The Bishop of Knaresborough, James Bell, has taken on the task of acting Diocesan Bishop following Bishop John's retirement last month. 

As the suffragan Bishop of Knaresborough , Bishop James has worked closely with Bishop John throughout his thirteen and a half years as the diocesan bishop, and recognizes that it is a hard act to follow. Read his comments and more about the March 30th Thanksgiving plans by clicking here 

History was made when the President of the Methodist Conference, Revd Ruth Gee preached and presided at a service of Holy Communion on Sunday January 19th at Ripon Cathedral. The service came at the start of the international Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which also saw a 24 hour Prayer event in Leeds as church leaders came together in Leeds Minster. Find out more about both events here.

Local congregations and clergy from across the region are being invited to a series of meetings to shape the agenda for the new diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales. A series of Lenten visits have just been announced by the Bishop of Pontefract, the Rt Rev Tony Robinson and the Bishop of Knaresborough, the Rt Rev James Bell - both of whom will become area bishops in the new diocese on the Appointed Day at Easter. More details by clicking here. 

A new team is now in place in the Programme Office to help plan, co-ordinate and support the activities linked to the creation of the Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales. The office will be the central point of contact and communication during this time of change. Any queries you may have regarding the Transformation Programme will be most welcome. Full contact details and more about the team here

One of Yorkshire's largest wedding fairs returns to Ripon Cathedral tomorrow, featuring more than 80 traditional and vintage wedding suppliers, professional catwalk shows at 12.00 noon and 2pm, vintage tea rooms and cocktail bar, live music & entertainment, and interactive workshops.

The show is on Saturday January 25th 2014, 10.30am - 3.30pm. For more details click here 

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. Dr Williams, now Master of Magdalene College Cambridge, will be coming to Harrogate next Saturday February 1st and speaking at the Harrogate School of Theology on 'John's Gospel Revisited.' The morning is being held at St Mark's Harrogate. More details by clicking here 

Leading your Church into Growth (LYCIG) has a proven record, developed over 18 years, for helping church leaders from different traditions and contexts, to lead their churches into growth. The course consists of a residential weekend at Hinsley hall in March, a seminar to PCC days later in the year. Among the leaders are Robin Gamble and the national LYCIG team . Click here for more details and booking form

West Yorkshire Ecumenical Council (WYEC) has produced a digital edition of Unity Post which will now come out three or four times a year online. This Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is designed to be shared electronically with churches across the region.  Please click through to read it and download it and feel free to email it to others. 

The Tour de France schedule for Days One and Two, July 5th and 6th, has now been published and on the church website, Le Church Le Tour you can see exactly when the riders should be going past churches on en-route.  With the landmark churches submitting their details online you can see when Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish and the rest will be zooming past and find out more about this huge event with resources and ideas by clicking here. 

The Bishop of Pontefract, the Rt Revd Tony Robinson  has just baptised and confirmed 19 new Christians in a unique fresh expressions of church in Halifax.Called the Saturday Gathering, these new disciples have come to faith through the Halifax Food and Support Drop In which is run by Christians Together in Calderdale and has been providing food and toiletries parcels and prayer support to the most needy and vulnerable for the last five years.Find out more about this remarkable story here.. 

Wakefield Cathedral is named "as a relaxed place to worship, with positive contemplative atmosphere, and friendly and supportive staff" in the latest report on church growth in the Church of England.

The report highlights Wakefield as a shining example with a 20 per cent increase in the last five years and highlights its refurbishment, fresh expressions of church, warmth of ministry and welcome and wide-reaching education programme as contributory factors.Find out more here.. 

For the latest information and church news go to the diocesan website. The website is an essential home page with links to resources, a section for subscribing to the e-bulletin and you can read the latest printed 'Together' on the home page.

The online Diocesan Directory is automatically updated and the list of names can now be filtered by categories to speed up the process. Quickly find the email, phone number or address of anyone in an official church role