Are we nearly there yet?! I’m starting to find Lent a little bit harder this week. 40 days seem a lot longer than I thought... I’m looking forward to a bit of respite. Which is why I'm glad that next Sunday we remember Jesus coming as our King into Jerusalem in a great parade and suddenly there is Joy and Delight to lift our hearts from the sombre sobriety of Lent. As Jesus says to the pharisees who are trying to mute the cheering crowds singing his praises, ‘I tell you, if they keep quiet even the stones will cry out!’ Unquenchable joy, even whilst the cross and all its suffering begins to cast its shadow. A chance to look up and out whilst we journey through Lent.

There are often times in life where we need to lift our focus away from our situation and find new Joy in a bigger picture - perhaps no more so than when we're ill in hospital, as fear, pain and boredom can rapidly crush our spirits. This is where the amazing ministry of Hospital Chaplains comes into the fore. I think that in situations where everyone else might be and worried or just exhausted, theirs is the voice crying out like Jerusalem’s stones. Chaplains sit by the bedsides of the dying, the confused, the frightened, the depressed, the hopeless, the bored of all ages, and stages in life and in faith, offering love and companionship, prayers, and a safe space to cry or rant to people in the shadows of pain and distress. They point to life above and beyond the immediate with compassion, humour, and sensitivity.

On Palm Sunday, then, we have a real Chaplain coming to Calverley to share her story. Her name is Rev’d Jo Jones, and she’s the Assistant Head of Chaplaincy for Leeds Teaching Hospitals, as well as curate at Leeds Minster. Jo is a wonderful woman of warmth, wit, and wisdom. I can’t wait to hear what she has to tell us. So, find some respite in Lent and come along (and bring a friend!) to Go Deeper Live - 6:30pm in Church on Sunday 24th March.

With Blessings,
Lizzie

What’s On This Week
Sunday 17th March
9:15am - Holy Communion
11am - All-Age Communion Service
4pm - Special Memorial & Thanksgiving Service

Monday 18th March
9:30am-12pm - Bumblekids in The Barn
9:45–11:15am - Pudsey Southroyd What’s The Story in Church
11:15am–3pm - Calverley C of E What’s The Story in Church
6–7pm – Easter Choir Practice in Church
6:30pm - Pilates in The Barn

Tuesday 19th March
10–11:30am - Pudsey Southroyd What’s the Story in Church
11am–2pm - T.A.G in The Barn
1:30–2:30pm - Parkside What’s the Story in Church
6:30-8pm - ‘Moving On’ Lent Course in The Barn

Wednesday 20th March
10am–2:30pm - Pudsey Southroyd Easter Workshop in Church
3:30-5pm - Youth Drop-In
6–7pm - Wedding Rehearsal in Church
6:45-8:45pm - Calverley Choir Practice in the Barn

Thursday 21st March
Calverley C of E Yr 2 in Church
6:15-8:45pm - Belly Dancing Classes in the Barn

Friday 22nd March
12:15–2:30pm - Vivienne Powell Funeral & Burial
Please Note: No Coffee Shop Today

Saturday 23rd March
3pm–4:30pm - Easter Messy Church

Sunday 24th March
10am – All-In @ 10 Palm Sunday Communion Service
1–3pm - Entry to Communion Course (Part 2)
6:30–8pm - Go Deeper Live with Rev. Jo Jones in Church

Go Deeper – Live! Sunday 24th March 6:30-8pm
During the next Go Deeper Live evening service we'll be welcoming Rev’d Jo Jones - Deputy Head of Chaplaincy at NHS Leeds Teaching Hospitals.
Jo will be speaking about her work as a chaplain, her calling, and her faith in Jesus.Do come along and hear what she has to say – bring a friend!

Coffee Shop Advance Notice
Please note there will be no Coffee Shop in Church this Friday 22nd March due to a funeral being held in Church. Coffee Shop re-opens in Church on Friday 19th April.

Maundy Thursday 28th March Service
Join us at 6pm as we remember Jesus sharing the Last Supper with his disciples before his death on Good Friday. We'll share a meal leading into Bread and Wine and foot washing. There will be prayers, readings, and hymns followed by a short vigil at the cross before leaving in silence. Please sign up with the [email protected] so catering can be organised.

Leeds Women’s Aid
Please help give children in refuge a cracking Easter! Leeds Women’s Aid is a charity we have supported in the past. They help by providing support to women & families from the damage that domestic violence and abuse can inflict on their lives. This Easter, can you support the families residing in their emergency refuge accommodation by donating Easter crafts and materials?
There are two options for donating:
1. Online via Give Today - Purchase craft items online here and they will be delivered directly to Leeds Women's Aid.
2. In Person: Drop of donations of Easter crafts directly to our charity shop:
102 New Road Side, Horsforth, LS18 4QB
For more information, please email [email protected]

Easter Choir
If anyone is interested in joining the choir please contact [email protected]. Three practices have been scheduled for Wednesday 13th, Monday 18th, and Tuesday 26th March at 6-7pm in Church.

Easter Flowers in Church
We'll be in decorating the church for Easter on Saturday 30th March 9am-12pm. All are welcome, no experience necessary – just bring some secateurs!
Any donations of spring flowers or greenery from your garden would be gratefully appreciated. Please contact [email protected] for more information.

Traybakes for Easter Sunday
Our Easter Sunday Celebration service this year will include a number of Baptisms, so our congregation will be swelled! After the service we're offering Fizz & Cakes, so what we’re looking for a are a few of you home bakers to get your on aprons and your best Bake Off traybake recipes dusted off.
If you’re able to bake items for this, please contact the [email protected]

Messy Church Easter
Messy Church returns on Saturday 23rd March, 3-4:30pm in Church.
Please click here to learn more and book your table.

Moving On Course
As the follow up to the Start Course, The “Moving On” Course will run through Lent in the Barn. If you enjoyed the Start Course, you might find this particularly useful, but the course describes itself as “perfect for people who want to grow in their relationship with God, going deeper into prayer and the Bible. In fact, it’s for anyone who just wants to move on!”. Please contact [email protected] if would like to join this.

Introduction to Communion Course
If are over 7 and you would like to start taking Holy Communion we're running a short course over two sessions on Sunday 3rd & 17th March from 1-3pm in Church to explore what Holy Communion is all about. Please contact [email protected] and [email protected] if you have any questions or would like to attend.

Pet Service
On Sunday 21st April we'll be hosting a Pet Service! Please contact [email protected] if you would like to help with this.

Wine Tasting Event
There will be a special Wine Tasting Evening on Friday 26th April, with food and a variety of wines to sample. Tickets will be available shortly.

Choral Evensong for Eastertide
On Sunday 28th April at 6:30pm we'll be holding a special service of Choral Evensong in Eastertide, with beautiful hymns and refreshments available afterwards. Come along and invite any friends or family who might appreciate the reflective and anticipatory atmosphere of a traditional service.

Time & Talents 2024
Over the next few weeks, we'll be looking at how we can offer our Time and Talents to God and the church. If you feel you have something to offer, please print and complete our Time & Talent 2024 form online here.
Even if you’re already on a rota, please complete a form to confirm you’re still happy to be included!

ChurchSuite
Here at Calverley Parish Church we use a secure online database called ChurchSuite to safely store your contact details instead of paper copies. If you haven’t yet provided your information to us via ChurchSuite, it makes it very hard for us to get in touch with you, so please do sign up!
We’ll also be looking to use ChurchSuite to manage rotas in the future.
It will make organising and managing serving rotas far easier for all.
It has the ability to send reminders, allow for easier swapping, and gives visibility of any gaps that need filling. Anyone who regularly supports on a ministry or serving team, please consider signing up to ChurchSuite if not done so already. For more information and to sign up, please click here, and help us be the strong connected community we're called to be.

Bradford North Foodbank
Our local Foodbank continue to support local people and families, and are currently in need of:
- Tinned Tomatoes
- Tinned Vegetables
- Tinned Fish
- Instant Mash
- Coffee
- Cereals
- Long Life UHT Milk
- Long-life UHT Fruit Juice
- Tinned Fruit
- Shampoo
- Deodorants
- Sanitary Products
We also need some volunteer drivers to take the food to Eccleshill, maybe once every month? If you are available to help with this, please contact [email protected]

Weekly Family News Introductory Pieces
Do you have something you’d like to share? How you came to God?
An experience that might interest others? Something about the history of Calverley and its relationship with St. Wilfrid’s that might not be common knowledge? Your own history and relationship with St. Wilfrid’s?
We’re looking to build up a library of articles that could be used as the introductory piece for our weekly Family News Newsletter Email.
It doesn’t have to be a long piece, just something you’d like to share.
If you have a piece in mind that would fit a particular week, please let us know and we can save it for then. All you need to do is put the words together, give it a title, and if you have a suitable picture to go with it you'd like to share send us that too or we will find something appropriate to complement your words. Please send your submissions including Title & Picture to the [email protected]

The Patronage Scheme
What is the Patronage Scheme? It's an opportunity for everybody in Calverley Parish and beyond to help St. Wilfrid’s Church serve the community of Calverley. Our church is an important and beautiful landmark which holds a great deal of the history of our Parish. St. Wilfrid’s has always been at the heart of the community, there for Family Occasions, Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals, as well as Coffee Shop, Beer Festivals, Concerts and Christmas Carols. Your patronage will support the practical, ongoing costs of running and maintaining this beautiful building – preserving St. Wilfrid’s Church for future generations. Our Church costs an average of £105 per day to heat and maintain. There are also occasional larger repairs beyond these day-to-day expenses. You can choose a particular date, special to you, to support the running costs of St. Wilfrid’s. In ‘sponsoring’ that date your donation will help to cover the costs for your special day. If you would like to buy the same date every year, that would be fantastic! Please click here to access the Patronage Scheme form online.

Generosity
If you would like to give to the work and ministry of our church, which includes missional giving such as Parish Share, please do get in touch with Margaret Roundhill ([email protected]) to talk about The Parish Giving Scheme, a wonderfully simple and tax efficient way to donate regularly, or see the link at the bottom of this email.
Yours with gratitude, Rob.

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

The work & ministry of Calverley Parish Church is supported by the generous giving of the 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.