I was at a prayer meeting of New Wine Cymru on Sunday evening (7 March). For the first twenty minutes, the First Minister (Mark Drakeford) joined us. I imagine the First Minister, as far as I was able to tell, was out of his comfort zone. I am not sure how often he has been in the presence of about 350 largely evangelical Christians before. I wonder how many faith leaders would put themselves in the same position

He made a number of salient points about life and leadership. 

The First Minister made the point that he tries to speak to his mother every day, and she tells him when she has seen him on the television. Mark Drakeford will ask her whether it was OK, and his mum often replies that she was not listening. It struck me that there was a typical family relationship that could be replicated throughout Wales.

Second, he spoke about Wales as a community as it emerges from lockdown as having suffered from loss and longing for renewal. The First Minister spoke of people being anxious as we emerge incrementally from lockdown.

Mark Drakeford also spoke about his pride in Wales quoting the words of Dewi Sant that we do the little things well. 

Third, he gave credit to unsung heroes like civil servants as well as NHS staff and care workers. It struck me that in the midst of all he had to go that his ability to say thank you was deeply humbling.

Fourth, he spoke of his mentor, Rhodri Morgan, who I met once at a gathering of theologians. Rhodri had a particular standpoint when he went into any conversation: the person who he was speaking to would know more than him about something. Drakeford said he tried to follow this way of being, which for me in the moment had echoes of Paul’s words to in humility consider the other greater than yourself