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Churches Together
in Pateley Bridge : The Church in the Dale
The churches in Nidderdale have a history of working together, sharing God's love throughout Nidderdale and in Pateley Bridge. Historical information across the area is included on their website. Tourist information for Nidderdale, Greenhow and Grassington is also available.
Churches Together - The
Nidderdale Churches
"Nidderdale
has a long Christian heritage. During monastic times much of the area
was owned or controlled by either Fountains or Byland Abbeys..."
Pentecost Sunday 2007 saw the launch of The Church in the Dale, grouping churches together in mission and service.
The groups below are listed from the head of Nidderdale to the lower end
of the dale, approximately west to east:
Church of England:
Dacre with Hartwith
and Darley with Thornthwaite
Birstwith
Ripley and Burnt Yates
Markington with Bishop Thornton and South Stainley
Methodist Chapels:
Lofthouse
Wath (just below Gouthwaite Reservoir)
Pateley Bridge
Glasshouses
Wilsill
Fellbeck
Summerbridge
Darley
Shaw Mills
On July 24th 1766 John Wesley made his first visit to Nidderdale, writing
in his journal that "at Pateley Bridge such a congregation he had
not seen since leaving Newcastle". The Methodist church has strong
roots and history in Nidderdale.
Roman Catholic:
Our Lady Immaculate, Pateley Bridge
St. Joseph's, Bishop Thornton
United Reformed:
Providence Church, Dacre
Church in the Dale Agreement:
The aims of The Church in the Dale, and the motivation behind its creation, are summed up in the Memorandum of Understanding, which has been signed by representatives of all the churches:
As members of the constituent churches, we uphold the authority of Scripture and the truth of the Ecumenical Creeds and, in so doing, we affirm our faith in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We rejoice in the riches of the varied traditions we have inherited and seek to share them more fully with one another. However, we recognise that our historical divisions have sometimes been a hindrance to mission and service. Accordingly, we affirm our belief in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church, and agree to accept the Lund Principle of 1952 in that we will, henceforward, act together in all matters except where deep differences of conscience or conviction compel us to act separately.
We affirm the importance of the Five Marks of Mission as formulated by the Lambeth Conference in 1988 and endorsed by Churches Together in England in 1997 as:
to proclaim the Good News of the kingdom;
to teach, baptise and nurture new believers;
to respond to human need by loving service;
to seek to transform unjust structures of society; and
to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and to sustain and renew the life of the earth
In particular, we commit ourselves and our churches:
to seek together a deepening of our communion with Christ and with one another;
to work through co-operation and clear commitment to each other in common evangelism and service to the world;
from time to time, to engage in joint worship, prayer and study so that we may know and value each other and, together, seek God's will for his people;
to work together in pastoral, social and evangelistic outreach into the whole Nidderdale community;
to publicise and promote our Church life by joint means wherever possible;
to develop an understanding of and respect for other faiths and cultures, both locally and in the wider context;
to develop a joint ecumenical Ministerial and Staff team for regular prayer, study, consultation and appropriate action;
to integrate our decision making bodies through a single structure to ensure the most effective use of the resources available to us; and
to ensure that all future Ministerial and other Staff appointments, although made by each denomination, shall be made with such consultation within the Ministerial Team as is reasonably possible, consonant with denominational procedures.
Christianity On Line, Findachurch or the Anglican A Church near you may help you find other churches or resources to help you in your pilgrimmage.
Top : Please contact either the Secretary to add your event.
This page last updated
January 29, 2008
Churches Together in Harrogate : loving God and neighbour - together : www.ctharrogate.org.uk