Bradford North Circuit

About seven years ago a good idea came up – why not extend our mission to the community, to young mothers and their babies. So the format evolved, on every Monday morning we would invite mums (and dads) to have soup and hot rolls followed by tea and cake, while volunteers looked after the babies for a while. This would be an opportunity for the Mums to talk about their everyday experiences of motherhood, in a relaxed, comfortable environment. On the first Monday, Trinity’s team had two in the kitchen and three to welcome and care. Just one mum came which was proof of demand from the word ‘go’. Within a month we had six mums in our side room with their babies resting on a large quilt. We extended our mission to the local clinic, through contact with a health visitor. News travelled as fast as we had hoped. We bought our first high chairs and, as numbers steadily increased, we moved from the side room into the main body of our church. We provided more quilts and cushions placed in th...

How to deal with Halloween in a church setting is increasingly difficult, as shops fill their shelves with all things scary and children see “Trick or Treating” as the thing to do at Halloween. This year we used our “Cafe” service to ponder the concept. With cuppas and biscuits, we discussed some comments for and against Halloween celebrations. Then came the exciting bit ... Carving pumpkins !! But not as we know it! Smiley faces, hearts and crosses were carefully cut into the pumpkins (those with a steady hand did the cutting, whilst others “gave instructions) and then we lit them. They actually looked pretty good! This activity was followed by lighting candles on starry cakes for the ordinary saints we have known, people whose love of Jesus has impacted on our lives but are no longer with us. Hopefully we came away from the service less troubled by the commercial side of Halloween and we have proudly displayed our Light of Jesus pumpkins in church along with this flyer fo...

Many of our churches either run or host Mum and baby/toddler groups. They provide a comfortable place for mums and babies and many lifelong friendships between the mums begin in such groups. Those of us who have run them, often see the little ones grow up and even in some cases become mums themselves! Oh, how old do you feel then? The groups are hopefully a positive experience and sometimes the only contact families have with our churches. One such group is “Soupermums” at Wilsden Trinity. Local mums are invited to come along on Monday morning, chat and make themselves comfy while a band of cheerful people prepare soup, bread and cakes for these lovely mums to have for their lunch. They sit at tables and if they would like a break from their offspring, a group of “souper grannies and granddads” are there to hold and play with the babies. It was meant to be a service to local mums but we have realised how much the congregation have benefitted from this project. They meet and c...

The folks at Wilsden Trinity would like to thank all the people of Wilsden (and beyond) who supported our Summer Charity Coffee Evenings. The Summer Coffee Evenings are a tradition brought to us by our friends from Harecroft Methodist Church who joined us a couple of years ago when their building sadly had to close due to structural problems. They held these events for many years, despite being a small church with very few and mostly elderly members. A shining example of what can be achieved with determination and commitment. The Coffee Evenings are held on the second Monday evening of each month from May through to September and, besides being really pleasant social occasions, have raised an average of around £200 - £300 for each of the chosen charities, which this year have been: The Lord Mayors Charity, Manorlands, The Alzheimer’s Society and The Multiple Sclerosis Society. Unusually, the August one was for the Church Building Fund, as we are raising money t...

Rock Solid is the new youth club for 9-13 year olds at Wilsden Trinity Church . It aims to provide a group for older children to follow on from Wilsden Trinity’s other youth club, Friends and Heroes. Every Tuesday we meet for games, Bible stories, sweets, crafts and chats. Highlights so far include wrapping people up as mummies, making ice cream sundaes, playing Zip Zap Boing (which is as confusing as it sounds), building Easter gardens and making lava lamps. We set aside a good amount of time just for chatting, and each week we have a “Millstone, Milestone” section – each person can say if they’ve had a difficult week (millstone) or a brilliant week (milestone) and why. This has been a platform for many entertaining anecdotes and tales that the group has shared together. Rock Solid started in March 2017, and so far numbers are low. Our small group has fun, but we would love to welcome some new members! All children and young people between the ages of 9-13 can join. It is £2 on the ...

I suppose it started with the Tower of London poppies. Somewhere in the dim recesses of my mind, I lodged a thought; “You could do that on a small scale with knitted poppies”. It surfaced again at the beginning of this year in which we would see the Somme centenary. The first day of the Battle of the Somme was a critical event in Bradford’s history. In 1916 everybody knew someone who was there. An estimated 2,000 Bradford men, mainly in the ‘Bradford Pals’, were thrown into the big push that day. 1,770 of them were killed or wounded, that was nine out of every ten men. “1,770 poppies” I thought, “that’s achievable”. So I went to the Stewards and Elders and said “I’ve been thinking”. This tended to make them roll their eyes a bit, but they agreed we could go ahead. The first call for poppy knitters went out to Wilsden residents in the Easter edition of “Village Voice” magazine. Not much happened. I needed help, someone as organised as I am disorganised. Sharon! Thankfull...

On the weekend of 1 – 3 July, Wilsden Trinity Church presented a wonderful display to commemorate the 100 th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. All the churches in the circuit were invited to knit 1,770 poppies, equivalent to the number of Bradford Pals who died on the first day of battle. There was a marvellous response, and more than the required number of poppies were produced. Members of Trinity, guided by instigator Jane C, got up early on 1 July (before 6.00 am!) and planted the poppies in the church grounds. They stopped at 7.30 am, for two minutes silence to coincide with the exact time the battle started. Inside the church, an amazing exhibition of mementos, artefacts, books, articles and pictures had been assembled, which brought home the horrors of that awful event, in many cases bearing testimony to the experiences of local men, from letters and personal accounts. On the Friday evening, Gordon B read extracts from the memoirs ...

Do you have a young baby? Looking for something to do? If the answer is yes then Soupermums is for you. We're here from 11 until 1 every Monday, Mums (and dads) have a rest and the babies can play. Have a lovely sit down whilst you sip on a brew. Enjoy having someone else make lunch for you! Come along to Wilsden Church, meet the rest of the group. Lovely ladies cuddle the babies, whilst you eat your soup. Chat with the mums, new friends you will make. Swap tips and advice over a slice or two of cake. So what are you waiting for? come on along, For homemade treats, good company and if you're lucky a song. We're looking forward to meeting you, please come take a peek, 11-1 at Wilsden Trinity, we're here every week! Celine V  (a Soupermum!) Where can new mums go, to have lunch where it’s warm and safe and you get to eat fresh soup and homemade cakes, while someone holds your baby? Too big an ask? Not at Wilsden Trinity! Every Mond...