Welcome to the Enews for March 6

The latest resources, news and more.

Click on headlines or pictures for more details.  

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

Representatives from the Diocese of Leeds took part in a range of debates at the most recent General Synod. Held in London from Monday, February 10, to Friday, February 14, General Synod dealt with a packed agenda. Read more here

St Stephen’s West Bowling have been able to restore their stained glass windows, thanks in part to a grant from the diocese. The church’s west window has been telling the story of Jesus to churchgoers for centuries, and will continue to do so into the future thanks to a restoration project that was successfully completed late in 2024. Read more here

The government is looking for feedback on the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, taking into account the changes for this year. The scheme refunds VAT spent on repairs and alterations to listed places of worship, enabling them to reclaim the VAT paid on certain kinds of repair, maintenance and alteration works. Read more here

Our longstanding link with the Diocese of Skara, Sweden, was refreshed through a recent visit by the new Bishop of Skara, Ulrica Fritzson. Bishop Ulrica was in Wakefield with several of her diocesan colleagues for four days and their visit culminated in a joyous Eucharist in the cathedral with the Rt Revd Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds and when Bishop Ulrica was installed as an honorary ecumenical canon. Read more here

People training for ministry have the opportunity to spend two weeks learning and developing in the UK City of Culture 2025, thanks to a scheme running in the Bradford area of the Diocese of Leeds. In the summer of 2025, the Bradford area is hosting a two-week placement scheme for ordinands, students, and clergy. Read more here

A crowd-funded project to commission a song to celebrate women priests in the Church of England has been launched in our diocese. Revd Catherine Shelley of St Mary’s Todmorden is one of our Diocesan Advisers on Women’s Ministry and said the initiative would mark 30 years of women’s ordination and ten years of women bishops. Read more 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 on the following dates:

• Saturday, March 8 – Bradford, Huddersfield and Leeds
• Saturday, March 15 – Ripon

For further details and booking information please click here for the individual events.

This Silver level course is for anyone wishing to:

• Gain an understanding of various aspects of the environmental crisis including: climate change, biodiversity loss, implications for social justice, animal welfare issues, issues of waste and water.
• Gain an understanding of the nature of Mission and how environmental mission fits within them
• Gain an understanding of the role of lifestyle choices in both discipleship and effecting change
• Gain an understanding of how to implement the Church of England Net Zero Target Strategy, and Eco-Church in a local parish context
• Consider how the resources provided nationally and by the Diocese can be used in a parish context
• Receive training in the skills required to be an effective Parish Environment Officer

Click here to find out more.

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

All spaces on our Introduction to Theology course are currently taken, but we shall be sharing details about the next available course soon. Please see below details about the course more generally.

Introduction to Theology (ITT): A 12-session journey looking at the Christian faith, thinking about your own faith journey and developing theological skills. This is a great place to start when considering where God is calling you. Attending this course is a pre-requirement for Licensed Lay Ministry training in the diocese of Leeds and is also useful for those considering any of our other Lay Ministry pathways.

Find out more here.

If you require any specific help or information, please contact the Ministerial Development Administrator at shuna.hartley@leeds.anglican.org.

This diocesan Lay Ministry pathway is for lay people who feel called to a preaching ministry on an occasional basis.

Preaching is an influential part of the Church’s ministry and a privilege not to be undertaken lightly. For this reason, the canons of the Church require a lay person to have the permission of the bishop to preach, either directly or through diocesan arrangements agreed by the bishop.

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.

The Everybody Welcome course is a day for local churches to share experiences and explore how we offer welcome to newcomers.

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.

Led by Revd Henriette Howarth, this weekend offers rest and spiritual nourishment to those who live with or care for loved ones who struggle with physical and mental health challenges. You don’t need to be a ‘recognised’ carer to come on this retreat. There will be space to rest and time to receive from God, learn from Scripture and other spiritual resources about divine compassion, and use music and creativity as tools to relax and experience God’s Spirit. Cost: £195. More information and booking details here.

The purpose of this 2-year programme is for each participant to deepen their own spiritual journey and to discern whether there is a gift for and a call to spiritual direction ministry. In the first year there will be a focus on Spiritual Growth and Transformation. In the second year the focus will be on Equipping for the Ministry of Spiritual Direction. As a group, we will meet approximately 12 times throughout the year (8 in-person across the diocese and 4 online). The fee for Year 1 and 2 will be £330 per year. Click here to read more about the content of the programme. Please email charlie.scott@leeds.anglican.org to book a place on one of the information evenings being held on Thursday, March 27 or Wednesday, April 30.

Find out more here.

Learn, develop and enhance mediative peace-making skills that can be used both formally and informally in situations of conflict between individuals, in a church, community or work setting.

This exciting and innovative course uses mediative and restorative processes to help participants develop and enhance peacemaking skills to transform broken and strained relationships, in faith communities, families or workplace. Central to any such process is careful, respectful listening which builds understanding, enabling those struggling with difference to find ways forward that bring life and reconciliation.

Please click here to find out more.

There are still places available at the Messy Church Conference 2025. ‘All together’ is a conference like no other! Join us for a weekend of inspiring keynote speakers, informative workshops, Messy Church sessions and fun together with the global Messy Church family. We will be exploring how we welcome people of all ages, abilities and from all backgrounds to Messy Church. We appreciate that money can be tight in the new year so to ensure you don’t miss out on a place at the Messy Church Conference in June you can pay a deposit now and pay the rest by Wednesday, March 19.

Find out more here.

The Food for Thought series offers people the opportunity to reflect on faith in everyday life.

This series is informed and inspired by Bishop John Pritchard’s book, ‘Twenty Questions Jesus Asked, and How They Speak to Us Today’. We hope that these talks will encourage people in their journey of faith.

The upcoming Food for Thought sessions are as follows, all on Wednesdays:

• March 5 – Who touched my clothes? Speaker: Father Chris Willis
• March 12 – Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? Speaker: Canon Elizabeth Sewell
• March 19 – What is your name? Speaker: Sarah Hobbs
• March 26 – Why are you afraid? Speaker: Moira Siara
• April 2 – What are you looking for? Speakers: Jane Spooner and Michelle Dearlove
• April 9 – Are you a teacher of Israel and you do not understand these things? Speaker: Bishop John Pritchard

All sessions will take place at St Cuthbert’s Church, Pateley Bridge. Refreshments will be served from 6.30pm, with the speaker beginning at 7pm for approximately an hour (people may just attend from 7pm to hear the speaker if that is what they would prefer), followed by a Q&A session. There is no charge for the event, but freewill offerings would be welcome.

Led by Henriette Howarth. An opportunity for you to start Lent with others online and take time to reflect, pray and practice silent prayer and meditation. We will use Scripture, poetry, music and silence as ways to connect with God this evening.

Please email charlie.scott@leeds.anglican.org to book a place.

Click here to find out more.

This retreat will offer opportunities to reflect, pray, be silent and connect with others.

Lent is a time to follow Jesus more closely in our world today and to prepare our hearts and minds for Good Friday and Easter.

All are welcome. Please do bring along friends and parishioners.

The event is free but it will help to know if you are planning to attend.

To book your place, please email carmel.dylak@leeds.anglican.org.

Find out more here.

All are welcome to this Lent Quiet Day for the Huddersfield area led by Bishop Smitha. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

To book your place, please email pa.bphuddersfield@leeds.anglican.org.

Find out more here.

A time for reflection, encouragement and challenge as we move towards Holy Week and Easter.

Please bring your own lunch, drinks provided. Booking essential.

A programme for the day will be available nearer the time.

Find out more here.

A shared rite of penitence and the opportunity for individual confession, within a Sung Mass celebrated by Bishop Stephen of Beverley, to which all are welcome. This is a great opportunity for those who are curious about Confession to hear teaching about it and make a First Confession to an experienced Priest if they would like to.

Click here to find out more.

We are very excited to welcome professional musicians Will Finn and Rosie Calvert to St Johns on Saturday, March 8 at 7pm as part of the Rural Arts programme of live performances across North Yorkshire. Will and Rosie play and sing traditional and contemporary folk music with flair. Winners of the ‘Best Duo’ award at the Reykjavik Fringe Festival, their intricate vocals, rousing instrumentation on piano, ukulele and steel pan bring joy and fabulous entertainment. Tickets are £10 for adults and £5 for children and are available here.

Our Festival of Faith 'In Conversation' events, are a series of public conversations reflecting on faith in the public square with Rt Revd. Smitha Prasadam, the Bishop of Huddersfield. Dr Edward Kessler, MBE is Founder President of the Woolf Institute and a leading thinker in interfaith relations at Cambridge University, primarily, Jewish-Christian-Muslim Relations, as well as Chair of the Commission on the Integration of Refugees.

Find out more here.

A series of talks that will be taking place in Whitkirk this Lent to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

Entitled, 'We believe...' the talks will offer a series of reflections on aspects of the Nicene Creed, giving participants the opportunity to engage more deeply with words which we repeat most weeks but whose meaning and import we rarely pause to consider in more depth. 

Talks will take place at St Mary's Whitkirk on Wednesdays in Lent at 7pm and will be followed by a short service of sung Compline. 

You are invited to observe A Holy Lent. These words open the Ash Wednesday Liturgy as Lent begins. This quiet day will explore what this means for us as our Lenten journey gets underway.

Refreshments will be provided but please bring with you your own lunch.

Please contact cathedraladmin@riponcathedral.org.uk for further information or to book a place.

Find out more here.

Do you enjoy singing? Then why not come and join the workshop and sing with like-minded people...

Leaders for the Workshop - Lesley Redhead and Kaytie Harding. The workshop will be followed by a Showcase Performance at 6:30pm, supported by Guest Soloist Kaytie Harding and Castleford S.A. Band.

Performance in aid of the Wakefield Mayor's Charity and the Castleford Salvation Army.

Tickets - £5 for the day (Light Refreshments provided)

Register via email - singingforfun2025@gmail.com.

Our Festival of Faith 'In Conversation' events, are a series of public conversations reflecting on faith in the public square with Rt Revd. Smitha Prasadam, the Bishop of Huddersfield. Adeeba Malik is the current High Sheriff od West Yorkshire. She is Deputy Chief Executive of award-winning Bradford based QED Foundation. Currently she is a Board Member of the Home Office Strategic Race Board, Member of a State Honours Committee, Member of the UK-Pakistan Advisory Council at the Foreign & Commonwealth Development Office, Director of the Bradford Culture Company (2025 UK City of Culture). Adeeba is the the first ethnic minority woman to take up the role of High Sheriff.

Find out more here.

Our Festival of Faith 'In Conversation' events, are a series of public conversations reflecting on faith in the public square with Rt Revd. Smitha Prasadam, the Bishop of Huddersfield. Rebecca Newby became the Governor of HMP Leeds in June 2023 with responsibility for 1110 prisoners and serving the courts as a reception prison, 500 directly employed staff and numerous partnerships and contracts. Rebecca joined HM Prison and Probation Service in 2000 and is proud to work for a Service that changes lives. Rebecca comes to speak about the overcrowding in the prison service and the criminal justice system.

Find out more here.

Brass band concert featuring the award-winning Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band, with our local Summerbridge and Dacre Silver Band with their own Junior Section making a guest appearance. The concert will include Saint-Saens Organ Concerto for band and organ, with organ soloist Dr Philip Wilby who has also kindly organised and facilitated this concert.

There will be a bar open from 7pm and during the interval. Card machine available.

St Cuthbert's Church, Pateley Bridge has steps free access and toilet facilities suitable for all.

Find out more here.

Overgate Hospice Choir has been proud to present Messiah regularly during the course of its history since foundation in 1991 – in 1994, 1997, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015. Accompaniment in March will be provided by the Principal players of the acclaimed National Festival Orchestra led by Sally Robinson. Tickets £15.

Find out more here.

The pilgrimage around the Cathedral is called “Treasures Untold.” It is ideal for groups of up to 20 or so people. Teas and coffees will be served on arrival at 9.30am. Then the group will be led around the Cathedral to explore significant dimensions of its fabric and through them contemplate the activity of God in the world and in our lives. It is a prayerful progression around the building, seeking a real sense of God’s presence with us and his love for us. The pilgrimage will conclude in time for people to participate in the service of Holy Communion if they wish.

If anyone wishes to discuss the pilgrimage further before booking, please contact Canon Matthew Pollard on canonmatthew@riponcathedral.org.uk. Parishes are invited to book by contacting the Cathedral Administrator on cathedraladmin@riponcathedral.org.uk.

On the journey to growth, the next step is the key one. An event for all clergy, PCC members and lay leaders to refresh and share their growth journey. It will be a day of joy, prayer, encouragement and decision making.

Find out more here.

Our Festival of Faith 'In Conversation' events, are a series of public conversations reflecting on faith in the public square with Rt Revd. Smitha Prasadam, the Bishop of Huddersfield. Alison is a passionate black woman with two gay children who has served as Chief Executive of Touchstone, a mental health and wellbeing charity, Chair of the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel, and represented Armley as an Elected Member on Leeds City Council. She is a proud Yorkshire lass who has worked across the Voluntary Sector for over 30 years.

Find out more here.

Our Festival of Faith 'In Conversation' events, are a series of public conversations reflecting on faith in the public square with Rt Revd Smitha Prasadam, the Bishop of Huddersfield. Kim Leadbeater is the Member of Parliament for Spen Valley constituency, and is the sister of Jo Cox, who tragically died as a result of an assault whilst serving as a Member of Parliament in the same constituency. Kim has a Private Members Bill currently going through Parliament on the subject of assisted dying.

Find out more here.

A free memorial event hosted by Project Bonhoeffer, in partnership with St Luke’s and St Matthew’s Lutheran Church and Leeds University Chaplaincy.

Join us to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s execution. Throughout the day, we will be joined by Bishop Martin Lind, who will deliver a memorial lecture, followed by a response from Revd Dr Keith Clemments.

There will be the opportunity to engage in discussion, conversation, and a memorial communion service for those who wish to participate.

Find out more here.

Led by the Revd Canon Philip Hobday, this will be a day for refreshment and guided reflection in the peaceful, meditative surroundings of Mirfield. All welcome. Tea and coffee provided, please bring your own lunch. Suggested donation of £10.

To book your place please email caroline.asquith@leeds.anglican.org.

Hear from the Rt Revd Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds, about parish share and how we are supporting parishes across the diocese.

Watch the video here

We are looking for someone to join our Safeguarding team to as an Administrator. The Safeguarding Administrator will work alongside the Safeguarding team to provide administrative support in all areas of our work. They will play a key role in supporting our safeguarding training and overall development in safeguarding in Diocese of Leeds. Find out more about this role here

We are looking for someone to join our People team to manage and maintain our Church of England database and to manage and administer our DBS process. The Database and DBS Administrator will be responsible for maintaining the database, communicating both with internal diocesan teams and with parishes to ensure that data is kept up to date and complies with Data Protection regulations. The post holder will respond to queries from parishes and support them through the Parish Returns system, collecting data from parishes. Find out more about this role here

The Diocese is seeking to appoint a Parish Support Officer, who will play a vital role in developing strong financial relationships between parishes and the Diocese. The Diocese is focused on growing an open and trusting relationships with all parishes and supporting every parish to be financially sustainable. You will spend much of your time out meeting parishes understanding their context and discussing and agreeing what a reasonable financial contribution is to the work of the Diocese (aka Parish Share). Working with colleagues in our Stewardship team, you will be pivotal in identifying the support that parishes need in order to achieve that financial sustainability. Find out more about this role here

Are you passionate about leading God’s people in worship? Do you desire to help a church grow in its openness to the Holy Spirit? Then this could be the job for you! The role of the Worship Pastor is to model and foster a culture of expectancy and Spirit filled worship that enables people to pursue the presence of God in a creative and contemporary style at St Catherine’s Church, Belle Vue. 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 20. All news stories to communications@leeds.anglican.org. Many thanks!