Holy Trinity Church

Our Links

Holy Trinity forms part of the Sheffield Diocese, which covers an area stretching from the edge of the Peak District in the south-west to Goole in the north-east, and more locally the parish falls within the Ecclesall Deanery. Our representatives play a full and active part in both the Diocesan and the Deanery Synods.

In readiness for an inevitable reduction in the number of clergy of incumbent status in the Deanery, we and our neighbours at St John's Abbeydale have committed ourselves to exploring the possibility of a closer - and eventually perhaps more formal - link between our two parishes.  There is already some sharing of human resources - clergy and readers - and both parishes are looking for ways in which our congregations can get to know one another and share some activities.  A further step will be taken in November 2011, when the Vicar of Holy Trinity becomes, in addition, Priest-in-Charge of St John's. 

We work closely with our near neighbours of other Christian denominations through Churches Together in Abbeydale, which consists of five congregations extending along the “Abbeydale Corridor”: Mother of God Roman Catholic Church, Carterknowle and Millhouses Methodist Churches, and the Anglican parishes of St Peter's & St Oswald’s and Holy Trinity.

The pattern of joint activity varies from year to year, but it regularly includes shared acts of worship and on the morning of Good Friday an increasingly well-supported Walk of Witness, in silence, from Holy Trinity to Mother of God. With our closest neighbours at Millhouses Methodist Church we also combine for Christmas Carol Singing in the streets and pubs of the area, a combined main Sunday service twice a year, a Harvest event (usually a Barn Dance in church) and - when possible and appropriate - some aspects of our work with teen-age youngsters.

The church enjoys good relations with the schools within the parish boundary - Dobcroft Infant and Junior Schools and St Wilfrid’s RC Primary School. We are delighted that groups of school pupils have for many years visited the church in the context of their RE studies, and were pleased that our youth worker was involved, and made welcome, in a range of activities at Abbeydale Grange until its recent closure.

Over the last few years we have established a close link with Reconciliation Church in Manenberg, Capetown, South Africa.  The township, of about 70,000 people, established for low-income coloured families by the apartheid government between 1966 and 1970, is located on the outskirts of Capetown, near the airport.  Since the link was formed between the two churches in Trinity 2008, members of Holy Trinity have visited the township and we have maintained regular correspondence between our two churches, keeping us in touch with our respective church lives and missions.  We maintain a notice-board in church with the latest newsletters and photographs from Reconciliation and regularly pray for them in our Sunday worship using the link prayer especially written by their church.  We also publish information about the link in Trio, our parish magazine.  It was a great delight, in October 2010, to welcome four members of Reconciliation Church for a three-week visit to Millhouses.

The link enables our two churches to better understand the nature of Christian mission in England and South Africa and to give appropriate support.  Reconciliation is part of an initiative called "Proudly Manenberg", supported by the government, to regenerate the local community, encourage education and improve employment opportunities and the environment.  Holy Trinity pledged to give financial support of £2000 a year for four years: the first £4000 went towards building a church boundary wall, thus denying an area of the township to local gangs.