26 May 2021

Rev. Dominic writes:

Building back better

Appropriately, the fourth anniversary of Minster making on the 13th of May, fell this year on Ascension Day. We are still in the early days of discovering what it means to be the Minster Church of our great city. Next Sunday marks a new chapter in the life and times of Hull Minster now that all the very antiquated legalities have been completed I will next Sunday afternoon at 4pm officially become the first Vicar appointed to Hull Minster, or to be long winded about it the Vicar and Lecturer of the Minster church of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity, (also known as Holy Trinity) Kingston-Upon-Hull.

It seems an age now since we rocked up at the parish centre in January 2020. It is astonishing to think how much has changed in the world and the parish! We have left the parish profile in the documents for applicants for the Associate Vicar to see but so much has changed in a short space of time.

Many of those changes, especially the redundancies and saying goodbye to the parish centre, will have been bewildering and come as a shock to many but not to those how had a grasp on our financial situation. The Covid crisis accelerated tough decisions that would have taken much longer in normal circumstances. Due to the furlough scheme and recovery grant we have ended up in a ‘less bad’ situation than we would have had even after paying redundancies.

In the autumn we will begin to move out of crisis mode to looking together at our longer-term plans. The next few years promise to be challenging but not dull!

There are already some great signs of hope with plenty of new people, some who followed us for the first time entirely online, coming to faith. I would also like to really encourage you to come along to our café style Church@4. Last week it was great to be able to serve coffee for the first time since we began.

The music group are sounding fab, and it has been lovely to see some new young families and others come along. It has also been a great time for the choral life of the Minster, and it has been a pleasure for me to get to know the choir. Despite the ever-changing restrictions the choir are stronger as a team and feel closer to the life of the wider church including some new faces on the PCC. A grant from the Ann Watson Trust will allow Mark Keith to move to full time as our director of music from September to launch a choral scheme in local schools, see his update below, and we are also looking forward to welcoming a new organ scholar.

Each year at our Annual Parochial Church meeting members step down and new people are elected. In the following PCC meeting we elect the officers and establish the membership of the sub-committees. This year marks a major change when after many years as PCC secretary, Chris Fenwick has handed on the mantle to immensely able Rachel Miller. I knew Chris and Jean from when I was a curate in Orchard Park when John Waller was vicar here. Over the years they have been incredibly faithful servants in the life of the parish and deanery.

In March 2020 Chris and his fellow members of the standing committee stepped up rapidly from routine parish life into crisis management mode which included the online ‘onboarding’ of a new Priest in Charge. I have valued so many things about Chris in the last nearly 11 months. Chris has been like the ‘House of Lord’s’ of the Hull Minster PCC, someone able to offer the long view from his encyclopaedic knowledge of the place. He has brought a thorough knowledge of Church Law and has been a sharp reasoned voice in our debates. Nor has not been afraid to express his views and at the times when we have not agreed he has stated his opinion with evidence, reason, and pragmatism.

Too many churches, and other organisations, fail because they have not thought about future leadership. What has also impressed me this year was the exemplary way he has modelled the responsible transition of leadership. From when Rachel joined the standing committee last year, she has been shadowing Chris and to use a naval phrase, gradually learning the ropes. This coming year Chris will be stepping back into the role of deputy secretary supporting Rachel in her role for a year before his term on the PCC ends next year. Spotting and nurturing new leaders and having the grace to hand things on is going to be a key part of move to sustainability in the next phase of our life.

Mark Keith Director of Music at Hull Minster has some exciting news to update us:

It is time to share some good news in print!

The Ann Watson Trust have awarded Hull Minster a significant grant to enable our choral outreach project.

This is a project we have been dreaming of for quite some time. Holy Trinity was once a thriving place for the development of young musicians (on a scale that is hard to imagine today). Our city boasted a choral tradition via a range of church choirs/choral societies that were equal to any in the country. Today: there is only one substantial SATB church choir in Hull (ours)!

The project will enable us to work with a range of primary and secondary schools (in partnership with Hull Music Service).

Our objective is very straightforward: to develop an enthusiastic culture of well-trained singing for as many young people as possible. In practical terms this means that we will be working with whole year/class groups of children AND identifying/developing the voices of those young people that have a natural aptitude for music.

Why does this matter? Music is often seen as a luxury or simply as something that can be enjoyed by listening to recordings. The numbers of people able to read music and sing/play from a printed score has dwindled to an alarmingly small percentage of our population. Alexa has replaced the musical instrument.

And yet…Hull MUST have as many talented children as any other place in our nation. After all, talent is not created by wealth. However, the opportunity to realise those talents is now highly dependent on wealth.

In ages past music was referred to as a scientific art. It is theoretical, mathematical, athletic, and disciplined. It requires thousands of hours of practice to bring to full fruition. It is life-long learning. It is literacy. Our hope is to enable the talents of young people in our city, to open new worlds of stimulation and possibilities via musicianship.

How will this benefit Hull Minster? At the centre of most major towns and cities there are usually great churches (Minsters, Cathedrals et al). If you visit them, you are likely to see and hear thriving choir of children and adults singing a range of music, often spanning 500 years of sacred repertoire. Their sound is pure, effortless, assured, and beautiful. The children have a role that is every bit as demanding as that of the adults. They are highly capable because they benefit from investment and the dedication of expert musicians.

Our hope is that Hull Minster can join the ranks of these great choral traditions, simultaneously reconnecting with our own history whilst forging new opportunities for a fresh generation. Further, we hope to grow a thriving Youth Choir for Hull (again, once great but currently small and fragile).

Music is akin to life itself. It requires feeding and exercise to grow. It requires ambition, determination, and continuing efforts to succeed. It takes our living breath and transforms the air around us into something miraculous in that moment. And then it is gone, residing purely in memory.

It is difficult for me to summarise how thrilled I am that we have been given this opportunity to bring a new generation into the magical realms of musicianship. It will not be a journey without significant challenges, but it will be a journey worth fighting for! Mark Keith

It would be great to hear from you if you would like to find out more about volunteering with Girls Brigade at the Minster or if your child is interested joining. Please email with any questions to mandy@hullminster.org and she will forward your queries on to Lauren.

Heritage blog page - 25th May 2021

Last week we had a good discussion at the heritage group about the huge painting hanging in the north choir aisle which many of you will have passed by. Entitled ' The Lord's Supper' it was painted by James Parmentier in 1712. It has an interesting history, has "moved house' a few times, and isn't exactly what it seems. Click here to find out more about its journey.

www.hullminster.org/heritage-blog-25th-may-2021

If you haven't completed our survey about heritage, we would be very grateful to hear your views. It will help us shape the future of heritage at Hull Minster and helps us justify our needs and ambitions to grant providers. It takes only 6 minutes to complete.

CLICK Microsoft Forms to fill in the survey

Irene concludes with:

SERVICES AND OPENING TIMES:

SATURDAYS 4 PM 1st and 3rd Evensong, 2nd Taize, 4 & 5th Evening Prayer.

SUNDAYS 10am Online Recorded Service.

10:30am Holy Communion in the Minster - Please click here to book in.

Church@4 Every Sunday afternoon at 4pm there will be a café style service. Due to Covid, please bring own refreshments.

The Minster will continue to be open for Wednesday 12:30pm Holy Communion

PLEASE NOTE: The Minster will be open for personal prayer each Saturday 12-3pm

“Hull Minster’s doors will be back open to visitors this week. What a wonderful prospect it is to be welcoming visitors into the church once more.
Whatever the reason people want to come in, we want to make sure they receive a proper welcome, and that is where you come in.
Are you able to volunteer once a week/fortnight/month to welcome all those wanting to come and explore the church as a pace of worship and an historic treasure?

We will be carrying out training sessions on 8th and 10th June 2021 at 10am until 12pm. You will be able to learn more information about what the role entails and what part of the body of the church you will fulfil.

If you are only able to volunteer on weekends, please email al@hullminster.org and we will organise a Saturday session.

I look forward to welcoming you soon.

Alasdair Hutson, Director of Operations”

Sunday June 6th at 4pm

Induction Service for Rev Canon Dominic Black

Seats are extremely limited due to invited civic guests and social distancing.

If you would like to attend, please sign up here …

https://hm.churchsuite.co.uk/events/zc2ohs2n

If you are coming in to the Minster for services we want to encourage you to consider the environment and walk or cycle or use public transport if possible. If you are coming by car please do not park on Trinity Square the only people who should be parking there are contractors working on the building. There are plenty of parking places around the Minster including the recently opened Fruit Market just across the A63. https://www.fruitmarkethull.co.uk/fruit-market-hull-l-multi-storey-car-park-l-regeneration-l/

DO YOU WANT TO HELP? 10:30am and 4pm SUNDAY SERVICES

We are looking for people to volunteer, on a rota, to work the sound desk during these service. The desk is pre-set, so it is very straightforward. We also need strong individuals to help with setting up the Minster in between services, and booking people in on the doors. If you think you can help with any of these tasks, please speak to one of the wardens for more information. Thank you.

ART EXHIBITION

The Minster’s Artist in Residence, Julia Allum, will be holding an Exhibition in the Minster over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, from Friday May 28th until Monday May 31st, during Minster opening hours. There will be paintings for sale at very reasonable prices, so this will be an opportunity to buy a unique gift for a loved one (or for yourself!) and help to raise funds for the Minster at the same time. Julia will be in church painting and is happy to chat to visitors.

READINGS TRINITY SUNDAY

COLLECT FOR TRINITY SUNDAY

Holy God, faithful and unchanging;

enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth,

and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love,

that we may truly worship you,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

One God, now and forever. AMEN