Welcome to the Enews for February 22

The latest resources, news and more.

Click on headlines or pictures for more details.  

Contact [email protected] with your news. 

The Diocese of Leeds is pleased to have extra resources to help churches with their buildings, thanks to a successful funding application with the Church of England. Because of some £9 million allocated by the Church Commissioners as part of a national Buildings for Mission Fund, the diocese is able to offer new help to our parishes, with our expanded Diocesan Church Buildings Grant Scheme. Read more here

As part of marking the 10th anniversary of the Diocese of Leeds, people will be able to receive an email devotion every day between Easter and Pentecost. During the 50 days from Easter to Pentecost, people in the diocese and beyond can subscribe to receive a daily email with stories, reflections, prayers and more. Read more here

The first woman Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain joined Bishop Tony in conversation at Halifax Minster as part of its new Festival of Faith. The festival is aims to make the traditional festival of Lent as accessible to as many people as possible and features a series of public conversations on wide-ranging topics. Read more here

The Chinese Year of the Dragon began with a lively Lunar New Year Fair, held for the first time at Leeds Minster and which attracted some 900 visitors. The historic building was packed with stalls, food and and welcome guests from local churches with Cantonese-speaking people, many of whom have arrived from Hong Kong recently. Read more here

Churches in our diocese will be able to benefit from grants from the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust (YHCT), who are welcoming funding applications from churches across the county for repair, restoration and maintenance work. Due to donations and legacies received last year, the Trust is actively encouraging churches to apply for the next round of funding. Read more here

St George’s Crypt, a Leeds-based homeless charity based at St George’s Leeds, is opening a fully refurbished shop in Armley. The grand opening is taking place on Saturday, February 24 at 9am. Read more here

Seedbed - online training delivered by key practitioners for lay people exploring church planting or resourcing mission.

Church Planting Track - for starting new Christian communities. Delivered weekly on Thursday evenings online. Starts at the end of January 2024, costs £85 for 24 sessions.

Resourcing Mission Track - for leading mission in the church. Delivered monthly on Saturday mornings online. Starts at the beginning of February 2024, costs £70 for 9 sessions. 

Our vision is to equip a thousand leaders to play their part in church planting and resourcing mission. Is God calling you? 

For more information or to register for this online course, find out more here.

During the 50 days from Easter to Pentecost, you can subscribe to receive a daily devotion to help mark the 10^th Anniversary of the Diocese. Each day a reflection, written by a different member of our diocese, will be emailed to you. As we journey through the Book of Acts, every reflection will be linked to one of the areas of focus in our Rhythm of Life initiative: encourage, share, create, pray, rest, celebrate, reflect. There will also be ideas for activities and links to good news stories.

To sign up, click here. For more on the Rhythm of Life initiative, click here.

A time to pause and reflect on the rhythms of our lives. Each retreat will be led/hosted by one of our Area Bishops. 

• Ripon EA – Saturday, February 24, 10am - 2pm (Ripon Cathedral)
• Huddersfield EA – Saturday, March 2, 10am - 1pm (Dewsbury Minster)
• Wakefield EA – Saturday, March 9, 10am - 3pm (Community of the Resurrection, Mirfield)
• Leeds EA – Saturday, March 9, 10am - 3pm (Leeds Minster)

Please click on the individual events in the listing here for further details and booking information.

An opportunity to be still and be led in a meditative reflection from the deep wells of Christian Spirituality. Your guide is Revd Canon Paul Maybury, an experienced spiritual practitioner for the past 30 years. No prior experience is necessary and all are welcome. Booking is essential (maximum numbers of 20) and costs £5. Free refreshments available during the event. Find out more here.

With the help of Scripture and other sources of inspiration, we journey deeper into Lent to follow Jesus on the way to the cross. This session offers an opportunity to reflect, pray and practice christian meditation. Find out more here.

A day for anyone aged 18 to 30 considering ministry in the Church of England. There will be time for worship, prayer and Bible study; an opportunity to find out what being ordained is really like – its highs and lows; space to look at your own experience and what God might be calling you to in the future; and the chance to discover how the selection process and ordination training programmes work. Find out more here.

The Invitation Pack documents may be downloaded here (scroll down the page to the 'Taking this further' box). The deadline for initial enquiry forms is Friday, March 1, 2024. The application pack will only be sent out after your initial enquiry form has been received – so the earlier you express your interest, the earlier you will get the application pack. Expressing interest via the Initial Enquiry form does not commit you to applying.

More details and the Application Timeline can be found here from which the initial enquiry form for 2024 may be downloaded (scroll down to the Taking this further box).

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 showcasing their new skills. Attending an ITT course is a pre-requirement for Licensed Lay Ministry training. Potential LLM candidates need to submit a complete portfolio for review by Friday, June 21, 2024. This date is compatible with applying to start LLM training in September 2024. If you are successful at a selection interview for LLM training, a conditional place will be offered subject to a review of your portfolio. 

Further information and the booking link can be found here: Summer 2024

Come and join us in a conversation about finding and working with interns.

This is an opportunity to:

• hear about our Diocesan intern scheme which equips young adults for life, work and leadership as disciples of Christ through placements in churches and training;
• find out about the process of finding and recruiting potential interns and how we can support this, what it looks like to invest in an intern over a year and what your church would need to commit to.

Whether this is something you are considering now, have a vision for in the future, or maybe have personal experience of, we would be delighted to welcome you in the conversation as we look to grow more disciples and leaders across all parts of the Diocese through the internship scheme.

To join the conversation, please email the Internship Co-ordinator [email protected] for a Zoom link.

We very much look forward to hearing from you.

The intention of this retreat is to respond to Jesus’ invitation: ‘Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’ There will be space to rest and to receive from God, and opportunities to be nurtured by Scripture, other spiritual resources and prayer. The retreat will spiritually nurture those who need a short break from the busyness and stresses of life. Led by Henriette Howarth. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Find out more here.

Come and join a friendly, ecumenical Lent course, based on the book 'How to Hear God' by Pete Grieg. More details and booking information can be found here. If you require any specific help or information, please do contact us at [email protected].

A half-day event to raise awareness of Modern Slavery in its various forms, to give you confidence to spot the signs and know what action to take and what further training and resources are available to support you and your colleagues. Free - lunch will be served at the end of the event. Please book your place here.

The Book of Common Prayer commends private confession as a gift, ‘that by the ministry of God’s holy Word he may receive the benefit of absolution’. Many Christians know it to be a wonderful source of grace and comfort. But how difficult it is. There are a hundred vivid and convincing excuses to put it off. That’s why this intensely personal rite can be greatly helped when a number of Christians come together. ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.’

That is the intention behind the service at Leeds Minster on Saturday, March 2 at 11am, to celebrate the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist, with the Bishop of Beverley. Organized by The Society of St Wilfrid & St Hilda, it is open to everyone.

Tickets £25.00, including refreshments and light lunch.

Enquiries: [email protected]

Please book here.

Please note a booking fee will be applied. Light lunch will include (soup, bread & Fruit). mThere will be vegetarian and Gluten free options available, please inform us if you have any other dietary requirements.

Join Bradford's historic choir for a captivating performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah on Saturday, March 16 at St. George's Hall.

Presented by Bradford Festival Choral Society, Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra, a glittering array of soloists and featuring with children from the Diocese of Leeds Schools Singing Programme.

Conducted by Thomas Leech, it promises to be a remarkable evening of music.

Tickets from Bradford Theatres box office here.

Matthew Coleridge directs a liturgical performance of his Requiem. Join Bradford Cathedral Choir for a Come and Sing Requiem for Palm Sunday. We'll spend the afternoon rehearsing this sublime work, before singing in a Palm Sunday evening service co-directed by Matthew and the Cathedral's Director of Music, Graham Thorpe. Find out more here.

Riding Lights Theatre Company are pleased to announce a revival of their acclaimed passion play The Narrow Road by Paul Birch, for the season of Lent and Holy Week 2024. For many years, Riding Lights Theatre Company has toured its passion plays to churches, cathedrals and communities across the UK, providing a unique, revitalising experience of the drama of Christ’s passion. Find out more here.

The Eco Group from Wakefield Cathedral are taking part in an Earth Day event at the Hepworth gallery on the weekend of the 20/21 April. We are hoping to publicise how the church as a whole is working towards the 2030 Net Zero challenge, many through the A Rocha scheme.

To this end we would like to invite churches in the diocese to contribute photos and an explanation of any work done which might be of interest to the general public. We will display the materials in the cathedral for the following week as the Earth Day theme is the focus of a Family Fun Day in the cathedral on Saturday, April 27.

Please contact on [email protected] FAO Eco Group if you can send over some photos and text.

Lunch will be provided. Everyone is welcome. Please bring your own robes. New members will be most welcome. Please let us know if you wish to be admitted at any of these services. If you need any further information, please contact Secretary Sue Middleditch on 0113 2643946 or 07976 209127, or [email protected].

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 2024, 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.

We invite you to apply to join our team as a Primary School Adviser in the Diocese of Leeds. Did you choose a career in education to make a difference? Are you passionate about transforming the lives of young people and their communities? Then why not unlock your potential and commit to a fresh start from September 2024? As a primary school adviser, you will be at the forefront of educational innovation and progress. Your role will encompass providing invaluable guidance, fostering collaboration, and leading professional development to elevate the standards of education within our 237 schools. Find out more about this role here

We are looking for someone to become the new Chair of the Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches (DAC). The Chair will be joining at a moment where the diocese is working to drive forward Barnabas: Encouraging Confidence, its vehicle to support churches to move forward in mission, ministry and sustainability. Ensuring the DAC aligns with this will be central in the coming period. 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 March 7. Area news stories to [email protected]