Lectures, reflections, clean-ups, washdays – churches across the diocese are engaging with Lent in a host of interesting and varied ways.
Parishes are being encouraged to take one small step this Lent and Holy Week to make a difference in their community through spring cleaning.
Washday was an initiative from Oxford Diocese to encourage social action during Lent and Holy Week and this year the Revd Robin Gamble, Bishop’s Adviser on Church Growth said he hoped more parishes in this diocese would take this up this year.
He said: “It’s a simple idea; a way of encouraging people to make a difference in their communities through some kind of washing-related activity to show we’re not afraid to get our hands wet/dirty in the service of others.
He suggests:
Car wash in a church car park
Litter pick in a local community
Shoe polish in a local supermarket
Wash up or take in washing for a needy neighbour
Garden clear up
He even suggests parishes take this idea a step further and organize a special service on Maundy Thursday (March 24) to springclean the soul, make a fresh start.
“It could be a simple service to say sorry. We all need to say sorry sometimes. This could be a service of healing and renewal,’ he suggests.
Parishes are encouraged to post their pictures with the hashtag #washday16 and you can find out more online at www.washday.org
Social media is at the heart of #observelent project at the parishes of Hartshead, Hightown, Roberttown and Scholes in the Huddersfield Area as the vicar, the Revd Richard Burge explained.
“We want people in these 40 days to notice all the good things around them and to celebrate them. So often our lives are so busy and cluttered that we don't notice what we so quickly pass by. So we wanted to encourage people in our churches and our communities to take time this Lent to really notice things around them,” he said.
Richard posted this, the first picture of #observelent this morning when he captured this cross made by the shape of the window in the golden light as the sun rose.
In Barnsley, there will be a series of lectures based around the Year of Mercy announced by Pope Francis last year with speakers including the Revd Tiffany Conlin, chaplain at Wakefield Prison, Kay Raynor from the Barnsley Drop In Project and the Revd Jonathan Cain, on Water for Life project in our link diocese of Tanzania.
In Huddersfield town centre, the Parish church has teamed up with the local university to deliver a series of Lent talks designed to explore current issues affecting the church and wider community.
The talks take place every Wednesday through Lent with speakers including Bishop Tom Butler who is a regular contributor to Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’, and Stuart Townend who co-wrote one of the most popular modern worship songs, In Christ Alone.
The talks will take place in St Peter’s church at 11am on Wednesdays (starting February 17) followed by a repeat at the University at 2.15pm. For the programme in full see https://lenttalks.eventbrite.co.uk
There is a packed programme of events planned at St Stephen’s Lindley, which include time for reflection and prayer on Tuesday evenings, morning prayer three times a week and themes for every Sunday in Lent.
Worship, reflection and prayer will be supplemented with community activities such as a community litter pick and church clean up.
The vicar, the Revd Rachel Firth is also using this time to try and launch an electronic newsletter for the parish to share the good news and community events. She hopes it will become a regular newsletter available for anyone with an interest in the activities of the church community here in Lindley.
At Ripon Cathedral, the former Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd John Pritchard will be leading three evenings based on his own book, Living Faithfully. Taking place from March 3rd at Thorpe Prebend House, on three Thursday evenings, the subjects are Living Faithfully in a Scientific World, Living Faithfully with difficult ethical decisions, and Living Faithfully with death. (riponcathedral.info/lent-flyer-2016/)
What does it mean to be human? That’s the theme of a series of Lent conversations on Thursday evenings at the Queen’s Hall, Burley in Wharfedale. Beginning, on February 18th with Sabir Zazai, Director of the Coventry Migrant and Refugee Centre, other speakers include Alex Jones of Christian Aid, Susan Howdle of Oxford Brookes University, Professor Peter Howdle, Consultant Gastroenterologist, St.James’s, University of Leeds, and Kevin Warnes, Green councillor on Bradford Council and teacher. (More at www.burleyparishchurch.org.uk/future-events/)
Many churches, such as All Saint’s Ilkley, will be taking part in the ’40 Acts of Lent’ campaign (www.40acts.org.uk). Each day of Lent, those who follow 40 acts are encouraged to do 40 acts of generosity – giving back, doing good and living generously. There are suggestions, projects and readings each day of Lent and the project can be done individually, in groups, churches, families or schools.