A Summer Message from Hull Minster

Following Jesus | Building Community | Living Heritage

As we enter the summer season, I would like to wish everyone in our Hull Minster family a joyful, restful, and blessed summer. Whether you are travelling, spending time with loved ones, or simply enjoying the longer days, may this season provide opportunities for refreshment in body, mind, and spirit.

One of the great joys of this time of year is watching the garden come to life. After months of preparation, care, and patience, the fruits of that work begin to appear. There is something deeply satisfying about seeing plants flourish, flowers bloom, and vegetables ripen. At home we are looking forward to an abundance of tomatoes appearing in the garden! They are a cheerful reminder that growth often happens quietly and steadily before suddenly becoming visible in all its richness.

It is no surprise that Scripture so often uses the imagery of growth and fruitfulness to describe the work of God among his people. The prophet Isaiah writes:

"As the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations." (Isaiah 61:11)

As we look around Hull Minster, we can see signs of that growth and fruitfulness in our own community. We give thanks for those new to faith over the past year, for the deepening faith and devotion, and for the many ways people are discovering and responding to God's call. We pray especially for those who are discerning a vocation to ministry, asking that the Holy Spirit would guide and encourage them as they seek to follow where Christ leads.

This summer also brings exciting news for the future of our Minster. We have been given a remarkable opportunity through support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to begin the work in preparing for the rebuilding our historic organ and preserving this beautiful building so that it may continue to serve the people of Hull for generations to come. We are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to the bid and helped bring this vision to life.

Particular thanks must go to our Heritage Manager James Cameron, whose leadership and perseverance guided us through the Sound Foundations application process and now laying the foundations for a major Lottery Bid. We now find ourselves with three Jameses playing key roles in the life of the Minster—a blessing indeed!

As we look ahead, let us continue to pray for growth: growth in faith, growth in discipleship, growth in service, and growth in the number of people who come to know the love of Christ through the ministry of Hull Minster. Just as a gardener tends plants with patience and hope, so God continues to nurture his Church, bringing forth fruit in ways we may not always expect.

I also want to express heartfelt thanks to our staff and volunteers. Week by week, often behind the scenes, you give your time, gifts, energy, and commitment in service of the Gospel. Your dedication enables the worship, welcome, pastoral care, outreach, and daily life of this church to flourish. Many blessings and thank you for all that you do.

Canon Dominic Black

Loving God,
We thank you for the gift of one another and for the community you are building among us.
Bless us throughout this summer season.
Help us to grow in faith, hope, and love.
Strengthen those who serve, encourage those who are discerning your call, and guide us as we care for this sacred place entrusted to us.
Teach us to love one another as Christ has loved us,
to bear one another's burdens,
to rejoice in one another's gifts,
and to serve our neighbours with generosity and grace.
May all that we do bring glory to your name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

💚Charlotte

Hello! I’d like to take the chance to introduce myself and tell a little bit about me and my background.
I am in my 8th week with Hull Minster at the time of writing this and I am happy to say that I am enjoying the role so far.
Most recently, I have come from a charity retail background, starting as a volunteer for Dove House Hospice and working my way up to management level via running two of the retail shops. I was with Dove House for 4 years and I am still connected to them. I am looking forward to seeing how this opportunity develops in relation to what I can learn and to what I can hopefully bring to the volunteering experience at Hull Minster.
In my spare time I like singing, dance and performing arts. I have a Musical Theatre degree and like to be involved in community theatre! I have an upcoming show “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” in February 2027 - tickets available soon!!
I also enjoy historical sightseeing, walking and taking care of my two cats and three guinea pigs.

💚Lost in TV

Hello,
I hope you're well. I'm from Lost in TV - we are a ticket company for TV and radio shows, and at the moment we are working on **BBC Songs of Praise: Young Chorister of the Year 2026**, which is being recorded at the iconic Hallé St Peter's in Manchester next month.
We'd love to invite you and your congregation at Hull Minster to come along and be part of the audience as we celebrate the very best of young choral talent from across the country. Tickets are free - it would be wonderful to have as many local parishioners join us as possible.
Do let me know if there is interest. I've included all the details of the recording below - people can book directly on our website using the links - or you can pass on my email address or contact number for them to request their tickets.
We hope there is lots of interest - please let me know if I can help with any further information.
Kind regards,
James
**Lost in TV audience services**
020 8530 8154
BBC YOUNG CHORISTER OF THE YEAR 2026 - A SONGS OF PRAISE SPECIAL
Songs of Praise and BBC Radio 2 would love to invite you to a very special recording of BBC Young Chorister of the Year 2026 from the iconic Hallé St Peter's in Manchester.
WHEN:
Wednesday 8th July 2026 - Junior Semi-Final (doors open 10:30am)
Wednesday 8th July 2026 - Senior Semi-Final (doors open 4:00pm)
Thursday 9th July 2026 - Grand Final (doors open 11:30am)
Age restriction: there is no minimum age for entry, all ages are warmly welcomed but children aged 17 and under should be supervised by a responsible adult at all times.
**WHERE:**
Hallé St Peter's, Audience Entrance on Hood Street, Ancoats, Manchester, M4 6BF
Click for directions
**Book Tickets**

**💚Could God Be Calling You?**

Join Bishop Eleanor and Sam Taylor (DDO) for an informal evening of worship, stories, conversation, and prayer as we explore Christian vocation and calling.
Hear from a variety of people serving in lay and ordained ministry, learn about different pathways and training, ask questions, and take time to reflect on where God may be leading you.
**Wednesday 1st July | 7.00pm–9.00pm | AST Church, Derringham Bank, Hull**
Open to anyone who wants to explore God’s call on their life.
To book or find out more please email samantha.taylor@yorkdiocese.org

A list of hymns from Hull Minster for songs of praise — 💚Songs of Praise

First song out on 21st June 26. Thanks to Ann Rayner for spotting it. You can watch on BBC iPlayer, you might spot yourself or link to our YouTube page below
YouTube link 21st June 2026

💚Beatrix Calow

Hello,
My name is Beatrix, and I’m a second-year ordinand from the College of the Resurrection Mirfield. I’m originally from Helsby, a small village just outside Chester, and I have lived in both London and Manchester while studying and working, before settling in Yorkshire six years ago when I relocated to take up a post as a school chaplain in Barnsley.
I first started exploring a potential call to ordained ministry whilst working as a Children and Families worker in the Diocese of Manchester, but I didn't feel it was quite the right time, so I left it on the back burner for a few years. While I found great joy in school chaplaincy, I became increasingly aware of a longing to preside at the Eucharist and to share that aspect of ministry with those I was privileged to walk alongside. That sense of calling was the final nudge to start the process again! Alongside my journey towards ordained ministry, I have long been passionate about art history and illustration, both of which I studied at university. Visual art remains an important part of my spirituality and ministry, enriching the way I engage with scripture and prayer.
I live with Leonard, my husband (as of 18th June!), as well as my two cats: Blewyn (which is Welsh for whisker) and Aelred.
I am delighted to be spending my placement at Hull Minster and look forward to learning from the experience, as well as getting to know the congregation and wider community.

💚Girls Brigade

The Girls Brigade group have started their new Summer Badge Work. In the first week we looked at Sunshine and Joy and made suncatchers including the stained-glass windows used on the board. This week the girls made their own beautiful glasses and were encouraged to look for God in Creation while wearing them. Imy, our Junior Leader, created the board welcoming summer and all God gives us.

💚Tower Tours

We played host to two groups on tower tours. On Wednesday it was TS Iron Duke, Hull’s Sea Cadet unit who supports Hull Minster on our civic services and on Friday it was Green Watch, from Central & Clough Road fire stations. It was a pleasure taking both groups up the tower.

💚Shirley

What a nice party we had.
Enjoy retirement x

💚Pilgrims Passport

We are excited to now be part of Pilgrims Passport!
We believe we’ve created one of the prettiest stamps.
How to use the passport:
Buy a passport at our Hull Minster shop or bring yours.
Ask at our welcome desk or shop for our beautiful stamp depicting one of our musical angels.

💚Flower Workshop

The first Minster flower workshop was held on Saturday 30th May and was a great success. The participants learned basic flower arrangement skills and techniques and following a demonstration from Fiona our resident flower arranger, they produced a wonderful arrangement each which they took home.
Comments at the end included: what a great way to spend a morning, I didn't know I'd be able to do this and lots of thank you's.
The event was held to raise funds to enable us to have more flowers in church. We are grateful for the sponsorship we have from Qwik flowers for our main festivals, and the memorial flower scheme is running as well and there are still dates available if you would like an arrangement, but this extra money will help us have additional arrangements in church.
If you would like further information about the memorial flower scheme please head to our website and click the link for flower sponsorship.
Fiona

💚James Yerkess

James Yerkess is joining the Hull Minster team on 1 June 2026 as our Project Manager. He brings significant experience leading large-scale project and delivery programmes for major organisations, notably at Which?, HSBC and Sky. Alongside this background, James has a strong track record in the charity sector, having recently completed a major investment project involving a large group of charity lotteries and raffles. Also, James has broader non-profit experience with projects spanning St John Ambulance, the RSPCA, and CAFOD.

In this role, James provides capacity to complement and support Heritage Project Manager James Cameron and Canon Dominic Black. His core responsibilities centre on evaluating organisational readiness, risk management, and delivery planning to prepare the Minster for its upcoming £7 million National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) application this November. He will focus on assessing current workflows, governance setups, financial controls, and volunteer structures to build a sustainable, resilient operating model.

James's approach is practical, and evidence-led. He will execute a two-part methodology. The initial "Listen and Learn" phase involves mapping roles and listening to staff, clergy, and volunteers to capture a clear baseline. This is followed by a thorough "Test and Grow" assessment of the Minster's delivery processes, systems, compliance, and workforce capability. Throughout the project, James will use the latest tools and process management platforms to help us grow and reach our goals.

He lives with his family in Chester and will be normally be spending two days a week in Hull.