Rev Nathanael Poole has been licensed as the new Priest-in-Charge at St John's Church in Farsley in a special service conducted by the Bishop of Kirkstall, the Rt Rev Arun Arora.It is always a significant occasion for a Parish to welcome a new vicar as we look forward to the start of Nathanael's new ministry with us here in church and his service in the wider community which we know he is looking forward to.During the service on Wednesday evening Nathanael declared his faith in Christ and make promises of allegiance to the King and obedience to the Bishop. Almost 150 people in the congregation then joined with him in promising to uphold the ministry of word and sacrament.The official paperwork marking the start of Nathanael's ministry in Farsley was signed and presented to him and there was time for thanksgiving and celebration with lively music.It was also particularly nice for us all here in Farsley to hear from representatives of the parishes in Bradford where Nathanael has worked most recently as they paid glowing commendations to him. It was clear from those speeches from St Margaret's Church in Frizinghall, Fountains Church in Bradford and also from Bradford Cathedral just how much they will miss him. In the coming weeks and months we are looking forward to getting to know Nathanael and his family and we also know he is looking forward to meeting people all over the Parish. We pray that his ministry will be a real blessing to us all.
If you've been wondering why it's always 2:28pm - unfortunately the mechanism that runs the church clock needs some repairs.It's not just our church clock - it's also a really important landmark in Farsley and lots of people have been kindly asking if they can help to pay for the repairs.If you are able to donate, any money would be very gratefully received. You can make a one-off donation by going to www.stjohnsfarsleyorg.uk/donate and following the links.We're hoping time will soon stop standing still...!
We are collecting gifts of new toys on behalf of St George's Crypt in Leeds to be donated to families facing a difficult Christmas. Anything you can donate will be really gratefully received at our Toy Service at 10:30am in Advent Sunday.As we start our Advent countdown and look ahead with excitement and anticipation to Christmas, we know that for many families this will be a particularly challenging year. They might be counting down to Christmas with a sense of worry and anxiety with not enough money to pay for everything.While we know money is tight for many people this year, we want to do what we can to support those families who are in the most difficult of situations. We are working with St George's Crypt to support their Toy Appeal which aims to give as many families as possible a magical Christmas. Last year they gave out more than 2300 gifts.The charity collects donations of new and unwrapped toys which are sorted by volunteers so that is each family which is being supported receives a main gift, a smaller gift and a stocking filler. Toys for children of all ages are accepted. They are delivered before Christmas to be wrapped and put under the tree. Any donations are greatly appreciated by not only the team at the Crypt, but also by the families who will receive them.Please bring any gifts to church on Advent Sunday when we will give thanks for the presents and pray for the families who will receive them and you can also read more about the volunteers who collect the toys on the St George's Crypt website.
The date for the licensing service of our new Priest-in-charge has been announced.Rev Nathanael Poole's licensing service will take place on Wednesday 12 February at St John's Church in Farsley.Our new vicar is taking up the post following five years as an Associate Leader at the newly created Fountains Church in the city centre of Bradford and three years as the Interim Priest-in-charge at St Margaret’s Church in Frizinghall.We hope as many people as possible from our regular congregations in both Farsley and Rodley, as well as the wider community will be able to join us and we will announce further details about the service in the coming weeks.
