Welcome to the Enews for April 18

The latest resources, news and more.

Click on headlines or pictures for more details.  

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

Events to mark the 10th Anniversary of the Diocese of Leeds on Saturday, April 20 begin this weekend with a special visit by the Archbishop of York, the Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, who will join Bishop Nick in meeting clergy and their communities in different settings across our large and diverse diocese. They will hear stories from the last ten years and learn of confident plans for the future. Read more here

The Rt Revd Smitha Prasadam, Bishop of Huddersfield, will be leading a pilgrimage to Taizé this summer, and will be sharing more at an upcoming event at Wakefield Cathedral. The pilgrimage for young people and adults is taking place from Saturday, August 17 to Monday, August 26. Read more here

One of our Leeds vicars is climbing the equivalent of the height of Everest to raise money for his church. Like his counterparts in parishes across the diocese, the Revd Phil Harris, Vicar of St Peter’s Morley, is passionate about the role his church plays in the local community and how the church can provide a valuable resource whilst sharing God’s love. Read more here

Two of our primary schools are celebrating recent successes with their SIAMS inspections. Trinity All Saints Church of England Primary School in Bingley and St Matthew’s Primary in Leeds both have been inspected as part of SIAMS, the Church of England’s statutory inspection mechanism. Read more here

The Church of England’s Energy Footprint Tool is now open for churches to enter fuel and power use from 2023. The data collected from the tool will help churches understand their carbon footprint and will mean they may be eligible for grants to help kick-start net zero projects. Read more here

Halifax Minster is celebrating the success of its bold decision to rebrand Lent this year as a Festival of Faith open to all. It was an outward looking initiative that was missional in focus and drew new people into the Minster who otherwise might not have visited the historic building. Read more here

A new festival of faith and hope for rural mission in the north will be taking place soon. 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. Read more here

A pair of Christian retreat days for people affected by cancer are being run in the diocese by Revd Helen Jones, founder of the charity Firm Roots Cancer Support. Revd Helen had cancer herself in 2010 and has worked for Macmillan and in NHS Cancer Services for the last 10 years. Read 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.

No further applications for LLM training starting in September 2024 will be accepted. The application process for LLM training starting in September 2025 will begin during the autumn of 2024. More details can be found here.

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

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 in the Diocese of Leeds. Further information about the Introduction to Theology can be found here.

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

Personal Growth and Leadership is a course for clergy and lay church teams to explore how we can grow personally and in our leadership - to learn, share and put into practice some key principles around growth and leadership - encouraging ‘Confident Christians’ and building ‘Leadership Pathways’. The next six month course is starting in late September. To give you an idea of how Personal Growth and Leadership might support your church, we will be running a number of taster sessions in April at the following venues, with the additional option for participants to join via a livestream:

• Thursday, April 18, 7pm - 9pm, St Andrews Church, High Street, Starbeck HG2 7JE
• Tuesday, April 23, 7pm - 9pm, St Barnabas Church, The View, Alwoodley LS17 7NA
• Wednesday, April 24, 7pm - 9pm, Pudsey Parish Church, Church Lane, Pudsey LS28 8BE

Please email barnabas@leeds.anglican.org to find out more and book onto a taster session.

There will be a service at Bradford Cathedral at 3pm on Saturday, April 20, attended by the Archbishop of York and invited guest from across the diocese. All are welcome to attend, and can book here. The service will also be livestreamed here.

There will be a service celebrating ten years of rural ministry in the diocese at Ripon Cathedral at 3.30pm on Sunday, May 12. Bishop Anna and Dean John, with the support of the Bishop of Leeds, are inviting people from all parts of the diocese to share in this celebration of rural communities, parishes, businesses and organisations, not least farming and land management.

Find out more about Leeds @ 10 here.

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 katharine.greathead@leeds.anglican.org for a Zoom link.

We very much look forward to hearing from you.

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, April 27 at Holy Trinity Ripon
• Saturday, June 8 at Dewsbury Minister
• Saturday, September 7 at St Matt's Leeds

Please click here for more details and to book.

We may struggle with believing ourselves, or if we do believe find it hard when others have difficult questions. Whether you are struggling with believing yourself and/or talking with others who find it hard, these three introductory talks by Canon Philip will explore some of the common problems people have with Christianity. You can come to some or all, ask questions or just listen, and you’ll be very welcome!

Three Wednesdays in May at Wakefield Cathedral

• May 8 - Darwin and Dawkins: Faith and Science
• May 15 - Disaster: Faith and Suffering
• May 22 - Da Vinci Code: Faith and History

For more information email admin@wakefield-cathedral.org.uk or call 01924 373923.

Join Stewardship Officers Beth and Janet to explore the existing ready-made PGS resources, and some freshly created ones, that will help you promote the benefits of the Parish Giving Scheme to your congregation. Whether you are launching the PGS for the first time, or preparing a relaunch, you will find out how to easily adapt these helpful resources for your parish. Join us even if your PCC hasn't yet registered for the PGS to find out more and have your questions answered.

Click here to register for the webinar.

Everyone is invited to take time out of the busyness of life and join others in the peaceful environment of St Peter’s Church by the river Wharfe to learn more about prayer. During the day there will plenty of time to be quiet and reflect on your own. There will also be time for conversations and learning. The day is organised and will be led by the Bradford Prayer and Spirituality team. Please bring your lunch – tea and coffee will be provided. To reserve your place, please email charlie.scott@leeds.anglican.org. Find out more here.

St Mary’s Embsay has achieved a Gold Eco Church award. Along the way they have learned a lot about their environmental mission and overcome a number of challenges. They are keen to share and learn with you on this eco church journey.

This workshop will include a carousel of discussion groups on different Eco Church topics, including the 5 areas of the Award (Worship, Land, Buildings, Community & Global Engagement and Lifestyle) as well as the Net Carbon Zero target.

Churches at any stage of the award scheme – and those who have not yet started – are all welcome. Numbers will be limited so please book early. Refreshments will be provided.

Please book by emailing marion.russell@leeds.anglican.org by Sunday May 5. Find out more here.

A workshop from Urban Saints considering accessibility, inclusion and belonging for all. How can parents, churches and children’s/youth workers, not only understand more about the children we are working with, but also change the way we work with them so to be more inclusive and create belonging for all? This training session works through all of these important questions and equips and enables participants to be agents of change in their own group. To book your place for this session, please email childrenyouth@leeds.anglican.org.

Find out more here.

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 henriette.howarth@leeds.anglican.org. Find out more here.

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 six-week lecture series introducing the study of Church Music is taking place at St Peter’s Church, Horbury (WF4 6AS), from Thursday, April 18. Accessible to anyone who is interested, and offering valuable teaching and stimulating ideas for singers, organists, musicians, ordinands, and clergy, the course runs from 7pm to 8pm and will be delivered by Director of Music, Prof Leonard Sanderman, who is Associate Professor at Leeds Conservatoire, Visiting Lecturer at the University of York, and Organ Adviser to the Diocese of Leeds in the Church of England.

• 18th April: How do we think about church music?
• 25th April: Must we sing in church?
• 2nd May: Is all sacred music liturgical?
• 16th May: Why do we sing what we sing?
• 23rd May: Who thought organs were a good idea?
• 30th May: Towards a catholic philosophy of church music

All welcome. For more information please contact the Vicar, Fr Christopher Johnson, fr.christopher.johnson@gmail.com or via our website.

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 admin@wakefield-cathedral.org.uk FAO Eco Group if you can send over some photos and text.

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?

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 middleditch@live.com.

All are welcome to discover more about the August pilgrimage being led by the Rt Revd Smitha Prasadam, Bishop of Huddersfield, with prayers and songs from Taize.

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

A performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Find out more here

Firm Roots Cancer Support is a small Christian organisation in the UK, offering prayer and spiritual support to people affected by cancer. Firm Roots was started by Helen Jones in 2012, following her cancer diagnosis. Helen has worked in NHS cancer services for ten years and is now an ordained minister in the Church of England. Firm Roots runs a network of Cancer Prayer Support Groups and Christian Retreat Days for anyone affected by cancer, either as a patient or supporting someone through it. Several face-to-face cancer prayer support groups exist around the country and an online monthly cancer prayer support group started in January 2024, so that people can join from anywhere in the UK. A Firm Roots Retreat Day is also planned for Saturday, May 18 in Leeds. Find out more at www.firmroots.org.uk or book onto a retreat day here.

Featuring the Kirkby Lonsdale-based Kirkby Jazz Kollactive, the Windermere-based award-winning South Lakes Acapella, and introducing The Ghosts of Groove! - KJK's rhythm quartet project. Also - the musical stylings of the Fab Two.

£10 including light refreshments. For tickets please contact Gill Ford on 07534 570 698. Proceeds to the Church Building Fund.

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

Happy Easter! Hear from Bishop Nick with the first of our series of 50 Daily Devotions.

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.

Watch the video here.

Wellsprings Together is an established, growing, regional charity with a vision to see faith transforming communities. The role of the Chief Officer is to lead the team to implement this vision across the Anglican Diocese of Leeds. Accountable to the Trustees of the charity, the Chief Officer is responsible for coordinating and supervising the work of the Team. They are responsible for delivering on the strategy and vision of the charity, managing stakeholder relationships, securing funding, and the effective management and leadership of the charity including budgetary responsibilities. Find out more about this role here

Wellsprings Together is an established, growing, regional charity with a vision to see faith transforming communities. The newly created role of the Finance & Operations Manager will help to support the implementation of this vision across the Anglican Diocese of Leeds. Accountable to the Chief Officer, the Finance & Operations Manager will hold day-to-day responsibilities for the effective financial management of the charity alongside supporting the operational management of the varied programmes and projects delivered by Wellsprings Together. They are responsible for ensuring that Wellsprings Together policies and procedures are implemented and that the internal operations of the charity take place in an effective way. 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 May 2. Area news stories to enews@leeds.anglican.org