News from our Churches

This Christmas is inevitably a bit different.

There will be an online Christingle Service on Sunday 6th December at 10am. Children can order a Christingle Bag in advance, to be collected from St Mary’s, Boston Spa or All Saints’, Bramham which will contain everything needed to join in with the service.

Rev’d Nick explains, “We’ve found that quite a few families have enjoyed the flexibility of joining in our services from their own homes. It means that the household can join in together, but press pause if it turns out that now isn’t quite the right moment to join in! While there will be a live service to join in with at All Saints’, Bramham on the day to which people are welcome, space will be limited, so we are encouraging people to join in online wherever they are as well.”

We also hope to bring an online Christmas service featuring contributions from a number of local schools. This is still in the early stages of planning, check the Bramham Benefice Facebook page nearer the time for details. There will be services on Christmas Day and details will be available in time for the December magazine.

How our churches have continued work in schools

Primary schools have, understandably, not wanted physical visits from our collective worship team this term. Undeterred, Rev’d Nick Morgan, Rev’d Trish Anslow and Phil Baraniak from The King’s Church have been sending videos for teachers to use in their classroom bubbles with pupils.

Lady Hastings in Thorp Arch, St Mary’s in Boston Spa, Bramham Primary School and Harewood C.E. Primary School have all enjoyed joining in with these slightly different acts of worship. “We’ve had a lot of fun putting these together,” explains Rev’d Morgan, “though the changing nature of lockdown restrictions has meant we’ve had to think on our feet, and a few of these had to be recorded as a Zoom conversation between the three of us.” This term’s series of Collective Worship videos are called Firm Foundations. “The idea is to use Bible stories to show how people of faith have faced the ups and downs of life, and how the values and ideas in the Bible can give us firm foundations for the rather unsettling times we’re living in” explains the Rev’d Morgan.

The videos last less than 10 minutes - much shorter than collective worship usually lasts - but this gives class teachers time to have a discussion with pupils. “The format is simple,” says Rev’d Trish, herself a former primary teacher, “and includes a Bible story, then a bit of a chat about it, then a time for everyone to think about something in their own life, from their own experience which might be related. One of us brings these thoughts together at the end with a simple prayer.”

The Collective Worship team also had a fourth member, The Reverend Ellis, who is a clerical church mouse who usually lives in the vestry of St Mary’s Church, but who manages to hide in the background of each storytime.

“We can’t wait to actually get back into school and see the children and staff again,” says The Reverend Morgan, “but we hope that we’re helping the school communities to face these uncertain times in this small way, and to encourage them by smiling out of the screen and joining the life of the school as best we can. It’s great that the three of us are recognized in the street still by families, and we hope this is another way we can get the message out that our churches are still very much there for people and finding new ways to support our schools.”