Some 60 people gathered at Fountains Church on Tuesday, June 10, to celebrate and give thanks for our Bradford Mission Apprentices and Diocesan Interns, celebrating all that God has done in and through them during the time they have been serving their churches.
11 of our Mission Apprentices are approaching the end of their two year part-time role working in Resource or Resourcing Churches, or churches linked with them: Fountains Church Bradford, our City Centre Resource Church, linked with the parishes of Frizinghall, Shelf with Buttershaw and Fairweather Green; and the Resourcing Parishes of St John’s Great Horton and St Wilfrid’s Lidget Green; and in North-East Bradford: Holy Trinity Idle, linked with the parishes of Wrose, Greengates, Thorpe Edge and Eccleshill.
During this time, they have taken on responsibility for developing or growing areas of church life, ministry or mission in response to their particular gifts and sense of calling, and engaged with theological and practical learning through the Monday Learning Community.
Alongside them, we honoured our three Diocesan interns who have generously given 11 months of their lives to volunteer their time and hearts for serving Jesus and His church in Bradford Cathedral, St Stephen’s West Bowling and St Matts Church Leeds.
The highlight of the evening was hearing from the interns and Mission Apprentices themselves about what they have been doing.
This ranged from leading Start courses that brought a family member to faith, working with those struggling with addiction, opening up the church to new community groups, and sharing God’s love with Muslim friends and neighbours.
The next step for many of them is varied, from training to be solicitor, continuing working for the church, and resuming a career as a professional footballer.
The Rt Revd Toby Howarth, Bishop of Bradford, encouraged us to see these stories as examples of how God doesn’t only work through his people, but also in his people, so that others may see and encounter God for themselves.
The Revd Simon Walters, Diocesan Intern Lead, said: “There was such a sense of joy as friends and family gathered to celebrate the journeys that these interns and Mission Apprentices have been on.
“It was also great to be joined by some of our next cohort of Mission Apprentices who are starting in September.
“There are still some remaining vacancies to be filled (see here) – could this be what God is calling you to?”
The Mission Apprentices for 2023-25 were: Alison Gantschuck (Holy Trinity Idle), Aubrey Nkolimbo (St Oswald’s and All Saints), Beth Webber and Joy Curd (St Margaret’s Frizinghall), Caron Croad and Jason Learner (Keighley Parish), Hamidreza Elikeai (St John’s East Bowling), Koko Koleni, Rachael Armitage and Sam Rai (BD7 Churches), and Kwang Suk Hughes (Fountains).
The Diocesan Interns for 2024-25 were: Stuart Thirkhill (St Stephen’s West Bowling); Emily Bell (St Matts, Leeds) and Deborah Henney-Turner (Bradford Cathedral).