Two people from the Diocese have received Maundy money in recognition of many years’ Christian service to their local church and communities.
Clifford Simpson and Doreen Hocking joined 96 men and women - equal to the age of Her Majesty The Queen – who were presented with the money at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Maundy Thursday.
In a first, Prince Charles handed out the Maundy money on behalf of The Queen. In 2020 and 2021, Covid restrictions meant the money could not be handed out in person.
Thank you to those churches that sent through pictures and details as to how they marked Holy Week.
On Good Friday the Central Lakes Mission Community - which takes in Ambleside, Grasmere, Hawkshead, Rusland, Satterthwaite, Little Langdale and Rydal - staged a Passion Play at 11am in Ambleside and then 3pm in Hawkshead.
And Churches Together in Kendal staged a walk of witness through the town - leading worship and reflection at the Birdcage in the main shopping area - as well as holding a sunrise service at Kendal Castle.
Thy Kingdom Come Link
We're really looking forward to this year’s Thy Kingdom Come, joining in prayer with Christians around the world between Ascension Day and Pentecost (26 May to 5 June).
Our Diocesan links for TKC this year are Pete and Andrea Ward. Pete has worked for 24-7 Prayer since 2004, and until they moved to Cumbria last Autumn, Andrea was a Parish priest in Rochester Diocese. They have taken part in Thy Kingdom Come since it began in 2016, in the local church and with 24-7 Prayer.
Next week, Andrea and Pete will be sharing about some of the great resources available to help us join in with TKC, praying for more people to put their faith in Jesus.
Many in our churches and communities are facing financial insecurity and hardship, caused by the current cost-of-living crisis.
This has understandably led to some PCCs questioning whether it is appropriate to be looking at stewardship during this challenging time.
Stewardship Enabler, Sophie Hodge, comments: “Many churches are finding themselves in the difficult situation of recognising the hardship being faced by many in their churches and communities, but also seeing their churches in desperate need of financial support – as they too struggle with high inflation, hikes in energy costs, uncertainty for their investments and recovering from the financial impacts of COVID.
"We recognise this dilemma for PCCs but passionately encourage them to remain committed to stewardship at this time. We have updated our resources to better reflect the current situation and have produced some guiding principles to help PCCs tread this line. As ever, the Stewardship Team is ready to support PCCs through this process.”
Click here to find out more about delivering stewardship at this time and email here for support.
New NMC Team Member
Meet Emma Birkin, who has just started in post as an administrator for the Northern Mission Centre.
The NMC is a collaboration between God for All and Church Mission Society to support creative and innovative mission and Emma's post is funded externally through the Reaching Deeper programme. She has a background in IT with her last role being in NHS data management.
Loris Passmore, NMC Project Officer, said: “We are pleased to welcome Emma, she brings a wealth of experience to the role, helping the NMC to continue to support churches, Fresh Expressions and pioneering across Cumbria and the North.”
Emma said: “I feel blessed to live in the Eden Valley and I enjoy reading, walking, and learning new skills. I’m delighted to be joining the NMC as a support administrator and look forward to becoming a part of such a great team."
As Carlisle Cathedral reflects on their Augustinian heritage in this, their 900th year, there is an opportunity to spend a day at the Cathedral being guided by Ms. Magdalen Houlihan and Fr. Bernard Rolls OSA, a member of the Augustinian Order in England, on the rich spiritual inheritance of the Augustinian tradition.
The day begins at 10am on Saturday 7 May and includes periods of worship and space for personal reflection, concluding with a service of Evening Prayer at 3pm. Tickets are £15, including all refreshments and a light lunch.
Churches Count on Nature is back! After last year’s success, with 17,232 wildlife sightings and over 1,500 species recorded across 540 activities, the citizen science week welcoming people to churchyards and recording the species they see will take place again, from Saturday 4 to Sunday 12 June.
Click here more information and click here to register your event.
Caring for God’s Acre, one of the organisers of the week alongside A Rocha UK, the Church of England and the Church in Wales, have resources to help with planning your events.
We’re hosting four workshops across Cumbria on A Rocha’s Eco Church scheme.
Open to all churches, the workshops will cover what the scheme involves, before time working together on ideas you can then take back to your church to start (or continue!) on your Eco Church journey.
For more information and to book your spot, see below:
Karl Möller is set to lead a day exploring themes and texts from the book of Exodus.
This day is for anyone interested in the book of Exodus and themes such as bondage, vocation, work, Sabbath rest, liberation, and images of God.
Four sessions will consider: A Leader’s Vocation in Times of Bondage (Exod. 1-4), Food and Work in the Wilderness (Exod. 16), A People’s Liberation and the Fate of the ‘Others’ (Exod. 7-11 and beyond), Images of God (Exod. 32).
The event will run from 9.30am to 3.30pm on Saturday 14 May and will be held in St John’s in the Hall, Crossfield Community Centre, Crossfield Road, Cleator Moor, CA25 5BY. Admission is free but a donation of £15 per ticket would be appreciated.
The Mission Community Support Team has a number of free resources on offer to churches.
There are more than 1,000 copies of ‘What would you do for love?’ Mark’s gospel and about 250 copies of a 'Thy Kingdom Come' branded Luke's gospel.
There are also more than 1,000 ‘Guardians of Ancora’ Scripture Union activity packs available. Guardians of Ancora is a free -to-download digital game through which 8 to 11 year-olds can engage with Bible stories.
Click here to arrange collection of any resources.
Methodist Newsletter
The latest newsletter for the Cumbria District of the Methodist Church has been published.
The April newsletter includes a regular pastoral letter from the District Chair, the Rev Dr James Tebbutt as well as details of a recent visit to the county by the Methodist Vice-President, Barbara Easton.
Notice
The information in this eNews comes from a variety of sources. The editors cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of information supplied. The eNews is circulated to subscribers across the Diocese of Carlisle and beyond and may be displayed further on notice boards or in magazines.
If you believe you have received this message in error, please contact the sender at the Diocese of Carlisle at enews@carlislediocese.org.uk or telephone on 01768 807764.
Important
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Our mailing address is:
Diocese of Carlisle, Church House, 19-24 Friargate, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 7XR
Many in our churches and communities are facing financial insecurity and hardship, caused by the current cost-of-living crisis.
Meet Emma Birkin, who has just started in post as an administrator for the Northern Mission Centre.
As Carlisle Cathedral reflects on their Augustinian heritage in this, their 900th year, there is an opportunity to spend a day at the Cathedral being guided by Ms. Magdalen Houlihan and Fr. Bernard Rolls OSA, a member of the Augustinian Order in England, on the rich spiritual inheritance of the Augustinian tradition.
We’re hosting four workshops across Cumbria on A Rocha’s Eco Church scheme.
Karl Möller is set to lead a day exploring themes and texts from the book of Exodus.
The Mission Community Support Team has a number of free resources on offer to churches.
The latest newsletter for the Cumbria District of the Methodist Church has been published.
