Green Haworth Church of England Primary School seeks to promote spiritual development within a context of Christian beliefs, values and worship, and to provide pupils with opportunities to explore the Christian Faith and develop a personal relationship with God.
The School therefore aims to give pupils:
The School sets out to provide opportunities in collective worship and throughout the Curriculum and life of the School for pupils to:
Spiritual Development has to take place in a particular context, in our case, that of Christian belief and practice. Christian spiritual development shares features with other forms of spirituality in that it is concerned with coming to know ourselves, learning to reflect on experiences, exploring important questions of how to live and treat others, and so reaching a set of beliefs and values by which to guide our lives. Its distinctiveness, most importantly, consists in its capacity through a context of Christian worship, life and teaching, to offer opportunities for all in our School community to develop a personal relationship with God through Jesus.
Spiritual development in a Christian context is only possible when there is growth of the whole person. It therefore forms the basis for the other three areas of moral, social and cultural development.
The importance of lent and why we need it
Written by the Bishop of Blackburn, Philip North
When I moved into my new house, I decided to make a new start. I promised I would get some proper exercise every single day. That lasted about a week. I promised I would keep my study tidy and not allow piles of books to gather in every available space. That lasted two weeks. I promised I would avoid unnecessary chocolate eating. That lasted about twenty-five seconds!
Maybe you are the same. Maybe you have promised to stay up to date with homework, or brush your teeth twice a day, or keep your bedroom clean. But as time goes on, all those promises get forgotten. No matter how hard we try to do our best, bad habits always seem to creep in.
Sadly it can be the same with the Christian life. Those who are Christians know how they want to live. They want to make time every day for prayer. They want to go to Church every Sunday. They want to put their faith into practice through their honesty and courage in standing up for right. They want to share their faith in Jesus Christ with others. But guess what? Bad habits and complacency slip in and before long, friendship with Jesus can feel cold and distant.
That’s why we need Lent.
In the Prophet Joel, God says ‘Return to me with all your heart.’ God knows us better than we know ourselves. God knows that, even though Christians try so hard to be faithful, sin and laziness can get in the way. So Lent, the forty days that lead up to Easter, is the time to return to Him. It is a precious and beautiful season when Christians can mend their relationship with Jesus and start all over again on the Christian journey.
Over the forty days of Lent, many Christians will make a rule so that they can focus their lives back on Jesus Christ. That will include extra time for prayer. It may include living more simply by fasting or giving something up. It may include being more generous with time or money. It may include making space to read about the Christian faith or study the Scriptures. It will certainly include calling to mind sin and asking God for forgiveness.
And all of this is done with joy. Because it is a beautiful thing to return to the Lord and discover anew the amazing depths of his love for us. So why not set a rule for Lent for yourself?
A great new resource is an app produced by the Diocese of Blackburn called Fruitful. You can download it very easily for free and it is packed full of resources and ideas for Lent.
Return to the Lord this Lent. Then at Easter you can experience with ever greater joy the good news that he has set us free to be in his presence for ever.
Please find below a statement from The Bishop of Blackburn, Rt Rev. Philip North in response to the news regarding the health of His Majesty the King.
STATEMENT FROM THE BISHOP OF BLACKBURN, RT REV. PHILIP NORTH
"Many across Lancashire and the whole country will have been shocked to hear the news about the health His Majesty the King this evening.
"Since King Charles III succeeded Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to the throne less than two years ago the affection and love in which he is held by the nation has been evident for all to see and has only grown further.
"On behalf of the entire Church of England in Lancashire - our many parishes and schools - I send my prayers and very best wishes to the King at this difficult time.
"We give thanks that the discovery of the cancer, during recent medical treatment, has allowed swift intervention by doctors.
"And, as The King now embarks on his course of treatment, we also pray for the whole Royal Family and particularly Her Majesty Queen Camilla.
"May they find comfort and healing in Jesus and may His Majesty swiftly return to the life of service at which he so excels."
Please join us as we pray for the King and his family.
A Prayer for Ukraine
God of peace and justice,
we pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow,
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or peace,
for wisdom, discernment and compassion to guide their decisions.
Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear,
that you would hold and protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Amen
At times like this we wonder just exactly what we can do that can make a difference and of course the answer to that question is to pray. As people who believe in an almighty, loving God who can do the impossible, we can pray with confidence that we will be heard.
On the Christian Aid and Tearfund web sites there are also ways in which we can give practical help.
A Prayer for Ukraine | The Archbishop of York
Praying for the Peace of the World | The Church of England
Ukraine crisis: How Psalm 31 is bringing comfort - News - Bible Society
Ukraine Crisis Appeal - Christian Aid
Daily Worship - COVID-19
Although we are unable to meet together as a whole school, we are still holding daily collective worship in each class. This term we are focusing on ‘The Words of Jesus’. As part of a structured recovery curriculum, we have created a less formal experience that provide pupils with
All of which will be underpinned by Biblical teaching and Christian values. Pupils of different faith backgrounds are encouraged to make their own connections as appropriate and share them with their peers.
Charity 2020-2021
In Autumn 2, we supported the BBC Children in Need appeal. Children in all classes enjoyed fun activities and raised an outstanding £140.20!
We also continued our support for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. Poppy’s and other accessories were sold in each bubble raising a collective total of £131.00!
Harvest Charity
At this time of year, we traditionally invite our Green Haworth families to join us for our Harvest Service. Sadly, this is another event we will miss out on. However, we would still like to support our local community by bringing Harvest Food Parcels to school; we will accept any packaged, tinned or boxed goods but please check the use by date! To encourage donations, next Wednesday 21 October (the last day of half-term) will be a full non-uniform day.
Please bring goods any time until Wednesday next week. I will deliver the food parcels, following a quarantined period, during half-term.
The Accrington Christians Together Foodbank is still open. They are keen to be able to help families who are struggling to feed children at home or have recently found themselves out of work or furloughed.
“Last year we (Accrington Christians Together Foodbank) were very grateful to receive a huge amount of harvest gifts from many of the local schools which made a big difference to the food bank. We would be thrilled if you would consider donating your Harvest gifts to us again this year. Every month we give food to between 50 and 60 families and as you can imagine it is a challenge to maintain the food supply.” Alison Gabriel, A.C.T. co-ordinator
If you know someone who is need of support, they are operating with a delivery service and food parcels can be booked by ringing The Food Bank on 0751024359.
Bishop of Blackburn's Harvest Appeal
The challenges, sadness's and consequences of the Pandemic have been very dark for some, but there have also been glimmers of light and hope for the future.
In recent months there has been a sabbath rest for the natural world, less pollution, more bird-song, more attention to the garden and the allotment, new exploration of the countryside. A fresh opportunity to engage with the beauty and wonder of the world that God has made.
We’ve also been reminded of the importance of the retail food chain, an extraordinary supply that kept stacking the shelves of our shops, but only because of the dedication of lots of workers behind the scenes here and around the world. Recognition and appreciation of the work others do has increased and that must be a good thing.
One way we can help one another to do that is to respond to this year’s Bishop’s Harvest Appeal. As with previous years, we are supporting two agencies, which are both seeking to bring relief to those most affected by the Covid 19 crisis, Friends of the Holy Land and TEAR Fund. However, there are two changes this year. Instead of dividing the receipts equally between both agencies, we are inviting givers to state their preference for one or the other or both. Secondly, for the first time this year, giving can be done online.
I know that for many personal finances are really stretched. The same is true for many parishes as they seek to fund the costs of ministry and mission around the diocese. In October I am calling for two weeks of prayer, followed by two weeks of appeal for parishes to receive what they need to maintain their work at current levels. It was a challenge before the pandemic. It is now more serious.
But as Christians we look to others before ourselves and a generous response to the Harvest Appeal this year will demonstrate that. It will also prepare the way for the appeal for parish funds.
Let’s respond as a Christian community to the grace and generosity of God, by giving Him and the work of the Gospel access to the funds at our disposal, to further His mission here and around the world. I often quote those words of King David in the Old Testament, where he made a prophetic statement.
May our giving this Autumn express the compassion of Jesus for those most in need of support and help many to come to know and love Him for themselves, both here in this great diocese of Blackburn, but in other places around the world.
May God bless our giving and generosity.
Rt Rev Julian Henderson
Bishop of Blackburn
If you would like to support the Bishop of Blackburn’s Harvest appeal, a message from Bishop Julian: https://www.blackburn.anglican.org/news/449/harvest-appeal-message-from-the-rt-rev-j
I have worked at Green Haworth for over nine years. On countless occasions, I have been astounded by the charitable nature, kindness and unselfishness of our Green Haworth families. I’d like to share this prayer, which I think encapsulates the generosity of spirit amongst you all:
Lord
We are not people of fear
We are people of courage
We are not people who protect our own safety
We are people who protect our neighbours’ safety
We are not people of greed
We are people of generosity
We are your people God
Giving and loving
Wherever we are
Whatever it costs
For as long as it takes
Wherever you call us
Amen