WYEC: supporting churches together across West and western North Yorkshire 1

UNITY POST Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2015. Vol. 2 No. 1

West Yorkshire Church Leaders have built up a tradition of standing together in public witness annually on what some churches call Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Traditionally, it mirrors the 40 days that Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. It is a good opportunity to look at ourselves, reflecting on what we need to change to put our own lives in order, and to look at our society and the ways in which that needs to change too. Past issues of concern raised by the Church Leaders include asylum, debt, cuts, political extremism, food banks. . .

This year, Ash Wednesday is 18 February.

One of the most worrying trends in Britain today is the increasing narrowness of attitudes, the hostility to-ward outsiders (contrast Deuteronomy 10.19: “You shall love the stranger”), sowing division between neighbours. It promises to make for a depressing and disturbing election campaign ahead.

We do not need to be caught up in this negativity. Instead, let’s celebrate the diversity of people in our so-ciety, not least the rich diversity of Christian Churches across the region. There are Christian people from all around the world in West Yorkshire—and the fastest growing churches in Britain are those with interna-tional roots—so let’s celebrate our unity and diversity by coming together in shared public witness.

The proposal is that we gather in the former church of St John, New Briggate at 1pm on 18 February, bring-ing a variety of national flags, crosses and banners. We will then process through the city centre in a walk of witness. We will finish at Holy Trinity Church, Boar Lane for a time of prayer together, ending at 2pm.

This is a great opportunity to show the breadth and strength of the Christian Churches in a public place. Wherever you are in West Yorkshire and western North Yorkshire, come and join us — and bring your flags, crosses and banners too. Let’s show that we are many, we are varied and that we are one.

Politicians may seek to divide us, but we celebrate our diversity and we re-joice that we are one in Christ. For final details keep an eye on www.wyec.co.uk.

IN THIS EDITION. Page 2: Unitatis what? Page 3: Time for hustings Pages 4-5: A year on camera Page 6: Diary dates Page 7: Book shop! Page 8: Unity Week 2015

Unity Week: page 8

CELEBRATING DIVERSITY!

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50 years ago, the worldwide Catholic Church took a huge step in working towards Christian unity through the publication of a decree on ecumenism called Unitatis Redintegratio.

To mark this 50th anniversary, a range of national and regional leaders of other Churches joined with the entire Conference of Bishops of England and Wales in a service of Vespers in Leeds Cathedral. It was jointly organized by WYEC, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference Department for Dialogue and Unity, and Leeds Cathedral, and attended by 400 people. The preacher was an Anglican Archbishop, David Moxon, who is the Anglican representative in Rome.

The service was preceded by a seminar chaired by Bishop Tony Robinson, at that time Chair of WYEC. David Cornick, the General Secretary of Churches Together in England, gave an insight into the history of English ecumenism. Paul Murray, a Catholic Member of the Angli-can-Roman Catholic International Commission, spoke of “Receptive Ecumenism”, how we can learn from each other. Cally Hammond, Dean of Gonville an Caius College Cambridge, spoke of representing the Church of England at the World Council of Churches Assembly. Ken Howcroft, President of the Methodist Conference, wondered how passages of Unitatis Redintegratio would sound if you changed “Catholic” to “Methodist”.

The whole event was good for building relationships between the Churches, bringing key players together from different traditions. It was good for the Catholic Church, reminding the bishops of their tradition and responsibility for ecumenism. It was good for West Yorkshire, that we could hold such a na-tional commemoration in Leeds. Hopefully it was good for each of us taking part in the prayer and in the teaching, that we left inspired and committed to building relationships be-tween Christian people whatever our—and their—tradition.

New Member: New Testament West Yorkshire Ecumenical Council has a new member Church. The New Testament Church of God is the eleventh denomination in WYEC.

The Church has its roots in the Holiness Movement in the latter part of the 19th century in America, out of which was born the Church of God in 1886, which is now established in 180 countries with registered members of over 7 million. The denomination was planted in England in 1953.

Today the Church has over 130 branches and missions in most of the major cities of England and Wales, with registered membership of over 11,000 and adherents in excess of 30,000 representing the diversity of cultures in the UK. The Church is served by over 300 credentialed ministers, youth leaders, evangelists and a large number of volunteers

There are congregations in Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield and two in Leeds.

Bishop Tony Parry is long established in the WYEC area. A former Chair of the Churches Regional Commission in Yorkshire and the Humber, a key player in the former West Yorkshire African Caribbean Council of Churches , and a member of the TEAM net-work of church leaders.

Church Leaders Our thanks go out to the Rt Revd. Tony Robin-son, Bishop of Pontefract, who has completed his two years as Chair of WYEC. He remains a trustee.

The WYEC Chair for 2015 and 2016 is the Revd. Kevin Watson, Moderator of the Yorkshire Syn-od of the United Reformed Church. It will be a busy time for Kevin, as he has also been elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the URC.

The new WYEC vice-chair is Pastor Gloria Hanley of the Wesleyan Holiness Church..

We welcome the new Catholic Bish-op of Leeds, the Rt Revd. Marcus Stock. He was previ-ously the Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

Celebrating Catholic Ecumenism

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ENGAGING WITH FAITHS In response to an Inter Faith Week Lecture at Leeds Trinity University, Sister Teresa Brittain of the Sisters of Sion spoke of inter faith encounter entering into the world and perspectives of the oth-er, as like falling in love. “You can’t emerge from the experience the same. You are different, you have acquired something of the other, you have grown; you are not what you were before. Your own faith is illuminated and deepened by encountering the faith of the other, and you take this new dimension of faith and life with you as you journey on”. The event is re-ported by Celia Blackden, the Inter Faith Officer for Churches Together in England, in cte.org.uk/news. Celia is about to move from Leeds to the Focolare Centre near Rome. We wish her well and thank her for her contribution to inter faith understanding in Yorkshire.

LEWIS BURTON

We are sorry to report the death

of the Revd. Dr. Lewis Burton, the

first County Ecumenical Officer for

WYEC from 1987. The author of a

huge thesis on ecumenism in

Leeds, he helped to mould ecu-

menism in West Yorkshire. One of

his early tasks was helping the

chaplains at Leeds University and

Polytechnic form an ecumenical

team. Lewis is pictured here (far left) at the launch of WYEC in 1987.

Lewis attended WYEC's 25th anniversary celebrations in 2012. His funeral was

in Keighley Shared Church in December.

WITNESS AGAINST TRAFFICKING “In the eyes of God each human being is a free person, whether girl, boy, woman or man, and is destined to exist for the good of all in equality and fra-ternity.” This is part of a statement against human trafficking, signed by Pope, the Arch-bishop of Canterbury and the Ecumenical Patriarch, with the leaders of other religions. See www.globalfreedomnetwork.org

HURRY ALONG FOR HUSTINGS The 2015 General Election is approaching fast and it is good when Churches Together groups take the lead in organising hustings. Don’t let the candidates get away with glossy leaflets and press releases. Challenge them in person. What do they believe? What policies would they support if they were elected? How would the Churches’ passion for the poor be upheld or held back by those standing for election?

The time for organising hustings is now, before candidates’ diaries fill up.

There are many pitfalls, however, and it is best to check the legal position before you get im-mersed in the mire of election rules and expenses. Check out the new guidance for church groups wanting to organise hustings. See the WYEC website, www.wyec.co.uk. We give links to the Electoral Commission’s rules on hustings and to guidance on lobbying from the Church-es Legislation Advisory Service.

Where will you put YOUR cross?

BIRTHDAY CHURCH Christ Church, Halton, a local ecumenical partnership, is 25 years old. It celebrated with a café style service with food, drinks and a birthday cake. Peter Young, church secretary said “it was an excellent way to cele-brate the birth of the Church and all really felt the presence of the Holy Spirit.” At the service, nine people were accepted into dual membership of the Methodist and United Reformed Churches.

Watch out for Missional Generation: Equipping Young People to be influential for God, a newly launched charity. It equips young people by offering them the chance to take part in regular Mis-sion Academies.

VACANCY: Chaplaincy Service Manager for the Universities Chaplaincy in Leeds Trust. From £21.3k. See leeds.ac.uk/chaplaincy. Deadline 23 January.

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Every picture tells a story - here’s Looking back at 2014 — it was a year of GENEROSITY, JUSTICE, FAITH, CELEBRATION, HOPE, LOVE, HOSPITALITY , AND TEAMWORK

Justice Day in Wakefield

Airedale

The focus fell on Generosity on Shrove Tuesday with food given away—and col-

lected—for people in need. Thoughts turned to Justice on Ash Wednesday.

Free food in Potternewton Food bank volunteers in South Leeds

There were declarations and celebrations of faith at Easter in Bradford, Cleckheaton, Todmorden, Wetherby, Wakefield, Leeds and Huddersfield

Generosity—in Saltaire

Lupset

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the last year captured on camera!

Portraying hope in different ways over Easter in Headingley, Settle and Huddersfield

Christians in the Halifax area joined together for Love Calderdale 2014 in the town centre where there were free activities and entertainment. Later there was an outdoor service of

praise and worship, with adult baptism and communion .

Christians throughout Huddersfield, Leeds, Harrogate, Ilkley, Skipton and Dewsbury put on a fine show for the Tour de France this summer offering welcome and hospi-tality to thousands of

visitors.

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APRIL 2015

7-11 April. 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 serv-ing a local Leeds or Bradford community mission project to-gether with other young people, this could be for THEM!” £85

JANUARY 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. See page 8. Unity services include 18 January, 6pm, English Martyrs Church, Dewsbury Road, Wakefield. Unity week events include: 22 January, Halifax Minster, Stephen TImms MP, Faith and Politics

FAITH IN DARK PLACES - Myths and Lies about Poverty (A Lenten Journey).

St Edmund’s Church, Roundhay, 21 Febru-ary. 10am-3pm. With light lunch and hot drinks.

The speakers will be Paul Morrison, co-author of Truths, Myths and Lies about Poverty, produced by the Baptists, Methodists, URC and the Church of Scotland; David Rhodes, author of Faith in Dark Places; Ann Morisey, a theologian, practioner and speaker on poverty.

Workshop topics include: homelessness, asylum seek-ers, debt, child poverty, food banks and work and welfare.

Register in advance: contact Jean Livesey on 0113 293 7403, jlivesey@ntlworld.com

NEWS AND EVENTS ACROSS THE WYEC REGION

HOPE ACTUALLY is a five week Lent course from the Church Urban Fund. There are five sessions: the Joy of the Gospel, the Foolishness, Challenge, Vision and Power of the Gospel, based on the Bible readings many churches will use on the Sundays of Lent. Find out more from www.cuf.org.uk.

OTHER JANUARY EVENTS

The Question of the Animal in Religion. Dr. Aaron Gross, of the University of San Diego, 22 January, 2pm. University of Leeds Centre for Religion and Public Life. For details and exact venue contact r.e.muers@leeds.ac.uk

A Traditional and Vintage Wedding Show will take place at Ripon Cathedral 24 January, 11am to 4pm.

SOME INTERFAITH EVENTS IN FEBRUARY

9 February, 9.30-12noon, “Women Peace-ing Together”. Design and create a textile banner marking 40 years of Con-cord in Leeds. At Asha Neighbourhood Project, Stratford Street, Beeston, LS11 6GJ.

11 February, 7pm. Bradford Interfaith Prayer for Peace, Khidmat Centre, Spencer Road, Bradford, BD7 2EU.

14 February, 10am-3.30pm, A Christian and Muslim in Conversation: Ataullah Siddique and Christopher Lamb. The Mir-field Centre, Stocks Bank Road, WF14 0BW. 01924 481920. centre@mirfield.org.uk.

LOOKING AHEAD

23-27 February, Felicity Lawson, Travelling Hopeful-ly, Scargill House, Kettlewell. For this and a large programme of other events at Scargill, see www.scargillcommunity.org

5 March, Lord Adebowle, Crime and Punishment, Halifax Minster

16-20 March, Women’s Spirituality Course, Centre for the Study of Theology and Health, Thirsk. www.holyroodhouse.org.uk

26 March, 7.30pm, Book launch, Clive Barrett, Sub-versive Peacemakers, Leeds Church Institute (see page 7)

LOOKING FURTHER AHEAD

16 April, General Election Hustings, Halifax Minster 24 May (Pentecost) Global Day of Prayer

17 June: Climate Change lobby of Parliament 4 July Hope for the Nations celebration, Briggate, Leeds

“If I’d known how good it would be, I’d have asked my friends!” That has been the response to previous presentations by Liz Babbs and Simeon Wood at Churches Together in Low Moor and Oakenshaw.

Liz and Simeon are back once more for a premier of Ruach, a presentation of words and music about the Holy Spirit.

Saturday 7 March. Further details: twen-tyman13@btinternet.com

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Bookworms’ corner ...

Disciples Together: Discipleship, Learning and Small Groups Roger Walton, SCM Press 2014, £19.99

Roger Walton is Chair of West Yorkshire Methodist District. He has previously written about The Reflective Disciple. In his latest volume, he explores the role of small groups in growing disciples.

Many people join small groups in their church with the hope of strengthening and developing their discipleship. Many churches expect their members to be part of a small group. But how does God form and transform us? What are the vehicles of grace that enable change and growth? How do we recognize them and work with them? (And what about people who do not want to be part of a small group?) How does this fit in to a biblical notion of formation and Christian companionship?

“The journey of discipleship is not intended to be made alone but in the company of others. We are to be disciples together.” – which may or may not lead us into small groups.

“To be a disciple is to be called by Jesus. . . is to follow Jesus. . . is to be changed.”

Subversive Peacemakers: War-Resistance 1914-1918 Clive Barrett, Lutterworth Press 2014, £20

As well as being County Ecumenical Officer for WYEC, Clive Barrett is Chair of the Peace Museum in Bradford. He draws from the resources of the Museum, and other historical sources, to tell the stories of those who dared to oppose the First World War.

His particular interest is in Christians of all denominations who rejected the war, often be-cause of their faith commitment to Jesus who blessed peacemakers, commanded love for enemies and refused to be defended by the sword in Gethsemane. Stories are seen from “An Anglican Perspective” partly because there are so many stories to tell, and partly be-cause war-resistance from within the Church of England was that much more subversive.

There are many Yorkshire stories of war-resistance. Did you know that Christian conscien-tious objectors from Yorkshire, some of whom left their graffiti on cell walls in Richmond Castle, were sent to France, tortured and threatened with death—for refusing to kill?

Find out how their stand changed the churches, and changed society’s attitude to war.

Read this timely volume as a balance to any jingoism of 1914-18 war commemoration.

Hear the author speak about this book at Leeds Church Institute, 7.30pm, 26 March.

Street Angels: the Amazing Story from Binge to Better Paul Blakey and friends, £7.99 A NEW book telling the story of Street Angels as it has expanded across the UK and Spain has been published as a paperback. Street Angels - the amazing story from binge to better was written and compiled by Paul Blakey and tells the story of the launch of Halifax Street Angels, the expansion through CNI (Christian Nightlife Initiatives) Network and stories of changed commu-nities and changed lives from over 30 local projects. Paul says: "This book is a collection of amazing stories from across the UK and Spain and is a great example of the way volunteers from churches and communities are helping change a culture." The Bishop of Pontefract, the Right Reverend Tony Robinson, patron of CNI Network, writes in the foreword: "Much of the news we hear about night life in our towns and cities is about unsocial behaviour and violence. So it is heartening to be able to read this story which, though not in any way diminishing the impact of harsh realities, tells of faith, hope and love." The book is available on-line as well as at a number of retailers, see www.sa-cni.org.uk/book . The book is also available as an eBook on Kindle, Google Play and as a PDF.

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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 Ecumen-ism, 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.

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.)

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 clivebarrett@wyec.co.uk 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.

UNITY POST is published by West Yorkshire Ecumenical Council, Hinsley Hall, 62 Headingley Lane, Leeds, LS6 2BX. (T) 0113 2618053. (E) clivebarrett@wyec.co.uk. (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 NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH OF GOD 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

The Well is Deep This year’s theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity comes from the church-es of Brazil. Brazilians, who have traditionally been tolerant of their various social classes and ethnic groups, are now living through a time of growing intolerance and high lev-els of violence, especially against minori-ties and the vulnerable. The logic that undergirds this kind of be-haviour is competition for the religious market.

Increasingly, in Brazil, some Christian groups compete with one another for a place on the mass media, for new members and for public funds. The Brazilian churches have begun to recognise that intolerance should be dealt with in a positive way - respecting diversity and promoting dialogue as a permanent path of reconciliation and peace in fidelity to the gos-pel. We can share this recognition. Although the competition between churches is less obvious in our islands, we are well aware that competition and violent discrimination lie beneath the surface of our lives together. Jesus challenges us to acknowledge that diversity is part of God’s design, to approach one another in trust and to see the face of God in the face of all men and women.

Diversity: Part of God’s Design Find out more about Jesus and the Christian faith. See www.christianity.org.uk and www.rejesus.co.uk ***************************

Artistic designer wanted: can you design the 2015 Churches To-gether in England Christmas card? (This is the 2014 one)See www.cte.org.uk/christmaspicture