Farewell to Chris Low

Outstanding contributions to the mission of the church in the Bingley district will be celebrated at a farewell service for the Revd Chris Low at All Saints Church, Bingley on Sunday (3pm). It will give churches from all denominations and schools to thank Chris for the work she has done in the Bingley and Cottingley Cluster since she became mission priest four years ago. During that time she has been responsible for lots of initiatives particularly involving children and young people. She has spent a great deal of time fostering links with local schools, which has resulted in the development of the Rewind-Fast Forward programme, a term time initiative for schools bringing children into local churches to learn about the real meaning of Christmas and Easter and helping them to prepare for moving on to secondary school. She also attends school assemblies at Trinity All Saints, Lady Park and Eldwick. Chris has established Discovery Church at Holy Trinity Church. This Fresh Expression of church, including worship and craft work, uses the Liquid Church model. Discovery Church, held once a month, has links with the adjoining Trinity All Saints School where children and parents enjoy a meal. She has also started a monthly Come and See service at Holy Trinity, another Fresh Expression of church, which has been developed to encourage families who attend Discovery Church to take part in a Sunday service. Chris has been responsible for several annual and special events. Among them is the Travelling Nativity at Eldwick on Christmas Eve, carol singing and nativity tableau at Bingley Town Square and the Advent Posada. This involves passing the nativity figures of Mary and Joseph from home to home in the Bingley and Eldwick areas. Chris also arranged the production of the musical Saints Alive at Pentecost 2011 and the Riding Lights production of Monsieur De Coubertin’s Opymlic Feat as a Jubilee outreach event in May this year and obtained grants to reduce the price of the tickets by almost half. During the four years she has been in the Bingley district she has built a strong network of helpers to whom she pays tribute.  Chris, who arrived at Bingley from Burton and Thornton in Lonsdale, where she was priest in charge, is retiring to Sheffield with her husband John.