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UNITY POST
Autumn 2014. Vol. 1 No. 3
Take a tour: pages 4-6
CELEBRATING COMMITMENT
50 YEARS AGO, in 1964, the Roman Catholic Church worldwide made a ground-breaking commitment to
work for Christian Unity. As part of the Second Vatican Council, it issued a Decree on Ecumenism, called
Unitatis Redintegratio.
The Decree signalled a positive change in the
climate for Christian unity and has led to
much closer relationships between many
Churches since.
POST-REFORMATION
Photo: Philip Hatfield. www.ph-photo.co.uk
The main national commemoration of Unitatis Redintegratio will be held in West Yorkshire this month. The entire Catholic Bishops’
Conference of England and Wales will attend
a service of Ecumenical Vespers in Leeds Cathedral at 5.30pm on Tuesday 11 November.
The preacher will be an Anglican Archbishop,
the Most Revd. David Moxon, who is the Anglican Communion’s representative in Rome.
But what is the ecumenical climate today,
and how might all the Churches move even
closer together in the next 50 years? That will
be the theme of a WYEC-sponsored seminar
to take place immediately before Ecumenical
Vespers, at 2.30pm in Wheeler Hall, Leeds
Cathedral.
A richly diverse team of national experts will
be taking part:
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A sign of the openness to unity which we can so easily take
for granted. At a service in Leeds this autumn, which many
the Revd. Dr. David Cornick, General
Secretary of Churches Together in Eng- WYEC Church Leaders attended, the Revd. Mgr. John Wilson,
Administrator of the Catholic Diocese of Leeds, receives a
land;
blessing from the Rt. Revd. Walter Jagucki, Bishop of the
Professor Paul Murray, Catholic pioLutheran Church of Great Britain.
neer of “Receptive Ecumenism” in
which Churches are open to learning
from each other;
the Revd. Dr. Cally Hammond, Anglican representative at the World Council of
Churches;
and the Revd. Ken Howcroft, President of the Methodist Conference.
The service and the seminar together make for an historic ecumenical occasion. You can be
part of it by coming to Leeds Cathedral on 11 November.
No tickets are needed for the service. For a free ticket to the seminar, please send an email
to:- [email protected].
IN THIS EDITION.
Page 2: Bigger picture
Page 3: Local news
Pages 4-6: Le Tour—
How was it for you?
Page 7: Diary
Page 8: Unitatis Redintegratio details.
WYEC: supporting churches together across West and western North Yorkshire 1
Porvoo and Pour Nous
Photo: Philip Hatfield. www.ph-photo.co.uk
It is not often that Churches sign historic agreements to join in Communion with each other, but that is exactly what happened
in Yorkshire this autumn.
The Porvoo Communion is an international group of Anglican and Lutheran
Churches. At a special service in York Minster, membership was extended
to the Lutheran Church in Great Britain and to the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad. These Churches, both of which are represented in
West Yorkshire, are now in full Communion with the Church of England.
Left: the Revd. Gita Putce of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church
Abroad, pictured here with Pastor Mark Hardy of St Anne’s Lutheran Church, Headingley. Right: the historic signing in York Min-
Churches Together
in England
CTE has long had three Presidents, from the Anglican,
Catholic and Free Churches.
Other Presidents were recently appointed from the Orthodox Church and the Pentecostal family of Churches. A sixth
President has just been added: Billy Kennedy from Pioneer will represent a grouping
including the New Churches,
the Society of Friends and the
Lutheran and Germanspeaking Churches. At the
same time there is a new Free
Churches President—Hugh
Osgood, from Churches in
Communities International.
Taking Stock
A West Yorkshire welcome
awaits the Revd. Mgr Marcus
Stock, who this month becomes the next Catholic
Bishop of Leeds.
With a special interest in education, he has been a parish
priest in Birmingham, and
the General Secretary of the
Catholic Bishops’ Conference
of England and Wales. His
ordination takes place in
Leeds Cathedral on Thursday
13 November.
Welcome too to the Rt Revd. Jonathan Gibbs and the Rt. Revd. Toby Howarth, recently consecrated Bishops of Huddersfield and Bradford in the Anglican Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales.
The Churches Together Logo has just got sharper. Churches
Together in England have chosen a sharper version of their
logo and are making
this available to
Churches Together
groups who want to
sharpen up their image. See what is available for free at
www.cte.org.uk/logo.
Hustings 2015
New guidance for churches and Churches Together groups
wanting to organise hustings at next year’s election can be found
on the WYEC website, www.wyec.co.uk. It includes the Electoral
Commission rules on hustings and the Churches Legislation Advisory Service guidance on lobbying.
The Christian Enquiry Agency has
doubled the rate of hits on its website. See why at www.christianity.org.uk.
Time to Enquire
WYEC: supporting churches together across West and western North Yorkshire 2
Festivals
Congratulations to
Christ Church, Halton in East Leeds,
which has just celebrated 25 years as
a Methodist and
United Reformed
Church Single congregation Local
Ecumenical Partnership. The celebration included a
flower festival.
Festival Angels were out in
force at the Leeds Festival this
summer. The Rt. Revd. Nick
Baines, Anglican Bishop of
Leeds, joined the team, some
of whom came in from Kirkheaton.
120 volunteers provided lost
property facilities, a prayer
café and safe space for thousands of music fans over August Bank Holiday weekend.
Drums, Donkeys and LC* Bear (* = Love Calderdale)
Photographs from yet another stunning Christians in Calderdale celebration this summer
CHURCHES TOGETHER build community with people of other faiths
A celebration at Dewsbury Minster marked the launch of a Near
Neighbours programme covering Bradford, Dewsbury and much of
Leeds. There are small Government grants for community projects
bringing together churches and local people of other faiths. As the
Bishop of Pontefract, the Rt Revd Tony Robinson, said, “For us as
Christians the love of neighbour is not an option – it is a duty”.
Members of Churches Together in Lower Colne Valley raised £888 for Christian Aid in a sponsored walk
visiting all the churches in the Churches Together
group.
The Torch Trust is a Christian organisation supporting people with sight loss, promoting fulfilling
Christian lives. The local rep is James Seager,
[email protected], 07446 898149.
HOST, a voluntary agency promoting international goodwill, seeks hospitable
people of all ages.
Will you welcome an international university student, far from their own family, to
their home, for a day, a weekend or at
Christmas? Students will travel for the
privilege of meeting you, to learn about UK
life, and share their own culture. Please
see www.hostuk.org or call Anne Ramsden, 01484 654994.
(Watch out for the Faith in Community
Network, launching in West Yorkshire in
2015.)
VACANCIES
Children’s Ministry Enabler, Bradford North Methodist Circuit. £19-20k. Details:
[email protected], 01274 787626. Deadline: 5 November.
Chief Executive, Bradford Churches for Dialogue and Diversity. Up to £39.8k.
Details from [email protected]. Deadline: 10 November.
Chaplain, Wakefield Hospice, required to lead, coordinate and deliver the religious and spiritual care service across all departments. 30 hours p.w. £21.4k£27.9k pro rata. See www.wakefieldhospice.org. Deadline: 12 November.
Touchstone Administrator, to provide admin support for the project. 15 hours
p.w. £9.6k-£10.4k. Application pack: [email protected]. Deadline: 17
November.
WYEC: supporting churches together across West and western North Yorkshire 3
Allez, Alleluia!
Churches put on a
wheely good show!
THE Churches of West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire celebrated Le Tour in style: Community, Hospitality, Velocité.
In Huddersfield, St Philip's at
Birchencliffe, really cranked
up the gears because Le Tour
passed between the church
and its Community Centre.
The Vicar of Birchencliffe, the
Revd Mary Railton-Crowder,
said: “The church and the
grounds were decorated with
yellow flowers, yellow bikes
and lots of bunting. We had
two hospitality teams, one
working on each side of the
road. It was hard work but
we all had an amazing time!
“The Community Centre and
grounds hosted 400 plus people. The Scouts and Guides
provided barbecues, games,
stalls etc and we provided
refreshments, face painting,
toilets and baby changing
facilities.
“On the other side of the
road, our Mothers’ Union provided refreshments
inside and outside for the
crowds in the church grounds
and out on the pavement.
“We have no idea how many
people visited the church, but
we were packed out all
day. A local swing band
played in the church grounds
and they delighted the
crowds.
We had so many lovely comments - and so many thank
yous - it was wonderful. It
was a wonderful day for our
community. “
Spinning a yarn about Dewsbury Minster
IN the run-up to the race weekend,
Dewsbury Minster held an Arts and
Culture Festival Fun Day" during
which a bicycle was ‘yarnstormed’.
“The bike was donated by Streetbikes and much of the wool used
was donated by Unravel in Denby
Dale and Creative Crafts in Dewsbury,” said Ronalda Johnstone. “On
one side of the bike was Noah's
Ark and animals — inspired by a
large banner we have on display at
the Minster. On the handlebars
there was a tower and 8 bells to
show our bellringing connection.
On the other side was a St Paulinus
cross, because St. Paulinus brought
Christianity to the area - and also
the Titanic and icebergs to show
the connection with the bandleader who was a parishioner. On the
saddle was a Bible.”
WYEC: supporting churches together across West and western North Yorkshire 4
‘Allo à l’eau . . . ’Water’ weekend!
A GROUP of Huddersfield churches, who
regularly offer food for thought, decided to
offer “Water for Life” to Tour de France
spectators.
People from churches in Armitage Bridge,
Berry Brow, Hall Bower, Netherton and Newsome were stationed at the bottom of Waingate in Berry Brow and handed out nearly
1,600 “Water of Life” sports bottles filled
with Yorkshire spring water donated by
Bronte Water, of Honley.
From 7.30am on the Sunday, volunteers
from across the community were filling and
handing out bottles to the many cyclists
heading up the valley to Holme Moss.
Methodist minister the Revd John Hayes
said: "As local church communities we were
delighted to offer this as a refreshing gift.
We are all followers of Jesus, who was once
treated to refreshing water when he was
tired and thirsty in a strange land.
“As well as remembering the fantastic Le
Tour day for the entertainment and great
racing, we wanted people to remember Berry Brow for its generous hospitality."
The church communities involved were Hall
Bower Sunday School; Holy Trinity Church,
South Crosland; Newsome South Methodist
Church; Netherton Methodist Church; St
Paul’s at Armitage Bridge; St John’s at Newsome
ALTHOUGH not directly on Le Tour route,
Christchurch, The Grove, Ilkley, offered
visitors a chance to take some time out; to call
in and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of a cyclingthemed prayer labyrinth.
Outside the church door was a bicycle wheel to which
notes of celebration or concern could be tied – these
were offered in prayer by Christchurch prayer groups.
The Christchurch Cafe opened for extended hours
with an amended menu, providing hospitality and TV
viewing of the big event.
WYEC: supporting churches together across West and western North Yorkshire 5
Church says welcome with flowers
A CHURCH in Honley welcomed its Tour
de France visitors with a fine floral display.
Trinity Church applied to the Holme
Valley Parish Council for a grant of £101
to decorate the grassed area in front of
the church with red and white begonias
to represent the “King of the Mountain” stage of the race.
Church secretary Jane Armitage takes
up the story: “500 begonias were
bought from the Kirklees Parks Department and were lovingly potted up by
church members and watered daily.
“We managed to keep most of them
alive and certainly there were sufficient
to spell out Honley Trinity Church.
“We turned our noticeboard into a Tour
de France promotion for teas, coffees
and cakes, which we served on both the
Saturday and Sunday, and in addition,
sold craft items and a quiz, and made
the church and its facilities available to
visitors.
“We must have had 100 visitors over
the two days. With the lovely weather,
refreshments could be enjoyed inside
Honley’s
blooming
good
show . . .
with
flowers,
cakes and
crafts
and outside the church. The atmosphere was fun and friendly.
“It was all very worthwhile. Our efforts
raised a valuable £290 for church funds
and we were able to sell quite a number of begonias to church members and
passers-by after the weekend was sadly
over.”
Spectators received a warm welcome at (from left), Christ Church
Harrogate , Moortown St John and Holy Trinity ,Skipton.
THE message of HOPE Huddersfield was being shouted from
the rooftops when Le Tour came
to town.
At New North Road Baptist
Church in the town centre, a
HOPE banner flew among the
brightly coloured bunting and
little knitted jumpers specially
put up for Le Tour.
And just in case there was a
passing helicopter or two during
Le Tour, a banner declaring
Jesus is Lord was on the church
roof!
Picture courtesy of the
Revd Wayne Clarke.
FOLLOWING Le Tour, in an edition of the Keighley News, a letter was featured from Colin
Neville, of Silsden, headlined “Churches were
Silsden’s heroes”. He wrote: “No doubt local politicians will want to claim a big slice of the credit for
the warm welcome given to Le Tour competitors as
they passed through Silsden on Sunday.
But the real heroes were in fact the local Silsden
churches, their ministers and congregation members. They were the main inspiration, leaders and
creative movers in the town for this great event.
WYEC: supporting churches together across West and western North Yorkshire 6
NEWS AND EVENTS ACROSS THE WYEC REGION - SO MUCH GOING ON!
NOVEMBER
7. 7.30pm. Remembrance: music and poetry for those who have lost their lives through conflict. Bradford Cathedral. £8.
www.bradfordcathedral.org.
8. 10am. “How does your church minister to people living with sight loss?” South Parade Baptist, Headingley. Organised by
TORCH, Vision for People with Sight Loss. [email protected]. 07446 898149
8. 6-8pm. United Youth Event, firework display, hot dogs, parkin... St George's, Lupset. See www.facebook.com/
UnitedWakefield or contact Jon Buckley on 07450 778678 or [email protected]. United is promoted by
www.ymcawhiterose.org.uk
11. 6pm. Bradford Ecumenical Asylum Concern (BEACON). Delius Centre, with “Reflections on Forced Migration”.
www.beaconbradford.org
11. 2.30pm. SEMINAR ON ECUMENISM: The Last 50 Years, the Next 50 Years. Wheeler Hall, Leeds Cathedral.
David Cornick, Paul Murray, Cally Hammond, Ken Howcroft.
5.30pm. ECUMENICAL VESPERS. Leeds Cathedral. With the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and
Wales. Preacher: Archbishop David Moxon, Anglican representative in Rome.
11. 7pm. Bradford Interfaith Prayer for Peace. Khidmat Centre, Spencer Road, BD7 2EU.
11. 7.30pm. Migrants on the Margins: prayer and presentations, St George’s Crypt, Leeds,
13 12.30pm. Prayer for Leeds. St George’s.
15 8.30am. Kidz Klub Big Breakfast, Bridge Street, Leeds. See Kidz Klub in action! www.kidzklubleeds.org.uk.
15. 7.30pm Beer and Hymns. Red Lion, Wakefield Road, Ossett. Book food, £3, by 11th. 01924 263497.
13 7.30pm. SARA MAITLAND gives the Hook Lecture, “Bread and Roses: Connecting Justice and Joy”. Leeds Minster. Admission by free ticket: [email protected], 0113 391 7928.
16. 3pm. Oak Leaf Service for anyone in West Yorkshire killed or injured in road traffic accidents. Leeds Minster. Organised by
SCARD – Support and Care After Deaths and Injuries. [email protected]. 01484 723649.
18. 10am. Training day for Church Treasurers. Green Lane Centre, Whitby. £35. www.thegoodbook.co.uk/bookings/#c252.
(Similar day in Sheffield on 7 November, 0333 123 0880.)
19. 10am. Happiness Course Taster Day, with Andy Parnham, ex-doctor and church leader, and LIVABILITY. Encouraging communities to reflect on what it means to have a good life. £25 including lunch. Cartwright Hall, Lister Park, Bradford, BD9 4NS. https://
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-happiness-course-taster-tickets-13547241163.
20. 7.30pm “Singing for Peace”. A workshop with Marty Haugen, St Benedict’s, Aberford Road, Garforth, LS25 1PX. £5.
20. 7pm. LEEDS LEADS: RESISTING WAR, 1914. Clive Barrett gives the Ellen Heaton Memorial Lecture at the
Swarthmore Centre, Woodhouse Square, Leeds. LS3 1AD.
29. 7pm. Missional Generation launch. St John’s, New Street, Farsley, LS28 5DJ. Equipping Young People to be Influential for God.
DECEMBER
1-23. Get your church (or other) group into the festive mood at Hinsley Hall, Leeds. Festive lunch, £14.50; festive
dinner £22.50. Also b&b – single £39.50, double £49.50. See www.hinsley-hall.co.uk. 0113 261 8000.
23. 6.30pm. Churches Together in Wakefield carol singing, Trinity Walk.
JANUARY 2015
18-25. Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Resources, with input from the National Council of Christian Churches
of Brazil (CONIC), are available at www.ctbi.org.uk/682.
APRIL 2015
7-11. Hope Revolution: United We Stand; 5 Day Mission. “If
you have young people aged 13-18, and would like a chance to
express the HOPE that they found in Christ, by serving a local
Leeds or Bradford community mission project together with
other young people, this could be for THEM!” £85 all inclusive.
www.facebook.com/MissionalGeneration
WYEC: supporting churches together across West and western North Yorkshire 7
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF CATHOLIC ECUMENISM
“The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council.”
The Second Vatican Council issued Unitatis Redintegratio, its Decree on Ecumenism, in November 1964. Fifty years on,
the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, with West Yorkshire Ecumenical Council, invite you to
Ecumenical Vespers in Leeds Cathedral
5.30pm, Tuesday 11th November 2014
Preacher: the Most Revd. Sir David Moxon
the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Representative to the Holy See
and Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome
__________________________________________________________________
Immediately preceding Ecumenical Vespers, you are invited to Wheeler Hall, Leeds Cathedral, to participate in a
SEMINAR ON ECUMENISM
The last 50 years; the next 50 years
the Revd. Dr. David Cornick, General Secretary of Churches Together in England
the Revd. Dr. Cally Hammond, Dean, Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge
the Revd. Ken Howcroft, President of the Methodist Conference, 2014-2015
Professor Paul Murray, ARCIC III Commission; editor, Receptive Ecumenism and the Call to Catholic Learning
2.00 for 2.30pm, Tuesday 11th November 2014
To book your place at this important seminar, email [email protected]
UNITY IN PROCESS GET YOUR COPY NOW!
To discover more about how your local actions for unity and your local
Churches Together group influence the wider relations between the
Churches, you need to read Unity in Process; Reflections on Ecumenism, edited by Clive Barrett. Buy your copies direct from
www.wyec.co.uk (via Paypal) or by post from WYEC, 62 Headingley
Lane, Leeds, LS6 2BX.
It’s only £5.99 a copy; for group reading you can get 10 copies for £50.
Please distribute UNITY POST far and wide and
forward it to all your own email contacts. Send
us details of all your stories and your plans, so
we can celebrate everything that crosses denominational boundaries in our region.
Read it online at www.wyec.co.uk. Whatever
you do together, tell us, and we’ll encourage
others to follow your good example. Deadline
for the next issue: 1 December.
To receive future digital issues, please email
WYEC at [email protected] and we’ll
add you to our mailing list. Use the same
address for sending in all the news items and
announcements you would like included.
Churches Together
groups —please help
WYEC help to support
you. All contributions
gratefully received—
we suggest an annual
donation to WYEC of
£3 per church in your
group. Thank you! (If
there is anything we
can do support you,
please don’t hesitate
to ask.)
UNITY POST is published by West Yorkshire Ecumenical Council, Hinsley Hall,
62 Headingley Lane, Leeds, LS6 2BX. (T) 0113 2618053.
(E) [email protected]. (W) www.wyec.co.uk. (Twitter) @WYEC1.
Find us on Facebook too.
WYEC consists of:
BAPTIST CHURCHES members of Yorkshire Baptist Association
THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND West Yorkshire and the Dales
THE LUTHERAN CHURCH
THE METHODIST CHURCH Leeds District, West Yorkshire District
THE MORAVIAN CHURCH Yorkshire District
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Diocese of Leeds
THE SALVATION ARMY Yorkshire Division
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS Quakers in Yorkshire
THE UNITED REFORMED CHURCH Yorkshire Synod
THE WESLEYAN HOLINESS CHURCH
WYEC is a registered charity, 1108691
WYEC: supporting churches together across West and western North Yorkshire 8