• Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance from The Church of England - This link contain prayers, readings and links to useful resources at this difficult time. It also contains the updated guidance we are following as we move forward. 

    Please take time to follow the latest updates from the Diocese of Leeds, particularly their Appeal to support the church in Sudan.

    Private prayer in church

    We now have the go-ahead for people to go into our church buildings for private prayer if they wish to do so.

    The churches in Aldfield, Kirkby Malzeard, Mickley and Sawley are now open for private prayer every day. Grewelthorpe will be open Monday-Friday. Access to Dallowgill and Winksley for prayer can be arranged with the priest in charge. 

    Holy Communion Services

    We cannot currently run our Sunday and Wednesday Communions, or take home Communion to people’s homes. We are aiming to resume these things from the 6th December.  

    For the moment the Zoom service will continue to be the main focus of our worship.  

     

                                                              ~~o~~o~~

    Sunday 29th November - Revd Ian Kitchen will be offering a live Service using Zoom at 10am. Please contact Ian (preferably before Saturday) if you would like to be included in this Service - ian.kitchen@leeds.anglican.org.

    The Service we will be following on Zoom will be available to download here:

    Advent Worship Sunday 29th November Zoom

    A Service to use at home, if not following the Zoom service, will be available to download here:

    Advent Worship 29th November

     

                                                                ~~o~~o~~

     

    Find Live Streamed Events Nearby

     

    All editions of The Fountain magazine, since April 2020, are now available using the menu at the top of this page.

     

    Welcome

    The Fountains Benefice lies between Nidderdale and Lower Wensleydale in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the west of the North Yorkshire cathedral city of Ripon. Its name is taken from Fountains Abbey – a former Cistercian monastery dating back to the 12th century. Today, it is one of the largest monastic ruins in the country. 

    The benefice consists of four parishes and eight churches serving their rural communities:

    Kirkby Malzeard – St Andrew's Church
Dallowgill – Chapel of the Resurrection
Mickley – St John the Evangelist Church
Grewelthorpe – St James and the Methodist Church
Fountains: Aldfield – St Lawrence the Martyr
                   Sawley – St Michael & All Angels;            
                   Winksley – St Cuthbert & St Oswald; 
St Mary's Church, within Studley Royal park, holds occasional services

    Our Priest in Charge is Revd Ian Kitchen, who joined us at the end of October 2019. He is based at The Rectory, Ringbeck Road, Kirkby Malzeard HG4 3SL. Email: ian.kitchen@leeds.anglican.org . Tel: 01765 650369.

    If you need information about any of the churches, services and events or would like to enquire about a baptism, confirmation, wedding or funeral, please get in touch with Isabelle Munyard, our parish administrator, email parishfountains@gmail.com.

    Material for the churches' magazine, The Fountain, should be sent to the editor, Mrs Sharon Wood by 12th of the month preceding publication. Email sharonjwood1@gmail.com, post to West Farm, Galphay, Ripon HG4 3NJ, or telephone 01765 658220.

    Fountains Group of Churches Safeguarding Notice

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  • Daily Reflections

    Sunday 29th November 2020: Advent Sunday

    Reading: John 1.1-5.
    1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

    Reflection.
    During this time of Advent candles are often lit to symbolise the coming of the light of Jesus into a dark world. This year, many people will be hoping with particular desperation for some light to be brought into the darkness. In Genesis 1, light is God’s first creation, and throughout the Bible it becomes a sign of God’s presence. Light brings truth, comfort, understanding, and even the light of one small feeble candle cannot be overcome by the darkness around it, however deep.
    In this prologue to John’s Gospel, often read at Christmas time, Jesus is also said to be the ‘word’ of God. Once again, this is a powerful symbol. In Genesis, God creates everything simply through uttering the words ‘Let there be..’, so the word has creative force. In the original Greek of the Gospel, ‘Logos’, meaning ‘word’ also means ‘reason’. So we are also being assured that what God does fundamentally makes sense, that we are not being driven to and fro by the darkness and confusion of a senseless world. Instead, we can have faith that the coming of God the creator himself amongst us as Jesus is an assurance that God’s loving order will finally prevail, and that the darkness and confusion of things will not have the last word.

    Prayer.
    God our Father, in all the trials of this world give us faith in the triumph of your Word, who came into the world as your Son Jesus Christ to drive away the darkness of sin and despair. Amen.

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