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The Archbishop of York will lead a flotilla of twenty boats down the Humber from Hessle before bestowing Minster status on Hull’s Holy Trinity Church.

The Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu is headed to Hull - 2017 City of Culture - for a packed weekend of mission, telling others of the love of Jesus Christ, from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 May.

The Archbishop said: “This weekend of mission in Hull is an opportunity for Christians to invite friends, family and colleagues to a planned event so they can see and hear for themselves something of the love of God in Jesus Christ. We have been shown this love, let’s not keep it to ourselves but tell others. My hope is that this is the start of a growth in confidence in people sharing their faith with those they know and meet day by day.”

On Friday, the Archbishop will visit Sirius Academy and Newland St John's Church of England Academy in the morning for Q and A’s with students and staff. In the afternoon, Archbishop Sentamu will visit Hull Trinity House Academy to meet more students. St Cuthbert’s Church is hosting a Talent Night at 7.00pm which will celebrate culture and talent in Hull’s City of Culture year – all are welcome.

Saturday begins with Morning Prayer at All Saints Church in Hessle at 9.00am before the Archbishop embarks at Hessle Haven for a trip along the Humber estuary. He will board Hull Marina Management’s training RIB (rigid inflatable boat), provided by British Waterways Marinas Ltd (BWML), leading a flotilla of around 20 vessels. On the journey, the Archbishop will take with him a lantern light from All Saints Church from which he will light the Hull Minster candle at the end of the open-air Minster making service later in the day.

After disembarking at Hull Marina, at the South-East corner adjacent to the heritage boats at approx. 11.20am, the Archbishop will be welcomed to the City of Hull by the Lord Mayor of Kingston-upon-Hull who is also the Admiral of the Humber - Cllr Sean Chaytor and the Bishop of Hull, the Rt Revd Alison White. This group will walk together to Zebedee’s Yard where the Archbishop will bless ‘The Last Trip’ memorial to the 6,000 Hull trawlermen who lost their lives at sea.

The Reverend Tony Cotson said: “‘The Last Trip’ is a cylindrical sculpture that includes 90 polished steel replicas of ships’ bows to symbolise the number of ships that were lost. The sculpture also has the name of every job done on board a fishing trawler which is engraved and illuminated all around it. The raw steel used on the feature's six main panels will rust over time and the panels are held in place by a number of stainless steel strips. Each strip features family titles, such as husband, brother, cousin which are cut into the steel. Members of the public and families of lost trawlermen have already started to insert flowers into the steel bow replicas, in memory of loved ones lost at sea. We hope that many people will come along to see the memorial –all are welcome”.

At 12.30pm the Archbishop is to have a fish and chip lunch at Bob Carver’s restaurant and will then head over to Trinity Square from 1.30pm to join in the festivities which includes live music, choirs, short theatre sketches, and lots of activities for all the family to enjoy.

At 3.00pm there will be the open-air service to dedicate Holy Trinity as Hull Minster. Light refreshments will be available in the Nave of the church following – all are welcome.

Bishop Alison White said: “The making of Holy Trinity as a Minster is a wonderful occasion. We shall celebrate the Good News of Christ proclaiming God’s love for everyone. The procession of lights being brought to Trinity Square will remind us that Christ is the light of the world – wherever Christ’s light shines there is the sure hope of joy and peace. Our shared Christian heritage has helped shape this wonderful city and we look to the future with confidence.”

At 7.00pm on Saturday, the Clubhouse at Hull University will host the Archbishop for a Q&A session and a talk entitled ‘Does Faith Have a Place in Contemporary Culture?’ at the students’ union.

On Sunday the Archbishop will preach and preside at the Eucharist at 11.00am at St Michael and All Angels Church, Orchard Park – all are welcome to attend.

The Deanery will close the mission weekend with a celebration service ‘Going Deeper’ to be held at Hull Minster at 6.00pm where Miriam Swaffield, Student Mission Leader at Fusion, will give the address. Register for free tickets at: nwcelebrationhullminster.eventbrite.co.uk.

The Reverend Eve Ridgeway, who is coordinating the event said,

“We are excited to have Miriam as our guest speaker for this event that will bring together Christians from across the city in praise and worship at Hull Minster. Miriam is a gifted communicator and I'm sure will be an encouragement for anyone who is part of this unifying event. Come and join us!”

This will be a fantastic day when we rejoice in the place of Holy Trinity at the heart of the city of Hull by designating it as Hull Minster. To be able to arrive from the Humber, the river which is so much a part of the city’s heritage, will make it that much more special. As we celebrate together in this City of Culture year, I pray that Hull Minster will continue to be a place where all are able to encounter God and to know His presence with them in all that they do.”

Dr John Sentamu

“This is a hugely important day for Hull and we wanted to reflect that in the arrangements for the minster-making. It’s a truly historic day and that’s why we are going right back to the origins of Holy Trinity and Hull itself by renewing the connection to our mother church.
“Hull’s whole history is based on its maritime heritage – the city is here because of the Humber and access to the sea – so it is wholly appropriate for the Archbishop to make the journey to Holy Trinity largely on the water. The city is now on an exciting journey of regeneration and we feel Holy Trinity is an important part of that. We want the day to reflect both the great history of Holy Trinity and Hull and celebrate an exciting time of spiritual, cultural and economic revival.”

The Revd Canon Dr Neil Barnes, Vicar of Hull Minster

“We’re absolutely delighted for Holy Trinity’s elevation, as any parent would be, and we’re thrilled to be involved.”
Revd Tim Boyns, Vicar of All Saints, Hessle & Area Dean of Hull

David Parkinson, Manager of Hull Marina and a supporter of Holy Trinity, has also played a key role in arranging the Archbishop’s journey by boat to Hull and the supporting flotilla. He said:

Everything has fallen into place with so many people keen to work together to bring a nautical aspect to the minster-making. It’s a real honour to assist Holy Trinity with such an important event and we’re looking forward to bringing an additional sense of spectacle to the day.

Archbishop Sentamu is in the Hull Central and North Deanery for a weekend of mission encouraging local churches to share the love of Jesus Christ with those around them. All are encouraged to invite friends, family, neighbours and colleagues to local events happening throughout the mission weekend in Hull from Friday, May 12 to Sunday, May 14 in schools, cafés, pubs, churches and community hubs. More details are at: www.archbishopofyork.org

The status of Minster is an honorific title bestowed on major churches of regional significance in the Church of England, to reflect their importance and contribution to the local communities they serve. The honour is being bestowed in recognition of Holy Trinity’s inspiring regeneration, physically and spiritually, and the exciting progress of the church’s £4.5m development project.

The first phase of the project, delivered in partnership with Hull City Council, saw Holy Trinity’s churchyard united with the square to form a stunning new public space as part of Hull’s £25m public realm programme.

Now work is well under way on a major programme of re-ordering and improvements inside the church, which will include the creation of a flexible, open space for more inclusive worship as well as a wide range of cultural, social and community events.

The changes at Holy Trinity will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of Hull’s Old Town and create new income streams to secure a long-term sustainable future for the church as a spectacular, vibrant and welcoming place of worship and community use.

To find out how you can support the transformation of Hull Minster go to www.holytrinityhull.com/amazingdevelopment e-mail: development@holytrinityhull.com or phone 01482 224460.

Join the celebrations in Trinity Square

Members of the public are invited to join the Minster-making celebrations in Trinity Square from midday on May 13. Here is the timetable for the day:

12.00 noon - 2.30pm: Fun in the Square with family activities such as face painting, family crafts, a puppet show, live music, market stalls and more.

3.00pm: Open air minster-making service with the Archbishop of York in Trinity Square.

4.00pm - 6.00pm: Refreshments served in the Nave within Holy Trinity.

Holy Trinity’s Café Trinity will be open from 10.00am – 2.00pm. People are also very welcome to attend one of Hull Minster's (Holy Trinity’s) services on Sunday, May 14, at 9.30am, 11.15am and 6.00pm.

The Vicar of Holy Trinity, the Reverend Canon Dr Neal Barnes, stressed the day was open to the whole community, with the newly-revamped Trinity Square used for the first time for a major religious, civic and community event.

Dr Barnes said:

“We want the people of Hull to join us to celebrate a special day for the city. One of the Archbishop of York’s catchphrases is ‘Jesus does prayer and parties’, so we’ve taken our cue from him. We want there to be a party atmosphere in the square throughout the day. We’re inviting everyone to join us in making the day truly memorable.”