The answer was definitely no. He knocked and asked again and, again, I said no. He came back a thrid time and this time asked if I would consider becoming a Reader. I was going to Walsingham the following week so I told him I would give him an answer when I got back. Every Scripture reading and every sermon was “’Fear not’, says the Lord.” So I came back and a wonderful lady who had sort of adopted me rang me up the night we got back and she told me I had to say yes to Kevin. Her Bible reading that morning had been, “’Fear not,’ says the Lord.” I couldn’t really say no!
I thought the assignments woud be an impossibility given I had no education. But I felt that if this was meant to be then God would get me through it and I sailed through it. I was then invited to study for the diploma. I didn’t really want to do it but again it came very easily.
What is it that you’ve enjoyed about being a Reader?
I love working ’for’ the congregation rather than ‘with’ if that makes sense. I started coming out of my shell preaching and leading services. Sadly, soon after I was licensed the pandemic started but I continued to write reflections which were included in the mailings that were sent out in the Ministry Area each week.
How did the sense of calling to being a Deacon develop?
People I didn’t even know were messaging me through the pandemic asking me to pray for them. I was then phoned by the Director of Ministry at the time who said that the Ministry Area Leader, the Revd Rob Wardle, had spoken to him about me becomig a Decaon. My immediate response was, “I don’t think so.” But, Dominic explained that the way I was working within my role as a Reader had actually become the role of a Deacon. I was already doing that role! He rang me up a week later and the answer just had to be, ‘Yes’. There were so many clear signs from God along the way which I really needed because it’s been a topsy-turvy year for all sorts of reasons.
What might you say to somone who was considering being a Reader or a Deacon?
I’d try and encourage them by telling them exactly what it contains. It all came as a shock to me – I didn’t know what the training looked like or what was expected. I’d assure them that God will be with them all the way through and share a little of how God has been with me through mine.