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Wednesday 9.30 am
Friday 12.15 pm Morning Prayers at St. Giles' Church
Tuesday to Saturday 8.30 am
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Parish Mass at 10.15 am
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Father, we praise you for all your gifts to us, and for the fun and fellowship we share together.
Help us to value one another and to work for the good of all.
May we give of our best, and so bring joy to others. Accept our efforts and give us your blessing. In Jesus’ Name. Amen
Pontefract 722835
The Harewood Centre
Back To Church
As I come to the end of my first year here, my thoughts are swimming with all the experiences of the last year. I vividly recall my first day in parish, getting thrown in at the deep end and meeting so many people who all wanted to get to know me and Mikki.
But the thing that stands out for me is the welcome and the hospitality that we were shown, and the warmth of the friendships that we have made.
It’s with these thoughts at the front of my mind that I write to you this month about plans that are in motion for the end of September. Earlier this month I spoke of Back To Church Sunday, and the opportunity that this event brings to us. But before I write more about what will happen, I wanted to just take a brief moment to explain exactly what it is all about.
5 years ago Manchester Diocese had the idea of welcoming people back to church, and they encouraged each parish to hold this event. In each parish, every member of the congregation was challenged to think of one person who they could invite to come back to church with them.
The response they had was overwhelming, and many people who had not attended church for some time, came back and rekindled their faith. Then as time went on, many of these people became regular churchgoers again.
The initiative has continued each year since, and in 2008 an astounding 31,000 people have started to attend again on a regular basis.
This year at St Giles and St Mary’s we will also be accepting the challenge, and on the 27th September 2009 we will join with thousands of other parishes across the country, and around the world, as we hold our own Back To Church Sunday services.
A short while ago Tearfund ran a survey, and they estimate that there are 2.9 million, yes million! People who are just waiting for a personal invitation to come back to church, that works out to roughly 6% of the adult population of the UK.
And so, with all this in mind, I would like to encourage each of us to think about one person who we can invite to come and join us at church. Then once we all have this person in mind, in September we will think about how we approach that person, and there will also be some invitations for us to use.
We are blessed at St Giles and St Mary’s with gifts of hospitality and welcome, and I truly believe that if we use the gifts and talents that we have, then we can continue to grow the kingdom in our own town of Pontefract.
God Bless
Fr. Ian.