Cathedral News
Sunday 5 July - Sunday 19 July
Connections and Unity
Threads Through The Bible, our major summer exhibition, has just opened this week, and it gives us the opportunity to see the Bible through a different lens. The works trace some of the great themes that run from Genesis to Revelation, revealing how God’s purposes are woven throughout the whole of Scripture. It is much more than simply an exhibition of textiles and images; it provides each of us with an opportunity to reflect on the remarkable unity of the biblical story and on our own place within it.
When we think of a thread, we often picture something small and easily overlooked. Yet a single thread can connect, strengthen, and give shape to a much larger work. Similarly, the Bible contains recurring themes: creation, covenant, faithfulness, hope, redemption, and love. These threads bind together stories written across centuries and point us towards God’s enduring relationship with humanity.
As we explore the exhibition, we will discover how these themes emerge in different books and contexts, sometimes brightly visible and at other times quietly present beneath the surface. The exhibition encourages us to slow down and look more carefully, noticing connections that can deepen our understanding of
Scripture. It reminds us that the Bible is not simply a collection of separate texts but a living story of God’s grace and purpose, which invites us to join in.
Each of us is part of the continuing story. The God who called Abraham, guided Ruth, comforted the prophets, and raised Christ from the tomb is still at work today. The threads running through Scripture also touch our own lives, drawing us into God’s mission and helping us to recognise God’s presence in our joys, struggles, questions, and hopes.
I warmly encourage you to visit Threads Through The Bible over the coming weeks. Whether you know the Scriptures well or are exploring them for the first time, the exhibition offers space for wonder, reflection, and prayer.
May it help us all to see more clearly the faithful hand of God weaving together the story of salvation, and to recognise how our own lives are being gently woven into that same divine tapestry.
Rowena King, Canon Missioner
Worship and Mission
Weekly service schedule
Details of services and music can be viewed on the Cathedral’s website. Visit: www.lincolncathedral.com/worshipmusic/services-list
Stillpoint
This is a time of guided silent prayer to be still and aware of the presence of God. We meet in the Longland Chantry from 9.15am to 9.45am on the following Mondays: 6 July, 7 September, 5 October, 2 November, 7 December
Reading Out of Choristers
Sunday 5 July, 3.45pm At Choral Evensong, we will include the Reading Out of 11 choristers. This includes several choristers who have left during the past year, as well as five current choristers for whom this will be their final service. Please join us as we thank them and celebrate their contribution to the life of the Cathedral.
Service of Pilgrimage
Thursday 16 July, 7pm start
The Guild of Servants of the Sanctuary invite you to join a service of pilgrimage through Lincoln Cathedral, led by the Dean and Succentor, concluding with Eucharist at the East End. All are welcome.
An Evening of Sheppard & Tallis
Thursday 23 July, 7pm
Join the Haylock Consort in the Chapter House for an evening of Sheppard & Tallis. Aside from the usual plainchant associated with Compline, they’ll also be doing the following polyphonic setting:
John Sheppard – In Manus Tuas II
John Sheppard – In Manus Tuas III
Thomas Tallis – The Dorian Service: Nunc Dimittis
This service is free to attend, and will last approximately 45 minutes.
Community
The Summer Edition of InHouse is Here! Welcome to the Summer 2026 edition of InHouse, our Cathedral Community magazine, and we hope that you will enjoy reading.
This edition focuses on the Cathedral’s army of volunteers, and all of the work they do to ensure that Lincoln Cathedral maintains a warm welcome to all our visitors and regular members of the community. You can read about our Stewards, our Flower Guild, our Bellringers and our Guides. Visit our website to find out morewww.bit.ly/Summer-InHouse
Historic Graffiti Survey Update
The historic graffiti survey group is continuing to find and record more and more graffiti. The intrepid volunteers have now recorded all accessible areas of the ground floor and are now venturing into the higher realms of our magnificent cathedral. So far over 9,000 marks have been recorded covering a wide range of symbols, shapes, figures, mason marks and a large number of initials and names.
These will be researched, and we already know that several of these were church staff and one called ‘John Bunch, singing boy’. When completed, the results and images will be collated and act as a record of ordinary people making their mark. The data will then be an accessible resource for future research. The team has stuck together and been enthusiastic throughout several years. Thank you, volunteers!
Church Schools Festival
The Church Schools Festival 2026 was held over eight days either side of the Spring half-term holiday. We welcomed 2,138 children (mostly Year 6 pupils) and 300 adults in total.
Every child created a self-portrait (around 600 are on display in the Learning Centre), enjoyed activities in the Discovery Centre, spotted treasures for the quiz sheet in the Exhibition Gallery, learned songs to sing in the afternoon worship each day, and had 40-minute tours with our excellent Learning Team Volunteers.
Working with the Lincoln Diocese Board of Education, this event at the Cathedral has taken place for around 50 years. Feedback from pupils and teachers is always very positive, and the volunteers really enjoy doing the short but fun tours. It is a huge undertaking for all the staff involved, but a real pleasure to welcome so many children from the furthest corners of the diocese.
New Faces
We’re delighted to welcome Aya Van Renterghem as she starts her new role as our Librarian. Please join us in giving her a warm welcome. We have also appointed a new Cathedral Safeguarding Officer; more information will be shared in due course.
Join the team at Lincoln Cathedral!
We’re currently recruiting for four exciting roles: Director of Fabric & Estates, Retail & E-Commerce Assistant, Retail Assistant, and Minibus Driver.
Whether you’re an experienced heritage professional, enjoy delivering excellent customer service, or would like to support our renowned Cathedral Choir, there’s an opportunity to make a difference in a unique and inspiring workplace. Find out more and apply at: www.lincolncathedral.com/currentvacancies/
Threads - Exhibition and Lectures
From Friday 3 July to Monday 31 August, we’ll host Threads Through The Bible, an astonishing display of textile art inspired by parts of the Bible, by talented Artist Jacqui Parkinson.
Our Chancellor Kevin Walton will be hosting his second lecture on Saturday 29 August at 3pm. The lecture explores what kind of writing Revelation really is, how its first readers might have understood it, and how we might make some sense of its vivid imagery, mysterious symbols and coded language.
This lecture is free to attend, but booking is essential. Visit our website to reserve your spot: www.lincolncathedral.com/events/
Book Group: The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr
Our next session will be held on Wednesday 8 July, from 4pm to 5pm, in the Wickham Room, where we will be discussing Chapters 5-7. Everyone is welcome to join (you do not need to have attended previous sessions). Copies of the book can be purchased in the Cathedral Shop.
LCCC Summer Visit
Saturday 11 July
Join our annual Summer Visit, which this year is to Stow Minster.
We will meet at the Minster at 10.30am, where tea & coffee will be available, followed by a guided tour of this historic church, after which we will enjoy a BYO picnic lunch together. Finally, Dr Johanne Gregory, a local historian and one of our cathedral servers, will talk about the history of the area. We anticipate that the visit will end around 2.30pm, but there will also be an opportunity to visit St Edith’s at Coates.
This event is free to attend, and donations at the Minster would be appreciated. So that we can give our hosts at Stow Minster an idea of numbers, please email lccc@lincolncathedral.com or talk to Andrea Paterson after a Sunday morning Eucharist or on 07742 526860.
Join the Community Roll
Want to hear more from the Cathedral? Join the Community Roll! Belonging to our Community Roll allows the Cathedral to contact you, and for you to opt-in to any of our regular communications, including getting the Cathedral News booklet sent to you via email. In addition, you may also wish to join our Worshipper’s Roll, which is similar to a Parish Church electoral roll, and allows us to connect as a congregation, and for those eligible to vote in elections for Deanery Synod representatives to do so. If you’d like to join one or both of these rolls, please use the QR code.
Events
Threads Through The Bible
Friday 3 July to Monday 31 August
Threads Through The Bible is an astonishing display of textile art inspired by parts of the Bible.
Textile artist Jacqui Parkinson retells the stories in a vibrant combination of silks, paint, metallic leathers and gold leaf.
The exhibition includes 26 huge panels retelling the creation story from the first pages of the Bible and re-imagining the strange visions in Revelation – the Bible’s last book.
Lincoln Jazz Festival
Friday 10 to Sunday 12 July
The fifth Lincoln Jazz Festival welcomes seventy jazz musicians, youngsters starting their musical journeys and, of course, the audiences!
An exciting range of jazz styles and personalities beckons, with ticketed and free events.
Breaking not Broken: Ableism, the Church, and the Risen Body
Saturday 18 July, 3pm
A lecture by the Revd Canon Timothy Goode. Tim Goode is a Residentiary Canon at York Minster, and author of Breaking not Broken: Ableism and the Church after Constantine (published by SCM Press). Tim’s lecture will explore how inherited and contemporary notions of perfection have distorted our theology and the ways in which we express and live out our faith. This is a free event, but booking is essential. Visit our website to reserve your seat: www.bit.ly/Breaking-Not-Broken
The King’s Men at Lincoln
Monday 20 July, 7.30pm
The King’s Men will perform in St Hugh’s Choir with a programme including a mix of madrigals and close harmony numbers.
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear world-class music in a unique setting as part of a three-cathedral tour.
Threads Exhibition Wine and Wander Wednesday 12 August, 7pm
An exclusive opportunity to explore the Threads Through the Bible exhibit in the serene atmosphere of the Cathedral after hours. Enjoy a drink as you explore the astonishing colours and patterns of the textiles and see Bible stories brought to life in a unique way.
Academy of St Martin in the Fields Wednesday 23 September, 7pm Returning to its founder Sir Neville Marriner’s birthplace, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields will be joined by violinist Stella Chen to perform one of the greatest violin concertos of the nineteenth century. From the opening drumbeats, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto unfolds into a journey from wind chorales to warm string chords and orchestral climaxes, all woven together by Chen’s lyrical and expressive violin playing.
For more details of forthcoming events and to book your tickets, go to our website at: www.lincolncathedral.com/events
