York Minster is a living church with a thriving community made up of people of all ages. For many, York Minster is their regular place of worship, as part of one or more of our Sunday and weekday congregations.

There are lots of ways to get involved with the Minster Community, from simply attending services to joining one of our committees.

Meeting and Learning

One of the easiest ways to get to know people is to join us for coffee after the 10am Sunday service. This is also a good way to find out about upcoming Minster Community events, which are organised by the Social Group.

• Refreshment and Reflection is a discussion group which meets on alternate Tuesdays from 7.30pm-9pm in the Yorkshire Terrier Pub on Stonegate. Members of all ages meet to discuss Gospel passages, as well as contemporary issues affecting Christians today. The group is currently delving into the Old Testament, but the discussion is wide-ranging and entertaining. Contact randr@yorkminster.org for further details.
• The Minster Community Walking Group is an active group of all ages who walk every first Saturday of the month and welcomes new members. For more information and details of the next walk, visit the York Minster Walkers’ website or contact Tony Skeels at walkers@yorkminster.org.
• Regular Pilgrimages and Quiet Days are organised throughout the year and overseen by the Canon Chancellor, The Revd Canon Dr Chris Collingwood. Email chancellor@yorkminster.org for further details.
• Discussion and study groups are also organised on an ad hoc basis, for example during Lent. Details will always be included in the weekly Notice Sheet.

Children, young people and families

York Minster offers a variety of opportunities for children and young people to learn and grow and to engage with the stories, seasons and symbols of the Christian faith in age-appropriate ways. For more information about any of the groups below, contact cypm@yorkminster.org.

Children’s and young people’s groups

In term time, two groups meet each Sunday during the 10am service:

The Minster Community Roll and the Minster Community’s next Elections

Every three years, we hold the Minster Community Elections, and everyone in our cathedral family is warmly invited to take part. If you are aged 16 or over and you worship, volunteer or work at the Minster, you are eligible to join the Minster Community Roll, our electoral register. The latest elections were due to be held in June 2020. In discussion with Chapter and the current members of the Committee, it has been agreed that the elections will be postponed until Spring 2021 and current representatives will serve for an additional year. When these elections are held next year, they will be for a two-year term so that the election of our representatives remains aligned with the cycle of elections for Deanery Synod.

The elections appoint a new Minster Community Committee*, and elect Minster Community representatives to our Cathedral Council and to York Deanery Synod – more information about these bodies and the work they do can be found here. Full details of the Spring 2021 election process will be published in due course.

We will be using the current Minster Community Roll for the 2021 elections. It is important that our elections have the benefit of reliably up-to-date contact details for everyone who wants to be involved in this important event in the Minster’s life. If you are already on the Roll, and none of your details have changed since you joined it, you don’t need to do anything. If you need to update your details, or you are not yet on the Roll and would like to be added, please complete a Minster Community Roll application form and return it to: Minster Community Roll, Church House, 10-14 Ogleforth, York, YO1 7JN. Once we are fully out of lockdown, application forms will once again be available from the Minster Community table in the Chapter House Vestibule on Sunday mornings, from the Vestry and from Church House Reception.

For more information, please contact Andy Oates, Chapter Clerk, at Church House, 10-14 Ogleforth, York, YO1 7JN (email chapterclerk@yorkminster.org, direct line 01904 557210).

*The Minster Community Committee

The Committee of the Minster Community is elected by members of the Cathedral Community Roll and seeks to encourage the life and mission of the Minster.

There are a number of sub-groups where members of the Community Committee are joined by other members of the community to contribute to various areas of church life.

Sub-groups

The LESS Group (Lifestyle, Environment, Sustainability and Stewardship) aims to strengthen the sustainability of the Minster and its life by reducing the impact it has on the environment. Formed two years ago, the group has helped achieve an Eco Church Silver Award for the Minster and worked with the Toilet Twinning charity to twin the cathedral’s toilets with toilets in the third world, supporting communities which otherwise would not have these facilities. For more information, contact less@yorkminster.org. 

• The Social Action Group was set up three years ago to develop and organise events and activities that promote, encourage and challenge the whole of the Minster’s Community and congregations to engage in effective social action in whatever way they can. We are currently actively supporting three charities Home Start, Embrace the Middle East and York Neighbours by raising money, promoting their work and providing opportunities for them to worship with us in the Minster. For more information, contact socialaction@yorkminster.org.
• The Social Group exists to organise and run a programme of affordable events to foster a sense of community within the congregation, staff and volunteers. Events include talks, visits, musical evenings and a Harvest Supper and Barn Dance. Tickets are sold from the community table after the 10am Sunday Eucharist service or by emailing communitysocial@yorkminster.org.