Dear Church,

Happy New Year, how are you?

Time for another of my occasional longer letters. At the turn of the year, our thoughts so often turn to how things are going, what has the last year held and where we might be going, and this is just as true of churches. Thinking about resolutions in last Sunday morning’s sermons, I asked us all to think about our wish lists – what might we wish for ourselves, and what do you think God’s wish list might be for you? It is often good to look back before looking forwards, to see what has been growing and flourishing, and water it, so let’s start with that...

What a year 2022 was! There have been so many highlights I almost dare not list any lest I leave things out. Sunday worship is our bread and butter, and that’s been a journey itself! We had our trial run of different times, and in September settled into our normal pattern of 9:15 & 11am. We are fortunate indeed to have such a range of gifted preachers bringing us our teaching on Sundays – I always think we need breadth of voices to hear all sides of God’s word, and John, Sue, Paul, Kim, Dave, and Richard have been a blessing to us indeed. Those who lead services are no less a prophetic presence, and I have enjoyed sharing the lectern with Naomi, Pauline, and Brenda, as well as all those who have led us in prayer, or read to us, or faithfully continued to lead us in virtual Morning Prayer.

We’ve started to find ways to embrace all-in worship, experimenting with learning zones, different seating arrangement and a glorious range of activities. Our joint services are always a delight, coming on major festivals and 5th Sundays, a chance for us all to worship as one family, mixing and blending our musical and liturgical styles. That first Easter Sunday since my arrival was a real delight, with a sunrise service, fresh cooked bacon, fun and games and fizz in the church yard we made a joyful noise that day! We’ve had baptisms in those services too, including our first ever immersion baptisms, and even the first visit of the new Bishop of Kirkstall for our first confirmations.

Possibly the highpoint of our worship services for me came at Christmas; all the services were amazing, and I will always treasure the memory of the choir bringing me to tears at Carols by candlelight. I can’t name-check everyone who makes church work, but it has to be said that Jonathan’s work that season was phenomenal, giving us such wonder and beauty to experience. How lovely to think that we got to share with over 440 people who walked through the doors on Christmas eve!

A key part of our Sunday Worship is our kids work, which continues to thrive. I’m ever grateful to Rachel and the team who provide such excellent teaching and discipleship in a joyful manner, as well as all those who have helped make the intergenerational worship work. Our children really are well served.

Kids work though the schools is growing too, with both Parkside and C of E. The visits for What’s the Story, the heritage trail, and stained-glass workshops continue to give us a chance to spread joy and tell our story, and the Open the Book team are re-established and delighting kids in assemblies too.

We also gather in worship for the highs and lows of life, and this year has seen plenty of baptisms, weddings, and funerals, as well as marking Remembrance Day and commemorating the passing of Her Majesty. It is a privilege to be at the heart of this community and mark these occasions together; our old stones have seen many beautiful moments, both happy and sad.

Beyond worship, the community continues to gather and connect in St. Wilfrid’s, at events ranging from our weekly Coffee Shop though Holiday Club, to the Clothes Swap, and Wreath Making. For an amateur brewer like me, the Beer Festival was a true joy. It would have been a success if it hadn’t made a penny, as so much joy was had by people from across the community and beyond – and it was surely not the first time barrels have been cracked open in the building’s 850 years – but to have made £4,000 was an unexpected bonus! So many people from across the whole of Calverley worked tirelessly to pull it off, but special mention must go to John Corbin, who became our licensee for a day!

Small Groups continue to work well, and TAG has been established in the church building, a wonderful mix of fellowship and sociability, pastoral care, and discipleship. If you don’t belong to one, do have a word with Victoria, our small group coordinator – it’s such a great idea.

So much of what makes St Wilfrid’s thrive happens behind the scenes. I am eternally grateful to the two iterations of PCC that met over 20220 – a prayerful bunch with whom it always a joy to meet and who take seriously their work in prayerfully steering us forward on our mission. Our two out-going wardens have continued to serve with dedication and grace; Dan and Sandra will be much missed when they step down in May. Our small staff of Sally, Susan and Toby, and new addition Claire, are a delight to work with, as well as the hundreds (it seems) of volunteers doing everything else that happens – flowers, gardening, arranging funerals and weddings and baptisms, looking after our animals, cleaning the church... This church works because this church works!

On the discipleship front, our Go Deeper emails have started and been well received, an idea for weekly follow-up discussion starts that grew out of resources for our small groups in Living in Love and Faith, our lent series of wrestling with the big questions of sex, sexuality, gender, and identity. 

It’s hard to believe all that has happened even since that Vision Day in January, from which came our mission statement: Loving God, Loving Calverley, Growing Together, as well as our new logo, seemingly pulled from the ether by Richard Crooks, one last piece of his significant legacy.
Looking forward, what does Love God, Love Calverley, Grow Together mean?
What should we take from a year of successes and try to improve?
What new should we start? What could be next?

Our focus will be on discipleship this year, looking at collective and personal spiritual disciplines, and exploring other styles of worship and prayer. As part of that, this coming Sunday (15th January) sees the first of our termly ‘Go Deeper – Live’ events, a chance to spend a bit longer singing, praying, and hearing teaching. I do hope you’ll be able to join us.

Growing Together is done by communities, and Calverley does community by eating together! Such fellowship is still part of our discipleship journey, and I’m excited that Shared Meals are starting again on 29th January (Again, see the regular email for details). Other food adventures might follow...

Our finances continue to improve, and I hope will also grow this year. Making the switch to the Parish Giving Scheme has helped, as has our contactless machine, and we have other plans in the pipeline. As well as continuing to support the Foodbank, Leeds Women’s Refuge, our Mission partner in Guatemala, Azaria Spencer (visiting soon!) and our various charities, it is my hope and plan to pay our Parish Share in full, and start to discern what else we can fund as we live out our core value of generosity. The PCC and I are always grateful for your support – we only continue to Love Calverley with your generous and faithful giving, and to pay our way as part of a flourishing diocese.

One big change will be our wardens, stepping down at the APCM with much gratitude for a job well done. Dan and Sandra are irreplaceable – whoever steps up in May will be shaping the role in the next season and doing it their own ways. Who is God calling to this, is it you?

As for the rest of our plans, we are going to start a youth dop-in after school, to run a bigger and better beer festival and perhaps some other large events, and to hear more of each other’s voices. Prayer Ministry on Sundays will be starting, and we’re overhauling our Pastoral Visiting.

I trust that God has a calling for all of us, both together, and for each of us as individuals, things we can offer, and things we can receive. We all have parts to play here – large and small. In the end, there are no small things, only things done with love. Which of the exciting things that happened last year make you most want to join in – there’s always room on Team Wilfrid!

Yours with every blessing, and with prayers for Love and Growth in 2023,
Rob