To celebrate Chick Chapel's anniversary this year Lay Pastor Jacob Molyneux created a large, wooden collage celebrating the chapel's 144-year history, which he presented to the church.

Explaining his artwork (pictured) Jacob said, "The two churches at the bottom represent the originals from 1875, one on the same site called Chirk Green, the other a Primitive Methodist chapel on Station Avenue. In 1971 the two congregations joined. The two buildings were demolished and the present one built. The little origami churches represent all the current, weekly activities at Chirk including the Lunch Club, Wives and Friends Group, Men's Fellowship and Parents and Toddlers."

Jacob regularly uses arts and crafts in aspects of worship. He attributes this to having been a keen viewer of the BBC's Blue Peter. "Here is continuing evidence that I was a 'Blue Peter boy' who made models usually from sticky backed plastic, a cardboard box and a cut-up toilet roll with PVA glue and a sprinkling of glitter. I can't say how many times these old-fashioned ideas have come in handy for me to make visual aids to help within my own local ministry." he said.

Also pictured are Jacob's Pentecost Mobile and Twelve Disciples made from wooden pegs with origami for their clothing. Their stand is a leftover scrap from gravel borders which Jacob, who is quite the handy man, made for his garden. "During two very difficult years of my life I studied carpentry at college and I have been glad of all my tools so often, because chapels need all sorts of notice boards and bits of maintenance that are easy to do," he said adding, "My father's tools have been passed down to me and I know they were passed down to him from my uncle Walter many years ago."
The Twelve Disciples were created to assist Jacob in his ministry to schools. "I wanted to make them known to school children when I take assemblies. I sometimes take them to include in services and have taken them to care homes when I go to take Communion Services. I feel there's so much to know about each one, they really were a band of brothers."I recently preached about Judas, son of Simon the leper aka Simon the Zealot, and Martha of Bethany. His story was one of greed, regret and guilt. After his betrayal of Jesus, he tried to return the pay-off money, but the authorities dismissed him, having already got the result they wanted. Then he put a rope round his neck and jumped. Would he have prayed for forgiveness before the fatal jump? I think so. Would our Lord allow his old friend back across the bridge of forgiveness even after such a heart-breaking betrayal? I think the Lord we know would receive Judas again just as He received the thieves either side of Him on the cross.

There are some incredible stories and it's interesting to know about these twelve disciples or "apostles" which means messenger or missionary. At the front (see picture,) we see James the Just who became leader of The Way, and Simon Peter and brother Andrew. Sons of Thunder James and John, Jude aka Thaddaeus, writer of the epistle, Tomas Didymus, whose parentage is not known, but whose name means twin. Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew Levi the taxman, (Jesus got a lot of stick for going to eat with him), Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, Iscariot was a re-arrangement of the word Siccari which meant an extreme zealot. Following Judas' death Matthias replaced him.

It's been great getting to know the disciples as real people who lived around the Master, just like us all these many years later, as we too are disciples. Such different characters but hand-picked to walk in The Way; each one with their own task. It didn't cost anything to make them, only time and a response to the Lord who told me to make them. Check out your recycled containers! Who knows what you could create!"

A Bible Study of the individual disciples is planned to take place at Moors Chapel where questions such as Who were they? How did their lives proceed in the early days of Christianity? will be explored. For further information please email Jacob Moylneux at cob23@hotmail.co.uk