The congregation of the Parish of Kinsley and Fitzwilliam had to leave their church building in 1992 when it was declared unsafe. Instead, they met in the church hall, until in 1995 that was destroyed by fire. Since then they have met in the school hall, the local Roman Catholic church, in the vicarage and, when the weather has allowed, on the vicarage lawn.

But all that changed on Easter Day 2000 when the Bishop of Wakefield, the Rt Revd Nigel McCulloch, dedicated the new Church of the Resurrection. This was the culmination to years of prayer, hope and hard work by the congregation.

"To hear the word of the Lord spoken in our own church for the very first time filled hearts with joy and eyes with tears," said Parochial Church Council member, Margaret Ashman.

"The evening of the dedication was wonderful," said Bishop Nigel, "full of Easter joy and celebration. The people of Kinsley and Fitzwilliam are going forward to build up God's Kingdom and his Church."

"The new dedication of the church, as 'The Church of the Resurrection' is very appropriate, said the Archdeacon of Pontefract the Ven Tony Robinson.

Funding for the new building has come from a wide variety of sources, including the Church Urban Fund and local community funds. £1,200 was raised from an appeal over the Internet.

"It was a real joy to be at the dedication service and see the new church," said Canon Peter Calvert, whose parish of St Mary's, Todmorden, gave £10,000 to the building project. "We were just pleased that we'd been able to help them."

Article from: Outlook