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Author Archive | clairehoness

Highlights of 2022

2022 was a great year around the benefice…  Among many other events we took part in the town Festival of Ice and Fire, the Food Festival, Barlick in Wonderland, Barlick Beach and the Morris Dancing Festival.  Rev’d Claire was ordained priest and Louise was licensed as a Reader.  We celebrated Christmas and Easter, Rogation and Harvest and Remembrance.

Highlights of 2022
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Messy Church

In 2022 we have been running Messy Church sessions in church and in our Church School.  In these we have been thinking about some of the things that Jesus said he was… the light of the world, the good shepherd, the true vine, the bread of life…  We celebrated all the work that the children have done in these sessions at our all-age service on 3rd July.  We hope to run more Messy Church sessions from September.  Watch this space for more details.

Messy
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Blue Christmas

May be an image of text that says "Blue Christmas Holy Trinity Church Friday 17th December, 6pm Christmas can be a tough time. All who find this time hard are welcome at this short, gentle service of readings, prayers, and carols, with the chance to light a candle of hope or remembrance."

Christmas is not a time of joy and tinsel for everyone. Many people struggle with loss, loneliness or other difficulties at this time of year. We will mark this on Friday with a short, reflective, supportive service. All are welcome. Please tell anyone you know who might find this helpful. Friday 17th December 6pm at Holy Trinity Church, Barnoldswick.

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Funerals

Help planning a funeral…

When someone you love has died, it can be hard to know where to turn.  We can help with funeral services in church, at the crematorium or by the graveside.  Talk to your Funeral Director for more information, or contact the Vicar.  Her contact details can be found here.

For more information about Church of England funerals, click here.

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Weddings

We would love to help you celebrate your wedding…

If you are considering a church wedding, would like to make a booking, or are just interested in finding out more, please contact the Vicar.  Her contact details can be found here.

To find out more about weddings in the Church of England, click here.

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Baptisms

We would be delighted to welcome your baby into the Church family…

If you are interested in booking a Baptism (sometimes also called a Christening), please contact the Vicar.  Her contact details can be found here.

To find out more about Baptisms in the Church of England, click here.

If you’re not sure if a Christening is for you, it’s also possible to arrange a service of Thanksgiving for the Birth of a Child.  This involves less commitment than a Baptism and is a shorter service… and you can always opt for a full Christening later. Find out more by clicking here.

Did you know…?  While many people choose to have a Christening as a way of welcoming a new baby, it is possible to be baptised at any age.  Contact us if you’d like to find out more.

 

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What to expect at our regular services

Are you curious about what to expect if you come to one of our services?  We’ll try to explain what happens below, but we’d love you to come along and find out for yourself…

Holy Communion:

Most of our Sunday morning services (as well as our regular Thursday morning services at Holy Trinity) are services of Holy Communion.  At this service we remember Jesus’ last meal with his friends as we celebrate the fact that we are part of a Christian ‘family’ or ‘community’.

After a welcome, we begin by remembering the ways in which we all often fail to live the kind of lives we’d hope to live and by saying sorry for these.  (We do this communally.  Don’t worry, you will never be asked to speak individually or about yourself…)  We are reminded that God loves us unconditionally and that we are forgiven for anything we may have done wrong.

We then listen to readings from the Bible and a sermon which usually explains how one or more of the readings relates to our lives here and now.  There are some prayers, and then we turn to those around us and offer them a sign of peace (in non-Covid times, we might shake hands or say ‘Peace be with you’).  By doing this, we show emphasise that sense of being part of one community, with no animosity between us, before we approach Jesus’s table.

In the next part of the service, we remember Jesus’s last meal with his friends.  The priest takes and blesses bread and wine and offers them to those who are gathered.  (Currently, we are only receiving the bread because of Covid restrictions.)  Anyone who is baptised in any Christian denomination is welcome to receive communion with us.  Alternatively, keep your hands by your sides when you come up for communion and the priest will give you a blessing instead.  If you do not feel ready to come up for communion you can simply stay in your seat.  No-one will ask you to do anything you are not comfortable with.

After a prayer of thanks for what we have received, there is a final blessing, and then we share a cup of tea or coffee together.

In non-Covid times, our Sunday services are punctuated with hymns which we sing together.  The Thursday morning service is a spoken service only.  Currently, we are not singing at Holy Trinity, but there is music played through the sound system.  At St Mary’s and St Michael’s we have returned to singing some hymns.

The All-Age Holy Communion service, which takes place at Holy Trinity on the first Sunday of every month, is similar to the above, but is designed to be accessible to people of all ages and may be more interactive.

Some of our services do not involve communion.  These services involve hymns, Bible readings, a sermon, and prayers.  At St Mary-le-Ghyll the service of Morning Prayer uses traditional language, while the Service of the Word at St Michael’s Bracewell uses contemporary language.

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The Bible Course

Would you like to find out more about the Bible?  What does it all mean?  How should we approach it?  How do all the books hang together?  Is it still relevant today?

We are running an 8-week course starting in the first week of February which sets out to answer just those questions and more.

To find out more, click here or email arnolds68@btopenworld.com.

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Macmillan Fundraiser 2021

Our fundraiser for Macmillan nurses raised over £1300.  Huge thanks to all involved, including the local businesses and individuals who donated prizes, food and money.  We are so proud to be part of this generous community!

We hope you enjoy the pictures from the event below.

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Coach House Open

The beautiful Coach House at Ghyll Church is open for teas, coffees and cake on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays,  10.30-3.30.  All very welcome.  Come and visit this beautiful twelfth-century church situated on the Pendle Way, and stop for a cup of tea or coffee and a slice of cake.

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Open in August

Holy Trinity Church will be open every day, Monday-Friday, between 10.00 and 12.00. You are always welcome to drop in for a chat or to light a candle.

On Wednesdays in August, we will be running a pop-up café and shop, with refreshments, good quality summer clothing, bric-a-brac, and a food bank (bring what you can; take what you need).  Open 10.00-1.00.

On Thursdays at 10.00 you are very welcome to join us for a service of Holy Communion.

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Our services this month

You are very welcome to join us at any of our services.

If you’re new to faith, you might find the following descriptions useful:

  • Holy Communion: A service where we remember Jesus’ last meal with his friends.  There are Bible readings, a sermon, and prayers and there may be some music (but currently no communal singing indoors due to coronavirus restrictions).
  • All-Age Holy Communion is similar to the above but is designed to be accessible to people of all ages and may be more interactive.
  • Informal Holy Communion on a Thursday is similar to the Sunday service, but more intimate and relaxed.
  • Morning Prayer: A service of Bible readings, a sermon and prayers, using traditional language.
  • Service of the Word: Similar to Morning Prayer but using contemporary language.

You are also very welcome to join us for Morning Prayer at 9 am Monday-Friday, or for Evening Prayer at 5 pm, both in the St James Chapel at Holy Trinity.  These are short services of Bible readings and prayers for the day.

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