Diocesan News February 2017 www.leeds.anglican.org

‘Church Action on Poverty’ as Urgent Tanzania Bishop highlights homelessness drought appeal The last Sunday before Lent, “What I found most powerful Churches are being urged to Sunday 26th February, is was that, more than a cup of support parishes in the Diocese earmarked as Church Action tea or a sandwich, they often of Mara, Tanzania, which is on Poverty Sunday when valued the fact that someone suffering from starvation due to churches are crop failures. encouraged to pray and act The appeal has come from the for change. Bishop of Mara, the Rt Revd Recently, George Okoth, who says that the Bishop many congregations in areas of Bradford, like the Serengeti have not Toby Howarth been able to grow and sell (pictured right, crops and support their clergy. with Vicar of Many of the clergy and their Manningham, families are going hungry. Canon Alistair Helm) spent a night sleeping asked their name, looked them rough to highlight the plight of in the eye and was interested more than 250,000 people in in their story. What they found England who are homeless. In most hurtful was people an abridged article, he reflects walking past as if they didn’t on his experience. exist or, worse, treating them like a piece of rubbish. “Homelessness is a growing issue for West Yorkshire and “I have also discovered a whole “Ninety-five percent of our nation as a whole. In 2015, world of generosity. For a our congregations rely on double the number of people week at a time, through the subsistence farming,” he said. were sleeping rough than in ‘Inn Churches’ programme, 2010. I spent a night last month different congregations across Parishes are invited to “buy sleeping rough in the porch of a the diocese share their time a bag of maize for Mara” by Bradford church, raising money and buildings to provide rough sending £40 cheques made for the Church Urban Fund’s sleepers with a quality meal, an payable to “Leeds Diocesan work in the city. In the weeks evening of games and company, Board of Finance”, with, written leading up to and after my night a warm place to sleep and a on the back, “Mara bag of in the churchyard, I talked with hearty breakfast. There is light maize appeal”, c/o Diocese of homeless people I came across in the darkness!” Leeds Finance Dept., 17-19 as I went around the city. York Place, Leeds, LS1 2EX. I Be my Deanery Valentine? Wedding Fair Bishop BRADFORD Churches in Ilkley deanery are getting together to hold their first Wedding Fair Well, if Christmas was all bringing together many local about God turning words businesses at one location, St about love into action, then it Margaret’s Church Ilkley, on doesn’t take long for love to Saturday 11th February. get lost in romance, does it? February is the month Organiser Lizzie Reynolds, when we continue to tell a reader at Burley in the surprising story of what Claudius II around 270AD Wharfedale, says the aim is happened when the baby for helping Christian couples to showcase local churches of Bethlehem grew up and to get married. So, the link and dispel some of the myths became less meek and mild. between love and marriage is people have about a church there to be seen. (Although wedding. “From my own We re-tell how he showed this doesn’t help explain why conversations,” she said, “I love to the loveless, and got he is also the patron saint of know that many people would into trouble with all the same beekeepers and epilepsy and like a church wedding but people who were supposed to has a remit for sorting out believe they are expensive or be welcoming him. Clearly, life plague, fainting and traveling. exclusive to members of the doesn’t always go to plan. Or why bits of his skeleton congregation.” But, while we are re-living now reside in Rome, the Czech the story of Jesus in church, Republic, Ireland, Scotland, Area Dean, and Vicar of St outside the church all eyes England and France.) Margaret’s, the Revd Philip are focused on the love-fest Gray, added, “We have that is Valentine’s Day - 14th But, a connection is surely some wonderful churches in February. The shops are full to be made between love Wharfedale to host weddings. of more stuff to give to your and cost. Christian love is In our local communities, loved-one, more flowers represented not by a pink too, there are many small (that suddenly become more heart, but by a cross. So, businesses who provide great expensive for no apparent maybe Valentine’s Day faces service to those looking to be reason...), more chocolate (to us with this reality - mid- married. The Wedding Fair keep us going until the Easter way between the manger of will bring all these different bunnies arrive), and more Bethlehem and the cross of elements together from our pink love hearts than you can Easter - that romance is lovely, communities.” shake a stick at. Marvellous ... but love goes deeper. unless you are lonely or feel He added, “The Fair will be a unloved. +Nick great opportunity for those Bishop of Leeds thinking about and planning The really weird thing about their weddings to see what Valentine’s Day, however, is is possible. It is going to be a that it is named after a priest very unique and special event, who was allegedly beheaded very appropriately just before near Rome by the emperor St Valentine’s Day! Anyone is welcome.”

II ‘Blaze of light’ as New wheels prepares for Candlemas for care centre

RIPON Preparations for the light in the main chancel. WAKEFIELD One of the last historic service and procession The Candlemas Eucharist remaining elderly day care for Candlemas, taking place celebrates the Presentation services in Wakefield has been on Thursday 2nd February of the Infant Christ in the awarded a new minibus from at 7.30pm, will begin early Temple, and traditionally the Department of Transport. at Ripon marks the Cathedral. end of the The Day Centre, run out of St Ahead of Christmas Catherine’s Church Centre, the service, season. enables 100 elderly residents one of At Ripon across the area to live in their the most Cathedral own homes for longer, while spectacular it has been providing respite to their car- in the celebrated ers. The new minibus will now Cathedral’s for hundreds enable the charity to reach calendar, of years. A new areas. Jonathan Williams, thousands visitor to the Project Manager who secured of candles will be placed Cathedral in 1790 declared the vehicle said: “We had to around the ancient building that the whole building was wait a long time while the gov- by the team of vergers. The “one continued blaze of light ernment put the contract out service is lit purely by the all afternoon”. This year, the to tender, but Minibus Options candles placed throughout preacher will be the Dean Ltd have done an absolutely the Cathedral - candles also of Wakefield, the Very Revd splendid job of modifying the form a spectacular cross of . minibus for our needs.” Lighthouse Academy Birthday party LEEDS Lighthouse, a unique chaotic lifestyles... After being HUDDERSFIELD Holy Trin- Christian community based baptised, many have been ity Church, Huddersfield, cel- at St George’s Leeds, has just really hungry to learn more ebrated its 200th anniversary celebrated the completion of and deepen their faith, but last month with three adult the first for various baptisms, and the welcome module reasons news of a £184,000 grant from of their can’t access the Heritage Lottery Fund to fix innovative mainstream a leaking roof. The church was discipleship discipleship built thanks to the vision and course, the options. wealth of 23 year old Benjamin Lighthouse So we’ve Haigh Allen and, 200 years Academy. started on, prayers of thanks were Many members of Lighthouse our own discipleship course. said for his work while hymns have suffered homelessness, We’ve just run our first term were sung from the original addiction or mental health and the participants have foundation-laying service in issues. Mission Priest, Revd absolutely loved it.” If you December 1816. Each member Jon Swales, said, “Lighthouse can help support Lighthouse of the congregation was invited reaches out to those who are visit their website www. to lay their own ‘living stone’ as battered and bruised by the lighthousewestyorkshire. their act of dedication to Christ storms of life, who often live org.uk and his church. III News...... News.....News.....News.....News.....NewsDiocese of Leeds news Boxing Day Pilgrimage returns New Year, more popular than ever New Deanery

After being cancelled in 2015 Two deaneries have become because of the Christmas one under a reorganisation floods, the traditional Boxing of the Ripon Episcopal Area Day Pilgrimage from Ripon which came into effect in Cathedral to Fountains Abbey January. was back, stronger and more popular than ever with an The Deanery of Bowland and estimated 2000 people taking Ewecross brings together part. For the , seven parishes from the , it was a poignant former Ewecross deanery with day – his last co-leading the thirteen Bowland parishes. pilgrimage with Dean of Ripon, , before his Canon Ian Greenhalgh has retirement in April. “Ripon has been appointed as Area a very special place in my heart, Dean. He said, “When we and it was brilliant to join in this became the Diocese of Leeds most Ripon of activities!” he both deaneries lost parishes commented. Cistercian monks who set out to Carlisle and Blackburn the day after Christmas, 1132 Dioceses. Over the past three In bright sunlight, hundreds of AD to found a new Cistercian ‘pilgrims’ gathered outside the monastery at Fountains on the West Front of Ripon Cathedral, banks of the River Skell. to be joined by those who had attended the Holy Communion The walkers were swelled service inside. Around 1200 in numbers at the village of or more walkers streamed Studley Royal, passing across up Ripon’s famous Kirkgate the Studley Royal Deer Park and on through the Market and on to the National Trust Square. Their route followed site. Roughly 2000 pilgrims in the footsteps of a group of crowded into the spectacular vaulted and floodlit Abbey years we have been working Cellarium, where together as deanery synods mulled wine and also chapter. This has and mince pies worked really well and it were served and made sense to become legally the pilgrimage the new Deanery of Bowland culminated and Ewecross, the most with a service Westerly part of the diocese of prayers and - and in many ways the most carols. beautiful!”

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