Dear Friends,

On Easter Sunday Morning I stood in the dark churchyard waiting for the sun to rise and bring light into the dark and cold morning. It was a potent symbol of resurrection Joy. The sun would never disappoint us, it was always going to rise to warm and the light the world, even if it was hidden by clouds.

Last week I spent some time in Granton on Spey, with as many of my family as could fit into the Airbnb my dad had rented. It’s fair to say that the weather was pretty far from springlike. The temperature was in single figures, the rain was relentless and on the final morning we woke up to snow. It's also fair to say that the area we were staying in is known more for its outdoor adventures than museums or cinemas. And yet, we had a really lovely time, cooking and eating together, playing everything from Mariocart to Bingo and Beer Pong and deciding to use the hot tub anyway. There were bigger things that made the holiday special than the activities we had originally planned in our dreams of warmer (or at least drier) weather. Being together regardless of the cold and sleet was what kept us happy. We weathered the weather!

The experience made me think about how we are encouraged find Joy in our Faith, in being caught up into God in a way that helps us weather the weather. We find this in the book of Habakkuk 3:17-19:

"I Will rejoice in the Lord. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.""

And also, in our Communion Prayer – “It is indeed right, it is our duty and our joy at all times and in all places to give you thanks and praise...”

Years ago, I remember a curate from my home Church saying that although he couldn’t find much to rejoice in (life for them at that point was tough), he would always rejoice in the Lord. By that he meant that there was a Joy which didn’t leave, even when things were unexpectedly tough, and which could and ought to be acknowledged and celebrated. Somehow, he found strength in celebrating a deeper Joy of being rooted in a God who held onto him as much as he held onto God. He wasn’t denying the tough stuff that clouded things, but he found the Joy in being together with God meant he could weather the weather of life.

Playing games and hanging out with my family on a soggy holiday wasn’t a difficult way of spending time and finding Joy. Celebrating my faith and God’s ultimate goodness in tough times is far harder, but as Easter people with hope in a world-transforming saviour, we can rejoice in the certainty that Christ still rises even in the darkest and coldest times.

“Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice!”
(Philippians 4:4)

With Love from,
Lizzie

What’s On This Week
Sunday 14th April
9:15am - Traditional Communion Service
11am - All-Age Service

Monday 15th April
10am–12pm - Monday Brunch Club
7:30–8:30pm - Pilates in The Barn
6–7pm - Choir Practice in Church

Tuesday 16th April
1–2pm - TAG (Tuesday Afternoon Group) in The Barn

Thursday 18th April
9:30–11:15am - Barn Babies

Friday 19th April
9-11:30am - Coffee Shop

Sunday 21st April
9:15am - Traditional Communion Service
11am - Pet Service

Pet Service
Next Sunday 21st April at 11am we'll be hosting a Pet Service! Bring your pet to church (as long as they can be on a lead or in a container) to join our celebration of animals. It will be a fun service to invite your friends and family to, so please spread the word! And please contact [email protected] if you would like to help with this.

Wine Tasting With A Twist!
Due to unforeseen circumstances the Wine Tasting evening on 26th April has been postponed. But watch this space, we’ll get back to you with a new date soon!

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.

Choir Practice for Evensong
Choir Practice this week for Evensong will be tomorrow (Monday 15th April) in Church at 6pm. For more info, please contact [email protected]

PCC Membership & APCM
As we approach this year’s APCM on Monday 20th May there will be elections.
Please be prayerfully considering, are you called to stand for PCC, or for Deanery Synod, or to be a Church Warden? Is there someone you think would be an asset in one of those roles? If so, talk to God, then talk to them.
If you have any questions about these roles, please do ask Rob, or anyone else on PCC right now.

APCM
The date of our APCM is Monday 20th May.
Please arrive in church at 6:50pm for a prompt start at 7pm.

Nominations
Nominations are also open for election to the PCC. If you would like to be nominated, please complete a form, available at the back of church in the green folder. You need to have been on the church electoral role for 6 months to be elected. We also have vacancies for Church Wardens, which can be from among those elected to or already on PCC. Nomination forms for both are available from the green folder at the back of church. Please return nominations to one of the Team Wardens. Note: The nominee must consent to serve. Please check eligibility.

Church Electoral Roll
If you would like to be added to our Church electoral roll, please complete an application form. In order to vote at the APCM you must be on the church electoral role. Forms are available from the green folder at the back of church, once completed please return to Simon Pollard.

Time & Talents 2024 - It's Not Too Late!
Over the next few weeks, we'll be looking at how we can offer our Time and Talents to God and the church. It's not too late, so 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.