February 2021 - Otley Parish Church
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February 2021 £1
Letter from Graham – Vicar of Otley Parish Church 1
In the Hot Seat with Amie Smith 4
Lockdown by Lesley Noble 7
Coronavirus: A Christian Response 0 8
It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vicar (But it Did)! 12
Family News – Sharing our Stories and Family Life 14
Looking Forward by Mike Jeaco 19
For All the Saints in Otley 21
Our Church in Ages Past – Marking 1,300th Anniversary 22
OTLEY PARISH CHURCH
Kirkgate ⚫ Otley ⚫ West Yorkshire ⚫ LS21 3HW
www.otleyparishchurch.org
Vicar: The Reverend Graham Buttanshaw
Registered Charity Number 1153498
Page | 2 Otley Parish Church
Graham Buttanshaw
Vicar
Dear Friends,
When someone believes in you, it’s amazing the confidence it gives
you, and what you can do. And when you believe in another person,
imagine what confidence that can give them. It’s love in action.
I’m mulling over the reading we had in Church recently telling of
Jesus at a wedding in Cana, when he turned the water into wine
(John 2:1-11). It’s what might have been going on ‘behind the
scenes’ that has captured my imagination.
I’ve been imagining the conversation between Mary and her son,
Jesus, as they walk to the wedding. By now, several of Mary’s
younger children will have got married, and she’s probably a
grandma. Maybe she’s letting Jesus know (again!) that a good wife
will help him no end, in whatever demanding but as yet unclear path
lies ahead. “So look out for nice girls today. I met your father at a
wedding.”
Jesus tells her he doesn’t have time for marriage. Things are starting
to happen - now he’s been baptised by John and people have
started following him like a Rabbi.
Otley Parish Church Page | 1
But Mary thinks that makes it his friends, who are now
more important than ever to looking curiously at him.
have a wife. But she always
finds these conversations “Excuse me a moment” he
difficult on her own and misses says and takes a few steps
her husband Joseph who could away from his friends just as
talk man to man with Jesus. his mother reaches him.
“They’ve run out of wine,
When Jesus asks his mother Jesus.”
not to embarrass him at the
wedding, he’s mostly thinking For a moment, Jesus is carried
about how she might try to set away to his childhood. His
him up with a girl. “Priscilla mother used that look and that
may not be in the first flush of tone of voice when people
youth, but she’s still lovely and brought broken furniture to his
such a hard worker. She’s father to fix. They would come
always been sweet on you. I to the house and leave a
know it’s different for a man broken table with his mother.
but you are 30. You’re not the She’d bring it to the workshop
catch you were.” behind the house where Jesus
was helping his father and say,
So a few hours later when the just in that tone of voice:
wedding’s in full swing, and “Here’s a table for you,
Jesus sees his mother making Joseph”. She had total
her way purposefully over to confidence he could fix it.
him, he thinks he knows what’s
on her mind. Then he sees A cacophony of voices spoke
she’s dragging a couple of in Jesus’ head. He heard his
servants along with her, and own voice trail off as he
he’s ready to disappear. What complained: “Woman, why do
can she want? He suddenly you involve me? My time has
becomes aware that he’s not yet come!” He knew he had
standing there with his mouth to fix it. And his mother
open, having been totally seemed to know it too. “Do
distracted while in full flow to whatever he tells you,” she
Page | 2 Otley Parish Church
said to the servants and took a you dance with any nice girls
step back. tonight?”
Jesus felt a thrill of excitement, Jesus smiled in a long-suffering
and a surge of confidence. He sort of way. He looked at her
could do this. He was born to guilty expression.
do this. Somehow he knew “I think we’d better all go down
exactly what to do next. It was to Capernaum for a few days
so crazy he laughed out loud. tomorrow” she said.
Fresh water was almost as “Why’s that?” said Jesus.
difficult to find as wine, but “Why do you think?” said his
when he asked for it, the mother.
servants kept bringing it until “Because the wine dealers will
the big stone jars were filled. be upset with me?
“No.”
Once or twice Jesus looked at “Because people will be
the vast quantity of water and queueing up at our house with
wondered if he’d have been jars of water?”
better off starting with a few “No”.
glasses. But he drew “Why then?”
confidence each time he looked “See! You don’t know everything
at his mother, who was yet. I invited Priscilla’s family
watching him with pride and joy round to our house tomorrow.”
as if it had been his wedding
day. With love
And the wine was exquisite. For
a while nobody but the servants
and his disciples knew what
had happened. But that didn’t
last long. Not at a small village
wedding.
Many hours later as they left
the party, Mary couldn’t stop
herself from asking Jesus, “Did
Otley Parish Church Page | 3
When and where were you
born?
I was born in hospital
in Leeds in April 1981
and then brought to
Otley Maternity Unit.
Where did you go
to school in Otley?
I went to Westgate
Primary School, then
to All Saints Junior
School and finally to
Prince Henry’s Grammar
School.
Did you go to College or
University?
I went locally to college where I
studied a variety of things. I then
Amie Smith got a job working in an office but
continued at college learning
administrative management and
Some of us know you very well, supervisory management, as well
Amie. Others may know you by sight as book keeping.
but not really know much about you.
Because of all that’s going on with How many children do you have?
Covid-19 right now and with Church I have three children – Seb who is
services being limited not everyone 16, Arlo is 13, and Tabitha will soon
may get the chance to see you again be 9.
for quite a while. However, we’d love
to know more about you. Will you What about the rest of your
answer a few questions that will help family?
us to get to know you a little better? I have three older sisters - Sara,
Thank you! Ruth and Anna. Sara owns The
Page | 4 Otley Parish Church
Bookshop on the Square in Otley, the small group of singers including
so you probably know her! My my aunt, Karen. I absolutely love it
Mum, Sheila, is a member of Otley and love my fellow singers so
Parish Church so you probably much. I love singing with others
know her too. I have an aunt called whoever they may be!
Karen O’Hara so no doubt you
know her as well at OPC! What is your main occupation?
Until recently, I worked for a florist
Have you always lived in Otley? for almost ten years where I
Apart from a couple of years away, managed the office, did floristry,
I have always lived in Otley. I love and wedding and event styling. I
it. I love being near my family and loved that job but it involved lots of
being part of a lovely community. I weekend work and the hours were
love walks by the river and on the very variable. When Covid arrived, I
Chevin especially with everything spent months on furlough facing
being within easy walking distance the prospect of insecure hours.
from home. Then out of the blue I was offered a
new job. In September last year I
When did you become a started working for a local company
Christian? which converts vans into luxury
I was brought up in Church with my motorhomes. I work in the office
parents. I was Christened at Otley doing book keeping, social media
Parish Church, and attended every and stock control and other things.
week until my late teens.I then I absolutely love it!
went to Otley’s New Life Church in
my early twenties. Then I stopped Do you have a favourite verse of
going to Church for quite a while Scripture?
when my boys started playing Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the
rugby on Sunday mornings, plans I have for you”, says the
although I did come to the monthly Lord, “they are plans for good, and
‘Activate’ services here. When Seb not for disaster, to give you a future
and Arlo were aged 7 and 5, we and a hope.” No matter what
came to a Carol Concert at OPC struggles I am facing, the thought
one Sunday afternoon and they that God has a plan for me is really
very much enjoyed the singing of comforting and has seen me
the choir. So they joined the choir, through many difficult situations.
then I joined and started attending
Church regularly again. Do you have a favourite
Christian hymn or song?
In what way are you involved at “Oh praise the name” (Anástasis)
Otley Parish Church now? by Hillsong is a favourite. It gives
I sing! I usually sing on Sunday me goosebumps! I also love the
morning (lockdown permitting!) with traditional hymn, “The Lord bless
Otley Parish Church Page | 5
you and keep you”. regardless of expense?
I would love to go and see the
Do you like classical music? Northern Lights! I am not hugely
I am not a huge fan of listening to drawn to lying on a beach all day!
classical music but Seb plays the
violin with the City of Leeds Youth A book you especially enjoyed
Orchestra, and I love attending their reading, Christian or non-
concerts. They have performed Christian? Any special
music from Swan Lake and at their reason?
last concert they performed pieces There is a book I love to read over
by Elgar and Shostakovich. I and over again called, “Eat, Pray
thoroughly enjoyed Shostakovich’s and Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. I
Symphony No 7 ‘Leningrad’ in C often read it and then start it
major. It was amazing. again straightaway. It’s a story
about a woman’s search for
What about modern songs or happiness.
music - anything in particular?
I love absolutely anything, but Do you have a hobby or
especially rock music. I enjoy something you enjoy doing to
“Blinded by your grace” by relax?
Stormzy, and I am a huge Beatles I love being outside. I love walking
fan. and visiting cities. Music is always
playing at home and I love to go to
Can you play a musical see live music.
instrument?
I used to play the flute when I was What would be your favourite
younger but don’t play it much any meal – 2 or even 3 courses?
more I have a very big appetite so it would
have to be a 3-course meal. If it was
Do you have a favourite part of my dream meal I would have to go to
Yorkshire that you like to visit, or 3 different restaurants… firstly, for
anywhere else? the starter to Wagamama for Duck
I love Yorkshire and I love the Gyoza, then to a Mexican restaurant
reservoirs nearby but my favourite for a Chicken Chimichanga, and then
place to go is actually Liverpool. I for dessert to Buon Apps in Otley for
go a few times a year. It has a Peanut Butter Stack and a passion
everything – city, culture, music, fruit cocktail.
architecture, parks, and with
beaches nearby. If you were to spend a whole
year on a desert island on your
Is there somewhere you would own what luxury would you take
like to go on holiday where with you?
you’ve not been before, Each of my children!!
Page | 6 Otley Parish Church
Lockdown and isolation is very sadly taking it's toll on a
lot of people, and any emotional support through words
and prayers is so valuable. Here are some inspiring words
from Lesley Noble who shared them with her housegroup
during the recent lockdown.
Well, here we are again in lockdown, I've been awake
during the night and I got thinking about Paul when, two
thousand years ago, he was in lockdown, imprisoned, and
mostly alone I would think. He also had a thorn in his flesh
to contend with (whatever that may have been) and he
prayed that God would take it away. During that time, did he give up, get
depressed and frustrated with his situation that went on for a few years?
Maybe he did at times. We don’t really know, but what we do know is that
he stayed faithful, and through it all he wrote some wonderful letters of
encouragement to many groups of people that still speak to us today.
His meeting with Jesus on the Damascus road was so profound that he
was transformed, uplifted, and changed into a man of great courage and
unwavering faith. This is what I pray for all of us today. Even faith as
small as a mustard seed will sustain us. We worship a mighty God who
lives in us, closer than we could ever imagine. Praise his Holy Name.
Lesley Noble
(Otley Parish Church)
Philippians 4:6-7: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer
and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known
to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will
guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Otley Parish Church Page | 7
CORONAVIRUS
A Christian Response
Coronavirus is a new phenomenon, but the Bible
gives Christians a blueprint of how to respond in
such circumstances.
What does the coronavirus outbreak mean for Christians?
For all of us, the current pandemic is a time of great uncertainty. We are
concerned for those we love, for our own health, and for our wider society. We
will almost certainly all experience inconvenience and financial loss, at the very
least. For some, this uncertainty is causing great anxiety.
Having faith in God is not a ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card; Christians are no different
from anyone else in the challenges that we face. However, there are some
particular questions that many of us are asking at the moment. It should be said
that we are all working this out ‘on the fly’ – none of us has ever experienced
anything like this before!
Changes to our worship practices
Those of us who meet regularly for worship are having to find new ways of
‘gathering’ to worship using technology. Many creative online services have
sprung up already. Although it feels strange to be physically separated, it
doesn't stop us from being the 'church'. The church never was intended to refer
to a building, but the people of God. In fact, the word 'church' comes from the
Greek word 'ekklesia' meaning 'called-out ones' or 'congregation'. We are also
working hard to find new ways of supporting each other and caring for the
vulnerable in these particularly testing times.
Page | 8 Otley Parish ChurchMission organisations There are many Christian mission and relief organisations which have networks of people working in different parts of the world. These organisations will be considering what to do with their ex-pat personnel, and how or whether to continue their work in the immediate future. Of course many of these organisations will be helping to care for people suffering from the virus in situations which are far less well-equipped to deal with the outbreak than the UK. The impact that coronavirus is starting to have in highly dense environments such as refugee camps is very worrying. We will surely hear, in months and years to come, of the noble and self-sacrificial work of Christian and non-Christian aid workers who have chosen not to prioritise their own personal safety and comfort. Questions One of the questions that many Christians are wrestling with in these days is what it means truly to love our neighbour, as the Bible teaches us, in these new situations. We will need to practice the virtues of generosity, open-heartedness, and caring for the weak and vulnerable. This means that we will need to be attentive to those who are isolated, scared, and at risk in other ways. We will need to be restrained in our grocery shopping, and thoughtful about those who do not have the wherewithal to stock their larders for the days ahead. Otley Parish Church Page | 9
The Bible teaches that we should (in all but the most extreme situations) obey the government, and we will need to take seriously the measures that our leaders are urging us to adopt. We will need to remember that scrupulously observing these measures is not simply a matter of our own protection, but of helping to protect the most vulnerable in our society. One question that many will be asking in these days is why God allows global suffering like this to happen. There are no easy answers to questions like this. We Western Christians should be asking ourselves, however, if we are equally concerned about the many thousands who die every year from diseases that do not impact us so directly, such as malaria and schistosomiasis. Prayer Christians around the world will be praying for this pandemic to come to a swift close; for the medical personnel who are putting their lives on the line to fight it; for the governments and other leaders who have to make wise decisions; and for scientists as they race against time to deliver sufficient vaccine. One of the great strengths of the Christian faith is that it teaches us of a God who ‘knows the end from the beginning’, and so is surprised by nothing. The Bible assures us that God is always with his people, no matter what they are going through. It also promises Christians that when our lives end – be it soon or late – we will gain a new body that can never be destroyed, and we will be with God in a place where there is no more mourning or crying or pain. Finally, the central tenet of the Christian faith is that God became a human to share our ups and downs, our human frailty, our sorrows and our mortality. He understands what we are going through. Many Christians in these days are finding the words of Psalm 46 helpful to pray: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging”. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” This feature is reproduced from the website of The Christian Enquiry Agency (CEA), a charity registered in the United Kingdom set up by Churches Together in England. Page | 10 Otley Parish Church
In the midst of whatever follows, O Lord,
let me meet your mercies anew,
and anew, and anew.
In the midst of my dismay, fix my eyes again
and again upon your eternal promises.
How this ends – that is up to you.
If the next news is favourable, I will
praise you for the ongoing gift of life.
If tomorrow’s tidings are worse, still
will I proclaim your goodness, my
heart anchored ever more firmly in the
eternal joys you have set before me.
And when, whether days or decades from
now, you finally bid me rise and follow you
across the last valley, I will rejoice
in your faithfulness even there.
Especially there –
praying Thy will be done,
and trusting by faith that it will be done.
That it is being done. Even now.
Even in this disquiet.
I am utterly yours, O Christ.
In the midst of this uncertainty,
I abandon myself again to you, the author
and the object of all my truest hopes.
Amen.
Copyright © 2020 Douglas McKelvey
Otley Parish Church Page | 11It Shouldn’t
Happen To
A Vicar
(But It Did)!
This is the fourteenth in a
series of interesting articles by
Stewart Hartley,
now retired and a member of
Revd Stewart Hartley Otley Parish Church
SIEGE - 2
Charlie and Edna were well known in the town and attended the
Salvation Army Citadel. So, it was a surprise one Sunday morning to see
them sitting near the front of church as the Morning Service began. Now
it is important to know that they were a really irascible couple so to see
them there was not good news!
Over tea at the end of the service they told me they had ‘fallen out’ with
the Sally Army and were coming to us from now on. Oh! And by the way,
they said, I preached too long!
Charlie always wore his army beret and as I got to know them, he told me
that he had been a prisoner of war in Burma at one of the notorious
Japanese camps. He said very little about his experiences but the fact
that I knew that explained a great deal.
The couple lived in a small, terraced house near the railway crossing and
about that time were having a great deal of trouble with a gang of youths
(as we all were with smashed church and school windows etc.), Charlie,
because of his fiery nature, was a natural target for them and they took
Page | 12 Otley Parish Churchevery advantage to taunt him. Despite many complaints to the police
nothing was done.
As I picked up the phone one morning, I heard Edna’s panic-stricken
voice, “Please come. Charlie’s threatened them with a gun!”
I rushed round but not before the police had surrounded the house with
guns trained on the door. “You can’t go in there, sir,” said the officer in
charge. I explained that I knew them and it would be ok. Miraculously he
let me. Charlie let me have the gun, which was his old service revolver
with no bullets. He was led away.
Charlie was cautioned but not charged and the youths were dealt with.
Sadly, Charlie was a broken man and died soon afterwards. Some help
for Charlie and others like him after the war and he and Edna’s lives
might have been very different. At his funeral we gave him a send-off fit
for a faithful old soldier.
Copy Date
March Magazine
Sunday 21 February
Email: stephenhey01@gmail.com
Otley Parish Church Page | 13Boris’ announcement a few days before Christmas completely changed my Christmas plans. My Dad and I decided not to go to the holiday cottage we’d booked on the Norfolk coast and spend it at our separate homes instead. I had some invitations from Church friends (thank you!) but decided to spend it on my own. It was Church at 11am followed by M&S goodies for lunch. Then, a lovely walk on The Chevin in the afternoon before TV in the evening for ‘Call the Midwife’ – a Christmas special and a real must! It was a lovely chilled day! Emily Garner Martyn and Zoe Smith with their children (left to right) Ben, Anna and Elliott leading the prayers at our streamed morning service on Sunday 17th January. Page | 14 Otley Parish Church
Natalie (13) and Michael (11) Bowman who enjoyed the snow and snowballing fights together! Of course it’s not quite the same when they can’t enjoy it with friends because of Covid rules. Rhona Smith took this photo Dave Cherry with Graham from an upstairs bedroom Buttanshaw walking in the rain window in Otley on the day (and social distancing, of course!) after heavy snowfall we had at Surprise View on the morning on Thursday 14th January. of Wednesday 13th January. Otley Parish Church Page | 15
Snow photos by Louise Lee who lives at Musgrave Hall (Otley Collegiate School in the 1890s) in Burras Lane. The main picture is of Burras Lane looking towards Otley Parish Church. This is normally a very busy road but as Louise said, ‘it was very deserted and eerie’ throughout snow day. The photo on the left is of Musgrave Hall’s front door, and the right-hand picture is a view from Musgrave Hall towards where Burras Lane Church Sunday School used to be. Page | 16 Otley Parish Church
Sarah and
Lee with
their
children
Violet
(4½ years)
and Johnny
(18 months)
enjoying
some lovely
and snowy
family time
together.
Otley Parish Church Page | 17Otley Parish Church and churchyard enjoying the snow! The photo was taken from the junction of Burras Lane and Kirkgate by Lesley Noble the day after the heavy snowfall. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Margaret Thompson with her husband Richard. She celebrated her 76th birthday on 29th January. Page | 18 Otley Parish Church
During this current period of lockdown it seems a good time to take stock and look around for what to do now and when it eventually ends. For a start I thought of taking the Christmas decorations down. Yet just as I began, I remembered two things. Firstly, I had only just placed the three kings in the stable, and secondly as I picked up the Advent calendar to shut the windows prior to putting it away, I thought could I really do without a draught from open windows? Open windows blow in lots of goodness of things to come around the house. So I left them both and started dismantling the the rest hoping to be finished by Candlemas. Then I was distracted by an advert in a magazine – “A chance to change” was the headline. I read on… Was it really for everyone, even for me ? Could I afford it? To gain entry to a different country it would appear there were three options: 1. To travel under a seal of authority. 2. To use a passport. 3. To use an icon. To use the seal of approval you needed to know the person in charge and what the stamp of the seal looked like. On the other hand, to get a passport all you need is a photograph and an honest description. Or, to find an icon all you have to do is look on the internet and download it. Not knowing anyone of power and and not being computing reliant, I thought a passport might do. When passports were simple with no biodata, or micro chips, but simply a black and white photograph and a note of distinguishing physical points, I found I was described as having a red spot on my nose! Otley Parish Church Page | 19
Thinking about it now reminded me of a cartoon I had once seen. It showed a hen standing before the customs’ officers who had the hen's passport open at the photograph page, but the picture was of an egg! The hen was saying , “The picture was taken at an early age”. Would a passport do the trick? The old passport had an advantage that it was a family passport, a single document covering me, my wife and my children. It worked well. All I was asked on entering or leaving a country was, “Who and how many were travelling with me on this occasion?”. I was held accountable. I lost my passport once. Not just could I not find it, I did not know I had lost it till it was pointed out to me. There it was lying on the carriage floor in a tube train! A moment before, the carriage had been full of people pushing and shoving. Then all of a sudden the carriage emptied just as its door was closing. They were a gang of pick pockets. I was lucky they only wanted money. I had none in the pocket with the passport. Before photographs, an entry to a far country was by a seal of authority, as may be seen in a document carrying a wax impression of the owner's seal ring. Or lots of wax and seals if the owners only had limited power. The possession of the document and embossed wax said you were kosher - fit for purpose - you and those under seal were worthy and must be allowed to pass. I have a document that carries a heavy embossed, red wax seal. This seal bound me to a five-year apprenticeship to learn the skills necessary as an electrical engineer. I was sealed in, yet on completion still had to show I was indeed fit for purpose. On the other hand, an icon used as the form of gateway, so favoured by computer programme writers, will let you in and change you in body, mind and soul. So you not just fit in but become almost indistinguishable from other members of your new community. At first you may think an icon is much like a talisman but it is not. Nor is it simply a small oil painting of a Saint. Should you inspect an old icon closely you will see the painting is complete although covered in part by its deep cut, embossed, and bejeweled case - a case that allows only a glimpse of what lies beneath, much like the cover of a book. The case only has value in this world. The icon seeks to bridge the void between the here and now and what lies beyond the veil. A book is not just a cover with pages of words and pictures but is a bridge to a world of dreams. Else from a physical point of view it is much like a bird's wing where the tiniest feather stretches out to catch the largely unseen air. So an icon seeks to draw you in and transport you. A pity the three kings did not have one. It must beat following a star without a telescope. So in this time of doubt take courage in the good that lies just beyond the horizon of faith. Page | 20 Otley Parish Church
FATSO – what’s this all about?
FATSO is a monthly prize draw for anyone who wants to win some
money and contribute to OTLEY PARISH CHURCH funds.
FATSO has been going since before I came to Otley in 2009. It was
started by the late Bernard Gill and is a way to raise vital money for
the church and at the same time to give members of the scheme a
welcome bonus in a monthly draw. In this time of Covid last year
was a difficult year and due to isolation the draw was postponed
until this year apart from the first three months when the prize
winners were:
January 2020: Lesley Noble
February 2020: Margaret Turner
March 2020: Barry and Glynis Milner
40% of the money raised each month goes to the Church and 60%
goes to the person whose name is drawn each month.
The monthly donation amount starts at £5 but you can put in more if
you feel it is right for you.
If FATSO appeals to you, please do contact me on 01943 467099 or
07772 066073 or email margaretandstephenturner@gmail.com for
further details and to receive a direct debit form.
I would love to hear from you. Please get in touch.
MARGARET TURNER
Otley Parish Church Page | 21Extract from
Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer
Monday 29 June 1931
MARKING 1,300th
ANNIVERSARY.
Otley Parish Church
Celebrations.
The celebrations commemorating the 1,300th anniversary of Otley Parish
Church began yesterday, and will be continued over three weeks. The
preachers at yesterday’s services were the Bishop of Sodor and Man (Dr. W.
Stanton Jones), the Bishop of Ripon (Dr. Burroughs), and the Rev. J. Trevor
Lewis, a former curate at Otley Church and now Vicar of All Saints’,
Northampton.
The Bishop of Sodor and Man, who was formerly Vicar of Bradford, and a
frequent visitor at Otley Church, preached in the morning to a large
congregation, which included representatives of several lodges of Freemasons
in the Bradford diocese – a compliment to the Bishop who is associated with the
Order. Among the lodges represented were the Royal Wharfedale, Fairfax
(Otley), Ben Rhydding, Olicana (Ilkley), Baildon, and Pentalpha (Bradford).
Page | 22 Otley Parish Church“On this great occasion in the life of the people of this place,” said the
Bishop, “you may indeed be thankful, and in some senses proud, that on this
very spot where we are worshipping to-day, the Christian faith has been
preached and practised for 13 centuries. Every man and woman in Otley
should realise what a splendid spiritual ancestry is theirs.”
TRUSTEES FOR FUTURE.
We were debtors to the past, added the Bishop, and we could only repay
the debt by becoming trustees for the future. No one could look out on the
world situation to-day without some measure of fear. There were dark and
ominous clouds on the political, social and industrial horizons. The great
danger confronting civilisation today was the claim made by many powerful
minds that man could shape his own destiny, and run the world without God.
God was not disproved but displaced.
Dr. Stanton Jones added that we were losing some of our great heritages.
“To me one of the most priceless heritages is the old Sabbath Day, but no one
could journey along the road, as I did this morning from Bradford, without
feeling that the great mass of our youth to-day are losing all sense of the
spiritual, the unseen, and eternal things. They are growing up without a vision;
they are living purely for time.”
BISHOP OF RIPON.
The Bishop of Ripon (Dr. Burroughs), preaching at the evening service,
said very few parishes in this country could claim anything like so long a
history, or had their roots so deeply buried in the past.
“Otley,” he said, “is to be particularly congratulated in that its parish
church has emerged from successive restorations, one of which at least must
have been disastrous, as the thing of beauty we see to-day. Nor is it least to be
congratulated that it has kept its original Norman church to be the chancel of
its present larger structure. It makes the church like an epitome or parable on
the Church of England itself, with its chequered history, its seemingly
inconsistent ideals, and its definite mission to the modern world.”
The value of the past to the present depended entirely on the way in which
it was approached, and the only justification for this period of festival was in
the extent to which it inspired the Otley of to-day for a future worthy of its past.
“A parish 1,300 years old ought to have a special gift to bring to the
restoration of religion in the 20th century,” added Dr. Burroughs.
Occasionally in these “Our Church in Ages Past” articles you will find errors or
strange wording. The text here is always copied word for word from the relevant
newspaper so any error you find is the fault of the newspaper!
Otley Parish Church Page | 23Otley Parish Church
Kirkgate ⚫ Otley ⚫ West Yorkshire
Church Administrator: Vacant
Church Office: “The Chestnuts”, Burras Lane, Otley LS21 3HS
N.B. The office is currently closed.
You may leave a message on the church answerphone on
01943 465927 or email info@otleyparishchurch.org
See the Church Website for details of services and a link to streamed
services on our YouTube Channel: www.otleyparishchurch.org
@otleyallsaints @otleyparishchurch
Vicar
Revd Graham Buttanshaw g.buttanshaw@gmail.com 01943 462240
Associate Ministers
Revd Roger Dedman rogerjdedman@gmail.com 01943 467540
Revd Stewart Hartley sr.hartley47@gmail.com 01943 464106
Revd John Parkin jamparkin@talktalk.net 01943 466895
Readers
Janet Buttanshaw buttanshawje@gmail.com 01943 462240
Jackie Hird hirds@phonecoop.coop 01943 462858
Churchwardens
Kevin Keefe kevin@keefe.org.uk 01943 466177
07722 999818
Barry Milner barrynglynis.milner@outlook.com 01943 462472
Deputy Churchwarden
Barbara Nicholls babs.nicholls@gmail.com 07747 848074
PCC Secretary
Rosemary Ellen rosemaryjellen@gmail.com 01943 467646
PCC Treasurer
Norman Barr otleybarrs@googlemail.com 01943 464382
Baptism Co-ordinator
Glynis Milner barrynglynis.milner@outlook.com 01943 462472
Safeguarding Officer
Jenny Liston jenny@otleyparishchurch.org 07743 330264
Church Magazine Editor
Stephen Hey stephenhey01@gmail.com 01943 969624
Page | 24 Otley Parish ChurchOtley Parish Church
Groups and Activities
Beer Festival Allan Boddy 01943 466182
Bell Ringers Meg Morton 01943 461836
Craftynuts Craft Group Lynne Barber 01943 466493
Flower Arranging Val Tait 01943 464032
Knit and Natter Jo Briscoe 01943 466515
Little Rascals / Baby Rascals Eileen Barr 01943 464382
Jean Boddy 01943 466182
Local to Global Rosemary Hartley 01943 464106
Messy Church Janet Buttanshaw 01943 462240
Music Groups
Worship Singing Team &
ACTIVATE Band Rick Mayers 07745 387446
richardmayers87@gmail.com
Church Band &
Church Choir Pam Beck 01943 462283
Newall Ladies Fellowship Val Tait 01943 464032
Open House Church Office 01943 465927
Scrapbooking Lynne Barber 01943 466493
Steel Magnolias Shirley Parker 01943 466956
Sunday Club and 7up Janet Buttanshaw 01943 462240
Sustainability Group Dave Cherry 01943 463896
Uniformed Groups Bev and Mark Rothery 01943 467016
Welcome & Hospitality Jackie Hird 01943 462858
Youth Group Martyn Smith 07703 662016
Otley Parish Church Page | 25WHO ARE WE?
OTLEY PARISH CHURCH – the oldest building
in Otley – is at the heart of our town and, for
over 1,000 years, people have been gathering
here for worship and significant family and
community events. “There is a place for
everyone, with Christ at the centre of it all.”
We are a gathering place for pilgrims on a
journey of discovery, kindling hope as we go,
helping one another to be more fully alive to
the wonders, joys and sorrows of life. We’d
love you to share the journey with us.
We want to grow in numbers, in spiritual
commitment to Christ and in service to our
local community.
Join us in worshipping God together on
Sundays and in daily life; be with us as we
study and discern how to use the Bible in the
21st century; learn with us what it is to be
21st century disciples following Jesus and
help us, with the other churches in the town,
to bring good news to Otley and far beyond.
Page | 26 Otley Parish ChurchYou can also read
