Sunday 7th May 10am – Coronation Service and picnic with special hymns and prayers for the Coronation, followed by a picnic on the field—bring a picnic, drinks and a chair and enjoy a free hotdog and an outdoor community celebration.
Monday 8th May 10am-2pm – Community Day: come along to the Lighthouse Café, or come for lunch, or join in with the community choir!
Dear Friends, Welcome to the May edition of our benefice magazine which again covers lots of news and activities across our four churches. It is good to report that we are now currently advertising for a new associate priest to join the benefice. If all goes to plan we shall be interviewing prospective candidates on Monday June 5th and any news of an appointment will be shared after this. Please continue to pray for all involved in the interview process and for any prospective candidates. Whilst writing can I say a very big thank you to various people from across the benefice who have worked together extremely well with Peter Townley our archdeacon to produce a very professional brochure and advert.
Turning now to the Coronation when on Saturday 6th May His Majesty King Charles III is crowned. The Coronation will be a historic moment in the life of our nation, a time to reflect on our history, reflect and celebrate something of who we are, and look forward. The coronation is steeped in this country’s traditions and filled with great symbolism. It is essentially a consecration to service. Happening within a Eucharist, the most basic and the central act of Christian worship, it includes oaths, regalia and crowning. Through it we receive from Jesus the one who comes to us as a servant; the one who is the king of Kings.
There will be additions to the service from the one in 1953 and these will reflect the rich cultural and religious diversity of our national life. For instance faiths other than Christian will play a part which reflect the King’s commitment to respecting all faiths. Also we shall all be encouraged to cry out and swear allegiance to the King and female clergy will play an active part. Justin Welby said the coronation was ‘first and foremost an act of Christian worship’ and that his ‘prayer is that all who share in this service, whether they are of faith or no faith, will find ancient wisdom and new hope that brings inspiration and joy”.
So dear friends, however you choose to mark the Coronation weekend, I hope this will be a time celebrating God’s love and generosity, and making that love known in our communities and national life I leave you with a prayer that will be used at church services throughout the land….
Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness, bless our Sovereign Lord, King Charles, and all who are in authority under him; that they may order all things in wisdom and equity, righteousness and peace, to the honour of your name, and the good of your Church and people; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Rev Glenn Coggins, Vicar of the United Benefice of North Wakefield
You can download the May 2023 parish magazine in PDF format using the link below.
The parish magazine is in Adobe PDF format, if you can’t view the magazine you can download a reader at adobe.com.
You can download the April 2023 parish magazine in PDF format using the link below.
The parish magazine is in Adobe PDF format, if you can’t view the magazine you can download a reader at adobe.com.
Welcome to the April edition of our benefice magazine which again covers lots of news and activities across our four churches. I am sure we are all looking forward to Easter Day on 9th April, when after the long period of Lent we can gather in our home churches and say together “He is risen, He is risen indeed!”. What a glorious and majestic God we meet in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We are very much Easter People and through the resurrection, Jesus meets us by his spirit in our daily lives and offers us hope that nothing can separate us from his love.
With regards the vacancy for a new Associate Priest, it is very good to report that work has been progressing in the background putting together a benefice brochure, role description and person specification. It is planned to advertise the post in April throughout the Leeds Diocese and also at national level as well. There has also been work taking place on the Wrenthorpe vicarage where the new person will live. In the meantime please pray for the benefice and for those involved in the day to day running of the benefice during the vacancy – many thanks.
Also, I offer you this prayer for your personal use…..
Almighty God,
We thank you for the life and ministry of the North Wakefield Benefice.
We thank you for the blessings and love we receive from you our heavenly Father and for all that we share together in worship, social events and in many other ways as part of your family.
As we look to the future for a new associate priest to join our family here in the benefice, we pray that your Holy Spirit would guide and bless us as we advertise the post and in the process to appoint the new priest.
We ask that you would prepare the heart of the right person to join us here in the benefice so that together we can continue to share our lives and the good news of Jesus across the benefice.
We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Take care and God Bless, Glenn
Rev Glenn Coggins, Vicar of the United Benefice of Stanley, Outwood and Wrenthorpe and Alverthorpe
Dear Friends, Welcome to the March edition of our benefice magazine which again covers lots of news and activities across our four churches. We are now in Lent, and over the forty days we will reflect on Jesus’ life in the wilderness and the temptations he faced, and our journey of discipleship.
Several years ago on a trip to the Holy Land, I decided to scoop up some of the Judean desert and placed it in a jam jar to bring home. As I went through security in Tel Aviv airport I thought perhaps I should mention it to the security guard. His response was that people often pinch a bit of desert but there’s plenty to go around so it’s okay. It has served as a visual aid in talks and assemblies for many years and it gives one a little sense of what life in the desert might be like: the contrast between the heat of the day and the coldness of the night, and the sheer bareness of the desert. Life in the desert would have little in the way of luxury and one would have to focus on the essentials: survival, and what is really important in life.
In the past, Lent for many people has involved going without certain things, but interestingly many contemporary Christians push back against the idea of “giving something up” and instead suggest that we “take something on.” Rather than seeing Lent as a period of denial and deprivation, they suggest we view Lent as an invitation to commit to positive actions, like volunteering, donating money, or practicing deeper contemplation. Proponents of this view point out that by virtue of committing to something new, we also give something else up. We sacrifice our time and commit it to service, or to God. It may be an approach to consider for us this Lent….
During Lent we shall be holding a series of Lent groups at different times and places across the benefice (see opposite). In Lent we shall journey with Jesus into the wilderness and explore how his relationship with his Father sustained him and blessed him. All of us at some stage in our lives have wilderness experiences and the Lent groups will look at different aspects of our faith and how they sustain and support us at these times.
In other news we shall have Bishop Tony Robinson with us at each of the four Sundays in March, and it will be an opportunity for us to share in worship and have fellowship afterwards. Further news about the vacancy will follow in due course but in the meantime please pray for the benefice and for those involved in the day to day running of the benefice during the vacancy – many thanks.
Take care and God Bless, Glenn
Rev Glenn Coggins, Vicar of the United Benefice of Stanley,
Outwood and Wrenthorpe and Alverthorpe
You can download the March 2023 parish magazine in PDF format using the link below.
The parish magazine is in Adobe PDF format, if you can’t view the magazine you can download a reader at adobe.com.
The next coffee mornings will be on Saturday 11th March from 10.30am—12.30pm.
They are always very enjoyable mornings, with bacon butties, refreshments, raffle, tombola, jigsaws, books and more!
Please join us for a very pleasant morning.
A relaxed and friendly baby and toddler group for pre-school children and their carers. Come and enjoy a cuppa and meet friends. £1.50 per child.
Play! Singing! Snacks! Stories! Toys!
Every Thursday in term time at St Peter’s church from 9:15am to 11:15 am
Phone 01924 835746 or 07746 849509
for more info