Welcome to the Enews for November 23

The latest resources, news and more.

Click on headlines or pictures for more details.  

Contact [email protected] with your news. 

The diocese is delighted to announce that Revd Canon Cat Thatcher, currently Vicar of Oxenhope, will be the new Archdeacon of Pontefract. Revd Cat will join Bishop Tony in serving our Wakefield Episcopal Area next Spring after five years working in the parish at the end of the famous Keighley and Worth Valley Railway where she has also been the Clergy Development Officer for the Bradford Episcopal Area. Read more here

Churches across the Diocese of Leeds are opening their doors this winter as part of the “Warm Welcome” campaign which aims to address the issues of the cost of living crisis, as well as countering loneliness and isolation. The national “Warm Welcome” campaign aims to turn poverty and isolation into warm and local connection, with the aim to see everyone be able to “access a warm and welcoming space in their local community, to connect with others, make new friends, and feel part of your community”. Read more here

The plight of domestic abuse victims will be highlighted at a special event at Huddersfield Parish Church on the Mothers' Union Global Day of Action next week. The event at St Peter's Parish Church in Huddersfield is on Saturday, November 25 and starts at 12.30pm with a 20 minute reflective service led by Revd Michelle Petch, MU Chaplain for the Huddersfield Episcopal Area. Read more here

St Mary’s Church, Embsay with Eastby, welcomed the Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Revd Nick Baines, to a special celebratory service on Sunday, November 5. In the service, Bishop Nick presented the congregation with their Eco Church Gold Award plaque. The church is the first in the Diocese of Leeds to have gained the Gold Eco Church Award. Read more here

‘Stick With Love’, the thought-provoking Advent book by Bishop Arun, will help guide people through the fast-coming season with readings and rich reminders of the love of Christ that unites every tongue, tribe and nation in our diverse global church. Read more here

The Church of England has released its first ever printed Advent Calendar, inviting people to put the birth of Jesus at the heart of their Christmas preparations. And the Follow The Star Advent Calendar goes beyond the conventional countdown, offering a creative and interactive experience focused on the Nativity. Read more here

More than 30 of our rural clergy and lay leaders gathered at Ripon Cathedral for its first ever Rural Ministry Forum this week. Keynote speaker the Ven Stewart Fyfe, Archdeacon of West Cumberland and chair of the Rural Interest Group on General Synod explored how villages are communities of communities and how this impacts on the local church which was followed by wide-ranging discussions. Read more here

Prompted by the recent launch of the Archbishop of York’s Faith in the North initiative, the husband of our Bishop Smitha is recording local voices talking about their faith journeys. Peter Prasadam often accompanies Bishop Smitha as she meets worshippers in the Huddersfield Episcopal Area and he has now created a short video featuring audio recordings made in Todmorden. Read more here

St John’s Menston with Woodhead is celebrating achieving its Eco Church Silver award from A Rocha. The church’s Eco Church group, newly revitalised post COVID, has spent the last 18 months using the Eco Church framework of worship and teaching, land, buildings, community and global engagement and lifestyle to plan action. Read more here

One of our Ripon area churches has been entertaining people by hosting a series of concerts in 2023. In late Spring a packed to capacity Saturday evening concert held in St Oswald's Thornton in Lonsdale was provided by The Sedbergh Town Band, and more recently the church a member of the Ingleborough Team Ministry hosted its first ever Saturday Afternoon Osfest 2023 Music Festival featuring five acts. Read more here

Derek Walmsley, our Director of Ordinands and Vocations, is celebrating eight years in his role and has now preached about vocation in one hundred churches across our diocese. “I wondered how many it would be, so I checked my records.” He says. “It turns out that I’ve been to preach in one hundred different churches.” Read 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. An opportunity to reflect, pray and discover the practice of christian meditation. Led by Henriette Howarth. To receive the Zoom link, please email [email protected]. Find out more here.

Eligibility criteria, discernment information and an initial enquiry form have been sent to all incumbents, chaplaincy team leaders, PCC Secretaries and Churchwardens in September 2023. A reminder will be sent in early January 2024. The deadline for initial enquiry forms is 1 March 2024. Once an initial enquiry form has been received an application pack will be sent out.

More details and the Application Timeline can be found here.

If you require any specific help or information, please do contact the School of Ministry administrator at [email protected].

A 12 session journey looking at the Christian faith, your own faith journey and developing theological skills. All students will be encouraged to create a portfolio of your new skills. Potential LLM candidates need to submit their portfolio for review. This course is a pre-requirement for LLM training. 

Further information on dates and booking links can be found here: Spring-24 and Summer 2024. Portfolio submission deadlines for both courses are compatible with the 2024 application timeline for LLM applicants.

If you require any specific help or information, please do contact the School of Ministry administrator at [email protected].

This retreat is especially for those who live with or care for loved ones who struggle with physical or mental health challenges. There will be space to rest and time to receive from God, and opportunities to learn from Scripture and other spiritual resources about compassion and love for those who care deeply for others. Led by Henriette Howarth. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Find out more here.

The Stewardship Team invites parishes to book one of their digital clinic days starting from Monday November to support churches with guidance and advice on how to set up digital giving before Christmas. These can be in person at Church House, Leeds, or by Zoom call and can last for up to one hour. Please click here for more information. If you missed the Stewardship team’s recent webinar on how to get the best out of your digital giving over Christmas, you can watch a recording here. You will find out how to create Christmas campaigns using GiveaLittle and ready-made “Follow the Star: Join the Song” Christmas templates. You can also find the full range of Christmas templates including posters and pew cards on our Stewardship webpages.

With puppetry, hilarity and extraordinary story-telling, ‘Give It Back, Mak!’ is the quintessential ‘Riding Lights’ Theatre Company Christmas Experience, retelling the Navity story in a new and unique way. Find out more here

This day is aimed particularly at leaders and worshippers in smaller local churches (typically 15-55 worshippers on a regular Sunday). With input from Revd Jolyon Trickey & others from ReSource, we will encounter God afresh, renewing our confidence in the inextinguishable power of biblical hope. We will also have time to worship, to reflect, and to wrestle together with the practicalities of living hopefully in our own little local and ‘ordinary’ churches. Find out more here

When Jesus calls us to follow him, he is inviting us into a lifelong journey of transformation and renewal. How are we living that out as disciples of Christ? On Fire Mission is inviting you to come as you are and join us at OFM onsite 2024 for a time away to recharge, to discover fresh perspectives and insights, and to become part of a Spirit-filled, creative, sacramental community; equipping Christians to become agents of renewal in their local context. We will be joined by a host of great contributors, from across the OFM network and beyond, offering great teaching, inspiring workshops, dynamic worship and much more. Find out more here

As we talk about Parish Share in 2023/24, hear a message from Bishop Nick giving a big thank you to all those who give their money generously, individually and through their parishes, which pays the Parish Share.

Watch the video here.

These three parishes are part of a joint benefice of c8,500 people within the Bradford Episcopal Area and the Diocese of Leeds. Each of the three churches is a significant focal point in its local community. As well as the villages of Sutton, Cowling and Lothersdale, the parish also includes Glusburn and part of Crosshills. 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 will be sent out on December 7. Area news stories to [email protected]