Dear Friends,

Well, it is finally happening! Next month, a moving van will arrive to take Mother Jo and I to our new home in Batley, and a new start for me as priest-in-charge of four churches: All Saints’ Batley, St Thomas’ Batley, St Andrew’s Purlwell and St Paul’s Hanging Heaton. It will be a big change and a big challenge. We have been blessed to get to know so many people in our six years in Outwood and Wrenthorpe. You have welcomed us into your homes and shared your lives with us, and we have been so grateful for the love and hospitality you have shown us.

There are two things that I think make for a healthy church: taking what we do seriously and also being serious about the people we do it for. I believe in a welcoming church which expects and plans for people of all ages and backgrounds to come along, as well as in a church which is faithful to the traditions that have shaped us as Christians and which we hope to pass on to the next generation. That is the kind of ministry I have tried to have in St Mary Magdalene’s, St Anne’s and the wider North Wakefield Team, and which I hope to carry to Batley. The challenge is a big one: all four of my new churches are small, with an average of only around 80 or 90 people going to church across the team. The team covers a diverse area, with many families who trace their roots to India and Pakistan, but there are healthy interfaith links and lots of community work going on.

One of the things which encourages me most about the North Wakefield Team as I leave it is that there is so much good which has been done in the last year, and a great deal of it has been led by the people of our churches, rather than the clergy. Whether its the Youth Drop in at St Anne’s, the Drop-In and Lunch Club in St Mary Magdalene’s, the reopened Ark in St Peter’s or the Warm Spaces initiative in St Paul’s, there is so much going on which comes about because of the hard work of parishioners. I hope and pray all these things carry on and grow in the coming years – it was very encouraging to discover the Gardening Club in St Mary Magdalene’s had been awarded a large grant from the Bishops’ Development Fund to continue its work.

Of course, the clergy DO have a role to play, and I shall miss the company and fellowship of Glenn, David and Stuart, as well as all the lay ministers. I have learned a lot in my time with you all and I wish you all every blessing in the months and years to come.

So it’s farewell from me, good luck for the future, and the blessing of God almighty go always with us.

Father Jonathan Bish is priest of Outwood and Wrenthorpe churches in the North Wakefield Benefice

This month we launch our North Wakefield Benefice newsletter, this letter from Glenn was from the inaugural edition.

Dear Friends,  It is lovely to welcome you to the first edition of our very own North Wakefield Benefice monthly magazine.  Many thanks to Ellie at St Peter’s, Stanley who has found time in her busy schedule to put together this edition and for those who have contributed articles from each of the four churches. The benefice magazine will of course evolve over time so please pass onto Ellie or myself any comments and feedback on this edition and future ones.

It is hoped that our benefice magazine will help us stay in contact with each other by allowing us to share our lives, events, stories and prayers and in doing so encourage each other in our own Christian journey.  The magazine is very much a shop window for each church to share their events and activities and what is encouraging and blessing them at the present time.  You will see when you read these pages that across the four churches there is a great number of activities taking place and we are all thankful to those who contribute to church life in any way.  Do have a read and consider supporting an event or activity in another church in the benefice.

It is now reckoned that around three quarters of the churches in the Church of  England are in some form of a benefice or team.  In each case there is no set formula for how a benefice should organise itself but at the heart is a requirement for good relationships, trust and a common vision.  Creativity is very much the name of the game and  listening, supporting and praying together will help guide us into the future.

To help us grow together these are some of the areas the benefice is working on:

1. Our church wardens had their first joint meeting with the clergy in June and another one is arranged for early October.  These meetings allow church wardens and clergy to share together common themes across the churches and encourage one another.

2. The quarterly meetings between clergy and Readers are continuing and at these meetings service planning takes place and we support one another.

3. David Payne at St Anne’s is heading up a benefice prayer meeting and the next meeting is Saturday 24th September from 10am—11.30am at St Paul’s.

4. On Saturday 29th October at St Mary’s, Outwood, we shall be holding an open meeting from 9:30am until around 12 noon.   The meeting will help congregations have an opportunity to hear what is taking place across the benefice and will include worship, tea/coffee and each church will have an opportunity to share news and there will be input about the life of the benefice and possible group work.

5. We are also thankful to Dave Florence who has arranged our benefice logo, which we hope builds up our common life together.

Take care and God Bless, Glenn

Rev Glenn Coggins, Vicar of  the United Benefice of Stanley, Outwood and Wrenthorpe and Alverthorpe.

Dear Friends, On Sunday 17th July at 3pm we will gather on the field at St Peter’s Church for our second Pet Thanksgiving Service. I have been involved in Pet blessing services for many years and have always found them a real opportunity to give thanks to God for our animal companions and the joy and friendship they bring to our lives.  Pet services can have their moments though and for several years whilst I was at St Michael’s, East Ardsley we had Morley Exotic Animal Rescue with us. At one of the visits we ended up with a Komodo dragon  joining us along with some tarantulas.  I think it was one of the quietest services ever as all the dogs and cats looked on as if to say “What on earth is that walking around?  We don’t normally see one of these on our daily walk or in our garden!”

Our friends Dave and Marion at St Peter’s are currently training Esme the Labrador to be a Guide Dog.  It is quite a considerable undertaking but we all know what a valuable help and companion a guide dog can be to a blind or partially sighted person. The dog will help their owners remain mobile, independent, safe and secure.

It goes without saying that animals can be very therapeutic and help us in many ways in our own daily lives.  I know of a man who after various sad events in his life, retreated very much to his house and lost all interest in going out and engaging with the wider world. Family and friends were very concerned about his mental health until somebody suggested getting a dog. Well, to say it transformed his life is an understatement.  After several weeks his mood had changed; he now had a   focus to his life and on his daily walks he made several friends with other dog walkers and enjoyed chatting away to them.     

In our service we will say this prayer together which will also remind us of our great responsibility to look after God’s creation:

Generous God, whose own self-giving is reflected in the love and devotion of these animal companions; bless them with your Spirit, and make us mindful of the great responsibility we bear for all creatures dependent upon us for their welfare; help us to use our power over them for their own benefit and never selfishly for our own gain.  Amen. 

So dear friends, do consider joining us on Sunday 17th July at 3pm on the field for our special pet blessing service. We will also be joined by the Leeds, Wakefield and District RSPCA who will have an information stall.  I look forward to seeing you there or at any other service or event we are holding over the summer months – take care, God bless and hope you have a good summer.

Rev Glenn Coggins, Vicar of  the United Benefice of Stanley, Outwood and Wrenthorpe and Alverthorpe.

I am sure like me you have days which are etched in the memory. One such day for me is Saturday 1st July 1995 when I was ordained a deacon in Salisbury Cathedral. My family had travelled down from York-shire for the service in a mini bus with a poster in the window which read “We are with Glenn and so is God!”. It was a most marvellous occasion and there were well over 1,000 people in the cathedral along with 12 of us being ordained. Before the service we had gathered in the Bishop’s chapel and sat around in a circle for us swear two particular oaths. The registrar was present to make sure everything was done according to Canon law and to make sure each of us actually swore the two allegiances – one to the Bishop and one to Queen Elizabeth II and her heirs and successors.

The Oath of Allegiance was introduced in the 1580s at a period of national crisis, when there was a succession of political plots to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I. Some clergy in the Church of England were involved in these schemes therefore this Oath was introduced to prevent clergy from undermining the crown and also the Church – can you believe it!

Looking back to that afternoon in July 1995, I never had any qualms about swearing allegiance to our Queen. She has shown over the past 70 years of public life her clear sense of vocation to serve ‘with her whole heart’ and in doing so has served God and all the people with humility and good character. For Christians this is fully seen in the kingship of Jesus who came not to be served but to serve.

As a nation will shall be celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee over four days from Thursday 2nd June until Sunday 5th June when there are various national events taking place as well as several across the village of Stanley. At St Peter’s we shall be holding a special service of thanksgiving at 10am on Sunday 5th June to which you are most warmly invited. In the meantime as we approach the Queen’s Platinum celebration I leave you with this prayer for your own personal devotions.

Gracious God, we give you thanks for the reign of your servant Elizabeth our Queen, and for the example of loving and faithful service which she has shown among us. Help us to follow her example of dedication and to commit our lives to you and to one another, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Rev Glenn Coggins, Vicar of the United Benefice of Stanley, Outwood and Wrenthorpe and Alverthorpe.

Dear Friends,          

I am sure like me it was a joy to hear the news that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and  Anoosheh Ashoori had been released from Iran after several years of captivity. It was wonderful to see photos of  Nazanin holding her daughter and being reunited with her husband Richard who had fought tirelessly since her capture for her release. Sadly this was a brief moment of light on the world stage on what has been a very difficult and painful month as we have witnessed the invasion of Ukraine. Who would have thought that on mainland Europe in the 21st century such horrors would be on our doorstep?

Many years ago I went to hear Terry Waite speak about his 1,763 days held in captivity by Hezbollah.  There were some lighter moments in his talk such as when he asked for English books to read, he was  finally handed one by a kind guard with the title ‘A Mother’s Guide to Breast-feeding’ – not exactly what he had in mind but it was a start.  He talked about what had supported him in those dark days and one was the thought that people were remembering him in their daily prayers.  He also would save a morsel of bread and some water and have a holy communion service in his cell – he could remember the entire service and that gave him comfort as it brought home the presence of Jesus in his midst and the wider church family.  One very surprising comment was that when he was  finally given a copy of the Bible, he expected its words to offer him great comfort but it also reminded him of ‘man’s inhumanity to man’. The Bible is a very real and honest book that brings home the pain and sadness of how we have turned our backs on God and gone our own way.

Thankfully it also tells the story of God’s redeeming love in action throughout history calling us home to be part of his family. The extent of God’s love is seen primarily in the life and ministry of Jesus and the events of Holy Week. On Good Friday we stand at the foot of the cross and pause in deep sadness as Jesus is crucified and all hope is lost for those early disciples.  The wonderful news of course is that  Jesus dying on the cross is not the end of the story, rather three days later Jesus is resurrected and offers new life to those who put their trust in him. There’s no limit the God’s love for us – we just need to accept that he loves us and to share in our lives – the miracle of Easter.

As we journey into the events of Holy Week, let us continue to pray for those affected by the war in Ukraine and look at ways we can help those caught up in this terrible tragedy. May they know we are there for them in solidarity and that hope, love and joy of the resurrected Christ will in time replace the darkness and pain of their Good Friday experience.  

Rev Glenn Coggins, Vicar of  the United Benefice of Stanley, Outwood and Wrenthorpe and Alverthorpe.

One of the things I have missed over the past couple of years has been the occasional trip to a campsite and then a walk in the local area. In the past, my son Sam and I have enjoyed the challenge of getting all the kit ready and then driving off on a camping adventure. Camping involves facing the challenges of the weather, the ground conditions, making sure you have remembered everything, and having an unsettled night’s sleep.  Alongside this though it is invigorating to be out of the nice protective vicarage, wonderful bed and the ease of switching on the kettle. One really enjoys being closer to nature and taking in the fresh air and viewing the night sky.  Alongside this it is lovely to chat to those who are camping close by and hear about their lives and love of camping. Finally there’s nothing better to return home and have a night’s sleep in one’s own bed.

As we draw closer to hearing again the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, the beginning of John’s gospel literally reads that God came and pitched his tent amongst us; that the creator of all that we see and experience in this wonderful universe sent his son Jesus to be born and live a human life with all its joys and sorrows for a mere 33 years. Jesus gave up the glory of heaven to come down and share in our lives and in doing so pointed us to his Father and our Father. It’s no wonder that it ‘good news’ is at the heart of Christmas when God took the initiative, sent his son Jesus to live a human life and  through his life, death and resurrection offers us a glimpse of heaven and abundant life.

Several years ago I came upon this which tries to shed light on what it must have been like for Jesus to swap heaven and live on earth…..

The Greatest Love Story ever told….

Like your landlord becoming your lodger
Like your managing director up before you for an interview
Like Beethoven queuing up for a ticket to his own concert
Like a headmaster getting the cane
Like a good architect living in a slum built by a rival
Like Picasso painting by numbers
God lived among us.

So dear friends, as we face another unsettling Christmas, take heart in the good news that God is with us in the midst of life.  No matter how dark and challenging life gets, Jesus is the light of the world and through him God offers us comfort, strength and hope. Perhaps this Christmas make room for Jesus in your heart.

Take care, stay safe and God Bless this Christmas time and into 2022    

Glenn

Dear Friends,  

COP26 has started in Glasgow a year later than originally planned and with the stakes even higher.  Just before it started, Boris Johnson said it’s the “last chance to save the planet”, which hopefully will focus the minds of the delegates to produce some hard and solid plans to help reduce the impact of rising temperatures across the globe.  It’s interesting to look back at the speed of how the world responded to the Covid pandemic with the production of vaccines in double quick time. The impact of coronavirus was immediate and affected our health, our way of life overnight, and action was needed quickly which we are all truly thankful.  

With climate change though it feels like it has been bandied around for quite a number of years but only now is the world really waking up to a possible future catastrophe for our whole way of life and wonderful world we live in.

I don’t know if you are like me but I am trying different ways to reduce my carbon foot print but it seems an uphill struggle when the    challenge across the world seems so great and immense.

At times like this I am reminded of the words of the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson who wrote ‘More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of’. These words encourage me to pray for God’s intervention that hearts and minds (including my own) will be changed so that we offer concrete hope to future generations.

So, please keep doing your own ‘bit’ for the environment and in the meantime I offer you this prayer for your use during the COP26 summit: 

Loving God,

We praise your name with all you have created.
You are present in the whole universe, and in the smallest of creatures.
We acknowledge the responsibilities you have placed upon us as rewards of your creation.
May the Holy Spirit inspire all political leaders at COP26 as they seek to embrace the changes needed to foster a more sustainable society.
Instil in them the courage and gentleness to implement fairer solutions for the poorest and most vulnerable, and commit their nations to the care of Our Common Home.
We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ your Son.
Amen

God bless and take care and stay safe and hope to see you soon. 

Glenn

Rev Glenn Coggins, Vicar of  the United Benefice of Stanley, Outwood and Wrenthorpe and Alverthorpe.

Dear Friends,  

You will have heard the saying that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. Well, in this case it was a recent Matt cartoon in the Daily Telegraph in which a man was dressed for work in a suit and holding a brief case and upon opening his front door he is a faced with a bricked up door. In the cartoon, he turns to his wife and says ‘did anybody tell us about the latest local lockdown restrictions?’ As lockdown eases and hopefully we continue travelling in the right direction, it is such a challenge for the   government to communicate clearly what we can and cannot do in our   daily lives. We know by now that information, instructions and guidance can get misinterpreted, ignored and half followed  and against this       navigating a path that allows for some easing of restrictions and keeping COVID under control is a job not many people would sign up for.

When one sits back though it’s amazing though how technology has allowed us to communicate and keep in touch. Just think how we can talk face to face with people at the other side of the world say in Australia.  We then have 24 hour news, social media and the likes of Google that offers you advice on anything under the sun and Wikipedia that puts the contents of the Encyclopaedia Britannia at your finger tips. But, with all this communication and access to information, getting one’s message over is such a struggle. People can get half the story, give up reading after the first paragraph, only hear what they want to hear or suffer information over load and switch the telly off.

I was reflecting on this the other day about how the early Church spread the message of Jesus across the known world. When you think that Jesus didn’t write a book, only gathered a few people around him during his three short years of ministry, and did not travel very far from his home town. And yet his message has spread to all four corners of the world and has transformed the lives of millions of people down the generations and helped countries build a good foundation for society to live and thrive. A couple of weeks ago we heard the story of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost  empowering those early disciples to go out and share the good news in words and action. The church has continued to take Jesus’ transforming message out and at St Peter’s we try live our lives following in Jesus’ footsteps and being a family together and sharing the good news with those on our doorstep. As lockdown eases we continue to gather for services and social events are starting to be booked. You are most welcome to join us at anytime and discover the life changing message of Jesus.

God bless, take care and stay safe, and hope to see you soon.

Glenn

Rev Glenn Coggins, Vicar of  the United Benefice of Stanley, Outwood and Wrenthorpe and Alverthorpe.

Dear Friends,  

With the recent easing of lockdown restrictions, both Angela and myself were able to travel to the Lake District to visit her dad.  It had been six months since we had seen him so as you would imagine it was quite an emotional visit.  During the visit we had a walk down by the river in Cockermouth, birthplace  of William Wordsworth, and we were amazed at how the area had been transformed after the impact of various floods over the years.  A new pedestrian bridge has been built, flood defences have been improved, everything had been landscaped and it was very pleasant to walk and sit by the river.

When it comes to rainfall it is not called the Lake District for nothing and I remember a particularly bad flood in November 2009 which saw up to 8 feet of flood water flowing down the high street and the local brewery found some of their beer barrels halfway up trees on the riverside.

On the walk I came across a plaque which had a bible quotation from the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament (chapter 58, verse 12) which reads: “Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age old foundations; you will be called repairer of broken walls. Restorer of broken streets with dwellings.”

The people of Cockermouth and no doubt others had really taken this text to heart and I am sure after yet another flood, most people must have felt like giving up and running to the hills. But no, sleeves were rolled up, plans sketched out and funds found and together resilient people restored the town and river bank to be a blessing to those living there and to the many visitors who flock over the year.

As we start to experience some sort of ‘normal’ life, we pray that the easing of lockdown restrictions will continue and we can start rebuilding our lives and enjoy being able to socialize with family and friends. We may not be rebuilding actual physical buildings or dealing with another potential flood but our mental health has taken a battering and we need time to process what has happened in our lives. God has given us each other as a gift and a blessing and to be present not only in times of joy but also in times of stress and sadness. My prayer is as we journey into a brighter future that we may be willing to be there for our neighbour, that together we rebuild our lives and social events etc and build a kinder and more loving community and life.  

At St Peter’s Church we have begun this journey and you are most welcome to join us at our services or any future social events as together we experience the love of God in our midst and rebuild our lives.  

God bless and take care and stay safe, Glenn

Dear Friends, 

It is hard to believe that is now a full year since that very first lockdown.  Who would have thought that we are still living with restrictions in our daily lives but we pray that the vaccination roll out will soon enable us to return to some sort of normality.  It was interesting to hear what people are really looking forward to post pandemic:  their replies ranged from travel, shopping, eating out, attending live events to of course being with loved ones – families and friends.

I can remember reading a survey conducted several years ago about happiness.  The survey attempted to understand what aspects of  life improve our general happiness and as one would expect access to money featured highly in this. It was found though that when one had the money to furnish the basics in life i.e. putting a house over one’s head, enough money for food and clothes and some left over for treats and holidays etc; even if a person had a lot more money it did not mean they were far happier in themselves.  No, what came out was when the basics in our lives were catered for, it was relationships with others i.e. friendships that really improved our happiness. It was having others to share our lives and feel wanted and loved.

As we approach another Easter, one could argue relationships are at the very core of the Easter message.  Jesus goes to the cross on our behalf to offer us a way back to a restored relationship with God the Father. We see on the cross God’s amazing love in action and forgiveness for each one of us if we believe and trust in Jesus. Sam Wells writes: “One could say ‘Jesus hangs on the cross’, to show us the love that hangs on and that if we hang onto that love, it will never let us go”.

It is often said that there are some things in life that money cannot buy and that of course is love – sacrificial and unbounded – God’s love that embraces us in the life and death of Jesus. It is a love that will never let us go and we see it reflected in the love we share  between family and friends. It is going to wonderful to spend time again with our loved ones in the weeks ahead and here at St Peter’s Church.  You are most welcome to join us at our services or social events as together we experience the love of God in our midst.  

God bless this Easter and take care and stay safe

Glenn

Rev Glenn Coggins, Vicar of  the United Benefice of Stanley, Outwood and Wrenthorpe and Alverthorpe.