Welcome to the Enews for November 27

The latest resources, news and more.

Click on headlines or pictures for more details.  

Contact enews@leeds.anglican.org with your news. 

The Rt Revd Nick Baines, retiring Bishop of Leeds, encouraged all to be confident in God, the Church and our context at his diocesan farewell service at Ripon Cathedral on Sunday, November 23. Church members, civic representatives, leaders from other faiths and more gathered together to thank Bishop Nick and Linda for their years of service to the diocese, and to praise Bishop Nick for his resilience, character and skills shown in the creation of our young diocese. Read more here

Faith representatives from across the Diocese of Leeds marked Interfaith Week recently. National Interfaith Week is an annual event that this year ran from Sunday, November 9 until Sunday, November 16. Read more here

The Diocese of Leeds was pleased to welcome the Rt Revd John Msuma of the Diocese of Tarime in Tanzania for a visit recently. Bishop John spent time exploring parishes and schools in the Wakefield and Huddersfield areas, deepening connections with our diocese, who have a strong link to the church in Tanzania. Read more here

The Diocese of Leeds has been pleased to recently welcome Alasdair Hicks, our new Net Zero Church Buildings Officer, who will be working with churches to help make their buildings more efficient and supporting them in reaching their Net Zero Carbon emissions targets. Alasdair has extensive project management experience, after a career in developing and implementing construction projects on the railway. Read more here

The Rt Revd Anna Eltringham, Bishop of Ripon and Lead Bishop for the Environment in the Diocese of Leeds, recently met Archbishop Marinez of Brazil, also Bishop of Amazonia, at a round-table discussion with Christian Aid, A Rocha and others at Lambeth Palace. Bishop Anna said, “It was very moving and equally challenging to hear about the Amazonian context in which COP30 is currently meeting in Belém.” Read more here

St Oswald’s Methley in the Leeds area is celebrating its Eco Church Gold Award, achieved in November 2025, completing a committed journey from Bronze in 2021 and Silver in 2022. This award reflects significant environmental action across church life. Read more here

Senior leaders from schools across the diocese gathered in Leeds recently to hear about innovation, inclusion and integrity at our School Leaders’ Conference for 2025. Organised by our Education Team, the conference on Friday, November 14 invited attendees to reflect on how to lead in times of change, how to welcome and serve every child and family, and how to stay true to positive values in the complexity of modern education. Read more here

Whether you have been working with children and young people for a long time or you are just starting out, this course is designed to help you develop and refresh skills and knowledge so you can serve children and young people well.

The Ministry with Children and Young People is interactive with groupwork activities plus times for discussion and reflection. We will explore four areas:

• Children Matter – the value of children to Jesus and to the church
• Practical Matters – the skills and practicalities needed to work safely with children and young people
• Faith Matters – how faith might develop for children and young people and how we might help to nurture faith.
• You Matter – the importance of knowing our roles and responsibilities and looking after our own faith and wellbeing

To sign up for the course and specific dates, please email childrenyouth@leeds.anglican.org.

Find out more here.

Book a one to one Digital Clinic session with a member of the Stewardship Team to discuss Digital Giving. These sessions are perfect for finding specific solutions to any issues you are having with contactless devices or online giving pages. These are also a great space for finding out more if you are new to digital giving. The Stewardship team can discuss how to promote this way of giving in your church, including creating new eye-catching giving campaigns. Book a session below:

• Monday, November 17 - Huddersfield Parish Church - book here
• Monday, November 24 - Bingley Trinity Centre - book here

The Diocese of Leeds welcomes Archbishop Ezekial Kondo of Sudan at two services. Hear the latest news from Sudan, and worship, reflect and pray.

‘Carol of the 7 Hills, A Story of the Bradford District’ is a specially written play, using a cast of actors from local churches, and highlighting the talent in each venue.

Written by Jonathan Hall (Radio 4) and directed by Julia Smith (RSC, Bradford Theatres), it forms a key moment for Christians in Bradford’s City of Culture year.

The performances are all at 7pm, and are as follows:

• Thursday, November 27: Immanuel College, Idle
• Friday, November 28: All Saints Church, Ilkley
• Saturday, November 29: St Andrew’s Church, Keighley
• Thursday, December 4: Forster’s Academy, Bowling
• Friday, December 5: Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College
• Saturday, December 6: Fountains Church Bradford

Find out more and book here.

A collaboration between Wellsprings Together and The Barnabas Team of the Diocese of Leeds.

Join us for a relaxed and inspiring FREE Learning Breakfast designed for church leaders, current volunteers and those thinking about getting involved, across the Diocese of Leeds.

Whether you’re from a large urban parish or a small rural congregation, Growing Better Together is a chance to pause, reflect and grow in how your church connects faith, social action and discipleship.

Come and enjoy good food, rich conversation and shared learning in the company of others who care about what it means to be the church in today’s world.

Find out more here.

In the busyness leading up to Christmas, you are invited to find some peace and stillness. With the help of Scripture and other sources of inspiration, we journey deeper into advent. Led by Revd Henriette Howarth. Please email charlie.scott@leeds.anglican.org to book a place.

Find out more here.

This course is for anyone who wants to do theology - to talk and think about God - and to deepen their discipleship. It’s also an opportunity to think about how God is forming us right now. All of us are on a journey with God. We are letting God mould us into the person God always meant us to be.  

More details and booking information can be found here.

If you require any specific help or information, please do contact us at layministry@leeds.anglican.org.

Do you have an interest in supporting those struggling with mental ill health? Want to develop your knowledge and become accredited as a Mental Health First Aider?

We will be running a course, led by an expert trainer from the Saltaire Training Company, that can support you to develop your skills and confidence in this area.

More details and booking information can be found here.

If you require any specific help or information, please do contact us at layministry@leeds.anglican.org.

A course for lay people who are unable to commit to becoming Licensed Lay Ministers but still feel called to a preaching ministry on an occasional basis.

More details and booking information can be found here.

If you require any specific help or information, please do contact us at layministry@leeds.anglican.org.

A Deanery service with the St John's Singers.

As part of our mission action plan, ‘Signs of the Kingdom,’ the United Parish of Upper Nidderdale is devoted to growing deeply as disciples.

We start at 6.30pm with drinks and nibbles followed by a Speaker around 7pm. The evening should conclude after prayers, hopefully no later than 8.30pm

Dr Peter Vardy is a British theologian. The author or co-author of 18 books about religion and ethics. He was vice-principal of Heythrop College, a Jesuit college in London, from 1999 to 2011. He is known for the religious-studies conferences he runs in the UK for schools.

• Wednesday, December 3 - Personal Justice and Christianity

This is a completely free event, however there will be an opportunity at the end of each evening to make a voluntary contribution towards a small-scale project in Uganda that supports young people with basic vocational training in computer skills, sewing, carpentry, and cooking etc. Even modest donations can make a significant difference.

It would be really helpful if you could let us know if you intend to join us so that we have an idea of how many people to expect. Contact: Darryl 07792419982 or email horlix@aol.com.

Everyone welcome. Please bring your own robes. New members can be admitted during the Eucharist service. Please let us know if you are attending by Wednesday, November 26 by emailing Stacey Ayre on staceyayre2googlemail.com.

The Christmas trees are beautifully adorned and festive music promises to fill St Margaret’s church at this year’s Christmas Tree Festival.

Join us and 30 local charities and community groups each with their own beautifully decorated tree to make up a sparkling display at St Margaret’s, Queen’s Road, Ilkley.

Boar Lane Carols 2025 returns to Holy Trinity Boar Lane, offering five evenings of live music, carols, sing-alongs, and festive cheer.

Each night will feature some of the best local food, drink, and community spirit Leeds has to offer, with a rotating line-up of fantastic local breweries and food vendors. It’s shaping up to be one of the city’s most vibrant Christmas events, right in the heart of Leeds.

Find out more here

Are you pondering the future of your local rural churches? Struggling to lead through a season of great change?

Why not join us on the Rural Mission & Ministry Course? 

Come and gather with other ecumenical rural leaders to explore what community, mission, evangelism & leadership can look like in rural contexts. 

Find out more here.

God always reaches out in love to humankind, calling us and journeying alongside us. Jesus Christ says, 'Come and follow me' into life in all its fullness. For some, their fulfilment is found in the ordained ministry. Might you be called by Jesus to follow him in this challenging and exciting vocation?

A day conference for 18-30 year olds.

Find out more here.

The Diocese of Leeds is seeking to appoint a Director of Communications to lead and shape our communications strategy at a pivotal time in our journey. Our vision is to nurture confident Christians who live out their faith boldly and authentically. Communications are central to this mission, building understanding, fostering collaboration, and reaching beyond our church walls to engage with the wider world. We aim to speak with clarity and integrity about who we are and what we do, empowering bishops, clergy, lay leaders, parishes, and schools to do the same. Find out more about this role here

The Diocese of Leeds is seeking a Safeguarding Trainer to join the team and deliver high-quality training to clergy, lay staff, and volunteers across the Diocese of Leeds. This is a vital role in ensuring that safeguarding is understood, implemented, and maintained across the Diocese. Find out more about this role here

This is an exciting three year fixed term role to help the parish of Sandal Magna develop its capacity. This opportunity has arisen as the Vicar of Sandal Magna has taken on the role of Project Lead for Every Good Works Youth Project. Through their close working with the Project Lead/Vicar the post holder will develop systems and structures that will enable the church and project to thrive. Find out more about this role here

Please contact the Communications Team with your news for future editions. The Enews is published twice a month. The next edition, the last for 2025, will be sent out on December 11. All news stories to communications@leeds.anglican.org. Many thanks!