News and Notices

Sharing our Stories

The pandemic, our lives and our faith
Thursday 22 July 2021, 7.30pm
St. Mary’s Church, Whitkirk

All are invited to this opportunity to meet face-to-face and discuss with others the impact that the pandemic has had on our lives and the way we worship.

Reporting on our energy usage

We are in the middle of a climate emergency, and making sure that we know how much energy we’re using and what the emissions are is an important part of reducing our impact.

To help with this we’re sharing the headlines from our 2020 energy footprint report.

In 2020 the energy usage of our buildings was responsible for an estimated 18 tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere.

Our buildings received an A+ rating for emissions per person-hour, but only an F rating for emissions per square metre. We believe we can do better, and over the next year we’ll be working hard to reduce our emissions and improve our grading.

Become a Property Administrator with the Diocese of Leeds

If helping to manage a portfolio of over 400 residential properties and 80 acres of land is something that interests you, the Diocese of Leeds is looking for a Property Administrator.

Choral Evensong

The service of Evensong is rooted in hundreds of years of worship, and is renowned for its choral music and rich language.

Join us online for this evening’s service live at 6.00 pm, or watch again at any time after.

Our East Leeds Foodbank box is back

After a long absence, our donation box for the East Leeds Foodbank returns from this Sunday onwards. If you have any tinned or long-life goods left over from a Brexit or COVID stash that you’re not likely to use, the many users of the foodbank would really appreciate them. If you would like more information on the foodbank, and especially what items they are short of if you’d like to add something into your shopping basket, you can find this on their website.

Be a Festival Angel at Leeds Festival

Leeds Festival is once again returning to Bramham Park in August, and the Festival Angels team are looking for committed Christians to volunteer to help run the prayer cafe and lost property tent, as well as to act as ‘Street Angels’ around the site.

In return for an expected 20 hours of volunteer work between Wednesday 25 and Monday 30 August you’ll get the opportunity to spread the message of Christianity through good works, and a free ticket to the Festival.

If you’d like to sign up and be part of the Festival Angels team, you can find out more and sign up on their website, and if you’re not sure and want to talk to someone about what’s involved then you can email Rev Andy Nicholson with any questions you may have.

Worshipping in person

In line with the Government’s plan for easing lockdown, and based on our own risk assessments, our doors are open for public worship. You must book to attend any of our services in person, and you must follow additional rules around cleaning your hands, covering your face, and maintaining distancing whilst in the church. If you want to attend a service you can either book online, or you can call us on 0113 450 8554.

We will continue streaming all our services, both during this period of limited availability and into the future. You can join us online every Sunday morning at 10.00 am, catch up any time through the week, listen to our services over the phone, or listen using our podcast.

• Read about worshipping in person and book to attend a service
• Read the rules for being in the church

An update on Christian Aid Week

This year – as with last – the ongoing pandemic meant we couldn’t run our usual doorstep collections for Christian Aid. Instead, we set up our own St Mary’s e-envelope for Christian Aid, which allowed people to donate securely online. Through generous donations, this raised a total of £780. Alongside this, Christian Aid envelopes were made available in the church. Despite only limited numbers being able to attend services in person, these envelopes raised an additional £561.

In total, after adding Gift Aid, a stunning £1,341 was raised by the parish of St Mary’s.

It looks unlikely that doorstep collections will return in the future years. Online donations remove the need to handle cash or cheques and simplify the process of counting contributions. However, we will continue to make paper envelopes available in the church for those who prefer to continue giving in this way.

Many thanks to all who donated to Christian Aid, either through us here at St Mary’s or elsewhere. Your gifts are helping to build a safer, healthier, and fairer world for all.

Worshipping in person

In line with the Government’s plan for easing lockdown, and based on our own risk assessments, our doors are open for public worship. You must book to attend any of our services in person, and you must follow additional rules around cleaning your hands, covering your face, and maintaining distancing whilst in the church. If you want to attend a service you can either book online, or you can call us on 0113 450 8554.

We will continue streaming all our services, both during this period of limited availability and into the future. You can join us online every Sunday morning at 10.00 am, catch up any time through the week, listen to our services over the phone, or listen using our podcast.

• Read about worshipping in person and book to attend a service
• Read the rules for being in the church

Worshipping in person

In line with the Government’s plan for easing lockdown, and based on our own risk assessments, our doors are open for public worship. You must book to attend any of our services in person, and you must follow additional rules around cleaning your hands, covering your face, and maintaining distancing whilst in the church. If you want to attend a service you can either book online, or you can call us on 0113 450 8554.

We will continue streaming all our services, both during this period of limited availability and into the future. You can join us online every Sunday morning at 10.00 am, catch up any time through the week, listen to our services over the phone, or listen using our podcast.

• Read about worshipping in person and book to attend a service
• Read the rules for being in the church

Choral Evensong

The service of Evensong is rooted in hundreds of years of worship, and is renowned for its choral music and rich language.

You can join us online for this evening’s service live at 6.00 pm – or watch again at any time – on our YouTube channel.

Worshipping in person

In line with the Government’s plan for easing lockdown, and based on our own risk assessments, our doors are open for public worship. You must book to attend any of our services in person, and you must follow additional rules around cleaning your hands, covering your face, and maintaining distancing whilst in the church. If you want to attend a service you can either book online, or you can call us on 0113 450 8554.

We will continue streaming all our services, both during this period of limited availability and into the future. You can join us online every Sunday morning at 10.00 am, catch up any time through the week, listen to our services over the phone, or listen using our podcast.

• Read about worshipping in person and book to attend a service
• Read the rules for being in the church

Worshipping in person

In line with the Government’s plan for easing lockdown, and based on our own risk assessments, our doors are open for public worship. You must book to attend any of our services in person, and you must follow additional rules around cleaning your hands, covering your face, and maintaining distancing whilst in the church. If you want to attend a service you can either book online, or you can call us on 0113 450 8554.

We will continue streaming all our services, both during this period of limited availability and into the future. You can join us online every Sunday morning at 10.00 am, catch up any time through the week, listen to our services over the phone, or listen using our podcast.

• Read about worshipping in person and book to attend a service
• Read the rules for being in the church

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting is an opportunity for those in the parish to have their say in how their Church is run. It includes a summary of the year and reports from key people, as well as the election of roles such as churchwardens and members of the PCC.

This year’s meeting will be held online on Tuesday 25 May 2021 at 7.00 pm.

You can find more information about this year’s APCM on our website at whitkirkchurch.org.uk/apcm/2021, including the agenda and a copy of our annual report.

If you would like physical copies of documents and details of how to join by phone, please let us know.

Become a member of PCC or a churchwarden

If you have been wondering how you might serve the Church here at Whitkirk you may want to consider running for one of the available positions at this year’s APCM. We are looking for new members of our Parochial Church Council, and a new churchwarden to replace James who is standing down this year.

If you’re interested in either of these positions please get in touch.

Christian Aid

Although Christian Aid Week has ended, we are still collecting donations towards this worthy cause until the end of the month. You can donate online quickly and easily.

Last year the community at St Mary’s raised £724, so this year we have set a target of £750. Please help us to achieve this goal.

Worshipping in person

In line with the Government’s plan for easing lockdown, and based on our own risk assessments, our doors are open for public worship. You must book to attend any of our services in person, and you must follow additional rules around cleaning your hands, covering your face, and maintaining distancing whilst in the church. If you want to attend a service you can either book online, or you can call us on 0113 450 8554.

We will continue streaming all our services, both during this period of limited availability and into the future. You can join us online every Sunday morning at 10.00 am, catch up any time through the week, listen to our services over the phone, or listen using our podcast.

• Read about worshipping in person and book to attend a service
• Read the rules for being in the church

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting is an opportunity for those in the parish to have their say in how their Church is run. It includes a summary of the year and reports from key people, as well as the election of roles such as churchwardens and members of the PCC.

This year’s meeting will be held online on Tuesday 25 May 2021 at 7.00 pm.

You can find more information about this year’s APCM on our website at whitkirkchurch.org.uk/apcm/2021, including the agenda and a copy of our annual report.

If you would like physical copies of documents and details of how to join by phone, please let us know.

Worshipping in person

In line with the Government’s plan for easing lockdown, and based on our own risk assessments, we have now re-opened our doors for public worship. As in the past, you must still book to attend any of our services in person, and you must follow additional rules around cleaning your hands, covering your face, and maintaining distancing whilst in the church. If you want to attend a service you can either book online, or you can call us on 0113 450 8554.

We will continue streaming all our services, both during this period of limited availability and into the future. You can join us online every Sunday morning at 10.00 am, catch up any time through the week, listen to our services over the phone, or listen using our podcast.

• Read about worshipping in person and book to attend a service
• Read the rules for being in the church