Our team consists of three stipendiary ministers, two non-stipendiary ministers (NSM)s, and an administrator.
The Reverend Canon Tim Hewitt
Canon Tim Hewitt is the Ministry Area Leader of Cwmtawe Ministry Area. During this time of change and transition into the new Ministry Area, he has various responsibilities. He has pastoral responsibility for St Mary’s Clydach and the communities of Clydach, Ynystawe, Craigcefnparc. He has pastoral responsibility also for Trebanos, Callwen and Coelbren which he shares with other clergy in the Ministry Area.
01792 946948
07938 040348
Tim was ordained in 1991, having studied Divinity at St David’s University College Lampeter, and he trained for ministry in Ripon College Cuddesdon. He has spent most of his time in the ordained ministry serving in various parts of the Swansea Valley. A Welsh speaker, Tim has been involved in various aspects of ministry development within the Church in Wales, and assists in the development of spirituality resources provided by the Church in Wales.
Tim is a Chartered Manager with the Chartered Management Institute, and as a lifelong learner has undertaken academic research into the culture of the Church in Wales. He is currently researching issues surrounding the strategic management of church life and the relationship between the management of resources and church growth in the Church in Wales.
Amongst his other interests, he enjoys walking sections of the Thames Path from the starting point at Kemble to its end point at Woolwich.
The Reverend Gary Green
Gary is based at St Peter’s Pontardawe and serves the communities of Pontardawe, Ynysmeudwy, Cilmaengwyn, Godrergraig and Graignewydd.
01792 862003
Gary was born in the Rhondda Valley, and studied Divinity at University College, Cardiff, graduating in 1987. After a brief time in the Civil Service, Gary studied for ordination at St Michael’s College, Llandaff.
Gary was ordained by Bishop Roy Davies in July 1995 at Llandaff Cathedral. He served curacies in Baglan and Neath, before being appointed Team Vicar in the newly created Rectorial Benefice of Neath. In 2002, Gary was appointed Vicar of Llangiwg (Pontardawe).
The Reverend Sarah Harris
The Reverend Sarah Harris has pastoral responsibility for St Cynog’s Ystradgynlais and the communities of Ystradgynlais and Ystalyfera.
01639 865662
07957 788621
The Reverend Sue Northcott (NSM)
Sue is a part-time non-stipendiary Priest who especially serves St Michael’s Trebanos and the community of Trebanos.
01792 863814
Sue’s mission is to make Christ known through all service and, with his help, to leave the world a better place than she found it. She is the widow of the late Andrew Nicholson, and they have two adult children. She’s a mat cat lady too. Sue worked, until recently, as an IT professional, and co-chaired her employer’s Mental Health Staff Networking Group. Sue is a member of ChISM (Christians in Secular Ministry). She is passionate about mental health, being neurodiverse and struggling with anxiety and depression. Sue is a Trustee for the mental health charity Adferiad, and as a mental health champion for Time to Change Wales. She volunteers with Call to Mind (a group set up to support Christians with mental health problems). Sue holds a qualification from the British School of Meditation, to teach meditation.
Sue is creative, and volunteers at Pontardawe Repair Café. She is very committed to the community, and was a member of Pontardawe Town Council and a former volunteer for PANTRY food bank, among other things.
Sue’s calling to priesthood came after she had been actively committed to secular pastoral work for many years. A good friend described the realisation of her calling as “First the physical, then the spiritual” (1 Corinthians 15:46). She describes herself as a liberal, committed to equality, diversity, and social justice. The way in which she expresses her faith has Celtic leanings; she finds much of her strength in nature and quiet contemplation.
The Reverend Jon Howard (NSM)
Fr Jon is a part-time non-stipendiary Priest who serves the churches of Capel Coelbren, St John Callwen and the communities of Abercraf, Pen y Cae, Coelbren and Callwen.
07810 820593
Jon was Head Verger at Bradford Cathedral from 2005 until he retired in 2018 and moved to Coelbren. In Coelbren, he was licensed as a Lay Reader, having twelve years’ previous experience. Jon was ordained Deacon in the Church in Wales in 2020 and Priested in 2022. He is Chaplain to Neath Sea Cadets, where he is also a qualified Power Boat Instructor and Safety Boat Driver.
In what little time he has left, Jon enjoys photography, in particular drone photography.
Bethan Hewitt
Bethan is Ministry Area Administrator for the Cwm Tawe Ministry Area. She works part time (Tuesdays to Thursdays) and her role involves administrative tasks such as communications, website management, and maintenance of church records.
07398 647399
Bethan was born in Carmarthen and has lived in the Swansea Valley for most of her life, except for her time at the University of Warwick where she studied Psychology and volunteered with St John Ambulance. In 2023, Bethan finished her Masters degree in Clinical Psychology and Mental Health at Swansea University.
Alongside this role, Bethan is also currently working with the University of Warwick, researching the experiences of neurodiverse students at the University.
In her free time she enjoys reading and crafting, particularly cross stitch and crochet.
Cwmtawe Churches 