If you are anything like me, then I am sure you have also tried many times to fast from something during Lent. Lent is the 40-day period to test our willpower against abstaining from things we love - Chocolate, social media, coffee (hardest one for me!). But somewhere along the 40 days, it becomes tough, and we slip up. We see someone doing a much more amazing thing, and we think '' What's the point of Lent anyway?''   But here is a thought I have had recently: what if my foc

Try simplicity… that can feel like a tall order in a world that feels like it’s getting more complex every day. When I wrote my sermon last week, the threat of war in the Middle East was bubbling. By the time I spoke, and broke open Jesus’s words about what we treasure, the conflict and violence had broken. Ever since, our news bulletins have been full of analysis, questions, second-guessing what global leaders are thinking and intending, and yet more horror.  On Sunday, I to

Fasting from food has been a regular part of my walk with Jesus for several years. Most weeks I set aside a day when I don’t eat breakfast or lunch, and then I join in the family evening meal. At different points, I have fasted for a full 24 hours, and very occasionally for 48 hours. During holidays, I usually pause fasting. Recently, I only just started again after recovering from a broken leg, which significantly affected my stamina, resilience, and rhythms. In that season,

I find it hard to make time with God. Between work, kids, school runs, clubs, dinner, bedtime… and then somehow doing it all again the next day, by the time evening comes I’m exhausted. My willpower is gone. I know what usually happens next: a bit of doom-scrolling, half an hour of TV — anything that feels easy. I tell myself "I’ll pray tomorrow." The frustrating thing is, I know that time with God is what actually restores me. Jesus says, “I am the vine; remain in me and you

I have done a couple of previous blogs on Games Community and what led me to start this group in 2018. This blog will be focussed on the Games Days that as a community and with the support of St Pauls we run 3 times a year. We have just run our 14th Games Day and what a fun day we had. This was our highest attended event (bar Pokémon hybrid last year) with 106 adults and kids attending. What is Games Day I hear you ask!? It is an all day Board games event that welcomes people

Plans for the plant to St Andrew's, Moor Grange, continue to progress. The final funding bid has been submitted by the diocese, with news about it expected early March. The outcome of the bid will determine the nature and scale of what might be possible and will mean we can start making concrete plans around the building, team, dates and more. In the meantime, Bev and Dave will be taking a small team to the 'Planting course', working alongside two other Leeds church planting 

If you ever come to the church hall on a Wednesday afternoon, you will be greeted by noise and a flurry of activity. This is our youth drop-in, where children and young people from across the parish come for a time of games, food, rest, and even a short time of worship or discussion. Drop-in is split into two sessions, the first running from 15:15–16:30 for children in school years 5–7. This group is attended by around 8–10 children each week. The second session is for childr

In a few weeks’ time, St Paul’s will be taking part in a simple but powerful mission initiative called Try Praying . We’ll be launching this together on Sunday 8th February , and over the weeks that follow we’ll be inviting one another – and those beyond our church – to explore prayer. At its heart, Try Praying is exactly what it sounds like: an invitation to try  praying. Not to have all the answers, not to get the words right, not to suddenly become “good at prayer”, but si

Happy New Year! We’re off to an encouraging start to 2026 with the news that we now have the planning permissions from the Diocese as well as Leeds City Council for our church hall extension and renovation. It has felt like a long wait but now we can move on with the hard work of turning the plans into an achievable project. Over the next few months, we have two main goals – to complete detailed designs to meet building regulations and to raise further funds. When funds are s

A Monday Behind the Scenes at Baby Basics Leeds Every Monday is Baby Basics day in Leeds — our baby bank volunteers meet to pack and deliver essential items for expectant and new mums across the city. Over the weekend I shared our new referrals and what each one needs. Seven volunteers could make it this week. Sorting Donations and Packing Referrals By 9:30am we are at St Paul’s Church in Ireland Wood sorting donations and packing bundles. We aim to get items to mum around a

Hi everyone — I’m Sarah, the Parish Safeguarding Officer here at St Paul’s. This week marks  Safeguarding Sunday , and as someone once wisely said to me, “Every Sunday should be safeguarding Sunday!”  So, what is Safeguarding Sunday and why are we mentioning it? Safeguarding Sunday is now in its 7 th  year. It aims to inspire churches to talk about safeguarding and to reflect on our past failings, whilst striving to move forwards towards a world in which every child and adult

Following a successful escape room social before the summer, the young people requested another escape room evening. However, this time they wanted it to be harder (honestly). As someone who enjoys a challenge, I set about creating puzzles and challenges and turned the church hall into two identical escape rooms. The theme of the evening was The Mysterious Box of Rev. Francis Ive . He was called that because “Rev. F. Ive” spells five , which was used as part of a code. There

Midweek Communion (every Tuesday in church) began as a quiet, said Communion service for those members of St Paul’s who found it difficult to attend the 9.30am sung Holy Communion service on Sundays, or who felt the need for a more meditative style of worship. At first, there were only the Vicar and two or three people, but it was greatly appreciated by those who came. Tea, coffee, and biscuits were served so folk could chat together afterwards. Gradually, more people joined,

Where Faith, Laughter, and Toddlers Collide Walk into St. Paul’s Tots, and you’ll hear it right away—giggles, chatter, stomping feet, and...

Hi, my name is Andrew, and I am one of the new interns here at St Paul’s Ireland Wood. Originally from North Wales, I have moved all...

I mostly grew up around LS16, although I moved around Leeds a lot. I am the eldest of five, plus two half-siblings, and come from a very...

Hi, my name is Ollie, and I am the new Children and Youth Team Leader at St Paul’s Ireland Wood. I am really excited to be joining the...

Mark Harlow - Vicar A new academic year always feels like a fresh start. Diaries fill with new rhythms, children return to school,...

Earlier this summer I spent a week at Scripture Union's residential camp in the Quantock Hills called the Great Wood Experience (GWX)....

In March 2022, a simple idea—born out of compassion, and guided by faith—took root in the LS16 community. The LS16 Community Uniform...