News and Notices

An update on our coronavirus measures

In light of the current increase in cases, we want to remind people that we continue to recommend the wearing of a face covering if you are able whilst in church and moving around our Community Centre. We also suggest that you continue to take precautions such as taking regular rapid lateral flow tests, keeping your distance, and being respectful of the wishes of others. You’ll still need to sanitise your hands as you enter the building, avoid handshakes during the Peace, and communion remains bread only for the time being.

If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, remember that you must self-isolate and get a PCR test. As always, we will continue to stream all our services live on our website and YouTube channel, as well as making them available to listen to later by phone or podcast.

We are still keeping a close eye on things such as infection rates, and may make other changes to our rules in the future.

Living in Love and Faith

A four-part course on Christian teaching and learning about identity, sexuality, relationships, and marriage.

Anyone is welcome to join in with these conversations: this whole course is about bringing together different voices, experiences, and worldviews, to learn and flourish together.

Continues Thursday 4 November at 7.30 pm.

Interment of Pauline Keenan’s ashes

A short service of interment will be held in the cemetery on Sunday 7 November at midday for those who were unable to attend Pauline’s funeral and who may wish to say farewell.

Service for All Souls

The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed
Tuesday 2nd November at 7.30 pm

A list of names to be remembered at this service is available in the church this morning.

Coming up at Whitkirk Community Centre

Strictly in Sequence

Starting Monday 8 November at 1.00 pm
Then every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month

A chance for experienced dancers and total beginners alike to step onto the floor as Keith and Roxanne host this sequence dancing session. With a mix of old favourites and new, you’ll soon be floating across the floor.

£5 per session, including tea and coffe.

Christmas Coffee Morning

Saturday 4 December at 10.00am

It might seem a bit early to be talking about Christmas, but we want to make sure you had time to pop this one in your diary! Although we sadly can’t run a full Christmas Fair this year, we didn’t want to leave you without a chance to share a cuppa (or a glass of mulled wine), a slice of cake, and the chance to sing some carols around the piano.

The Sword in the Scone

Wednesday 8 to Saturday 11 December at 7.15 pm

Whitkirk Arts Guild return to the stage with their annual family pantomime, giving the legend of King Arthur a twist. Book your tickets online, pick up a flyer in the Community Centre, or call 0113 212 0066.

Living in Love and Faith

A four-part course on Christian teaching and learning about identity, sexuality, relationships, and marriage.

Anyone is welcome to join in with these conversations: this whole course is about bringing together different voices, experiences, and worldviews, to learn and flourish together.

Continues Thursday 21 October at 7.30 pm.

Join our cleaning teams and keep Whitkirk sparkling

Keeping our Grade I listed building sparkling clean doesn’t happen by itself – it’s done by a few teams of dedicated volunteers, and they need your help! With fewer people helping in this important role at the moment we’re unable to spread the work out as evenly as we would like, so we’re asking if you might be able to spare a morning once every few weeks to join our cleaning teams.

The work isn’t difficult, and we provide all the equipment. If you’re interested in volunteering to join our cleaning team, please speak to Melvin or email [email protected].

An update on our coronavirus measures

We recommend that you continue to take precautions such as taking regular rapid lateral flow tests, wearing masks if you are able, keeping your distance and being respectful of the wishes of others. You’ll still need to sanitise your hands as you enter the building, avoid handshakes during the Peace, and communion remains bread only for the time being.

If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, remember that you must self-isolate and get a PCR test. As always, we will continue to stream all our services live on our website and YouTube channel, as well as making them available to listen to later by phone or podcast.

We are still keeping a close eye on things such as infection rates, and may make other changes to our rules in the future.

Join us after the service for refreshments

You are warmly invited to join us after the service for refreshments in our Community Centre.

Living in Love and Faith

A four-part course on Christian teaching and learning about identity, sexuality, relationships, and marriage.

Anyone is welcome to join in with these conversations: this whole course is about bringing together different voices, experiences, and worldviews, to learn and flourish together.

Continues Thursday 21 October at 7.30 pm.

An update on our coronavirus measures

We recommend that you continue to take precautions such as taking regular rapid lateral flow tests, wearing masks if you are able, keeping your distance and being respectful of the wishes of others. You’ll still need to sanitise your hands as you enter the building, avoid handshakes during the Peace, and communion remains bread only for the time being.

If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, remember that you must self-isolate and get a PCR test. As always, we will continue to stream all our services live on our website and YouTube channel, as well as making them available to listen to later by phone or podcast.

We are still keeping a close eye on things such as infection rates, and may make other changes to our rules in the future.

Join us after the service for refreshments

You are warmly invited to join us after the service for refreshments in our Community Centre.

World Homeless Week

This week

World Homeless Week is a time to reflect on the plight of those affected by homelessness and poverty; an estimated 1 in 200 people in the UK were homeless in 2019, with the pandemic since leaving many more people living below the breadline. Although many homeless individuals are invisible to us – sleeping on friends sofas or in temporary hostels – we can help shed light on their struggle by telling their stories, praying for them, and of course supporting them to rebuild their lives.

Church Homeless Trust is a small charity that supports thousands of homeless individuals throughout England to get back on their feet. Find out more and donate to support their work at churchhomelesstrust.org.uk.

Sharing Our Stories

Wednesday 6 October, 7.30 pm
St Mary’s Church, Whitkirk

As we continue to live through the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re taking some time to talk about how it has impacted us and our faith so far, what we can learn, and how we can make the most of the situation we find ourselves in.

All are welcome to join this conversation and share their own experiences.

Our bar is missing something: you

Saturday 9 October at 7.30 pm
Whitkirk Community Centre

We are inviting people to come along for a social evening and find out how you might be able to support the Church in a whole new way: by volunteering at the bar in our Community Centre. Please come along, chat to our existing staff and find out more. If you’ve got someone in mind who might enjoy volunteering, bring them along as well or let them know.

Choral evensong in thanksgiving for
the service of John Holland

This afternoon, 3.00 pm
St Mary’s, Kippax

John Holland has faithfully served the deanery and diocese over many years. We had hoped to mark his retirement last year but in the circumstances the event had to be postponed. Thankfully, albeit belatedly, we are now able to gather at his home church at Kippax with choirs from Kippax, Swillington and Whitkirk to worship, pray and to give thanks.

The service will be followed by light refreshments.

Environment activity morning

Saturday 2 October, 10.00 am until 1.00 pm
Whitkirk Community Centre

Our planet is in trouble, but you can help. Come along and find ways you can support local wildlife with bird boxes, ponds and bug hotels. Learn about the mysteries of beekeeping or making the most of kitchen scraps with the art of composting. Discover how to cut your energy usage, reduce your carbon footprint and save money.

Silver Lining Lunch Club is back…
and needs your help!

On Tuesday 5 October the Silver Lining Lunch Club restarts. Silver Lining is a valuable opportunity for older and more vulnerable members of our community to come together once a week to meet, chat and hopefully a good time whilst sharing a hot meal.

The team who run it could do with a few volunteers to help set up the hall by putting up tables and then at the end taking them down. You will need to be reasonably fit, but if you can spare a bit of time on the occasional Tuesday we’d love to hear from you! Please give Jean Bradley a ring on 0113 260 2762 or email her on [email protected] if you can help.

World Homeless Week

Sunday 3 to Monday 11 October

World Homeless Week is a time to reflect on the plight of those affected by homelessness and poverty; an estimated 1 in 200 people in the UK were homeless in 2019, with the pandemic since leaving many more people living below the breadline. Although many homeless individuals are invisible to us – sleeping on friends sofas or in temporary hostels – we can help shed light on their struggle by telling their stories, praying for them, and of course supporting them to rebuild their lives.

Church Homeless Trust is a small charity that supports thousands of homeless individuals throughout England to get back on their feet. Find out more and donate to support their work at churchhomelesstrust.org.uk.

Our bar is missing something: you

Saturday 9 October at 7.30 pm
Whitkirk Community Centre

We are inviting people to come along for a social evening and find out how you might be able to support the Church in a whole new way: by volunteering at the bar in our Community Centre.

You might want to see if you can pull a perfect pint, or serve a crisp gin and tonic. If serving drinks isn’t for you, there’s plenty more you could offer your time to help with. From the smiling faces behind the bar on an evening to the team supporting them with clean glasses, and throughout the week making sure our stock is ready to go or putting the shine back on the pumps with a quick clean, there’s a role for everyone.

Please come along, chat with our existing staff and find out more. If you’ve got someone in mind who might enjoy volunteering, bring them along as well or let them know.

Temple Newsam Eucharist

This evening, 6.00 pm

When the house and estate at Temple Newsam were acquired by the City of Leeds in 1922, one of the conditions of the sale was that each year a Eucharistic service according to the rites of the Church of England be held to mark the occasion. For almost a century that service has been provided by St Mary’s Church, Whitkirk.

This annual civic service is attended by The Lord Mayor of Leeds and The Earl of Halifax, and the preacher will be The Right Reverend Paul Slater, Bishop of Kirkstall. Although space in the House itself is limited, you can watch the service live on our website:

whitkirkchurch.org.uk/templenewsam

Choral evensong in thanksgiving for
the service of John Holland

Sunday 26 September, 3.00 pm
St Mary’s, Kippax

John Holland has faithfully served the deanery and diocese over many years. We had hoped to mark his retirement last year but in the circumstances the event had to be postponed. Thankfully, albeit belatedly, we are now able to gather at his home church at Kippax with choirs from Kippax, Swillington and Whitkirk to worship, pray and to give thanks.

The service will be followed by light refreshments.

Environment activity morning

Saturday 2 October, 10.00 am until 1.00 pm
Whitkirk Community Centre

Our planet is in trouble, but you can help. Come along and find ways you can support local wildlife with bird boxes, ponds and bug hotels. Learn about the mysteries of beekeeping or making the most of kitchen scraps with the art of composting. Discover how to cut your energy usage, reduce your carbon footprint and save money.

Silver Lining Lunch Club is back…
and needs your help!

On Tuesday 5 October the Silver Lining Lunch Club restarts. Silver Lining is a valuable opportunity for older and more vulnerable members of our community to come together once a week to meet, chat and hopefully a good time whilst sharing a hot meal.

The team who run it could do with a few volunteers to help set up the hall by putting up tables and then at the end taking them down. You will need to be reasonably fit, but if you can spare a bit of time on the occasional Tuesday we’d love to hear from you! Please give Jean Bradley a ring on 0113 260 2762 or email her on [email protected] if you can help.

World Homeless Week

Sunday 3 to Monday 11 October

World Homeless Week is a time to reflect on the plight of those affected by homelessness and poverty; an estimated 1 in 200 people in the UK were homeless in 2019, with the pandemic since leaving many more people living below the breadline. Although many homeless individuals are invisible to us – sleeping on friends sofas or in temporary hostels – we can help shed light on their struggle by telling their stories, praying for them, and of course supporting them to rebuild their lives.

Church Homeless Trust is a small charity that supports thousands of homeless individuals throughout England to get back on their feet. Find out more and donate to support their work at churchhomelesstrust.org.uk.

Our bar is missing something: you

Saturday 9 October at 7.30 pm
Whitkirk Community Centre

We are inviting people to come along for a social evening and find out how you might be able to support the Church in a whole new way: by volunteering at the bar in our Community Centre.

You might want to see if you can pull a perfect pint, or serve a crisp gin and tonic. If serving drinks isn’t for you, there’s plenty more you could offer your time to help with. From the smiling faces behind the bar on an evening to the team supporting them with clean glasses, and throughout the week making sure our stock is ready to go or putting the shine back on the pumps with a quick clean, there’s a role for everyone.

Please come along, chat with our existing staff and find out more. If you’ve got someone in mind who might enjoy volunteering, bring them along as well or let them know.

Heritage Open Days

St Mary’s Church
Finishing today

Whitkirk is a place with plenty of history, and we’re once again thrilled to open our doors to share it with everybody as part of Heritage Open Days. Come along see some rare photographs, view our collection of stunning embroideries, and get a good look at our centuries-old architecture.

You can join us today in the church from 2.00 pm until 4.00 pm.

An update on our coronavirus measures

We’re no longer asking people to wear face coverings whilst in our church building, although we recommend that people continue to take precautions such as taking regular rapid lateral flow tests, as well as remaining at home if feeling unwell.

If you’d prefer to continue wearing a mask you are still welcome to, and we encourage everyone to be respectful of other people who continue wearing masks or who might wish to keep their distance. You’ll still need to sanitise your hands as you enter the building, avoid handshakes during the Peace, and communion remains bread only for the time being.

If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, remember that you must still self-isolate and get a PCR test. As always, we will continue to stream all our services live on our website and YouTube channel, as well as making them available to listen to later by phone or podcast.

We are still keeping a close eye on things such as infection rates, and may make other changes to our rules in the future.

The YCCN Relay in Leeds

Friday 17 to Saturday 18 September

The Young Christian Climate Network is taking part in a relay walk from St Ives in Cornwall up to Glasgow in time for the COP26 climate conference. They are travelling, praying, and advocating for climate justice.

If you’d like to join the walk as it heads from Birstall, through Leeds City Centre and on to Aberford – even for a short part – head to their website to find out more.

Prayer in the Square

Leeds City Square
Friday 17 September, 4.30 pm

Coinciding with the YCCN Relay, join with Christians from many different churches as we pray publicly for the Climate Emergency and the success of the COP26 climate conference.

Heritage Open Days

St Mary’s Church
This weekend

Whitkirk is a place with plenty of history, and we’re once again thrilled to open our doors to share it with everybody as part of Heritage Open Days. Come along and listen to a talk on how the Church and the nearby Temple Newsam House have their histories intertwined, see some rare photographs, view our collection of stunning embroideries, and get a good look at some of our centuries-old architecture.

Either join us on Friday at 6.00 pm for our lecture (more details below), or pop along over the weekend to look around in your own time.

Saturday 11 September from 10.00 am until 4.00 pm
Sunday 12 September from 2.00 pm until 4.00 pm

The Country House and the Parish Church

St Mary’s Church
This Friday 10 September, 6.00 pm

To mark the start of this year’s Heritage Open Days, we’ll be hosting a presentation by James Lomax, the former curator of Temple Newsam House.

This event is already starting to fill up, so if you’d like to join us make sure you book either online or by speaking to a steward.

Thank God It’s Friday

Whitkirk Community Centre
This Friday 10 September, 6.00 pm

A space away from the working week, a chance to unwind and meet with other people. Our Community Centre is open, the bar is available to get a drink, we’ve supplied some takeaway menus if you fancy getting something delivered, and there are no plans for the evening other than having a place to relax and be yourself.

You’re even welcome to grab a drink before the Heritage lecture, or come over when the talk is finished to continue the conversation.

Smiles are back at Whitkirk

We’re no longer asking people to wear face masks whilst in our church building.

If you’d prefer to continue wearing a mask you are still welcome to, and we encourage everyone to be respectful of other people who might wish to keep their distance. You’ll still need to sanitise your hands as you enter the building, avoid handshakes during the Peace, and communion remains bread only for the time being.

If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, remember that you must still self-isolate and get a PCR test. As always, we will continue to stream all our services live on our website and YouTube channel, as well as making them available to listen to later by phone or podcast.

We are still keeping a close eye on things such as infection rates, and may make other changes to our rules in the future.

The YCCN Relay in Leeds

Friday 17 to Saturday 18 September

The Young Christian Climate Network is taking part in a relay walk from St Ives in Cornwall up to Glasgow in time for the COP26 climate conference. They are travelling, praying, and advocating for climate justice.

If you’d like to join the walk as it heads from Birstall, through Leeds City Centre and on to Aberford – even for a short part – head to their website to find out more.