Hope in the Heart of Cumbria

Music
Five variants on ‘Dives and Lazarus’ – Vaughan Williams
The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra
CD: Vaughan Williams – Orchestral Works (Decca)

Poem
I am a little church – e e cummings

Introduction – Bishop
Good morning from Cumbria and the Lake District. I’m Rob Saner-Haigh, currently the Bishop of Penrith; next week I begin work as the new Bishop of Carlisle. Many know our county for its mountains and lakes, but Cumbria is more than that. Alongside the fells and valleys are the coastal towns of Whitehaven, Workington and Barrow, and the regional centres of Carlisle and Penrith - places shaped by shipbuilding, mining and steel. That industrial heritage still brings strength and identity, and it also leaves real challenges as communities adapt and change. Today we will hear stories of mission and ministry from across this landscape, including from Workington on the coast and Penrith in the east, in churches, in community spaces, and in unexpected places – and how, across the county, Christians from different traditions are working together to share the good news of Jesus.

Let us pray.

God of all creation,
you have blessed Cumbria with beauty in its hills and coasts,
and with the life of its towns and villages.
We thank you for the signs of your kingdom among us –
for people coming to faith,
for churches serving their communities together,
and for new opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
May this time of worship open our hearts to you,
and renew our vision for your work in every part of this county.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Music
Praise to the Lord, the almighty, the King of Creation
St Martin’s Voices
BBC recording

Bishop Rob
Our service today begins in one of the smallest parish churches in England: St Olaf’s at Wasdale Head, just beyond Wast Water, England’s deepest lake, and known for its dramatic scenery. Low-roofed with simple wooden pews, the church sits where the valley lifts towards Great Gable and Scafell Pike. For generations shepherds and fell-walkers have paused here to pray, and a small window remembers those lost on the fells. The churchyard is also the resting place of fell-running legend Joss Naylor. It is a quiet, peaceful place at the head of the valley. We now join the community of St Olaf’s in worship.

St Olaf’s Wasdale
Opening worship

Bishop Rob
The hills and mountains of Cumbria are stunning, drawing people from far and wide – but they can also be dangerous, and conditions can change quickly. We’ll hear now from the Revd Paul Kerry, a parish priest who also volunteers with Wasdale Mountain Rescue. But first, we hear words from St Luke’s Gospel – the parable of the lost sheep – words of Jesus about searching and finding. In Cumbria we know the cost and commitment of a search, and the joy when someone is found.

Reading
Luke 15.3-7

Reflection: Rev Paul Kerry (St Bridget’s Moresby & St Andrew's Mirehouse)

Prayer

Music
O God you search me and you know me – Bernadette Farrell
Frank Brownstead Choir
CD: Christ be our light – Bernadette Farrell (OCP)

Reading
Verses from Psalm 19

Reflection: John Fleetwood

Music
The Lord is my shepherd (from ‘Requiem’) – John Rutter
Cambridge Singers
CD: The Very Best of John Rutter (Decca)

Bishop Rob
There’s so much going on across Cumbria – not only in the Lake District, but in every corner of the county. In our communities, churches join together in worship and service, seeking to grow as followers of Jesus, building relationships and making a difference in people’s lives. We’re going to hear now from two very different places – from the coastal town of Workington in the west, and from Penrith in the east – each showing how God is moving in their communities.

Bible reading
2 Corinthians 4

Reflection: Rev Sharon Murphy (St Mary’s, Westfield)

Prayer

Music
Let us build a house – Marty Haugen
St Martin’s Voices
BBC recording

Reflection: Rev Beth Honey (Pioneer Enabler, Penrith)

Music
Ubi caritas – Taize (Instrumental)
CD: Taize Instrumental (Ateliers et Presse de Taize)

Reflection: Bishop Rob
When we began our service at St Olaf’s in Wasdale Head, we stood in a small building with a wide view. That is a good picture of Christian life in Cumbria. We are a small population spread across a large county. There are fells and lakes, yes, but also shipyards, industry, schools, farms, and busy streets. Places like Whitehaven, Barrow, Carlisle, Penrith and Workington shape daily life just as much as the high ground does. God is at work in all of it.

Our first reading from Luke told the parable of the lost sheep. Jesus speaks of a shepherd who notices the one that is missing, goes out to search, lifts it up, and brings it home with joy. In Cumbria we understand the cost and care of a search. Mountain Rescue volunteers know that every person matters; they go out, whatever the weather, because someone is loved and must be found. The gospel tells us that God searches like that. People are not problems to fix but neighbours to carry home.

We see this in our communities across the county. Churches of different traditions pray and serve together. We run warm spaces and food projects, we visit, we listen, and we keep turning out to look for the one who is missing. In Workington, a hot breakfast shared at a long table becomes the first step back into belonging. In Penrith and the villages around, a mobile outreach meets people where they are and helps local groups grow. These are ordinary acts of care, but through them people come to faith and find hope in Jesus Christ.

Our second passage from Isaiah says, “See, I am doing a new thing… I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” That line helps us read our moment. Across Cumbria new Christian communities are being started, sometimes in new places, sometimes in places where the church has struggled. We do this in obedience to the God who comes to us an searches for us. The shape may be simple: a café gathering, a home group, a small congregation in a hall. Yet God brings water to dry ground. We are seeing it—quiet conversations, first prayers, beginnings of trust, and the joy of baptism and new faith.

So we do two things. We keep searching, like the shepherd, for the one who is missing because each person matters to God and to us. And we keep watching and praying, like Isaiah invites us, for the new thing God is bringing to life. My prayer is that we will be a people who notice, who go, who lift, and who celebrate, as people find hope and life in Jesus. May God give us courage to step out in hope and faith, humility to work together across our traditions, and confidence that Christ is already ahead of us—on the coast, in our towns, and on the high fells—calling each of us home.

Prayers / Lord’s Prayer
Recorded in St Olaf Wasdale

Bishop Rob
Thank you for joining Sunday Worship from Cumbria, a beautiful place of wonderful people, everyday communities and hope. We’ve heard how God is at work as we work together, welcoming people home and creating new churches alongside those which have faithfully served God here over generations. I pray we all will be open to seeing what God is doing in our communities and bringing the hope of Jesus to those places.

May the God who seeks the one and brings them home give us eyes to notice and hearts to go, wherever we live.

May Christ, who makes a way in the wilderness, open new paths for faith in our cities, towns, coasts and countryside.

May the Holy Spirit knit churches together in generous partnership and give courage to plant new communities of hope.

And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you—wherever you are listening—now and always. Amen.

Music
Now thank we all our God
Choir of King’s College Cambridge
CD: Abide with me – 50 favourite Hymn (Decca)