A new era began today with the institution and induction of the Rev Robert Savage as Team Rector of the parish of Almondbury with Farnley Tyas.

The afternoon service at All Hallows' was. conducted in front of a packed church by The Rt Rev Smitha Prasadam, Bishop of Huddersfield, and The Ven Bill Braviner, Archdeacon of Halifax.

The ceremony concluded with a reception in the church hall and the cutting of a cake by the new Rector, to whom we offer our warmest welcome. Our best wishes also extend to his family and we pray for every blessing for Rob in his new role.

Our Craft Fair at St Lucius' on July 12 will help to raise funds to buy hand sewing machines for the Bishop Musa charity in Africa. The exhibition will include work of quilting, knitting, willow work, screen printing, cross stitch, crochet, and painting.

Bishop Musa of the Diocese of Rorya, has sent this message outlining the sewing machine project in Rorya, Tanzania. 

The Department of Mothers Union deals with mothers and girls aged 14 and above. The aim is to unite the mothers across the Diocese by preaching the good news and helping them achieve their daily lives by providing essential education, spiritually, socially and economically. 

But also by working closely with young girls to make sure that they are well protected, trained and equipped with essential skills which will enable them to achieve their dreams in life. 

 WHAT WE TEACH 

• The effects of child marriage and child pregnancy.
• The effects of female genital mutilation.
• Mother and child care.
• Basic teachings of the Bible and the Christian Faith
• Independence and self-reliance 
• Entrepreneurship education 
• Sewing skills. 

WHY ONLY GIRLS?

• So they know how to manage themselves.
• So they can get rid of the burden of depending on their parents and be independent.
• Changing their lives physically and spiritually

The Department is serving girls because of the challenges they face such as:

• Early pregnancy and oppression.
• Lack of opportunity to continue their education at other levels. 
• Their financial crisis led us to start with only girls, but we hope to start a men's class.

The class is progressing very well. We started with three girls in 2022, but 10 graduated this year. We now have 13 girls, five of whom will graduate in July.

Most come from difficult circumstances, so the Department strives to provide them with sewing machines when they graduate. The department is making appeals to people who are interested and have a God heart to help with providing sewing machines to the centre and for the girls. 

May God bless you.

By Kath Hinchliffe

When a group of us at St Lucius' took on the Church of England’s challenge to become carbon neutral by 2030, little did we realise the time, commitment and effort it would take to become an Eco-church. 

The churchyard soon became our focus due to the size of the task. Although it had been maintained, close inspection showed that many elements had disappeared over the years.

Somehow we had to clear tons of rubble and detritus to restore the paths and walls, making the land more attractive to wildlife, plants and visitors. It soon became clear that even with help from the village, the task would require further reinforcements.

I had seen the Community ‘Pay Back’ vans out and about and chaps in orange vests doing clearance in local churchyards. So, with support from other members of our Eco-group, I decided to investigate whether they could help with our heavier tasks. 

Community sentences are issued to people who have committed a crime and been convicted by a court but not sent to prison. Sentences may be given if:

• The court thinks an individual is more likely to stop committing crime than if they go to prison.
• It’s a first conviction
• The individual has a mental health condition that affects behaviour.

Teams of six to eight people are managed by a supervisor, sites are assessed for suitability and a formal risk assessment made. We had to provide a detailed plan of work – which didn’t include tasks done by a paid worker – and we were required to ensure that workers had access to toilets.
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At St Lucius, our own helpers have gone the extra mile. The coffee, snacks and lunches provided to the workers and the non-judgmental welcome we give them has been rewarded with the establishment of excellent relationships.

​As a happy dividend, the work they have done to improve the churchyard, by repairing gravestones, building walls, improving paths and much more has been excellent.

Heard the one about the priest who tells jokes from the pulpit? Well, they have at St Lucius'.

To the delight and amusement of the congregation, the Rev Jenny Barnes often prefaces her sermons with a well delivered joke.

Whether officiating at services or worshipping in the congregation, she is a well loved and respected figure at Farnley. 

As a 'retired' priest, she has helped us out on numerous occasions during interregnums. Her late husband, John, was also a priest.

Jenny's rich repertoire of jokes included one about inflated objects, whose punchline had the congregation roaring.

​Today's marvellously funny story concerned a farmer and three naked girls in a pond. (Ask her for the pay-off line!)

As a device for attracting attention to a serious sermon, it is a winner and we hope we shall hear many more one-liners and shaggy dog stories from this wonderful  communicator.

We are enormously grateful to the committee of the Farnley Festival for donating £1,500 to St Lucius' Church.

​The festival in May was a huge success and this generous donation will be of great benefit to us and wisely used.

In then picture, Duncan Cleave and members of the festival committee hand a cheque to church warden Cath Ball and Kath Hinchliffe.

Children from Farnley Tyas First School were invited by the Church eco committee to take part in a wildlife survey. The visit formed part of the school's Vision and Values ethos.

A teacher writes: 'We were amazed at the activities they had set out for us and really enjoyed being out in the church yard in this lovely weather. We had a go at looking for flowers and plants, mini beasts and insects and calculating the age of a tree.

'The eco team were delighted with our children and amazed at their knowledge. They thought they were a credit to our school. To top it off we enjoyed a refreshing drink and a biscuit! We can’t wait to come again!'

The St Lucius Eco Church group plan for 2025, compiled by Kath Hinchliffe, has been published on the website at Eco Church.

The document measures the impressive progress made in 2024, including the growing involvement of Farnley Tyas First School, an agreed plan to install solar panels and much more.

The plan for this year takes in the development of a formal long term land management plan, a requirement for A Rocha’s gold award.

Many thanks to Kath and the Eco team for their diligence in making this project such a success..