Category: Recent

Parish Teams Meeting – 7 March 2023

Much was discussed at this meeting – here are some notes of our discussions.

GHM is at its best when…

  • We are serving all cultures and backgrounds
  • We are working together towards a well-understood objective, with well understood values, which we share, helping each other out as we go.
  • We involve our full membership
  • We work together with clear aims to serve God
  • We are loving those outside our membership as well as inside
  • There are people from all the different churches mixed up together
  • You see people being thoughtful of one another
  • We are helping others
  • We all work together
  • We get together informally
  • We pray on a Sunday for lots of different people
  • People help others less fortunate than themselves.

Three areas for concern are:  What can we do?

Discipleship

Is helping all people to become more like Jesus.
It is Costly.  One hour on a Sunday is not enough to become a mature disciple of Jesus.
This is the bedrock for everything else – if we are Disciples – we will care and evangelise!  This brings people in – Pastoral Care keeps people in!
It’s OK to be vulnerable with others.

Evangelism

People of our parish need to know we think they are valuable and that we care.
What follow up do we need after RESTORE
This needs serious praying!
We need some training. We need persistence and intentionality.

Pastoral Care

Can we make a Menu of what we offer as a Parish?
How can people opt in?
How do we know what is going on if people don’t tell us?
What can we do for those who can’t get to gathered worship?

 

Welcome to our new Curate – Rev Emma Wilkinson

This morning we welcomed Rev Emma Wilkinson to the Parish of Girlington, Heaton and Manningham.  Emma preached at our 10.30 Parish Worship service and we had a great lunch to get to know each other better.  Scroll down for pictures of Emma’s ordination in Wakefield on Saturday and the service today.  If you missed this morning you can watch it back here.

 

Emma's Welcome Lunch

Good Friday 2022 – Walking a’cross’ the Parish

Meeting all together at the end

On Good Friday 2022 we held four short services in each of our churches.  Then we set off to meet each other.  Drawing lines between our churches makes the shape of a cross so we finished our service all together at the centre of the cross.  We finished our service with the words:

If you have ever believed that God has abandoned us, this day says He hasn’t!

If you have ever believed that God can’t save us, this day says he can!

Leaving St Barnabas

Service at St Philip’s

Heading up the hill

Service at St Martin’s

Heading down the hill

Licensing Service of the Rev Ben Care – 23 November 2021

Last night we welcomed Rev Ben Care and his family to our Parish.  Bishop Toby led the service and we were joined by Archdeacon Andy Jolley , our Area Dean Rev John Bavington as well as others from around the city.  Many friends of the family travelled great distances for the occasion and we’re so grateful to all who did!

Scroll down for some more pictures as well as the livestream if you want to relive the whole service.

Welcome Ben, Helen, Anna and Lyla!

 

 

 

No comments

Parish Forum Report – 19th September 2021

  By

Last week we met to talk about the future as a single Parish.  All four churches were represented and we ensured mixed tables for a well balanced discussion.  Below is a selection of the comments made both during feedback and written on the table notes.  Hopefully for those who were unable to come this will give a flavour of how this event unfolded.

How can we be a Church that reaches young people, families and non churched people?

  • Simple Language
  • More participation
  • Small groups for deeper discussion
  • Balance of formal and Informal
  • School work to reach Parents
  • Food is always a good way for relationship to form
  • Clubs – film club, revision club etc
  • An audit – who/where/why are the young people
  • Try ideas again – just because it didn’t work once doesn’t mean it was a bad idea
  • Participate – if we agree or not we need to try things to give honest feedback.
  • Are we willing to give of ourselves?
  • We mustn’t ignore the older folk. Harvest/Remembrance etc
  • We need the doors open – not just on Sunday
  • If we only cater for those who come now who will fill church offices (Wardens PCC etc) in the future?
  • Advertising?  Are services accessible?  Do the right people know about them?
  • Can we have a Mission field to those who haven’t  been to church for 70 years?
  • We need Stepping stones – don’t make the gaps too big for people to easily make the next step.
  • Listen to those on the ‘wavelength’ of those outside church
  • Buy a Minibus?
  • Gardening and other activities that may attract those living in the area

What are you anxious about?

  • If churches aren’t open we lose the congregation
  • The Traditional Communion service is not on Sunday
  • We are a missionary movement – why no Mission to Muslims?
  • That there will be no church in 30 years
  • Few people but many jobs
  • Dwindling numbers – closing churches

What are you Hopeful about?

  • During Plagues and pestilence – God’s people must overcome
  • Energized by numbers
  • Energized by feeding the community in the week
  • Coffee outside at St Barnabas
  • Young people and their climate challenge
  • God knows our fears, he loves us – we should trust him
  • This Parish Forum is proof people are willing to meet together.
  • The Holy Spirit will guide us
No comments

NOTIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT – Rev Ben Care

  By , ,

The Revd Ben Care, currently Assistant Curate at Burton St Chad & Stretton with Claymills in the Lichfield Diocese is to become Associate Vicar of Girlington, Heaton & Manningham in the Bradford Episcopal
Area.   Ben will be licensed on 23rd  November 2021 at 7pm at St Paul’s Church, Manningham by Bishop Toby Howarth.

Ben introduces himself below….

I am delighted to have been appointed as the new Associate Minister for the parish of Girlington, Manningham and Heaton.

A little about me: I became a Christian aged 20 whilst at Warwick university and it transformed my life. Helen and I met and married on a Christian year out course in 2001 and have been trying to follow where Jesus leads ever since. Along the way I have worked and volunteered for mission organisations and I have long had a heart to see people of different faiths and backgrounds come to know Christ. Eventually the twists and turns of this journey led to being ordained in 2017 and serving my curacy in two churches in Burton upon Trent, in the Midlands. The things that I am passionate about are seeing God’s church become more fully what it can be; for us to be growing as disciples, living out His call on our lives wherever that finds us and being a people committed to His word and grappling with it. My hope is that as we grow and change more into His likeness this will spill over into the lives of those around us.

I will be coming with my family; my wife, Helen, and our daughters Anna (aged 11) and Lyla (aged 6). We love spending time outdoors, walking and exploring the countryside and nature so we’re really looking forward to getting to know the area. I am a board game geek, bookworm and coffee connoisseur.

I am excited to be joining you as we seek to serve Christ in this parish together.

Baptisms June 2021

 

On June 20 2021 we had a joyous occasion as we held baptisms!  Many had been waiting most of the pandemic for this moment. So it was especially meaningful.

You can find the livestream available here.  If you came to the service and couldn’t see the baptism well – then a very special close up view is worth watching.

We did manage to go outside to say a proper farewell to Sue – here is a short montage of pictures and a bit of video of her parting words.

APCM Videos – Recap of 2020 – Forward to 2021 and beyond

Thanks to the many of you who attended our APCM on 30th May 2021.  It came around quickly this time since our last one was in November 2020.

As well as the formal meeting and administration there was a video recap of the year, a parable and some group discussion about our vision for the future.  For those of you who couldn’t attend or if you want to attend again…..!

You can watch the recap of 2020 here:

You can hear the Parable of the Two Luncheon Clubs and the meaning explained on this video:

Community Pantry

The Community Pantry is at St Philip’s church on Tuesday afternoons between 12 and 1pm.

​By joining the scheme, your £5 will stretch further, getting you 16 items of mainly fresh food. £1 of this can be put into a savings account with Credit Union.​

How does this work?

Each week there will also be a changing selection of fridge items (perhaps milk, eggs, cheese, meat items etc) and a good stock of cupboard staples

The cost is £5 each time you visit, you don’t need any referral – just turn up.

For your £5 you will then be able to choose what you would like. The choice will change each week but there will always be a selection of fresh fruit, vegetables and bakery items.

We will also save £1 of each payment in your own credit union account if you would like. We can help you open an account so don’t worry. This is then your account and your savings – to which you can add more or withdraw it as you need.

You will need bring your own bags and register a few basic details with us.

You can Save through credit union too!

For further provision on other days please see – https://bradfordfoodbanks.org.uk

We are part of Wellsprings Together

 

Actual example of what you got for £5 in Jan 2021

Where our food comes from

We receive food from Storehouse. They have partners who donate food that is ‘unwanted’, which could be because they have over-ordered / over-produced, or because the food is nearing or past its best before date. All of the food is safe and of excellent quality, merely surplus to somebody else’s requirements.

Their food partners include supermarkets, wholesalers, local markets and other local traders.

Since Storehouse started, they have intercepted over 600 tonnes of food that would have otherwise gone to landfill!

Time:  12-1pm – every Tuesday

Cost:   £5

For more information call: 07434627013

Where:  St Philips Church, Thorn Street, Girlington, BD8 9QW

  • Disclaimer:
    External links are being provided as a convenience only. They do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the Parish of Girlington, Heaton and Manningham (PCC) of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. The PCC bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that or of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.