Diocesan News December 2016 www.leeds.anglican.org Giving for Life initiative reignited Joy to the at November 5th Synod World A new initiative to encourage Stewardship Advisor, Jo Scores of churches across the generous giving throughout Beacroft-Mitchell, told Synod, diocese have been adding the diocese has been launched “What we are hoping will details of their Christmas at the November 5th meeting happen with these packs is that services to ‘A Christmas Near of Diocesan You’, a new website inviting Synod in people across the country to Harrogate. attend local parish services at Christmas. Churches have until Giving for Life: December 1st to register their Continuing Christmas services. the Journey is a pack of From December 1st, www. discussion AChristmasNearYou.org will materials to be live for anyone to be able help parishes to find their nearest Christmas review their stewardship and giving every PCC will set aside time in patterns. It is being sent out to the next 12 months to discuss every PCC in the coming few this material and review where weeks. they are as a parish against what we have identified as The new material was being the best practice across presented by the Stewardship, the country.” Funding and Development Team (pictured) and redevelops Pictured above, the and expands the original Giving Stewardship, Funding and service. They’ll even be able to for Life report produced by the Development Team, (lt to find which Christmas services Archbishops’ Council in 2009. rt) Susan Rundle, Michael are serving mince pies or Seven years on, a survey of Southworth, Paul Winstanley, mulled wine! Four videos will more than 1100 parishes has Jo Beacroft-Mitchell, Uell accompany the campaign with shown that adopting the advice Kennedy, and Cath Fox. Gogglebox vicar Kate Bottley, has had a significant impact on comedian Paul Kerensa, Matt levels of giving and attitudes to Team members will be available Woodcock and Chaplain to generosity. Since 2009, church to visit parishes. You can the Speaker of the House of giving have risen by 19.4% at contact them via sfdadmin@ Commons Rose Hudson Wilkin - a time when much charitable leeds.anglican.org or by calling each talking about a moment of giving has suffered. 0113 353 0221. Christmas Joy in their lives. I Cry of a tiny Second babe Saturday Bishop Nick Baines Gathering HUDDERSFIELD The Saturday Since I was ordained I have Gathering, which has seen managed every Christmas over 100 new Christians to quote from a Bruce come to faith since it opened Cockburn song. “Like a stone five years ago in Halifax, has on the surface of a still river, planted a second Saturday driving the ripples on forever, mortal life as we experience Gathering in a different redemption rips through the part of the town. Newly surface of time in the cry of a it. He empties himself out of love. baptised members of the tiny babe.” church shared their stories Living among us removes any to a packed congregation at It sums up Christmas, doesn’t the new location, St Hilda’s it? And it opens up to our excuse we might have to think of God as disinterested in the Church in Gibraltar Road, imagination the infinite Halifax. wonder of God coming among real world. Matter matters to us as one of us. God. So, we cannot escape the call to live in the world as Advent is the season that God did in Jesus of Nazareth. should hold us back from too quick a celebration. As we re- Learning how to do this is a tell the expectation of God’s lifetime challenge. The baby coming during those four of Bethlehem is easier to handle than the man who slow weeks, we clearly find it One of the founders of the difficult to resist the pressure calls religious authorities “a brood of vipers” or overturns Saturday Gathering, the Revd of the carols and cultural Linda Maslen, said: “Sharing ‘christmasness’ that seeks the tables in the temple. And we Christians need to re-tell our faith is a really important instant gratification and bids part of what we do. We tell us short-cut the build up. But, the Christmas story with humility, recognising that we our stories and we pray. It’s if we allow our imagination who we are.” the space to explore the will never exhaust the depths of God’s love or our need for mystery of the Incarnation, The Saturday Gathering, a we will reach Christmas at redemption. fresh expression of church, the right time and with a new grew out of the Food Bank depth of celebration. Christmas begins with a baby. But, it doesn’t end with the and Drop In Centre run by Christians Together in Christmas begins with a baby. baby. Calderdale from Ebenezer But, the baby grew up. So, Methodist Church in the Christmas points us to three May our celebrations this year be filled with wonder. centre of town and has encouragements: become one of the fastest growing churches in Yorkshire. Loving the world is what +Nick compels God to expose Bishop of Leeds himself to all the realities of II Communities Minister starts Church stars national tour in Bradford in CofE video BRADFORD Communities and religious leaders and WAKEFIELD A Wakefield Minister, Lord Bourne, chose visited Bradford City Football church stars in a new film Bradford Cathedral, last Club. The minister says he to promote the Church of month, as the starting point hopes his visits will highlight England’s Parish Buying project. for a ‘grand cathedrals as Churchwarden Brian Morris tour’ of every places which persuaded his vicar, the Revd Anglican provide social Stephanie Buchanan, to join cathedral support, the scheme – and the church, in England community St John’s, in the city centre, has during the and interfaith never looked back. Brian said coming year. engagement. of the video, “We were one of He was three churches used. The oth- As well as shown the ers were a large parish church being shown renovations in Hampshire and Birmingham the city centre made Cathedral – so all our circum- and recent possible by stances were very different.” repairs and ongoing work at the government’s World The CofE buying service allows the cathedral by the Dean, War I Cathedral Repairs parishes to save time and the Very Revd Jerry Lepine Fund including the Victorian money on key areas including (pictured right), he visited State Gate which once again energy, furniture, boilers and community projects in the provides an entrance to the office supplies. You can see the city, held talks with Near cathedral precinct from the film and find out more at www. Neighbours, met community city. parishbuying.org.uk New Archdeacon of Leeds Future church? LEEDS The Revd Canon Paul The Rt Revd Paul Slater, RIPON International Christian Ayers has been appointed as Bishop of Richmond (who pastor, activist and author, Brian the new Archdeacon of Leeds. looks after the Episcopal Area McLaren, was in discussion with He will succeed the Venerable of Leeds), says, “I am really Bishop Nick last month at a Paul Hooper who pleased that Paul conference in Harrogate to dis- retired at the end Ayers has been cuss his latest work, ‘The Great of October. appointed as the Spiritual Migration.’ The event, next Archdeacon at St Mark’s Church, attracted Paul is currently of Leeds. Paul has an audience from across the Vicar of St an incisive mind north of England, keen to hear Lawrence and St and a passion to Brian McLaren’s influential Paul’s Church in see God’s church views which includes a call for Pudsey, where he grow and flourish. the church to move forward has been since I am looking from a religion based on a static 1997. He was born and brought forward to working with him.” belief system to “a way of life up in Bradford and after training and love which is organised for in Oxford and Bristol, he served It is expected that Paul will the good of society as a whole”. in parishes in the former take up his new post in The conference was organised Diocese of Bradford. February. by the Progressive Christianity Network. III News......News.....News.....News.....News.....NewsDiocese of Leeds news Reformation New Evangelical Bishop of Ripon and Brexit Network to retire 500 years since Martin Luther A network for Christians of It has been announced that nailed his 95 theses to the door the evangelical tradition the Bishop of Ripon, the Rt of Wittenburg church, an act in the diocese has been Revd James Bell, is to retire on which led to the Protestant launched. The Leeds Diocesan 30 April 2017 with a farewell Reformation, Bishop Nick has Evangelical Network has service in Ripon Cathedral. joined international church been officially recognized by James Bell has been Bishop leaders including the Pope at the CofE Evangelical Council, of Ripon since the creation of events in Germany to mark the with objectives to unite the new Diocese. anniversary. in fellowship evangelical Anglicans in the Diocese. The Bishop of Leeds preached at Erfurt Monastery where Secretary of the Leeds DEN, Luther was an Augustinian Revd David Houlton, said monk. He spoke of the “The Leeds Network links importance of the Reformation evangelicals across the five for Britain as well as Europe. Episcopal Areas and provides “England isn’t very interested support and information in the Reformation that began - especially for the many 500 years ago in Wittenberg. evangelicals ministering in Perhaps this …explains why so non-evangelical settings - He was ordained in 1975 in many Britons wanted to leave with a bi-monthly précis of the Diocese of Oxford and the European Community - later served in the Diocese they have no idea where they of London before joining come from or where they came the former Diocese of Ripon from…” as Director of Ministry and Training, then Director of He added, “After being Mission.