GREETING: Our Vicar, the Rev Tom Lusty, pictured at his Licensing Service at St Oswald's Church, Arncliffe, on July 28, 2021, with his wife, Helen, and the then Bishop of Ripon, the Right Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley
Picture: Peter Vetch
Picture: Peter Vetch
Forthcoming Services
On Tuesday, December 10, we will have a Sanctuary@6 Healing Service in Kettlewell Vicarage, at 6pm.
On Sunday, December 15, we will have:
*A Service of Holy Communion at St Michael and All Angels Church, Hubberholme, at 11.15am.
*A Carol Service at St Mary's Church, Conistone, at 4.30pm (joint Service with St Mary's, Kettlewell).
Click on the button below to see all our Services scheduled for December
Service changes for 2025
Changes have been agreed to the pattern of Services in our Churches in 2025.
This follows a consultation with people across the Parish, which mostly took the form of written submissions being sent in, though there was also a meeting of churchgoers in Arncliffe and an informal discussion after a Service at Conistone.
The issue was discussed in detail and at some length during a meeting of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) on Wednesday, November 27.
After considering three possible options, the PCC unanimously agreed on a pattern of Services which can be found by clicking on the button below.
In brief, the decision means that from the beginning of January 2025 there will be:
* Three Services per month at Arncliffe, starting at 9.30am.
* One Service per month at Conistone, starting at 11.15am.
* Three Services per month at Hubberholme, with two starting at 11.15am and one Evening Service.
* One Service per month at Kettlewell, starting at 10am. It will be the only Service in the Parish that day.
PCC members said they had made their decision on the basis of seeking to meet, so far as possible, the differing needs of each part of our Parish, as expressed in the consultation.
Of those who responded to the consultation, the majority of churchgoers from Kettlewell and Conistone favoured reducing the number of Services held in their local Church each month, while the majority in Arncliffe and Hubberholme favoured staying at something like the present number of Services.
Arguments in favour of reducing Services included the increasing difficulty of finding people to prepare Churches for Worship, and the belief that asking people to attend Services in one Church rotating around the Parish each Sunday would increase congregation numbers and improve the Worship experience.
Arguments in favour of retaining the present number of Services in some Churches included there being more volunteers able to help out in some locations, and the concern that overall numbers attending our Churches would fall if there was only one Service in the Parish each Sunday.
The 10am Service at Kettlewell is the only one in the Parish that Sunday, to allow an opportunity to see whether people from around the Parish are prepared to attend.
The only Evening Service in the new pattern is at Hubberholme. While most members of that congregation said they preferred a mid-morning Service, some said they could only attend a Service in the evening.
PCC members said they would be flexible in their approach to any issues which may arise, but they hoped this new pattern of Services would remain in place for 2025.
The exception to this will be the period of the sabbatical for our Vicar, the Rev Tom Lusty, due to take place from roughly April to June of next year. Arrangements for this period will be made early next year and publicised once they have been agreed.
Thank you to everyone in our congregations who responded to the consultation.
This follows a consultation with people across the Parish, which mostly took the form of written submissions being sent in, though there was also a meeting of churchgoers in Arncliffe and an informal discussion after a Service at Conistone.
The issue was discussed in detail and at some length during a meeting of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) on Wednesday, November 27.
After considering three possible options, the PCC unanimously agreed on a pattern of Services which can be found by clicking on the button below.
In brief, the decision means that from the beginning of January 2025 there will be:
* Three Services per month at Arncliffe, starting at 9.30am.
* One Service per month at Conistone, starting at 11.15am.
* Three Services per month at Hubberholme, with two starting at 11.15am and one Evening Service.
* One Service per month at Kettlewell, starting at 10am. It will be the only Service in the Parish that day.
PCC members said they had made their decision on the basis of seeking to meet, so far as possible, the differing needs of each part of our Parish, as expressed in the consultation.
Of those who responded to the consultation, the majority of churchgoers from Kettlewell and Conistone favoured reducing the number of Services held in their local Church each month, while the majority in Arncliffe and Hubberholme favoured staying at something like the present number of Services.
Arguments in favour of reducing Services included the increasing difficulty of finding people to prepare Churches for Worship, and the belief that asking people to attend Services in one Church rotating around the Parish each Sunday would increase congregation numbers and improve the Worship experience.
Arguments in favour of retaining the present number of Services in some Churches included there being more volunteers able to help out in some locations, and the concern that overall numbers attending our Churches would fall if there was only one Service in the Parish each Sunday.
The 10am Service at Kettlewell is the only one in the Parish that Sunday, to allow an opportunity to see whether people from around the Parish are prepared to attend.
The only Evening Service in the new pattern is at Hubberholme. While most members of that congregation said they preferred a mid-morning Service, some said they could only attend a Service in the evening.
PCC members said they would be flexible in their approach to any issues which may arise, but they hoped this new pattern of Services would remain in place for 2025.
The exception to this will be the period of the sabbatical for our Vicar, the Rev Tom Lusty, due to take place from roughly April to June of next year. Arrangements for this period will be made early next year and publicised once they have been agreed.
Thank you to everyone in our congregations who responded to the consultation.
Advent Course: Haphazard by Starlight
This year's Advent Course is being run jointly by the Parishes that make up Upper Wharfedale, co-led by the Rev Matthew Wood and the Rev Tom Lusty. The course will run for four weeks, from Tuesday, November 26.
It is a morning session (11am to 12 noon) in different venues (see below).
We will look at four poems from Janet Morley's anthology "Haphazard by Starlight". There will be space for reflection on a particular poem within an act of worship using liturgy from the Iona Community.
*November 26: "Advent Calendar" by Rowan Williams. Church House, Grassington.
*December 3: "Church Going" by Philip Larkin. Kettlewell Vicarage.
* December 10: "The Second Coming" by WB Yeats. St Michael's, Linton.
*December 17: "At the Winter Solstice" by Jane Kenyon. Kettlewell Vicarage.
All courses run from 11am to 12 noon.
It is a morning session (11am to 12 noon) in different venues (see below).
We will look at four poems from Janet Morley's anthology "Haphazard by Starlight". There will be space for reflection on a particular poem within an act of worship using liturgy from the Iona Community.
*November 26: "Advent Calendar" by Rowan Williams. Church House, Grassington.
*December 3: "Church Going" by Philip Larkin. Kettlewell Vicarage.
* December 10: "The Second Coming" by WB Yeats. St Michael's, Linton.
*December 17: "At the Winter Solstice" by Jane Kenyon. Kettlewell Vicarage.
All courses run from 11am to 12 noon.
Please go to the News and Views section of our website for the latest on events and happenings from around our Parish, including the latest edition of The Link magazine.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PAST SERVICES FROM THE PARISH OF UPPER WHARFEDALE & LITTONDALE.
The church communities of Upper Wharfedale and Littondale aim to be open and welcoming to everyone.
We extend the hospitality of Jesus to people of all faiths and none whatever your background or identity.
Whether you are seeking God's presence, looking for information or some help with prayer and worship, we hope that you will discover that God's love is unconditional and within all things.
Keep us, good Lord,
Under the shadow of your mercy
In this time of uncertainty and distress.
Sustain and support the anxious and fearful,
And lift up all who are brought low;
That we may rejoice in your comfort,
Knowing that nothing can separate us from your love
In Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Peace to all who enter.
God's grace to all who depart
We extend the hospitality of Jesus to people of all faiths and none whatever your background or identity.
Whether you are seeking God's presence, looking for information or some help with prayer and worship, we hope that you will discover that God's love is unconditional and within all things.
Keep us, good Lord,
Under the shadow of your mercy
In this time of uncertainty and distress.
Sustain and support the anxious and fearful,
And lift up all who are brought low;
That we may rejoice in your comfort,
Knowing that nothing can separate us from your love
In Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Peace to all who enter.
God's grace to all who depart