By John Baron
A vicar has swapped a church in a former Bradford city centre nightclub for village life in Farsley.
The Reverend Nathanael Poole has taken up the post at St John’s Church in Farsley following a decade in Bradford.
His work saw him establish the new Fountains Church in a former nightclub, which has space for 800 people. He has also raised money to invest into a new heating system for St Mary’s in Frizinghall.
The Rev Poole, 32, only moved to Farsley with his two young children a couple of weeks ago but is already enjoying life in the village, which he says is very different to his previous ministries.
“Both Fountains and St Mary’s were very different – coming to Farsley I feel like the Vicar of Dibley!” he joked.
“I love the village feel, and the restaurants and cafes and the feel of the place. I’ve received nothing but goodwill and it seems like people love living here and are really proud of their community.”
It’s that community spirit that Rev Poole is looking to tap into, He has been visiting local groups and businesses, like the butchers, to introduce himself – and he’s also on a mission to draw younger people to the church.
‘I would love the church to become more confident in itself, I believe in God and His ability to transform lives and I would love to see that happen in Farsley,” he said.
“I’d love to see young families and young people more actively involved with the church. I love music, it draws me in to the church and I think that will play a big part. Farsley is well known for its creativity and I’d love to use some of that creativity to draw people in, whether it’s an open mic session at somewhere like Amity Brewery or Christmas carols in a pub.
“I believe a lot of people would come to church if they were invited. Jesus said ‘come and see’ and I’d like to say that to the people of Farsley and Rodley: ‘Come and see what we have to offer’.”
The Rev Poole is hoping to tap into the existing spirituality of younger people.
He is trying not to change anything in his first 100 days in charge as he adjusts to life in the village, but is already keen to support and grow the Church in Rodley, which currently has a small but loyal band of worshippers.
He added: “From what I have seen, Farsley is an exciting place to live and I look forward to seeing what the Lord might do in the community. I am praying that we will grow together as a church and we will be able to join in with some really effective mission to Farsley and Rodley.”
The church wardens from St John’s Farsley welcomed his appointment. They said: “We are thrilled that Nathanael has joined us and we are excited by his passion for helping more people to join us in church and finding new ways of supporting the community.
“We hope that he will soon become a very familiar face to people in both Farsley and Rodley and look forward to the start of his ministry with us.”
More details on the church on its work can be found here.
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