Did you get along to the park last Saturday? We joined in the first re-established Calverley Carnival, with a team of amazing volunteers setting up a stall, blessing pets, parading with flags, chatting to people, and handing out fliers to advertise our services and events at church! (Not to mention pelting our Vicar with wet sponges every half hour! All in a good cause!)

What makes a good carnival? What do you need?
Good Weather! – Well, that was a big tick!
A Parade to set the scene – Tick
Live Music to create an atmosphere – Tick
Good food to enjoy when we get hungry – Tick
Stalls full of interesting things to browse and buy – Tick
Dancing and Displays to entertain us – Tick
First Aiders to keep us safe – Tick
Games to make us laugh - Tick
A big Crowd to come and enjoy it all – Tick!

Then there’s local uniformed organisations and dignitaries lending the event some weight, some fancy dress costumes to make us smile, banners and flags to bring colour and dancers with pom poms to cheer us on. There was ice cream and pizza, local businesses and clubs – all together combining to create a sense of community, joy, and celebration. It was a great day and we were delighted to be part of it all!

When we read about how Christian communities should be in the Bible, Paul talks about interdependency and everyone playing a part, and in his letter to the church in Corinth, he compares us to a human body;

“If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?
If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.”

The right mix of different gifts, different abilities, and different ideas is what gives us the ability to make something great happen together.
We can’t all do it all, but we are all called to play our part to create something fantastic together. God has brought us to this particular place, to St. Wilfrid’s to be the body of Christ for this great village community – every one of us has something special we bring to this particular branch of God’s family. When we all play our part and value one another, we create something wonderful together for God and the community and one another!

Rev’d Lizzie Reynolds

Baptism Celebration Service
This Sunday 10th September at both services, we invite you to come and celebrate your Baptism! Whether it was a few months ago or many years ago, join us at this special service where you can remember your own baptism and reflect on your faith journey. Bring along your baptism candle or get a new one from us!

Back To School Pop-Up Café
The holidays are over, and kids are off to school!
Will you be dropping off a child, maybe for the first time?
Would you love someone to make you a cuppa?
Church will be open w/c Monday 11th September for tea, coffee, and the chance to cry, celebrate, brathe, and catch-up!
Monday & Tuesday: 8:45-10am & 12:30-1:30pm
Wednesday & Thursday: 9-10am
Note: On Friday 9am-12:30pm there is also a Coffee Shop in Church every week!

Youth Drop-In
We’re looking forward to continuing the Youth Drop-In next Wednesday 13th September. This is for those in High School Years 7-11 who want to come and hang out, get toasted snacks, and catch up with each other in a safe space, we’re open between 3:30-4:30pm.

Friday Morning Prayer
Continue to meet in Church at 8:15am for relaxed & informal prayer.
All welcome.

Friday Coffee Shop
Re-opens next Friday 15th September, 9am-12pm.

Midday Communion
Will resume on Monday 18th September, come along for an Hour of Quiet with Contemplative Prayer & Communion. 12-1pm.

START! September 2023
Our Start! Course is ideal for those new to church or those who want to know more. It makes no assumptions about participants’ background, experience, or knowledge of Christianity or the church. It really does Start from scratch!
If you’re interested in coming along, please contact [email protected]

Go Deeper - Live!
Our next Go Deeper - Live! Evening Worship is on Sunday 17th September, 6:30pm in Church. There’ll be live music again and the guest speaker this time is Marcus Green. Marcus is a Chaplain at Worcester College Oxford, author, bandleader, and LGBTQ+ campaigner, well-known nationally for his advocacy of LGBTQ+ equality in the Church.

Messy Harvest!
Enjoy Harvest-themed crafts & activities with the Messy Church Team on Saturday 30th September! More details coming soon. To book a table for your family, please contact the [email protected]

Calverley Beer Festival – Saturday 7th October (11am-11pm)
Tickets are now on sale for our 2nd Beer Festival! For further information and to book tickets, please click here. To help spread the word, please take a poster or flyer from the back of church to display. Thank you!

Harvest Festival
Come to our service celebrating Harvest on Sunday 8th October at 10am.
We invite you to bring along donations for our local Food Bank.

St. Wilfrid's, Calverley Parish Church on YouTube!
Did you know if you ever miss a sermon or would like to watch again, you can visit our YouTube channel online here where all our weekly sermons are published, along with Weekly Morning Prayer, published every Wednesday at 8am in term-time. You can watch our YouTube videos on your laptop, phone, tablet, or smart TV!

ChurchSuite
Have you signed up to Churchsuite our new data management platform?
It’s great to keep in contact with all of you when we need to, whether that’s for rotas, or for pastoral reasons. For more information and to sign up, please click here, and help us be the strong connected community we're called to be.

Please send any items to be included in our weekly Family Newsletter to [email protected]

The work and ministry of Calverley Parish Church is supported by the generous giving of the church community, and we receive no outside funding.
You can make a donation or sign up to regular giving, including Gift Aid, via our Parish Giving page online here.
Thank You for your support.