The Bishop of Leeds has announced that our vicar, Rev Gareth Howles, has been appointed Priest in Charge of Pudsey Parish Church. He will be leaving St John's in Farsley in June.
An announcement was made in church on behalf of the Diocese of Leeds:
"The Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Rev Nicholas Baines, is pleased to announced that the Rev Gareth Howles, currently serving as Priest in Charge of St John's, Farsley, has been appointed as Priest in Charge of Pudsey Parish Church in the Leeds Episcopal Area. The licensing service will take place in June 2024 with the date yet to be confirmed. Bishop Arun Arora, the Bishop of Kirkstall, will be officiating."
Gareth was licensed as Priest in Charge here at St John's during the pandemic in December 2020 and since then has done some great work leading our church, bringing in new members of the congregation and particularly with the many young people who we enjoy welcoming to our services each week.
Gareth's departure is sad news for us because he has been such a good vicar here, and he will be missed by many. We wish to congratulate him on his new appointment and he and his family will leave us with all our very best wishes for the future. He will continue working in Farsley until starting his new role in Pudsey in June.
We do not yet have any further details on who will be leading our services when Gareth leaves us while we begin the process of appointing a new vicar.
If you have any concerns you can contact our churchwarden, Alan Saxton.
Further details will be announced in the coming weeks on how we plan to say a fond farewell to Gareth and his family. We will make sure there are plenty of opportunities for us all to celebrate the ministry he has shared with us over the past three and a half years.