Dear Friends,  When we meet or phone family or friends one of the first things we ask is how they are. We can now add a further query which is ‘have you had the vaccine yet? There’s no doubt one of the things to herald and rejoice at the start of this year is the number of vaccinations that have been delivered in our country; over 20 million as I pen this letter. What an absolute triumph of science and logistics to have produced several vaccines in under a year and delivered them. The sheer number of vaccinations given is a very positive step along the rocky road towards some sort of normality.

I wonder if the heroes of the day are now scientists, NHS staff and keyworkers who continue to serve and go the extra mile in these most testing times – let’s give them three cheers!

When one looks back it is amazing how our lives have been improved in these past few generations.  Can you remember the days when you got up on a winter’s morning to find ice on the inside of the bedroom window?   Central heating has given us warm homes and when one goes to a local supermarket the sheer amount of choice can be overwhelming; they reckon a large supermarket has something like 44,000 different items on the shelf, and that’s before you go online.

There is a flip side to the ever increasing standard of living, the ease of travel and the choice on the shelves, and that is the damage are we doing to the planet and animal world and do workers across the world get a fair wage.  In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, we are given the privilege of being good stewards of the world we live in. So how we live and develop as a human race comes with a great responsibility to think beyond what’s in it for me but rather what impact does my life have on this amazing world, and how can I leave it in good shape for future generations. As we continue to push the boundaries of what we can do as a human race we must bear in mind that just because we can do a new thing doesn’t mean we should do it without considering the possible side effects. A starting point is to recognize that we are not mini-gods, rather we are accountable to God for the way we use our God    given talents and the world’s resources.

For Christians, a good place for guidance are the two commandments  summarised by Jesus: the first is ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul’ and the second is ‘love your neighbour as you would love yourself’. With these two commandments we should not go too far wrong as we live in an increasingly complex world and grapple with many questions and challenges that come our way. So as Lent continues, let’s give thanks for all those who continue to use their God given talents to push the boundaries of science and technology so they may be guided by God to build a world that reflects his goodness and grace and help us all to live a blessed life.

Take care and stay safe,

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

It seems to me that many people were hoping that when 2020 ended and 2021 began that things would begin to change for the better.  This was reinforced by the pre-Christmas news that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine had been approved closely followed by the Oxford/AstraZeneca one.  The end was in sight, or was it?  Just when we though that we had turned the corner, a new variant of Covid-19 had been discovered on our own doorstep and we could see ourselves   heading back down into another lockdown and here we are.

In today’s world, pandemics are thankfully very rare.  Most of us in our lifetime have not seen the likes of Covid-19 even though there have been a few in the last 100 years, but all have been mild by      comparison. We have got used to having the freedom to do mostly whatever we want to do, and we take travel between continents for granted.  The easier travel gets for us, the easier it gets for the virus.

Plagues, wars and disease have been central to our way of life for thousands of years, but we don’t usually get wrapped up in them      personally.  Covid-19 has been different because it has affected everyone, everywhere in the world.  The reason why we have passed through those times is because of HOPE.  This is a gift that God gave us in   creating us in his image, and faith is the path to HOPE:

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Romans 5:1 “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

However we may be affected by the virus; however inconvenient it may be, we will win through.  God’s love for us will always triumph.  Yes, there is pain and loss for many, but God waits at the end to embrace us in his love and asks us through faith to live in hope for a better future.

Revd David Teece
St Peters Church, Stanley and St Paul’s, Alverthorpe.

I wonder how many of our readers remember the closing moments of the world cup final in 1966 when Kenneth Wolstenholme who was commenting for BBC TV uttered the immortal words: “they think it is all over….we’ll it is now” as Geoff Hurst scored England’s fourth goal to beat the mighty West Germany. A few seconds later England won the world cup four goals to two, Bobby Moore lifted the trophy, the country celebrated, and the rest is history, so to speak.

Well, as autumn begins to take hold and the nights draw in, there’s one thing we can say about the COVID pandemic, and that is as much as we would like it to be, it is far from over. In the past few weeks we are witnessing a rising number of positive cases and sadly more deaths as a result of this devastating and terrible virus. We are into the second wave of the pandemic and as we navigate as a country through various local lockdown measures the situation appears more complicated than in March. The pressure and challenges of living    together and looking out for each other seems to get more involved and added to this a sense of tiredness it is hard to know where to turn for hope and stability.  But we must continue to encourage one another and bear one another’s burdens.

In Matthew’s gospel, chapter 11, verses 28 to the end, Jesus talks about rest for the weary with these words….

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

In this passage, Jesus invites the weary and the burdened to find rest for their soul by being yoked with him. In Jesus’ day the yoke was a wooden collar that ran across the shoulders of a pair of oxen and enabled them to jointly pull enormous weights.  Jesus invites each one of us to be yoked with him in love so that he will gladly share our lives and offer us comfort and support in our present situation.

As we move deeper into autumn, why not think about inviting Jesus to share your burdens and weariness – you may be pleasantly   surprised to experience his love and presence in the most unexpected places and times.

Take care, stay safe and God Bless, Rev Glenn Coggins,

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

Dear Friends,    As I was preparing for the      season of Lent I came upon a ‘Charlie Brown’ cartoon which has little Linus, looking very forlorn, asking Lucy, ‘Why are you always so anxious to criticize me?’  Lucy looking very self-righteous replies: ‘I just think I have the knack for seeing other people’s faults’.  Linus turns indignant; ‘What about your own faults?’ he asks. ‘I have a knack for overlooking them’ answers Lucy.

Well, we have now entered the forty days of Lent and by church tradition we are challenged to spend the period in self-examination and self-denial.  The aim being that the forty days are sufficiently long enough to help us change all but the most deeply rooted habits. It is like spiritual aerobics where the Christian tones up on their spiritual life.

Lent can be thought of in negative terms if it is about ‘giving things up’ and no doubt there will be aspects of our lives which need close inspection.  Time spent with God and reflecting on our lives are always rich and fruitful.  Lent is a time to hear and believe that God loves us, and then spend at least forty days attempting to find out what that means. Jesus was sent into the desert to face his temptations straight after his   baptism in the river Jordan.  It was just after being baptized by John that a voice was heard from God that said to Jesus ‘you are my Son, with whom I am well pleased’.  For Jesus he knew he was truly the Son of God and loved by his Father. When Jesus heard God’s words, he set out to a place of quiet and solitude, the desert, so that he could think and pray about them.

At the heart of the Christian story is the belief that God made the world and everything in it out of love.  Jesus came to live and die for us so that we can understand God’s words to him as being meant for us too ‘You are my beloved daughters and sons; you give me pleasure’.

Going into the desert isn’t an option for most of us, but perhaps we can make a little time during Lent to try think about what our lives are for. And that might mean giving up, at least for a bit, some of the things that distract us, so that we can focus better on the essentials of what life is all about and our place in God’s marvellous world.

 May your Lent devotions help you experience God’s love for you in a deeper and more profound way.

Rev Glenn Coggins,

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

For me one of the most moving feasts in the Church’s calendar is   Candlemas on the 2nd February every year.  It arrives forty days after the birth of Jesus but is not as well known as Christmas and Easter.   Candlemas tells the story of Jesus being presented in the Temple by Mary and Joseph to God the Father and shown to his people.  The Law stated that every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord.  In the Temple at the time were two people, Simeon and Anna, who were elderly and were waiting to see Jesus the new born child.  God had revealed to Simeon that he would not die before he saw baby Jesus and when he saw Jesus he swept him up in his arms and praised God saying this words….

Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace

          your word has been fulfilled

My own eyes have seen the salvation

          which you have prepared in the sight of every people

A light to reveal you to the nations

          and the glory of you people Israel.    Luke 2:29-32

Not only did Simeon recognize Jesus as the light of the world but  also spoke of the life of Jesus to come of how he was to face not only   glory but also pain.  Later on in the passage, Anna—who was a widow and had never left the Temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying—also thanked God for Jesus and spoke about his life to come.

There is so much in the meeting of Jesus and Simeon and Anna that speaks to us today.  They are both known as the ‘quiet in the land’ – going about their daily lives in prayer and quiet watchfulness for God at work in the world.  They watched patiently in humble faithful expectation for   Jesus and although they had both known sorrow they had not grown bitter and never gave up hope.  It also was a meeting of both young and old and the part they played in God’s plans.  The witness and life of Simeon and Anna show to us there’s no retirement in God’s eyes!

The feast of Candlemas is very much a turning point in the Church year as we take one last look back at the birth of Jesus and now turn to face Lent and the events of Holy Week. and Easter. It is very much a bitter sweet turning point as we will soon begin our journey into forty days of Lent and spend time reflecting on our own lives.  Join us at St Peter’s on Ash Wednesday, 26th February, at 7:30pm when we gather to start our Lenten observance and in the meantime let’s pray that we too may recognize  Jesus, the light of the world in our lives and the life of the world.

Rev Glenn Coggins,

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

Dear friends,  one of the joys of being a Vicar is baptising babies and even though I have baptised many over the years, I have never lost the     wonder and joy of holding new life and sharing in a family’s thanksgiving to God for the gift of their child.  Very often those being baptised are very young and it is very moving to think of the life that lies ahead for the child.  In a fast changing world it is hard to imagine what the world will look like in ten never mind eighty years time!  I also wonder about the world we are handing over to our children and our children’s children.  In many ways we are blessed with a far better quality of life than our grandparents but in other ways we take the world for granted.  You only have to think of climate change and the issues around plastic we face as a world.

On Remembrance Sunday 10th November we shall again pause as a country to give thanks and remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.  Looking back I am sure all those involved in war were hoping and praying that the loss of life, sacrifice and horror would lead to a new world order and peace.  Sadly, this has never been the case and wars and unrest in some place or another across the globe are never far from our television screens.

Wars have continued to rage in one form or another since the two great wars and blood stains the books that chart the course of human history.  When one watches the news or reads a newspaper it would be so easy to think ‘what can I do? or ‘what impact can my life and  actions have on the world stage?

There’s a lovely story of two little boys walking along a beach after a storm and the beach is covered in thousands of stranded starfish They are overwhelmed by the numbers of starfish and do not know what to do until one of the boys picks up a starfish and throws it into the sea.  The other boy remarks ‘you’ll never make a difference? whilst peering at the thousands left on the beach and then the other boy replies ‘well, I just made a difference to that one!’

No matter how insignificant we may feel on the world stage we can all play a part with God’s help in building a better world.  This can be through prayer and being available to help and support those who cross our paths.

On Remembrance Sunday, on 10th November at 10am,  we will hold a service of Remembrance with Holy Communion at St Peter’s and during our time together there will be the opportunity to walk to the War Memorial in the old churchyard to read the names out of those who paid the ultimate    sacrifice.  On Remembrance Sunday we not only look back at the past but pledge ourselves to build a better world.  Please do consider joining us at any services and social events over November.    

I leave you with the prayer ‘Commitment to Peace’ which we will say together on Remembrance Service:

Let us pledge ourselves today to live as good neighbours,

to honour the past, to care for all who are in need,

and to live at peace among ourselves and with all people.

Lord God, Father of all,

We pledge ourselves

To serve you and this neighbourhood,

To bring relief to all those who are in need,

and comfort to the sad, lonely and distressed;

Keep us ever mindful of the struggles

and achievements of former generations,

and of this place where we make our home,

now, and in the days to come.  Amen.

Take care and God Bless,

Glenn

Vicar of Stanley, Outwood and Wrenthorpe, and Priest in charge of St Paul’s Alverthorpe

Dear Friends,

You do not need me to tell you that Brexit has dominated our political life as a nation for well over three years now.  Looking back to when the referendum took place in June 2016 there was a real sense that things would be done and dusted in a comparatively short time. How wrong that has turned out and as time has passed and deadlines have come and gone the rhetoric and debates and language surrounding Brexit has taken a turn for the worse.  However and whenever the country leaves the European Union, we will be faced with serious  challenges to what it now means to be British together.  There are many different political views on political priorities and actions.  The key is how we agree to disagree and move forward as a nation loving one another and working for unity.

In the meantime as we journey towards the 31st October, we bring before God the questions and the challenges currently facing the UK.  We remember the burden our parliamentary representatives carry especially in the light of the death of Jo Cox, a local MP and the strong views being expressed in some quarters. 

I would like to leave you with Archbishop Justin Welby’s comment: ‘Join me in praying for MPs their families and staff, across all parties at this difficult time, especially those who face unacceptable abuse and intimidation.  We must model good disagreement in our debates, and show respect and support for those in public service’

I offer this prayer produced by the Church of England at this time for your own personal prayers:

A Prayer for the Nation

God of hope,
in these times of change,
unite our nation,
and guide our leaders with your wisdom.
Give us courage to overcome our fears,
and help us to build a future
in which all may prosper and share.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Rev Glenn Coggins:  Vicar of Stanley, Outwood and Wrenthorpe, and Priest in charge of St Paul’s, Alverthorpe.

Dear Friends, it is lovely to have finally arrived and start to settle into life here in Outwood, Stanley, Wrenthorpe and Alverthorpe.  First of all a big thankyou for your warm welcome to Angela and myself and for your support at my licensing service in early June.  We are both thrilled and excited to be here at this stage in the life of the benefice and look forward to sharing our lives and ‘getting to know people’ over the coming months and years.

We have not moved far, in fact from just over the M1 after serving nearly thirteen years at St Michael’s in East Ardsley.  Over the years though I have moved extensively around the country for both work and church life.  My roots are in Royston near Barnsley where my father was a miner until the pit closed in 1968.  We then moved to south Leeds and it was from there that I went onto university where I met Angela and we married and lived in South Manchester throughout the 80s. 

A call to the ministry came about in the mid 80’s which took  several years to come to fruition and involved us living in Poole in Dorset. It was from Poole that I went to train for the ministry in Durham in the mid 90’s. Ministry then took us to Wiltshire followed by eight years in the Cambridgeshire fens before arriving in East Ardsley in 2006. During this time our twins Beth and Sam arrived on the scene.

Over the long hot Sundays of summer, our readings from Acts bring the early Church to life and how the disciples  lives were transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit to go out and share the good news of Jesus across the known world. At the end of the day God’s people are always a journeying people, a pilgrim people.  Our faith journey is one of movement be it spiritually and/or physically as we discover more of God’s blessings for us and his church as we step out in faith.  We are people on the move: the Holy Spirit calls us to share God’s love in a hurting world and be a church family that welcomes all and be a place where one can ‘Find God, Find Friends and Find Yourself’.

Angela and myself look forward to meeting you and sharing in your lives as we too journey together and follow in Jesus’ footsteps and discover more of God’s love and blessings.  God Bless.

Rev Glenn Coggins:  Vicar of Stanley, Outwood and Wrenthorpe, and Priest in charge of St Paul’s, Alverthorpe.

For Christmas we have the build-up of Advent, and Easter Day is preceded by Holy Week.  But when it comes to Whit Sunday, it just arrives!  Yet Pentecost is all about the birth of the Christian church and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Surely, that is something to get excited about!

For forty days following our Lord’s resurrection, Jesus appeared to His followers and taught them about the Kingdom of God.  Just before His ascension into Heaven, Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Spirit.

Ten days after His ascension, it was the Feast of Pentecost and this was a significant festival for the Jews.  It was an annual occasion for    people to assemble in the Holy City.  The day marked the time when the barley harvest officially ended.  This feast day was characterised by religious ceremonies and the offering of sacrifices.  No work was done. It was a day of thanksgiving.  A time to remember deliverance from Egypt and God’s mercy and reconciliation with His covenant people.

On the day of Pentecost, the followers of Jesus met together in an upper room. Its location was probably on Mount Zion to the west of Jerusalem.  The site can be visited although it’s not the Upper Room. It’s an ancient building dating from the 14th century and built on the site of a church destroyed by the Persians seven centuries earlier.  But the first floor chamber is large with old paving stones, surrounded by stone pillars and arches.  According to tradition, this is where Jesus ate the ‘Last Supper’ and His followers received the Holy Spirit.

On Whit Sunday we would do well to remember why the Holy Spirit was sent to us. We are given power to live God’s way:

– to lead us into the things God has prepared for us;

– to worship and glorify Him;

– to enable us to pray;

– to lead us into truth;

– to give us a desire to share the love of Christ with others and to help us trust God for all our needs.

This Pentecost may our prayer be for God’s Spirit to transform us, for the gentleness of His Spirit to lead us, and for the gifts of His Spirit to equip us.                            By Lester Amann writing in parishpump.co.uk s

Easter is now a distant memory for many.  Kids are back at school, parents are back at work and the world goes on, except it doesn’t for 300+ people who lost their lives in Sri Lanka.

Easter is a time for Christians to   celebrate.  It is a time when we remember that death is no longer a barrier to us.  Christ died on the cross and rose again so that we could live forever.  This is what makes Easter a joy and time to celebrate.  

A colleague of mine posted on Facebook on Easter Sunday  morning “He is risen – and the world changed for good”.  A moment that was meant to reflect the joy of the risen Christ.  We were in a good mood and joyful until the news hit us full on.  Celebration turns into shock and the shock turns in to anger and frustration.  Why do some people feel that the way they believe is the only way and that all who have a different opinion, are not only wrong, but deserving of death because of it?  On a day when the people of Sri Lanka were celebrating the Christian message of faith and resurrection (or simply enjoying a holiday in the sun) the lives of thousands of people are changed forever.  Those who lost a loved one during the bombings know only pain and suffering.  Those who escaped the destruction feel blessed for a moment and then begin to share the pain of others.  The rest of the world acts with outrage and anger and justifiably so.

The very reason why Jesus gave his life on the cross was so that the world could know change and change that was good.  Many people lost their lives on Easter Sunday; many more lives are now changed; but God is still at the centre even during death and destruction.  It can be hard for people to believe when such atrocities happen: how can there be a God when he allows things like this?  But we all know the truth: God isn’t part of the cause of suffering but is with all who suffer. Why people do what they do is hard to fathom but God is always the same today, tomorrow and forever.

By Rev David Teece, St Peter’s church