Welcome to the Enews for May 30

The latest resources, news and more.

Click on headlines or pictures for more details.  

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

In its 10th anniversary year, the Diocese of Leeds has received forward-looking funding to boost its work with the region’s richly diverse communities during the next decade and beyond. A grant of £734k has been awarded by the Church of England’s Racial Justice Triennium Fund to further develop our engagement with people of every ethnic background and in every social context. Read more here

Sorted, the Bradford youth church, was visited by Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell for a live event which saw thousands of young people nationwide say the Lord’s Prayer together. The Prayer, hosted by presenters from The Way UK, aimed to do a live link-up across the country to encourage youth groups as part of the worldwide initiative Thy Kingdom Come. Read more here

An inspiring pilgrimage has taken place across our Huddersfield Deanery with prayerful walkers visiting all 17 churches and covering more than 30 miles. With the theme of Thy Kingdom Come, and spread over four mornings, they also called in at a hospital chapel and Huddersfield University Faith Centre. Read more here

“Children” is the word used at Wetherby Young Offenders Institution to describe the young people convicted of serious crimes who are held in its care. Its managing chaplain, Revd Andy Rowe has been in post since 2013 and together with chaplains from other faiths, he supports the residents, staff and its governor, Pete Gormley – who always uses “children” to describe the 15 to 18-year-olds on site. Read more here

A well-planned fundraising weekend for the Parish of Bardsey with East Keswick has raised a whopping £25,000 to boost church funds. Structural damage to church grounds and rising heating costs had significantly hit their bank balance, so worshippers realised at the end of last year that they would need to do some fundraising in 2024, said incumbent Revd Angela Hannafin. Read more here

Clergy and church leaders of global-majority heritage or UK minority-ethnic backgrounds from the Northern Province gathered at Bishopthorpe Palace for a day of celebration, conversation and worship organised by the Rt Revd Smitha Prasadam, Bishop of Huddersfield, and the Rt Revd Arun Arora, Bishop of Kirkstall. The event was hosted by the Archbishop of York, the Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, who gave an address on ‘The Theology of Diversity’. Read more here

People from across the diocese and beyond have been engaging with our Rhythm of Life initiative, with 50 Daily Devotions between Easter and Pentecost. The daily emails included reflections from different people in our diocese, all looking at sections of the Book of Acts and how they connected to the seven focuses of the Rhythm of Life. Read more here

People from St Mary’s Whitkirk have been to a service at Westminster Abbey to celebrate John Smeaton, the “father of civil engineering”. A group of parishioners went to the special service on Wednesday, May 29, to lay a wreath on the plaque there which commemorates John Smeaton. Read more here

Ever wondered what theology means and how to study it? Need some guidance on how to dig a bit deeper? Don’t know where to start? This free and updated course is for you!

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.

Three courses for 2024-25 are advertised on the DLP. Follow the links for further information and booking details:

• Autumn 2024: in-person at the Mirfield Centre
• Winter (Jan –Mar) 2025: online
• Spring (Mar – Jun) 2025: in-person @The Trinity Centre, Bingley

If you require any specific help or information, please contact the School of Ministry administrator at shuna.hartley@leeds.anglican.org.

We are delighted to invite all children, young people and families workers, leaders and volunteers to attend one of our TEND events this year.

This year’s theme is Encouraging Confidence and the days will include workshops, speakers, worship, reflection and the opportunity to meet others involved in ministry with and to children, young people and families. The dates and venues are:

• Saturday, June 8 at Dewsbury Minister
• Saturday, September 7 at St Matt's Leeds

Please click here for more details and to book.

Ever thought about becoming a School Governor - many professional skills and expertise are in demand by Schools and Academies looking to grow their Governing Boards.

Join Inspiring Governance for this 45 minute session to find out more about becoming a School Governor and how Inspiring Governance can support you to find a vacancy and get you started on your journey to become a School Governor.

Click here to sign up.

The Diocese of Leeds subscribes to an online funding portal to assist parishes in searching for grant funders. Idox, the company that runs this funding database, is offering all current users a free space on a 'Bid Writing Workshop’ through the organisation Get Grants on Tuesday, June 4 at 1pm. As a database user, you will receive an email from Idox asking if you want to sign up and attend. Please note this is a separate offer from the Diocese's delivered by Get Grants and is free but only to those registered with the platform. If you would like to attend this webinar please register here.

This session offers an opportunity to reflect and pray with the help of Scripture and other resources and to practice christian meditation. Please email charlie.scott@leeds.anglican.org to book your place. Click here to find out more.

What does the Great Commission mean for us in the light of other faith traditions? As we live out our Christian lives in a multi-faith context, this is a vital question.

This session will offer opportunities to explore theological issues and practical ideas for sharing our Christian faith with those who are followers of other faiths. John Bavington grew up in Pakistan and his first experience of interfaith evangelism was when his school friends tried to convert him to Islam!

To book a place and receive the Zoom link, please email jenny.ramsden@leeds.anglican.org. Find out more here.

A fantastic opportunity to take time out to think more deeply about God’s call on your life, with time and space in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside. Is Vocation just something for ministers, monks and missionaries? How do we discover God’s purpose for our lives? What does the Bible have to say? Can we take the stories of the great Bible characters and apply them to our situation? Over the weekend, we’ll try to get some answers to these vital questions.

We’ll be led by Derek Walmsley, who is the Director of Ordinands and Vocations for the Diocese of Leeds.

Find out more here.

How do faith and reason go together? If you're interested in some of life's big questions, come to watch some videos led by experts in their field and discuss their ideas with Revd James and others in our community. We'd love to have you along!

Sessions will run on Mondays from 7pm at Kirklington Village Hall on the following dates:

• April 22: Why am I still a Christian?
• May 6: Do I have to bypass my brain to believe in God?
• May 20: Does the Christian faith make sense of science?
• June 10: Why does God allow suffering?
• June 24: What's the evidence for Jesus? Can we trust the Gospels?
• July 8: Did Jesus really rise again?

All donations from the event will go directly towards humanitarian work in Ukraine.

A Read-A-Thon where a group will read the Book of Acts. It's an exciting story of adventure, murder and intrigue telling about the tumultuous beginnings of the Church. Martin Parrott, a fabulous folk singer, will provide a musical interlude. There will be scones with fresh cream and strawberry jam with tea/coffee for refreshment throughout the morning. It starts at 10am on Saturday, June 1, and should finish about 1pm. All are welcome for any length of time.

Emma Johnson MBE is a clarinettist who has made a name as a best selling soloist and recording artist. She won the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition when she was 17 and has since recorded over 30 albums and given concerts all over the world.

Johnson is a published composer too and during lockdown she wrote a clarinet concerto, Tree of Life, inspired by a need to express something in music about the climate crisis.

Evoking birdsong and the natural world, the music is accompanied by striking images by Edward Hutchison. It ends on an optimistic note that by working together we can effect change.

Music by Holst, Vaughan Williams and Paul Reade helps to complete this musical celebration of the natural world. We also mark the 100th anniversary of Puccini with his exquisite Crisantemi inspired by flowers. The concert ends with music that comes straight from the heart, Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece, the Serenade for Strings.

This event marks the pinnacle of our season of work at Bradford Cathedral exploring environmental issues.

Find out more here.

A conference to encourage, equip and empower women to become all that they were born to be.

With guest speakers, live music, refreshments and a buffet lunch included in the ticket price of £20.

Find out more here

Two days of study, prayer and practise around the themes of spirituality, creation and reconnecting with nature.

• Day one: 'Earthing our spirituality': drawing inspiration from the mystics
• Day two: Living an 'earthed spirituality': moving into engaged action for our planet

Bring your own lunch, and suitable clothing for outdoor worship. Suggested donation £10 per day.

To book either or both days please email Steve Parkin at sparkin1955@gmail.com.

Bishop Nick Baines and his wife Linda are opening their beautiful garden to raise funds for St Gemma’s Hospice. Tea, coffee and home baked cakes will be available to buy and enjoy.

A new festival of faith and hope for rural mission in the north. Salt and Light aims to be an opportunity for those leading and working in the church to gather and explore the opportunities and joys of northern rural contexts.

Partnering with dioceses including Leeds, Carlisle, Durham, Newcastle and York, Salt and Light will be the beginning of a pattern of sharing and learning for the church in the rural north.

Click here to find out more and to book.

An exhibition of historic parish records from the Record Office collections in Northallerton, featuring items spanning a period of over 500 years.

They include images and information about all the material on display, and much more to provide further detail and context, and to demonstrate the wide range of records to be found in Anglican parish church archives.

Click here to find out more.

We are living in turbulent times. In so many ways it seems that as a species we have forgotten how to live in well with each other and the rest of creation. And yet, in the depths of who we are, there is a wellspring of love that is always calling us to an original harmony, to replace competition with collaboration, rivalry with friendship.

1,500 years ago, St. Benedict wrote a Rule for monastic life which has been one of the most influential texts in the history of Western Europe. In a world facing so many challenges, Benedict’s simple guide for a school of love in community offers us a wealth of transformative wisdom.

With help from Benedictine teachers across the centuries, we will explore key aspects of this timeless wisdom tradition which are of huge importance for our time, including:

• Listening: as key to spiritual growth in community
• Humility: the path of self-knowledge, equality and peace
• Attention and Awareness: the path of balance, harmony, wholeness
• The Monastic Vision for today: a priceless gift for a suffering world.

Find out more here.

A taster retreat day led by Revd Dr. Linda Robinson and Revd Shena Moray. An immersive, holistic day including reflective spaces, worship and adventure into the living word of God. Please email lindarobinson@talk21.com to book. Cost is £25 including lunch and refreshments.

The Rt Revd Smitha Prasadam, Bishop of Huddersfield, will be leading a pilgrimage to Taizé this summer.

The pilgrimage for young people and adults is taking place from Saturday, August 17 to Monday, August 26, and the Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, will join pilgrims for part of their journey.

Click here to download the brochure.

To help us mark our diocesan 10th anniversary, the Archbishop of York visited our diocese from Friday, April 19 to Sunday, April 21, and saw people and places all across the diocese.

Watch a video of what he got up to here.

We are looking for someone to join our Property Team to take on the role of Property Support Officer. If you are an enthusiastic and highly motivated person who likes to do a good job and work as part of a team with an interesting property portfolio then we would like to hear from you. We are a flexible organisation who have an opportunity within our Property Team for a Property Support Officer. Our team undertake all property management functions for a portfolio of circa 400 residential properties and 800 acres of land mainly used for farming and development opportunities. Individuals will be responsible for working with our Property Managers in the management of a wide-ranging portfolio of mainly residential properties across the Diocesan Area. 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 June 13. All news stories to communications@leeds.anglican.org. Many thanks!