Bridlington member starts the Tour de Yorkshire cycle race

Bethany Playforth, a member of the Bridlington branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was chosen to flag the start of the inaugural Tour de Yorkshire at its start from Bridlington.

She was selected to start the cycle race and was the first over the starting line.  Thousands of people cheered and clapped as the event began.

Bethany rides an adapted bike which was provided by the innovative East Riding of Yorkshire Council All Ride scheme.  She was taking part in a sponsored cycling event that she organised in aid of the scheme which has helped her develop a passion for the sport.

Come and see the new film Meet the Mormons

Everyone is invited to come and see the new film Meet the Mormons.  There are several dates and locations listed below and each screening is free to attend. 

For those on Twitter you can follow #MeettheMormons and watch the film trailer here:   http://www.meetthemormons.com

You can listen to local church members from York - Mark Cosens and Bill Kimberling - discuss this film on BBC Radio York: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02p6cx3#auto%C2%A0%E2%80%A6 (see 13:00 and 16:30 minutes in)

The cinematic film ‘Meet the Mormons’ has been on general release for many months in the USA and reached the top 10 in the USA box office.  It examines the very diverse lives of six people – the humanitarian, coach, fighter, bishop, mum and WWII candy bomber. The trailer can be viewed at www.meetthemormons.com  It takes viewers on a journey into the day-to-day realities of individuals living in the U.S., Costa Rica, Nepal and beyond. From their individual passions to their daily struggles, each story paints a picture as rich and unique as the next while challenging the stereotypes.

Following successful screenings in the USA Heidi Ruster (Regional CEO for the American Red Cross) commented, “Meet the Mormons is all about giving back, and that is what we are all about.” “I came away motivated to be a better person”, stated Danny Ainge (President of the Boston Celtics NBA team)

The locations, dates and times for the film showing are as follows:

York Chapel - YO24 4HA -  6pm May 16th (Saturday)

Harrogate Chapel - HG2 7SA (Opposite Harrogate Town FC) - 6pm May 9th (Saturday)

Bridlington Chapel -YO164EL - 7pm May 23rd (Saturday)

Pontefract Chapel - WF8 4QF - 7pm 5th June (Friday)

Scarborough Chapel - YO12 5NA - 7pm June 13th (Saturday)

Selby Chapel - YO8 0RU - 7pm June 20th (Saturday)

North Yorkshire Family History Day

Last Saturday, a wonderful day of discovering family and local heritage was organised by North Yorkshire County Records Office.  Held at the Pavilions of Harrogate, the event proved a great success.

Pictured (from left to right) are Councillor Tim Swales - Chairman of North Yorkshire County Council, Sister Missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Mrs Sally Swales.

The Harrogate Family History Centre of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had a stand run by local expert volunteers David Purser, Geoff English and Barry Fisher. They were also supported by Elder and Sister Smith; a senior couple serving for two years as family history missionaries in the England Leeds Mission of the Church. Welcome support was also offered by six full time missionaries from Harrogate, who gave two-hour shifts and enjoyed talking to visitors and passers-by who wanted to know more about finding their ancestors.

‘Getting started’ guides and other handy resources were provided free of charge by Brian McKechnie of ‘FamilySearch’ and were very popular. In all, 65 members of the public sat in at various times, asking for information and help to solve family history problems and blockages!

Free help with Family History can be found at Harrogate Family History Centre, 10 Wetherby Road, Harrogate, HG2 7SA.  Opening times are Tuesday and Thursday: 7pm - 9pm (or other days and times on availability of volunteers).  Please telephone for appointments during opening hours, or leave a message on the answerphone: 01423-886537.  All are welcome. Entrance is via green gates to the back-porch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel. Car parking is available on the church grounds. Please note that a majority of the car-park is used by the hospital 8am to 6:30pm weekdays. During these times please park in the section of the car-park adjacent to the back-porch. You may need to ring bell for entrance to the Family History Centre.

Pictures from the York Panto

The church members and friends recently celebrated the 9th annual pantomime.  This year it was Beauty and the Beast, and with big cast of children and grown-ups they put on a fun free show that was enjoyed by around 750 people.  Next year will be a special 10th anniversary celebration and one not to be missed!

Here are some pictures of this year's production:

Lord Mayor Opens New Self-Reliance Centre

 Lord Mayor Opens New Self-Reliance Centre 

On Monday the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of York, and the Sheriff of York and Sherriff’s Lady, opened a dedicated Self-Reliance Centre at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), West Bank, Acomb. It is the first of its type in the North of England. 

The Lord Mayor cut the ribbon to officially open this community-based facility to allow local residents free and impartial access to online resources, support and expertise (available to everyone, of any working age, whether members of the Church or not). 

The aim is to help anyone to develop personal and family self-reliance and York is a trailblazer, as eventually there will be around 50 Self-Reliance Centres across England. 

Each Centre will provide free internet access, one-to-one support, professional mentoring and helpful resources to job seekers, the self-employed and prospective students. The centres will be staffed by volunteers from a variety of professional backgrounds and will offer services such as: 

• How to gain a good education 

• How to start or grow your own business 

• How to find and keep employment 

• Personal Mentoring 

• Career Coaching 

• Networking 

York area Church-leader, President Kent Mayall said “as lives are positively changed through the services provided families and communities will also be strengthened”. He explained “the purpose is for people to find jobs, to learn and prepare to gain better jobs and eventually to become self-reliant enough to develop their own lasting careers”. 

The York Self-Reliance Centre will have flexible opening hours. To start with the West Bank (Acomb) Centre will host Wednesday evening sessions from 7pm-9pm. Some sessions will also be provided in other parts of North Yorkshire, such as Scarborough. Centres will extend their opening hours depending on demand. 

All are welcome to simply turn up on a Wednesday evening and make enquiries.