Welcome to the Enews for August 27

The latest resources, news and more.

Click on headlines or pictures for more details.  

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

The new Bishop of Leeds will be the Rt Revd Dr Toby Howarth, it was announced by the Prime Minister's office after the King approved his nomination for election. Bishop Toby will be the second Bishop of Leeds, following the retirement of the Rt Revd Nick Baines in November 2025. Read more here

Twelve people from the Diocese of Leeds, including the Rt Revd Malcolm Chamberlain, Bishop of Wakefield, stood shoulder to shoulder (bega kwa bega) with people in the church in Tanzania on a recent visit to the country. The link between the Diocese of Leeds and the Dioceses of Mara, Tarime and Rorya in is one of the longest and strongest in the Anglican Communion, beginning 38 years ago. Read more here

Many of us have special ‘Pilgrim Places’ - sites that are often beautiful, maybe historic, but which all give us a sense of belonging and perspective and of being closer to God. We are spotlighting some of the spots in our Diocese that are very special for many both locally and from further afield, beginning with our own diocesan retreat house, Parcevall Hall, near Appletreewick in Wharfedale. Read more here

The Diocese of Leeds is excited to be working with Growing Hope to pilot new Accessibility Training and an Accessibility Award scheme to help our churches be more accessible to children and young people with Additional Needs. Growing Hope is a charity that champions accessibility and provides free therapy for children and young people with additional needs through partnerships with local churches across the UK. Read more here

As part of a national Demonstrator Project, one of our churches in the Huddersfield area will be sharing all that they have learned about reaching net zero at a Demonstrator Day on Saturday, September 19. Christ Church New Mill has had solar panels installed on its grade II listed roof and had its 45-year-old gas boiler replaced with electric infrared heaters, as part of the church’s work to make their building fit for the future. Read more here

New clergy and lay members are being elected to General Synod this year – and regular churchgoers are being invited to consider standing as a candidate. General Synod, the national assembly of the Church of England, shapes and approves laws that affect the whole of the Church of England. Read more here

Abbey Grange Academy is a CofE secondary school in Leeds. Pilgrimage there is not a single event but a thread that runs through a student's entire journey. "From their first steps in Year 7 to their final years in post-16, students are invited to walk, reflect, and grow — physically, spiritually, and personally — through a series of pilgrimages that deepen their connection to our Christian ethos and to one another," said Fran Bailey, of the Chaplaincy and RS departments at the school. Read more here

Ripon Cathedral is calling on anyone who has ever sung in one of the cathedral’s choirs to join its current choir for a special Alumni Reunion Evensong this October, marking the 30th anniversary of Ripon Cathedral’s Girls’ Choir. Thirty years ago, the newly formed Ripon Cathedral Girls’ Choir sang for the first time at a Sunday morning Eucharist. Read more here

Christians and Muslims in Shipley are inviting their local community to join them for family fun day this Thursday as they celebrate six months of getting to know each other better. Since Lent and Ramadan earlier this year, clergy and congregation members form the Masjid Ayesha, the Ihya College and St Peter's Shipley have spent time together monthly, listening and talking around a particular subject each month to help them better understand and appreciate one another's similarlties and differences. Read more here

Theology is a word that comes from Ancient Greek. It means talking about God. It’s as simple as that. You already do theology, even if you don’t call it that. For example, when you say, ‘God loves you’ to someone, you are making a statement about God. You are ‘doing theology’.

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. We may feel called to a particular ministry. We may just want to know more. Either way, this course is for you!

More details and booking information can be found here. 

For more information or to book a place on one of the upcoming iterations, please contact Anne Payne on anne.payne@leeds.anglican.org.

Bubble Church are partnering with the Diocese of Leeds to run a training day in September, helping churches get involved in worship designed for young children and their families.

We are running a training day at Wakefield Cathedral on Thursday, September 24 to help churches learn about the service, how best to run it and the resources available to support its running.

To find out more and to book, please click here.

Our Vocations Team are running a series of events in 2026, on the theme of 'how do I make my faith count?' Please see the flyer for more details, and please click here to book.

This course follows Introduction to Theology. will develop skills and leadership ability in those wishing to be involved in leading worship in their parishes. The Lay Worship Leaders course enables those who have successfully completed it to lead worship in their parish under the supervision of their incumbent. Lay Pastoral Ministers are authorised at parish level. This means that applicants for the course must have the approval of their incumbent and PCC.

More details and booking information can be found here. 

For more information, please contact us on layministry@leeds.anglican.org.

This course follows Introduction to Theology. It is 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. Occasional Preachers are authorised at parish level. This means that applicants for the course must have the approval of their incumbent and PCC.

More details and booking information can be found here. 

For more information, please contact us on layministry@leeds.anglican.org.

Parcevall Hall are running a variety of retreats.

To find out more about them and to book please click here.

The Angel’s Question (Monday, September 28 to Wednesday, September 30) led by Revd Dilly Baker 

‘Where have you come from and where are you going?’ This timeless question posed by the angel to Hagar in the desert forms the backdrop for our retreat. We will reflect on our life journeys to date and consider who we are becoming. We will discover some practical tools to help us move forward. 

Cost: £235 

Deep and Diverse Prayer Retreat (Friday, October 23 to Sunday, October 25) led by Revd Henriette Howarth, and Revd Paul and Karen Wheelhouse 

If you long to pray more and experience the divine Love more deeply, this retreat is for you. Finding our inspiration in the scriptures and Christian tradition, we will practice different ways of prayer including silence, contemplation and the Ignatian way, with the assistance of music, nature and images. Henriette, Paul and Karen together bring experience from ordained and lay ministry. 

Cost: £198 

Inwardly Digest - Reading Retreat (Friday, November 20 to Sunday, November 22) led by Dr Helen Reid, Director of Parcevall Hall 

This retreat is for people who love reading and talking about books. There will be time to read in quiet and conducive surroundings, as well as to share your thoughts and theological reflections on your reading with others. This is a retreat to experience grace through words at a perfect time of year for staying indoors and reading. 

Cost: £198 

Singing Through Advent Retreat (Monday, November 30 to Thursday, December 3) led by Revd Mike Leigh 

Come for a relaxing time at the beginning of Advent when Mike will lead an exploration of the themes of Advent through music and reflections. During the retreat, there will be teaching, rest, and a chance to sing Advent songs old and new. There will be worship services each day as we prepare for the great festival of Christmas. 

Cost: £315 

Christmas Houseparty and Retreat (Wednesday, December 23 to Sunday, December 27) 

Spend a traditional Christmas in the warm and welcoming surroundings of Parcevall Hall. There will be home-cooked food, traditional games, times for reflection and services in the chapel, all shared in good company to help us truly celebrate Christmas. 

Cost: £460 

Parishes from across the diocese are invited to book a visit to Ripon Cathedral for a Treasures Untold Pilgrimage within the cathedral building for up to 20 people. The pilgrimages will begin with refreshments at 9.30am. There will then be a reflective and prayerful tour around the Cathedral exploring how the historical features of the fabric of the building hep us to express our faith. The pilgrimage will conclude with a Celebration of Holy Communion which will begin at 12pm. The cost of the pilgrimage is £10 per head. All participants will receive a colour brochure of Treasures Untold.

To book please contact governanceofficer@riponcathedral.org.uk.

It may be possible to arrange the Treasures Untold Pilgrimage on other dates to suit. To explore the possibilities please contact Canon Matthew on canonmatthew@riponcathedral.org.uk.

388 million Christians worldwide live in contexts where they face extreme discrimination of persecution for following Christ. That's one in seven of our brothers and sisters. This evening will give us the opportunity to hear some of their stories, pray with them, and be encouraged and challenged in our own walk of faith and witness.

To book please email lyndsay.horsman@leeds.

anglican.org.

All are welcome at a service of celebration for the LGBTQIA+ chaplaincy in the diocese. Leeds Diocese LGBTQIA+ Chaplaincy service is a developing chaplaincy, offering support to the ministry of lay and ordained people who identify within the LBGTQIA+ community and those who would identify as same sex attracted. The preacher will be the Revd Canon Jonathan Triffitt, Interim Dean of Bradford.

Hear from the Rt Revd Philip North, Bishop of Blackburn, about how we can support others to share the Good News of Jesus.

To find out more and to book please click here.

St. Luke's East Morton invite you to their 175th Birthday Event. This is part of the Heritage Open Days scheme, entry is free, come to enjoy our lovely re-ordered church with a special display by the Morton Archive Group. Refreshments available.

The Imagination is sometimes regarded as being an unreliable or mischievous faculty, more of a danger to faith than an aid. But given that it is commonly employed by the prophets in their writings and Jesus in his parables, it deserves serious consideration. In this lecture, John Bell will argue that the imagination is an essential aid not only to interpreting scripture but also an ally in pastoral work and preaching, as it offers an alternative to rigid thinking and dull speech.

Find out more and sign up here.

St John’s Church in Menston is screening the People’s Emergency Briefing film. This powerful film explores the climate and nature crisis, bringing together expert insights, audience reactions and hopeful responses. It aims to help communities understand the scale of the crisis and, importantly, open up conversations about how we can respond together.

The film has been screened by many churches and communities across the country, providing an opportunity for people to come together, learn more and discuss what can be done locally.

Spend a day exploring the Enneagram - a transformational personality tool that helps you identify and observe your instinctive and unconscious patterns of behaviour and offers a compassionate path towards personal growth.

Message Chris at copsterbarn@gmail.com to enquire about booking.

An event for church flower & eco teams, SCF supporters, clergy & all interested to learn & share experiences of using flowers sustainably.

The Sustainable Church Flowers (SCF) Committee are thrilled to invite you to the first SCF Northern Conference at Bolton Abbey Priory.

Find out more and sign up here.

National Estate Churches Network (NECN) supports people active in Christian ministry on social housing estates in England and Wales. We do this via a network of local groups plus conferences, estate-specific resources, helpful e-mails and social media, strategic representation and much more.

NECN is an ecumenical network, our membership includes church and community leaders and workers, clergy, residents and others who live, work and serve God on housing estates across England and Wales.

Find out more and sign up here.

We'd love for you to join us at the Good News People Conference! We are sensing a fresh openness to Jesus in this season, and our heart is to see every Christian equipped and inspired to share their faith naturally with the people in their everyday lives.

We are thrilled to welcome Gavin Calver, CEO of the Evangelical Alliance and Natalie Williams, CEO of Jubilee+.

Gavin is co-author of the book Good News People and is a powerful storyteller. Natalie is the author of several books, including Invisible Divides and 'Tis Mercy All.

Our prayer is for a day of encounter, encouragement, and equipping-three things we all need right now.

We hope to see you there!

Find out more and sign up here.

This year's Church Action on Poverty Sunday will take place on Sunday 18th October, with a theme of "Food, faith and fellowship".

A record number of churches took part last year, and interested churches are encouraged to register now.

Resource packs will be sent out over the summer, containing bring & share lunch ideas, worship materials, prayer cards, Scriptural reflections, activity sheets, and inspirational stories of churches already doing great work through food. 

To sign up, visit here.

LoveRural is a national gathering for anyone passionate about seeing rural churches and communities flourish.

Hosted by a partnership of denominations and mission agencies, the conference brings together clergy, lay leaders, pioneers, chaplains, church members and rural mission practitioners from across the UK to learn, pray, encourage one another and share practical ideas for mission in the countryside.

Over two inspiring days, delegates will:

• Hear stories and insights from those serving in rural ministry.
• Explore fresh approaches to disciple-making and church planting.
• Connect with others engaged in rural mission across different denominations.
• Be encouraged through worship, prayer and shared learning.

Find out more and sign up here.

A one day guided retreat exploring a familiar bible story from unfamiliar angles. There will be time together, followed by a choice of time to reflect on your own or with others, both inside and around the grounds.

Message Chris at copsterbarn@gmail.com to enquire about booking.

Difference and diversity abound, and yet we all experience pressure to conform to a non-existent ‘normal’. Having spent many years hiding from his own physical and neurological differences Craig has come to see difference as something to be celebrated and affirmed. Craig will be sharing something of his own journey, alongside insights from the life of Jesus and reflections on the writings of Paul. There will also be plenty of opportunity to reflect and bring your questions to the whole group. Craig Millward is an ordained Baptist minister, a practical theologian and an associate of the Northumbrian Collective.

Find out more and sign up here.

Following a fabulous weekend back in July, another opportunity to join together with other women in meeting with God in the riotous beauty of his creation, through activities such as archery, star gazing, pyrography, sun printing, walking, landscape art.

We hope to be outside as much as possible, sharing stories, talking of faith, reflecting on Scripture, singing, laughing, eating and drinking around a woodland fire.

Take some time for yourself, find space to breathe.

Some activities will require a reasonable level of fitness, but all will be optional.

Led by Annie Naish, Ruth Meyer & the Scargill Community.

Find out more and sign up here.

We are delighted to invite the Revd Emma Walters to deliver October’s Seminar on forgiveness.

Emma is a local member of clergy, based at St Mark’s, who is studying forgiveness as a part of her MA in Theology.

Find out more and sign up here.

A retreat for people aged 18 -35 at Scargill House.

Relaxed worship, great food, space to be still, honest conversation board games and log fires.

Come expectant, leave strengthened in what it means to be a follower of Jesus in our complex world.

Find out more and sign up here.

The Oasis of Silence programme at St Hilda´s Priory offers space and stillness to seek God with loving awareness in the present moment. It offers a variety of opportunities to make retreats of different lengths in a peaceful and welcoming environment, away from our busy everyday lives.

It is for everyone seeking stillness and silence and who is interested in getting to know or to deepening the practice of contemplative prayer.

Find out more here.

St Hild is offering three short courses, in person or online, starting in September 2026 or January 2027. Click the links in the course title for more information and/or to register:

• Bible in Context - nine sessions in Sheffield at STC on Mondays, 9.30 am -12.30pm, starting in September.
• Mission & Ministry in an Urban Context - six sessions in Sheffield at STC on Mondays, 1.45pm - 4.30pm, starting in October.
• Rural Mission and Ministry - 10 sessions online or a hybrid option in Lincoln, 6.30pm - 9 pm on Thursdays starting January 2027.  

For more information, please click here.

The Diocese of Leeds are launching an exciting new phase of the Barnabas Lay Leadership Development Programme, and we are seeking a Hub Leader in the Huddersfield Area (Fixed term for 3 years) to help equip and empower lay leaders, particularly in underserved communities, areas of deprivation, and among global majority heritage groups. Find out more about this role here

Please contact the Communications Team with your news for future editions. The next edition will be sent out on September 24. All news stories to communications@leeds.anglican.org. Many thanks!