A POP UP CATHEDRAL supported by the Archbishop of York Youth Trust will take faith on the road when it journeys through the towns and cities of the newest Church of England diocese here in West Yorkshire and the Dales and collects donations for some of its food banks.

It will be blessed along the way by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu in Bishopthorpe, York on Monday afternoon at 2.50pm before it stops to serve children in After School Club at the Archbishop of York Junior School.

Pop Up Cathedral is the brain child of Wakefield Cathedral.  A mobile trailer, it was bought with a combination of local grants and supported with further funding from the Archbishop of York's Youth Trust, to provide detached youth and outreach work at the Cathedral and for other churches across the new diocese.

It is run by Wakefield Cathedral's mission and outreach team of Canon Tony Macpherson, Canon Missioner and Heidi Smith, Community Missioner, who are taking it on the road to serve in some of West Yorkshire’s towns and cities and collect donations for food banks along the way.

Canon Tony Macpherson said:

“We’re here to help our fellow church communities in this new diocese with their outreach and mission work and want everyone to see Pop Up Cathedral’s potential. It can do farmers’ markets, pop festivals, flower festivals, agricultural shows, coffee mornings, pop up prayers, lecture days…you name it. It’s mobile, it’s flexible and it can be where church needs to be,”

Community Missioner, Heidi Smith has been using the trailer to serve hot chocolate to the young people who use the Cathedral steps in Wakefield as a meeting point over the summer months.

She said:

“This is about engaging with the community where they are. It is difficult sometimes for people to come into the Cathedral, but by taking the Cathedral to them, it crosses those barriers and helps them understand that we are here for them, we are here to serve.”

Pop Up Cathedral will be sent out after the Harvest Service at Wakefield Cathedral this Sunday morning (Oct 5) . It will be in Huddersfield on Monday morning, Bishopthorpe Monday afternoon. Tuesday will find it in Bradford Cathedral precinct and Tuesday afternoon it will be in Halifax town centre. Next Saturday (Oct 11) will see it in Ripon and Oct 21 it will be in Headingley, Leeds.