We’d love you to come join us in #Meltham Parish on Easter Sunday to celebrate the Risen Christ together!

For those early birds, there is what we hope will be a glorious Sonrise @ Sunrise Service at the Cock Crowing Stone – Wessenden Head Rd – Arrive earlier to ensure you don’t miss it! Join together for this very special time. It really is worth getting up for! Meet at 5:45am. A short reflection focused on the discovery of the empty tomb for about 20 minutes. Wrap up warm! Bacon butties and cereal will be served afterwards at the Church Hall in Meltham.

Joint services will take place in TWO of our four churches as follows:

10:00am St James’ – Meltham Mills (by the park)

11:15am St Mary’s – Wilshaw

PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE NO SERVICES AT ST BARTHOLOMEW’S – MELTHAM or CHRIST CHURCH – HELME.
Do join us as we worship and celebrate together at one of the other churches listed above.

ALL WELCOME

Hallelujah! Christ is Risen.

HE IS RISEN INDEED – HALLELUJAH!

Join us today at St Bartholomew’s Church in Meltham for the following services:

11:30am Service of Witness outside St Bartholomew’s
3:00pm An Hour at the Cross (Reflection) inside St Bartholomew’s

There will be no choral offering in the evening this year as we no longer have sufficient numbers of singers, but for those who are interested, there is a service at Christ Church, New Mill at 7:30pm – A Meditation in Music and Words featuring various anthems and hymns. For more info see: https://newmillchurch.org.uk/

Below are some links to our own Good Friday choral offering from previous years that can be listened to via our YouTube channel:

The Cross of Christ:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPtlbWgRgf8

Stainer’s Crucifixion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWeJto3YkR8

Maunder’s Olivet to Calvary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QbGhI21t-4

EASTER TRAIL for all the family – Easter Saturday 19th April from 10am til 2:30pm.

Follow the Easter Trail from the Turning Circle on the Meltham Greenway to St James’ Church by the park at Meltham Mills.

Follow the clues along the way to learn about the Easter story. On completion, there’s a free Easter egg to the first 100 children to complete the trail. There’ll be refreshments at St James’ Church – and the chance of a moment of Easter stillness and a Forest Church activity!

We hope this will be a really enjoyable community event and hope you can come along – it’s perfect for all the family especially those children in Primary schools.

If you’re a facebook user, please share the event below to help spread the word or invite friends and family who may be interested.

https://fb.me/e/6w7MXHzLz

Hello! Happy Easter!
Spring is in the air and also in the Parish Magazine too! On the inside cover you can see Meltham in Bloom too. Apologies that the magazine is running late, again! There is lots going on in the vicarage with the children and it doesn’t help with getting the magazine done. But do not fear, we are here and lots to see. Turn to page 8&9 to hear what exciting events are happening in the church. The centre pages will help keep you up to date with all the changes in services as well as a big announcement from Leeds Diocese. Finally see on page 25 where it’s all change at (The) Helme!

Thank you for those who continue to support me and the magazine by sending submissions in. The deadline of the June / July magazine will be Friday 23rd May 2025.
Please send submissions via email to melthamparishmagazine@gmail.com or via the vicarage letterbox (150 Huddersfield Rd, HD9 4AL).

God Bless,
Fiona.

Further to a recent post and rumours circulating on social media that incorrectly state that Helme Church is closing next month, please find below, comments from Rev’d John Dracup:

The original post is not accurate. Helme Church has NOT been scheduled for closure.

Unfortunately however, we have reached a point where regular Sunday morning services are no longer sustainable. The building is still open for weddings, funerals, school events and other occasional services. The graveyard and surrounding grounds are also accessible to visit loved ones or sit and enjoy the peace and tranquility there.

The service on the 18th of May is intended to be an opportunity for those who have regularly attended this Church to come together to celebrate all that it has meant to them over the years.

We are actively looking for a sustainable way for this building to continue to serve our community and remain open. If we are unable to do this and then subsequently had to make the very sad decision to close the building, there would be an opportunity for the whole community to get involved.

God bless
Rev’d John Dracup

We shall continue to worship together and have shared services up to and including Easter Sunday. Please find below details of where the services will take place each week. Please join with us, even if the service is not at the church you usually attend – all welcome. There are also other special events happening in the run up to Easter.

SUNDAY 6th April
10:00am ALL AGE / FAMILY SERVICE St Bartholomew’s Meltham
11:15am Holy Communion St Mary’s Wilshaw

PALM SUNDAY 13th April
10:00am St James’ Meltham Mills
11:15am Holy Communion St Mary’s Wilshaw

HOLY WEEK Monday 14th April to Friday 18th April
8:00am-8:30am Daily Reflection and Led Meditation on the events of Holy Week in the stillness and quiet of St James’ Meltham Mills – join for all or just the odd one

MAUNDAY THURSDAY 17th April
7:30pm Holy Communion at St James’ Meltham Mills

GOOD FRIDAY 18th April
11:30am Service of Witness outside St Bartholomew’s Meltham
3:00pm An Hour at the Cross (Reflection) at St Bartholomew’s Meltham

EASTER SATURDAY 19th April
10:00am to 2:30pm FAMILY EASTER TRAIL at Meltham Greenway

EASTER DAY 20th April
5:45am SON-RISE at Sunrise – Service at the Cock Crowing Stone on Wessenden Head Road
10:00am Holy Communion St James’ Meltham Mills
11:15am Holy Communion St Mary’s Wilshaw

Wednesday 2nd April

2pm

St. Bartholomew’s Church

A time to share in prayer for the pastoral needs of our parish

Everyone is invited to join us at one of our Special Mother’s Day Family Services where we’ll be giving thanks for our Mums, Grandmas, Aunties and any other special people in our lives who care for us.

Sunday 30th March
10:00am at St James’ – Meltham Mills (by the park)
11:15am at St Mary’s – Wilshaw

ALL WELCOME – bring the whole family!

PLEASE NOTE – THERE WON’T BE A SERVICE AT ST BARTHOLOMEW’S MELTHAM OR CHRIST CHURCH, HELME.
DO JOIN US AT ONE OF THE OTHER CHURCHES LISTED ABOVE.

Join us at St Bartholomew’s #Meltham for our joint Parish Communion service – Sunday 23rd March 2025 – 10:30am.
We’d be delighted if you also stay afterwards for a lunch and fellowship with us.
For those who have family members who don’t normally join them at our services, they are also more than welcome to join us just for lunch if they wish. – ALL WELCOME!

NOTE! – Please note the later than usual start time of 10:30am. There will be no services at the other churches in the Parish as we’ll be joining together as one.

Sunday 30th March

6.30pm (for about 1 hour)

St. Bartholomew’s church

A time to share in prayer for our parish.