Exciting News for Our Benefice!We're thrilled to share that all three churches in our Benefice have officially been awarded 'Animal Friendly Church' status! This means we're all doing fantastic things to support wildlife and celebrate our furry, feathered, and scaly friends.Each church has received a certificate to proudly display, marking this wonderful achievement. It's a reflection of the care and love we're putting into creating spaces that welcome all creatures, big and small.A huge thank you to everyone involved in making this happen. Together, we're making our Benefice an even more vibrant and animal-friendly place for all to enjoy.
The licensing of the new UB Vicar the Revd Nathaniel Gilmour will be taking place at St Leonard’s church, Balderstone at 16:00 on the 25th of May 2025 and will be conducted by the Bishop of Blackburn. Everyone is very welcome to attend, and it would be lovely to have a full church to welcome Nathaniel as our new vicar. There will be tea/coffee and some food after the service, and it would be very helpful to have an idea of numbers who would like to attend as the church has a capacity of around 200 people and to ensure we cater for everyone. Please would you let the UB admin team know if you wish to attend before the 14th of May by completing the form linked here https://forms.office.com/r/YicdCjRN7R alternatively contact the UB Admin team at unitedbeneficebms@outlook.com or let your Church Warden know. We can't wait to meet him and welcome him into our special Church and school Family. Please pray for Nathaniel as he prepares to move house and take up his new post.From Revd. Nathaniel Gilmour:"Having grown up in London, I went to Durham to study Maths and Physics at university. More recently I attended Westcott House Theological College in Cambridge before moving to the North West for my curacy in Broughton. In my free time I enjoy a good book, baking and a nice hike. I look forward to joining the Benefice and getting to know everyone."
Exciting News about our Wonderful Forest Church!Two stories of church growth from our Diocese have made it into the top 10 of the UK's best Christian good news for 2024!#9: Beacon Church in Blackpool, led by Hannah and Matt Lockwood, is seeing lives transformed through Jesus and their ‘Eden Team’ outreach.#7: Lancashire is experiencing growth across all ages, with more children and young people attending church. This is thanks to a creative and innovative approach in many places across the Diocese. The story highlights one example … the wonderful Forest Church at Balderstone St Leonard’s CofE Primary, which has been a huge success!Incredible things are happening in the Blackburn Diocese!Link to full article:
