February 2026 – Moortown Baptist Church

Who, what, where and when? A guide to all that’s happening here at MBC in 2026

February 21, 2026February 21, 2026 by John Sherbourne

www.moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk

Following Jesus and serving the community

Lasting for just over an hour our Sunday Service starts in church and on YouTube at 11am. The first Sunday of each month is Café Church and on the third Sunday we celebrate Communion.

An important part of our weekly worship is Sunday School. Here a small group of young children learn all about Jesus and the love of God.

Rounding off Sunday we have Rock Solid. Meeting between 7 & 8pm and majoring around having fun, Rock Solid regularly sets our teenagers some serious and not so serious challenges and tasks.

Monday… Our free Warm Space Beacon Café, 10am to 12noon.

Tuesday… Stepping Stones, a toddler group 10 to 11.30am.

Tuesday… The first of our Housegroups, only this one is in church between 12noon and 2pm.

Wednesday… 10.30am – 2pm. Lunch Club, games, quizzes and always a hearty lunch for our seniors.

Wednesday… 7.30 to 9.30pm. Our hybrid Housegroup. With half the group meeting at church and the other half online.

Wednesday… 7.30pm – 9.30ish. Ladies Housegroup in the comfort of someone’s home.

Wednesday… 7.30 to 9pm. Country Dancing.

Thursday… 2pm to 4. Open Door Craft Group. Our second Warm Space of the week. No experience needed, Free refreshments and always lots of chat.

Thursday… 7pm to 9pm. Bible Study, in church.

Friday… 10am to 11am. A second Bible Study, again in church.

Friday… And finally, between 8pm – 10pm, another Housegroup, again in someone’s home.

In addition to all this we also host or provide a Pastoral Team, which without overstepping the mark provides confidential support to anyone who needs it, we host a Parkinson’s Exercise Class, two Extend Exercise Classes (ideal for our older friends), Pilates, Pathways, a Christian Counselling team, Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store, PACT (Neighbourhood Policing Teams) and local councillor surgeries. In addition, and particularly at certain times of the year we host special Services such as those associated with Easter, Nativities, Christingles, Baptisms, Mission weekends etc. etc.

For more information about Moortown Baptist Church please email

admin@moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk

Moortown Baptist Church. 204 King Lane, Leeds LS17 7AA

www.moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk

Whole Church Meeting. In the building and online. February 24th at 7.30pm

February 21, 2026February 21, 2026 by John Sherbourne

Tuesday February 24^th7.30pm Whole Church meeting.

All welcome

Another reminder about Tuesday’s Church Meeting.

Amongst other items on the agenda are a number of important updates, a discussion and a decision regarding MBC’s tithe and information about Deacon’s elections.

If you haven’t already received all the papers by email, please speak with Shelley, Lesley or one of our Deacons who will be pleased to assist.

Blossom, self defence courses for women and girls

February 21, 2026February 20, 2026 by John Sherbourne

As part of grant funding from the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s Safer Communities Fund and Leeds City Council’s Inner North Community Committee, LJHA are working with Blossom Training and Development to offer free confidence and self-defence training for women and girls of all ages.

The next session will take place on Sunday 1st March from 1.30pm-4.30pm at Moortown Baptist Church.

The half-day course is a 50/50 split of theory and physical skills. By end of the course, participants will understand the world in which we live more clearly, and be a whole lot better equipped to deal with its challenges.

Is it fun?Absolutely
Is it serious?Sometimes
Is it physical?Only as much as you want
Is it empowering?We guarantee it!
Is it for everyone?Yes, all ages and abilities welcome!

Watch this video for more information on what to expect! https://www.instagram.com/reels/DTpqQxJjeQt/

For more information, please contact Simon Phillips at simon.phillips@ljha.co.uk or enquiries@blossom-uk.co.uk

Shelley’s news for week commencing 15th February

February 14, 2026 by Shelley Dring

Here’s what’s coming up…

Sunday 15^th February 11 o clock Service with communion and a group to explore the theme in Sunday school. ‘Whole Life Worship’ Acts 8:26-40 ‘Being good news in a distracted world’.

Rock Solid youth meet 7-8pm in the building for a half term social night with take-out pizza’s!

Monday 16^th February 10-12 Beacon warm welcome café for all. Food pantry available.

Tuesday 17^th February Stepping Stones for under five’s and their parents and carer’s has a rest this week for half term.

Tuesday 17^th February House Group in the Music Room 12.30 – 2.30 speak to Howard Dews

Wednesday 18^th February Lunch Club has a break this week in half term. Instead, we are showing the film ‘Cool Runnings’ to link in with the Winter Olympics! It’s the story of a Jamaican bob sleigh team at a previous winter Olympics (PG rating) Open to all, free and there will be choc ices in the interval.

Wednesday 18^th February House Group Music Room 7.30 – 9.30pm Speak to Andy or Ruth for more information.

Thursday 19^th February Craft group warm welcome space. All welcome to come along and chat or to make something or learn a new skill.

Thursday 19^th February The funeral of Joan Gardner, who used to come to Moortown Baptist Church, takes place at 11.00am at The Immaculate Heart of Mary Church on Harrogate Road. All those who would like to go to the service to remember and thank God for Joan’s life are welcome.

Thursday 19^th February Bible Study in the Music Room 7.00pm – 9.00pm Speak to Gareth, John C or Lesley

Friday 20^th February Bible Study in the Music Room 10.00 – 11.00am Speak to Shelley for more information.

Friday 20^th February Parkinson’s Exercise Class in the church building 6.30 – 7.30pm Speak to Phil Commons or Lesley for more information

Friday 20^th February House group at 8pm in Adel. See Jonathan, Hilary, Steve or Helen.

Sunday 22^nd February Service together 11.00 – 12.00pm with a Sunday school exploring the same theme.

Sunday 22^nd February Rock Solid youth groups have a break this week.

Looking ahead..

Tuesday February 24th 7.30pm Whole Church meeting. All welcome. The agenda came out last Wednesday and includes some sharing on the life of the church, budget priorities for the year and how we might put into place what God is sharing with us at Moortown.

Wednesday February 25th 1.30-2pm Wednesday Worship All welcome for this short service of word, prayer, song and sharing.

Sunday 1st March is Café church with breakfast pastries, fruit and drinks. We welcome artists Rev David Hawkins and Pippa Hale who are leading on an arts project called Blanket in collaboration with Leeds Art Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and St George’s Crypt. It’s described as a ‘bold compassionate sculpture sending a message of hope in a fractured world.’ All ages welcome, with creative activities to for all ages

Mission group meet Tuesday 3rd March at 2.45-4pm in the church building. Do get in touch if you want more information.

Around the city…

There will be a Day of Prayer for the City of Leeds on Saturday 21st March with provisional times being between 9:30am and 6pm. This will be hosted by/held at Bridge Community Church. More information coming soon.

North Church are hosting ‘Care for the Family’ on Wednesday 18^th March called ‘Tweens and Teens: what every parent needs to know’ Book a ticket at the link here Tweens and Teens: What every parent needs to know – Leeds Tickets, Wed, Mar 18, 2026 at 7:30 PM | Eventbrite

If you would like to know more about any of the groups, about membership or baptism then do get in touch with myself, a deacon or Lesley, who will pass on a message and arrange a time to get together.

Lent..

Beginning on Ash Wednesday and lasting for 40 days, Lent is a season of reflection, refocusing our lives and preparation for Easter. We’ll be finding out more about God, relationships and Jesus through the gospel of John during Lent in our Sunday services. We recommend you read through or listen to the gospel of John yourself during this time.

There are also a number of lent resources out there. Here are a few..

40 Acts is a 40-day generosity challenge – building habits, deepening faith and reflecting the heart of Jesus through everyday acts.

Each day offers a simple invitation to give, bless, and grow in generosity – one act at a time. There is an app and wall chart to help and resources for all ages! Click here 40acts: Do Lent generously

The Church of England have a lent programme called ‘Draw near’ with everyday reflections in a book and on an app depending on the format you prefer. There are reflections and booklets for children too. Click here Draw Near

Lectio 365 app by 24/7 prayer have a lent series called ‘Landscapes of Lent’ remembering the death of Jesus and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus on the theme of Wilderness. Click here Lent and Easter Prayers – 24-7 Prayer International

Book recommendations for Lent..

Dancing to the Heartbeat of God by the Anglican communion, forward by Sarah Mullally

Meeting God in John by David Ford

Wardrobes and Rings: Through Lenten Lands with the Inklings by Julia Golding and Malcolm Guite

Let me go there: The Spirit of Lent by Paula Gooder

Finally..

If you can recommend Moortown Baptist Church to others and have a google account you can now leave the church a google review to help others know a bit about us. Click on this link:

https://g.page/r/CVLP3hdGjyinEAE/review

Or scan the QR code using the camera on your mobile phone:

Do check out the website for all the latest news and stories.

And for Valentines Day..

Write on a green heart or make green hearts in creative way to photograph with a message to your local politician to let them know whats important in your community and what you hope for. Find out your local politician here and for more information click on Show the Love this February – The Climate Coalition Use the hashtag #ShowTheLove2026 on social media.

“Personal messages remind decision-makers that behind every policy choice are real people, real places, and real pride in where we live. The project is organised by the Climate Coalition”.

Finally, a reminder why we are able to love…

1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us”.

In Christ

Shelley

Shelley Dring

Minister

Moortown Baptist Church

An LCCT blog by Haddon Wilmer. The Lord’s Prayer and how Jesus lived it before he shared it with his disciples

February 14, 2026 by Haddon Willmer

Jesus lived the prayer before he gave it to his disciples, and so to us. Your will not mine be done, Jesus cried in Gethsemane: Your will be done on earth, says the prayer. Give us today our daily bread, says the prayer: Jesus sees the crowd hungry and leads the disciples in giving them bread and fishes to eat. Forgive us as we forgive: so Jesus prayed, Father forgive the crucifiers who didn’t know what they could have known, for, as Pilate said, This man is innocent.

To pray this prayer, is saying the words enough? Does it not call us to live it, and thus to be shaped by it? Living the prayer takes us on the road of being stirred, reformed and informed by Jesus’ living of it. Are we praying to get things, or is our praying an apprenticeship of living, learning with and from Jesus to be givers, sharing the self-giving generosity of the Father and the Son?

Some of us say this prayer, rote-learnt from childhood, so often, so easily, that it has no critical bite, so we hear no reiteration of Jesus’ call to deny self and take up our cross to follow him.

Take very seriously this prayer’s first word – Our. It invites, even commands us, to live the generosity of the Father. I may find myself in a private spiritual place even when a people all around me are saying the words together in church – but the prayer itself, with its clear initial ‘Our…’ speaks against any retreat into ‘solitary Christianity’. There is no ‘I, me, mine’ in this model prayer, rather it is all along, ‘We, us, our’ – because the one God is Father of all.

We pray, Give us this day’s bread, and, feeling peckish, adjust it to, Give me… So the nagging stomach undermines the ‘us’ and selfishness deafens us to our Father’s call, which is voiced by the seriously hungry (Isa 58.7)

The name of ‘Our Father’ is to be hallowed, that is, respected and made credible in the eyes of all. When we retreat into the self, religiously, or materially, we contribute to making the world as it largely is, a world where it is hard to believe that we all have one Father, or that his will is really to be done ‘on earth as in heaven’. Faced by this God-unhallowing world, the hopeful wise way forward is to pray, Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Not forgive my sins and get me to heaven, but bring us into receiving and passing on the Father’s forgiving, responding to its being as wide as the sea, and as powerful as new creation, so that we are given a share in the hard work of forgiving as much as the freedom of finding forgiveness. Enjoy the power and glory of life, living this We-Us project, with and because of Our Father.

Shelley’s news. Week commencing 8th February

February 8, 2026February 8, 2026 by Shelley Dring

Dear friends

Today we continue with our Whole Life Worship series. If you missed any sessions, you can find them again on our YouTube channel, just look for Moortown Baptist Church. So far, we have looked at money, work, friendships and today we consider mind, body and soul with a focus on our soul. We’ll start at 11am with a Sunday school group for our younger friends exploring the same theme creatively during the service.

Rock Solid youth groups meet 7-8pm in the building. Do ask if you want more information on any of the groups. The older group are continuing to explore youth Alpha materials and the younger group are using some resources by Rock Solid.

The week ahead..

Monday 9th February 10-12 Beacon warm welcome café for all. Food pantry available.

Tuesday 10th February Stepping Stones For the under 5’s and their parents and carers 10.00 – 11.30am (speak to Diane or Hilary if interested)

Tuesday 10^th February House Group in the Music Room 12.30 – 2.30 speak to Howard Dews

Tuesday 10^th February at 7.30 Deacons and Shelley meet in church building.

Wednesday 11^th February Lunch Club 10.15am – 1.15pm Speak to Rachel or Lesley if you want more information as you need to be booked on.

Wednesday 11^th February House Group Music Room 7.30 – 9.30pm Speak to Andy or Ruth for more information.

Thursday 12^th February Craft group warm welcome space. All welcome to come along and chat or to make something or learn a new skill. Contact Karen if you want to know more. Thankyou to those who have stepped forward to help lead when Karen has been unavailable.

Thursday 12^th February Bible Study in the Music Room 7.00pm – 9.00pm Speak to Gareth, John C or Lesley

Friday 13^th February Bible Study in the Music Room 10.00 – 11.00am Speak to Shelley for more information.

Friday 13^th February Parkinson’s Exercise Class 6.30 – 7.30pm Speak to Phil Commons or Lesley for more information

Friday 13^th February House group at 8pm in Adel. See Jonathan, Hilary, Steve or Helen.

Sunday 15^th February Service together 11.00 – 12.00pm Whole Life Worship: part 5 ‘Mind, body, soul Part 2’ with a group for our younger friends to explore the theme creatively together. We’ll also share communion together.

Sunday 15^th February Rock Solid Youth group 7-8pm in the church building

February half term…

Monday 16^th February 10-12 Beacon warm welcome café for all. Food pantry available.

No Stepping Stones this week.

No lunch club this week but at 1.45pm we’ll be having a film afternoon open to everyone! With a nod to the Milano Winter Olympics that started this weekend, we’ll be showing the film ‘Cool Runnings’ (PG) The story of a Jamaican bob sleigh team at the Winter Olympics! All ages are welcome and we’ll have choc ices at the interval. Film running time is 98 minutes so we’ll be done by 3.45pm.

Thursday 19^th February Craft group warm welcome space. All welcome to come along and chat or to make something or learn a new skill.

Most house groups will be running through half term but do check with Lesley or Shelley or ask individual group leaders.

Looking ahead..

Tuesday February 24^th7.30pm Whole Church meeting. All welcome. The agenda will come out this week and will include budget priorities for the year, looking at what God is doing amongst us and updates from those who want to share what has been happening in the areas of church they have been leading or involved in since the last meeting.

The mission group were due to meet on 24^th February but this has been postponed due to the church meeting needing to be in February and this being the only available date when reports can be prepared. It is proposed that mission group meets a week later on the 3^rd March. If you are usually part of this group we’ll be in touch with you this week.

A few things to let you know about..

Over the last week we have had two meet ups for those who lead sung worship each week and for those involved in sung worship and in the tech team. Thanks to Andy who led the discussions and a big thankyou to all those who contributed to praying, eating, sharing practical skills and discerning where we are and what we could prayerfully develop.

Thankyou to those who came to support the family and friends of Jean Hiley last Thursday at Jean’s Thanksgiving and Celebration of life Service. Do continue to pray for the family.

Sadly, Joan Gardner died recently after an illness. Some of you may remember Joan as she has been part of the church for a long time although she hasn’t been in the building for a while. Joan’s funeral will take place on Thursday 19^th February at 11.00am at The Immaculate Heart of Mary Church on Harrogate Road. All those who would like to go to the service to remember and thank God for Joan’s life are welcome.

Around the city…

The launch of the Leeds Lent Prayer Diary which will take place on the 12th February, 6 – 8pm at the St George’s Conference Centre, 60 Great George St, Leeds LS1 3DL. You can sign up for the launch here Leeds Lent Prayer Diary Launch Tickets, Thu, Feb 12, 2026 at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite If you have any questions then please email at comms@lcct.org.uk.

North Church are hosting two events you may be interested in…

On Wednesday 11^th February it is the Women’s night 7-9pm with a time of sung worship and visiting speaker is Jo Hargreaves, psychotherapist and pastor, known as the Faith filled therapist on Instagram she links science, mental health and the bible. Open to all.

What’s On | North Church

On Wednesday 18^th March ‘Care for the Family’ are hosting an evening at North Church called ‘Tweens and Teens: what every parent needs to know’ Book a ticket at the link here Tweens and Teens: What every parent needs to know – Leeds Tickets, Wed, Mar 18, 2026 at 7:30 PM | Eventbrite

“My soul magnifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:46)

In Christ

Shelley

Shelley Dring

Minister

Moortown Baptist Church

Jean Hiley, a Service of Thanksgiving and Celebration

February 6, 2026 by John Sherbourne

Last Thursday afternoon MBC held a Service of Thanksgiving and Celebration for the Life of Jean Hiley. Jean who was 99 when she passed away on January 9th was the widow of Norman who for many years worshipped and served here at Moortown as well as helping to lead MRSG – our Moortown Romania Support Group.

One particularly poignant part of the Service was when Jean’s 6 year old great grandson Tayn read what in the Order of Service was headed Reading of Jean’s Words – a response to her family’s recent request to share with them “something you want us to know about you.”

Standing on a chair, and in a loud clear voice little Tayn said this:

I praise the Lord continually for the life he has given me.

From my upbringing in a lovely home with loving parents.

For a loving husband of so many years.

For 2 good sons gone too soon.

For those I enjoy now. Grandchildren and even lovely Great Grandchildren.

My biggest hope for the future is?

Well, To get to Heaven!

News from Krys, Bela and friends in Sri Lanka

February 1, 2026 by John Sherbourne

Half way through their visit to Sri Lanka, Krys, Bela and their three friends have sent us an update on how their visit to the Women’s Development Centre in Kandy is going.

The pictures we have received so far show lots of activity in the vocational learning centre for adults with special needs, a school for children with learning disabilities and the Centre’s weaving area. However, don’t get the impression that the trip is all work and no play; on the contrary says Krys “we’ve also had some fun” which included elephant watching, getting up close to two animals which to me look like some type of monkey and even a visit to watch the Sri Lanka cricket team lose to England.

Above and below there are a couple of galleries showing all the pictures we’ve so far received.