Harvest and Chapel developments

Well, do you want the good news or the bad news?

The good news is that Harvest was marvellous. The baptistry looks beautiful, autumn in all its mellow fruitfulness (Keats? I think I did it for GCSE English, though I could be wrong), and loads of people joined us to celebrate God's creation on Sunday.

For the fifth time this year, there were over 200 people at our main Sunday eucharist, which is a record for us in our new church.

Also, Jack and Max were 'admitted to communion'. This is when, though not confirmed, they come forward to become part of receiving the body and blood of Christ in the sacrament.

In the afternoon, little Ted was baptised and won everyone over with his perky looks.

Confirmation classes are going strong.

So far, so good.

The bad news?

Well, as we seek to open the Chapel, we've discovered a blunder by the original developers who hammered nails for the flooring through the underfloor heating. (These original developers have since gone bust, so can't be held to account for this major error.) Anyway, we're looking into how to repair the damage they've made, but this is another hold up for the opening of the Chapel, just when we were nearly there.

The Churchwardens, Martin and Ian, have been doing heroic work attempting to work things through, along with Robin, our immensely generous - how shall I describe him - community engineer.

Of course, this is just a teething problem, but it's a frustrating one.

This coming Saturday, meanwhile, we have two weddings coming, one in the afternoon and one in the morning, and then in two weeks time the Youth Weekend.

I'll try to get a photo of the baptistry up soon, but in the meantime, above is a scene from last year's Youth Weekend. I'll be sending out the final forms later this week.

Father Robert

The last of the summer sun

As I write, it's a beautiful autumn day, the tomatoes are ripening in the garden ready to be plucked.
It's also a packed day: we've had visits from Kilmorie school twice already this week, which are great fun, and we are preparing for several autumn weddings.
Come this Sunday at 10am for our main eucharist and then at 3.30pm, we've a special service commemorating Ottis' retirement as a SPA. Do join us for the service and for refreshments afterwards.
The Chapel is moving forwards and we're getting ready to launch soon.
Meanwhile, Father John and Father Robert will be away from Monday (28th) to Thursday (1st) at the Southwark Clergy conference in Derbyshire.
I'm not sure if it'll be wild but there are some excellent speakers, so it should be interesting.

Father Robert

Top Drumming, Chapel Coming

The A-men Club had a special Friday night meeting. Our men's group had a session with a top samba drumming teacher to bring out that Brazilian funkadelic percussive soul within each of us. And we let rip.
I'm not quite sure you can tell this from the pictorial record (see Graham, Patrick and Simon on the right).

But after a few beers, a great time was had by all twenty-five of us.

Look out in the coming week for the Confirmation classes starting.

Also a marriage preparation course on Wednesday and Saturday.

Meanwhile, just seventeen days till the Chapel opens!

Also, just to note: Father John is on annual leave for the next 12 days, so any questions, bring them to me.

Father Robert

Sunday spectacular

The first All-age service in September feels like a new start: all that starting of terms, setting of aims etc.
And it's always pretty full, especially as we welcome a very new member, young William to the congregation at 10am: then there's Robert at 2pm too.
Come promptly to make sure you get a decent seat.

Then, it's now just 25 days to go to the Chapel opens. We're refixing the door, we've ordered the chairs (in Royal Blue!), sorting out the insurance etc.etc.

Then there's a Marriage Preparation Course starting on Wednesday evening (16th)

Plus there's a pre-baptism class for the first time, this coming Saturday (12th) at 2pm.

So there's plenty going on.

That said, I don't know about you, but I was lucky enough to have been away on holiday and I'm feeling pretty refreshed: it's funny but even my prayer life's reinvigorated. It's definitely a modern privilege to have sunny holidays abroad, but boy, it makes a difference! Energy levels are that bit higher.

We look forward to seeing you at any of the services: remember our main Sunday eucharist is at 10am. If you've got a question about baptism or weddings, then come to the parish office on Saturday at 9.30am.

Cheers,
Father Robert

Chapel on the Hill, how it looked once!

Sometimes, it's good to think about the past even as you think about the future.
To the right, there is a photograph taken of Christ Church, Forest Hill in 1906. See the sunbeams coming in from the right hand side. Tony, our graphics guy, discovered it from Norah, an old member, and touched it up a bit to recapture the original.
Anyway, in the far side of the Church, what's called "the Chancel" is the space that has been reserved for our new Chapel on the Hill.
Except it now has two floors, and on the ground floor there are office rooms, kitchens and toilets.
But it still carries some of the feel of sacred space to it.
That's why it's so exciting that it's opening in just over a month now.
It needs lots of fine tuning. doors, carpets, chairs, post boxes...
But it's coming together. look out for things happening there soon.
I wonder what happened to those pews!
Hope you enjoy the rest of the summer August break.
See you in September.
Father Robert

Glorious weather, funeral on Wednesday

We've had such lovely weather lately that it's good to get a bit of a holiday feel to life. Certainly, quite a few of our congregation are away at the moment and as I write certain members are on a coach on their way to a "Mystery Trip"! I hope they have a good time.
At the same time, tragedy is always possible. At 12.30pm on Wednesday, we host the funeral of Joseph Bynoe, whose death has been untimely.
It will be a sad occasion but one to give tribute to him and to send him to God. Next week, we also host the funeral of Lascelle Moore.

Father Robert

Welcoming couples and children

There's a general undercurrent in perceptions of the church that it's more and more neglected, "the pews are emptier" etc.etc.
Quite apart from the fact that we don't have pews in our church, it also doesn't bear out in our parish more generally.
Take a look at the figures below. These are a year by year count of the number of people who have been baptised (mostly infants but some adults) and the number of couples getting married in our parish church over the last four years.


Yes, it's quite a healthy picture, but it looks pretty static.
But what you've got to remember is the 2009 figure is still ongoing. We're not even in August yet and we've already done more baptisms than we did in the whole of 2006, 2007 or 2008. By the end of August, we'll have done almost 40.
And these aren't necessarily 'classic' people. For example, the parents of the baby we baptised on Saturday, weren't baptised by their own parents, yet they took this very seriously, it expressed what they wanted for their child and they are considering doing it themselves, as adults.
Similarly, marriage remains popular. We were quite pleased with the Church of England's new liturgy offering a combination service of baptism within a wedding: you may have read about it in the press. It matches the lifestage of many of the parents who come to us, either to get married or to get their children baptised.
They may not have done it in 'the right order', from the perspective of tradition, but I believe they are just as committed to each other and to their children as people from any other generation. In fact, maybe more so. There's no stigma in having children outside marriage or 'living in sin', as there once was, when people may have got married 'for the sake of form'. To choose to come to the House of God for a union of your relationship is more of a commitment than ever before.

If you want to come to get married or have your child baptised ("christened"), or be baptised yourself, just come to our parish office any Saturday at 10.30am.

And you're always welcome at our Sunday eucharist at 10am. With people away for the summer on holidays, it's easier to get a seat on a Sunday morning, and there's a generally quieter feel, so it can be a nice time to 'try out' a church.

One more important notice: Mother Sylvia's funeral is confirmed as happening at church at 10.30am on Friday (31st July). Apparently, she requested that people wear colourful clothes, rather than black, so please feel free to let your wardrobe run wild!

Father Robert

Mother Sylvia, RIP

Reverend Sylvia Martin died peacefully on Friday morning. Known as Mother Sylvia, she served as a non-stipendiary minister with Christ Church and St Paul and then St George Christ Church St Paul for over ten years, having been one of the first women ordained priest in the Church of England.
I never got to know her that well because, in the last few years, she had suffered a number of minor strokes, which hindered her mental faculties, but she was still able to exercise a ministry until just a few months ago. She presided at the eucharist (assisted by a deacon) for the last time at a quiet Tuesday morning service, late in 2008.
Her funeral will be on Friday 31st July. More details to follow.

May she rest in peace and rise in glory.

Father Robert

Chapel, Wedding, Marriage Preparation, Moving On

Developments at the Chapel on the Hill are going apace. we've certified our fire alarms now and are sorting out our intruder alarms. There's a bundle of duties and right now, I've been allotted purchasing Chairs (!).
What sort of chairs do we want? Comfy ones, stackable ones, wood ones, metal ones...
One of my tutors at theological college believed that really the only seating aid that should be required for good prayer was the plainest, most wooden and hard pews or chairs available: to add cushions was somehow to lessen the spiritual focus. I'm not sure I agree.
I'm having a meeting with Trudi on it next week.
But that's just one example. Someone else is sizing up the kitchen for a dishwasher... Not a spiritually rewarding task, but necessary.

This week is one of our Marriage Preparation weeks: we meet on Tuesday evening at the vicarage and also on Saturday in the church studio.
Meanwhile on Saturday, there's going to be a fabulous Wedding of David and Antonia. They are a lovely couple and we look forward to welcoming many, many people on that day. Perhaps you are one of them. Remember to arrive in good time to get a good seat!

Finally, on a personal note, just to say that, as I told the parish on Sunday - as all curates have to do at some point - I will be moving on to my next job in November. I'll be the chaplain of Archbishop Tenison's school in the Oval (see www.tenisons.com for more) and also the youth pastor to the North Lambeth team ministry, with connections to St Anne's with All Saints, which is next door to them. I'm excited about this, but also very sad to leave. Madeleine, Tessa and I have had a wonderful time here, and I am sure will continue to do so for the next three and a half months. Our final Sunday will be All Saints, on November 1st, 2009.
Father Robert

Summer Fayre photos, Chapel update, triple baptism

To the left, you can see the arrival of Nigella by black cab at the summer fayre.

Father John was pretty excited, I can tell you. Heaven knows what might have happened had the real one shown up.

But thank you to all who helped at the Summer Fayre. We raised over £3,000 towards church funds, which is just fantastic, as well as having a great day.

See below a great photo of the brownies leading the dancing. Reverend Sheila was right up for it. Dot and Karen look on, admiringly but less energetically.

This Sunday, we're looking forward to not one, not two but three baptisms on Sunday afternoon coming. It's a family, Maria, Leo and Eva are all getting baptised together: rather like the type of thing that happened in New Testament times. Great.

Meanwhile, we've now got a timetable of tasks to get done by autumn for the launch of the Chapel on the Hill. It should be a great launch on 1st October, 2009.

Father Robert

Amazing fayre, amazing year six event, photos to come

Just a quick post to say we've had a manic week, but the Year Six event was amazing. I'll be posting some photos soon.
I'll also be posting some of our photos of Nigella Lawson coming to open our Summer Fayre.
And we're looking forward to the baptism tomorrow of Latiyrah.
We had a great PCC away afternoon too.
One of the things we realised is that most people wouldn't know what PCC stands for (parochial church council) if you want to know, so plenty of thoughts from that too.
Hope to see you tomorrow.
It's a fascinating Gospel, Mark 6.1-13: Jesus can't perform miracles in his home town. Why?
Come and find out.
Father Robert

Summer Fayre, Year Six Event, baby Alfie

Roll up, roll up for the great parish summer fayre in SE23.

Old-fashioned fun, throw a sponge at the vicar in the stocks, buy some jam, win a bottle in the tombola, jump on the bouncy castle...

It's a great laugh and also it's vital funds to keep our church alive. Please join us.

The Big Year Six Event. Just got bigger.

This two day event is when children in Year Six (that's the last year of primary school if you aren't familiar with modern school lingo) come from different skills to learn completely new things (like circus skills above) and simulate in a tiny way, what will happen to them when they join a new school next year.

(going to a new place, meeting new people, doing new things...

They also have a chance to share their hopes and fears in a special workshop.

This year, we're doing two events in a row! Four schools on Monday and Tuesday and four more schools on Wednesday and Thursday.

Three hundred children in all.

Fabulous.

And this Sunday, we've Alfie's baptism in the afternoon. He's a lovely baby, but he's not going to sleep early enough right now, his parents told me. His routine got upset by a holiday and now he's enjoying the long summer evenings while he should really be asleep. The joys of parenting...

Father Robert

You are welcome, wherever you come from

This is a photo from our welcome event.

Can you spot the connection here? Ugo, Blessing, George and Eto are all from West Africa. (Nigeria and Ghana).

It's funny, but I doubt they would have appeared in a "welcome event" photo ten years ago: there's been such a massive immigration from West Africa just recently that I think we're only just picking up on it. George and Eto recently got confirmed through our church.

But then, they weren't the only ones there: about seventy people came to the welcome event, including the hosts. Below you can Bud at the front, who's been part of the congregation for 40 years.

I think you can also see Luke and Iwan on the for left, probably chatting about football.

It was a great event - we were lucky with the weather - and we had lots of lovely conversations with people we don't always get a chance to chat with.

Fabulous to see everyone.

We also had some input about what we should do as a church from people: the most popular particular activity was a coach trip to the seaside. Now, to be honest, we haven't got one planned right now, but we'll have that in mind for the future. Look out Broadstairs!

Anyway, that was last week, looking forward, we have not one but two baptisms this Sunday: James at 10am, and Crystal at 2pm.

As for me, actually, I won't be there as I'm representing the church at the 60th annivesary of the rebuilding of their church by our friends at the Bonhoeffer church, the church where Dietrich Bonhoeffer himself was a pastor in the 1930s.

If you want to know about him, find out more here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_Bonhoeffer

It's astonishing to think that one of older members of our congregation, Marion, can remember as a child that grown-ups were talking approvingly of this young pastor back when he was actually here.

Bonhoeffer's tale feels like history, but it's not long ago. His courage feels superhuman, yet he also trod these same streets.

It'll be a privilege to be there.

Father Robert

Welcome, this Saturday, 2.30pm

It's not always easy to join a church. What does it mean anyway? When are you part of it? In some places, they have membership lists, and we do too, I guess, in as much as we have an "electoral roll". That's the people who regularly worship with us, sign a form, and therefore have the right to elect our PCC (Parochial Church Council) members. For the record, we currently have 199 people on this.

But I kind of like the idea that things are more porous. People can come in, gradually, as they like to: or they can just test the water and move away again, maybe not to come back for a few years.
Or they can just paddle in the shallow end for quite a while before they want to start swimming in the deep end.
What we do want to do as a church is to welcome people at the level they wish to commit to. That could mean taking a step of faith such as getting confirmed; it could mean joining the week afternoon Bible study group; it could mean joining the flower arranging rota. Any of these things.
And to welcome people, you need to have a bit of time to say hello. Now we love chatting after the service on a Sunday morning, but that's not always enough. So this year, we're holding a proper event of welcome on a Saturday afternoon. This Saturday (13th June) from 2.30pm till 4.30pm.
We'll have activities for children, like a ball pool and a bouncy castle, and we'll have activities for adults, such as thinking about the kinds of things you think we as a church should be getting involved with.
And you can even have tea with the vicar!
It'll be a more leisurely way of exploring what it is to be at church.
If you've ever wanted even just to dip your toe in to the water, or if you're ready to dive right in, do come along, this coming Saturday, at 2.30pm. It'll be lovely to see you.
Father Robert

Upcoming Events, including Healing Service

This coming Sunday (June 7th), the usual 10am service (for Trinity Sunday) will be followed at 2pm by a double baptism for Emily and Joseph and then at 4pm by a Healing Service.
This is a gentle, quiet service of prayer, in particular for healing for us, and a particular part of our lives. These can be lovely, but also powerful. You can come for others or just for yourself.

Just before that, on Saturday 6th, at 5pm, our young people will be taking on St Bart's at Ultimate Frisbee . Should be fun.

Further out, look out for the Welcome afternoon on Saturday 13th, from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. Come just to check us out: we'll have a bouncy castle and a few other entz, but also some presentations about what we do as a Church. All welcome, especially, if you haven't been to us much before.

In the meantime, progress on The Chapel on the Hill . We should have a postcode by the end of this week. Would you believe it's taken 9 phone calls since the application to get through to the relevant person, leaving message after message, but I believe we're finally there. Once that's in, we can get on to the refuse collection list and also get the internet connection installed!
It's slow, it's largely tedious, but it's the sort of thing that needs to happen if this building is to be creatively used by the whole community, for the glory of God.
Which is what will surely happen, in time.

Also, the PCC meeting this Thursday (4th) will take place in the Chapel.
Hey, hey!

Father Robert

Pentecost, curried goat, marriage prep, walking on water...

Coming Up:
Pentecost. This Sunday (May 31st), 10am, a fantastic service. It's like the Church's birthday service, marking the fact that the Holy Spirit was for ALL PEOPLES. Something special.

Also coming up: our early summer Marriage Preparation course. The first evening was last night: it continues with a different group tonight and then everyone together on Saturday (may 30th) . Run By Father John and Reverend Sheila.
The next one will be in July.

If you like drama, come on Thursday, Friday or Saturday night to see "Twelve Angry Men (jurors)"
http://www.st-georges-players.org.uk
See their website above for more details. Tickets are around £6, and the stage is being put up in church as I write: staged in the round for the first time ever in a Players production, it promises to be fantastic. I'm really looking forward to seeing it on the Friday night.

The Chapel on the Hill progresses. it looks like our electrics have been commissioned, which is great news.

Jeremiah and Winifred will be getting married this Friday in the afternoon.

As for curried goat, in the title to this blog, that was about Tony's birthday. Tony is our graphics man. If you see our logo on this site, or many other things, then his hand has probably been on them one way or another.
It was his 70th birthday last week and he celebrated with... curried goat after church.
I missed it, I was in the Lake District (see photo, more on which later.) But I thought there was something great about that, that a sensible Englishman would celebrate his birthday with curried goat. He had the idea when Enid came round to our Men's group to show us how to make curry. And that's a bit of Pentecost in a way. Different cultures joining up. And I hope our church is part of that. It's amazing the nationalities represented in our congregation, just as they are in our parish.
Anyway, you can read more about Tony and his latest project on his website.
http://web.me.com/tony.gibbs2/Sterling_T26_/Home.html

Finally, why the photo?
Well, I was just on holiday in the Lake District last weekend and I felt inspired by Jesus on the Sea of Galilee. Impressed?
Father Robert
PS It wasn't really a miracle.

Ascension, Thursday 8pm and new church wardens

There's a major service this Thursday evening (21st May) at 8pm, celebrating the Ascension, the time when Jesus completed his work on earth and returned 'to the right hand of the father'.

It will be a peaceful eucharist (though with good music too).

Do join us. I'll be preaching (but don't let that put you off...)

Here's a photo of the baptism from last Sunday's service, kindly sent by the photographer, John Whitfield (www.johnwhitfieldphotography.com).

It was a double baptism: there's Kyan, who's 2, in the suit, who's just been baptised seconds before, watching his little sister, Nyah, get baptised. Parents Chi and Odili look on. I love the look on Kyan's face: so interested. You can just seem him questioning what's happening in his eyes.

And the guy on my right, assisting, is Martin.

He and Ian C were sworn in as churchwardens for the year at Southwark Cathedral on Monday. It was a good service and it was really interesting to hear their formal responsibilities. Things like keeping the churchyard in decent order and ensuring dignity and lack of disruption at times of holy worship. The words sounded old: I suspect they've been the same for centuries.

It's a really significant job, being a warden. On the surface, it's often about fabric and functional things, but really they keep an eye on the wellbeing of the church as a whole. We're very lucky to have them. (And Graham did a great job before, too.) In the title, I say "new churchwardens": that's not exactly right as they've both been wardens before, but it is their new term of office.

Father Robert

Easter garden, last chance to see...

Every year, our baptistry is turned into an Easter garden.

You can see it on the left: John is at the side. It's just before Morning Prayer last week.

Praying in front of it is wonderful. The flowers team with life and everywhere there's new symbolism. The empty tomb most obviously, but the olive trees, the nails from the cross, the flowers still bursting into life. We'll keep it there till the end of the Easter season, but that's only a couple of weeks away, so it'll end then.

Come and see it before it finishes.

In the middle is the font, where this Sunday there will be three more baptisms: Kyan and Nyah in the morning, and Eva in the afternoon. A beautiful place for a new Christian life to begin.

Meantime, a salute to the cubs and cub leaders who had a tremendously successful camp last week. (I will hope to post on that more, when I get hold of the pictures for you to see.)

And look out for our parish quiz night, this coming Saturday night: 7 for 7.30pm start. Food will be provided. Bring £4 and test your wits. Should be great fun.

Also, it's Christian Aid week. We had a great sermon on this from Michael on Sunday, so if you're inspired to give and haven't had the chance yet, there will be more envelopes next Sunday.

Father Robert

St George's Day sermon: you had to be there...

You had to be there... and I wasn't.
The Sunday before last, we celebrated St George's Day.
As we're St George Christ Church St Paul, we always remember St George's Day on a Sunday and this time round it was Father John to preach a sermon.
Since then, he's had 20 emails and frequent requests for a copy of the sermon.
We printed 25 copies of it for after the service this Sunday, and they ran out, so we printed a further 15. They've gone too. I'd better do more today.

Why this sermon?
Well, I can't quite tell you, because I was still on holiday, so I was attending a church in Paris that Sunday morning (where they weren't celebrating St George)! But, by all accounts of those who were in Forest Hill, it had passion. But more than that, it was about how standing up for your faith costs, even within the church, and how the church needs to look at the people it persecutes. What does inclusion mean if we systematically exclude some but not others?

Beyond that, I don't know why it provoked such a reaction. You had to be there... and I wasn't. You can get a sense of it by reading a copy of a sermon but good sermons aren't really designed to be read. They are meant for a group of people at a particular time.

And it wasn't without controversy. One person walked out of the church, upset at what was being said. Others greeted the end of the sermon with a round of applause. That's never happened in my time when I've been there.
As I said, you had to be there.

But it's also led me to think about what it is to be church. Because of course, you never want someone to walk out of the service. You don't choose that. But as someone once told me in marketing, if you get complaints, it's a sign you're making an impact. And if no one ever complains, then maybe we're in a world of rather bland platitudes. "Thank you for the service, father, very nice sermon" etc.etc. and all you ever do is end up preaching about motherhood and apple pie.

And the upset was genuine, just as the applause was genuine. And I guess it was because John was tackling a real issue. Like in the Lent course we just had, the discussion about euthanasia was electric at times. Often in quite passionate disagreement.

This is important, and so is staying together through all that.

I'm beginning to ramble, so let's just think about the coming week.

There's a PCC meeting this Tuesday (tonight), a Communication Action Team meeting on Wednesday night, no wedding this Saturday but there is a baptism on Sunday. We'll look forward to seeing you if you're coming to that.

We'll also be hearing about how the cubs got on at their camp which finished yesterday and lasted throughout the Bank Holiday weekend.

Thinking ahead, come to our QUIZ NIGHT on Saturday 16th May.

Father Robert

PS If you want to read the sermon, email into the website and I can email a copy to you.

Baptisms coming up

It's wonderful when anyone gets baptised and takes part in the sacrament that signifies entry into the Christian community: the body of Christ, if you want to be theological.

This Sunday, we'll be baptising Brooke Maya Hearne, the eighth person to be baptised in our church this year: and we've another 17 coming up, taking us through to the middle of August.
People get baptised mostly as babies, but sometimes we have young children, with the support of their parents, and sometimes the parents themselves! (Or just adults making this commitment to follow Christ.)

If you are interested in having your child baptised ("christened" is another word for it) or want to be baptised yourself, come to our parish office in church, any Saturday from 10.30am to 11.30am.

Father Robert

Happy Easter!

It was wonderful that so many people were able to join us for our Easter services.
On Sunday morning's eucharist, we had over 300 people, which is a record for a Sunday morning at our church. Apologies if you were one of those standing at the back: we hadn't quite scaled up, and we'll have to work out better next time how to fit everyone in more comfortably.

Holy Week really takes it out of you, as much emotionally and spiritually as anything else: the joy is meaningless unless there's the Cross too.
With that in mind, I'm on annual leave for the next fortnight, so no posts here for a while, but there's still plenty happening.
We've our parish Annual General meeting next Sunday (19th) and there are weddings both on Sat 18th and Sat 25th April.

Meanwhile, we'll be making more preparations for the Chapel on the Hill now that we've a bit more time to focus more generally.

In the meantime, happy Easter to everyone.

Father Robert

PS Thanks to Jonathan for this great photo.

PPS Check out the amazing DVD of "The Land of Green Ginger" produced by Tapp enterprises. The quality of production is simply amazing, and does rather better than do us justice. It makes us better than we actually were! Available for a fiver after Church.

There are 52 weeks in a year, there's only one Holy Week

What an amazing service yesterday with our procession behind a donkey. Over 200 people were with us, carrying palm crosses.
This week coming has something for everyone.
Monday 8pm: Eucharist with Meditation
Tuesday 8pm: Eucharist with Meditation
Wednesday 12 noon & 8pm: Agape Meals. These are informal meals interspersed with a celebration of communion, led by one of the priests. Everyone is included. Come and see if you haven't been before. it's lovely and you'll be very welcome. Very moving.
Thursday 8pm: Maundy Thursday Eucharist with washing of feet . This is followed by a watch at our Easter Garden until midnight. The service starts at 8pm and recalls the Last Supper until Jesus' betrayal in the Garden at Gethsemane. Beautiful and sad too.
Friday 12 noon: (adults) Silence and readings till 2pm, then Liturgy from 2pm to 3pm This includes the ancient practice of venerating the Cross.
Friday 12.30-3.30pm: (children) Good Friday Workshop with activities. Easter based activities: making banners, Easter bonnets, painting eggs, hot cross buns etc.etc. Finishing up with a song pointing forward to Easter in the Church itself.
Saturday 8pm: Easter Eve. Service as the Easter light is brought into the church, the great readings of salvation are read ("The Vigil"), and Christ is risen. Followed by fireworks and baked potatoes.
Sunday 10am: Easter Day Eucharist. The great celebration. Christ has risen. We all gather together. Full of joy and fun (and an Easter Egg hunt afterwards.)

Even if you don't normally come to Church, this year, come and see!
Father Robert

Drawing into Holy Week: Palm Sunday soon

Now our Lent courses are drawing to an end, after some very powerful moments of discussion and prayer and we're gearing up for Holy Week.
For clergy, classically, it's a really busy time, as there are leaflets to distribute, services to prepare, books to print...
but all the time the focus has to be on the Cross and the Resurrection. Which isn't busy at all.

You're very welcome to all our Holy Week services: from Sun April 5th to Sun April 12th.
We start this coming Sunday, Palm Sunday at 10am, with our journey behind a donkey around the streets (the donkey will be residing in the vicarage garden on Saturday night!).
Then on Monday and Tuesday evening, at 8pm, there are meditative eucharists;
on Wednesday, our Agape meals, at 12 noon and 8pm;
on Thursday, Maundy Thursday, at 8pm we recall the Last Supper in a service that ends with a watch into the night, for those who wish to stay (last year, there were a dozen of us.);
on Good Friday there are options. For those who want a silent meditative time, come to church at 12 midday, and in the church part of the building, there will be a solemn service;
in the Hall, from 12.30pm, there will be fun for children in our Good Friday workshop . This is free and includes a bundle of Easter related activities. It goes on till 3 when we go into church for a short service;
on Saturday, at 8pm, we have our Easter Eve liturgy, including ancient plainsong in the Exsultet and anointing with oil; this is followed by fireworks and baked potatoes. It's a great service.
finally, on Sunday, Easter Day, at 10am, we have our celebration of the Resurrection with our first eucharist.

These services are highlights of the year, moments of occasional dread, awe and joy as we relive Jesus's last week on earth and the moment of his resurrection. Don't miss out.

Lent, Coffee, People, Mothers, Baptism and Marriage

Those six words are an unlikely mix, but they all mean something about what's happening in our Church this week.


Lent


Our Lent courses this week will be tackling "Life, Death and Eternity". We'll be thinking about our experience of bereavement, or understanding of death and the life eternal, and thinking about the difference that also makes to our life now. It won't be easy, but it will be powerful and important.
Our reflections on the Station of the Cross continue at 4pm this Sunday.




Coffee


Our Coffee shop celebrated its third birthday last week. From left to right: Sheila, May, Pat, Anne, Denise, Lynne, Marie and Janie. All are among the helpers who celebrated with cake (and yes, coffee) last Tuesday.
It's open Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 11-4.
Cappuccinos, fair trade goods, or home made soup with a crusty roll for £2.20. It's a sign of hospitality too - all are welcome - and we're grateful for it. Do drop by if you haven't been before. You could pass by into the church too perhaps, to light a candle for someone you love.

People
287 people came to our Mothering Sunday service earlier today. That's more people than have attended on a Sunday morning since the turn of the Millennium. I suspect it's the most people on a Sunday morning in the last 25 years.
Why mention that? Do 'bums on seats' matter? Of course, bums themselves aren't particularly important. But they do come with people attached. And we believe people are important and that there's something special people can get when they come to Church. So it's worth celebrating the fact that so many of us were there today.
'Mothering' is especially important too, so it was a beautiful service. And what a beautiful day too!

Baptism
Next Sunday, we're celebrating Philippa Green's baptism at the 2pm service. It's going to be beautiful and meaningful. We look forward to welcoming you if you're one of those attending and, if you're a Godparent or Sponsor, please make sure you're there that little bit early.

Marriage
Last but not least, our marriage preparation course starts tomorrow (Monday) evening at my house, 20 Gaynesford Road and continues on Saturday at Church in the studio. This is a vital part of taking marriage seriously and building a firm relationship for the future. It's also always a really enjoyable course, so that's something to look forward to.

Father Robert

Mothering Sunday

Time to get the flowers ordered by Interflora, or the chocolates from M&S...

Or you could come to Church on Sunday, where we'll be giving out a bunch of daffodils to everyone who is a mother or is like a mother to us.

Because the Church has been surprisingly subtle in its name. This isn't Mother's Day. it isn't just for Mothers. It is for people who bring the characteristics of Mothers. It's Mothering Sunday.

Yes, being a mother is powerful but it's not the only way. One quarter of women born in 1970 will never be mothers. 100% of men born at any time will never be mothers.

But we can try to be mother-like. To bring those characteristics to bear.

See Luke 13.33. "I was like a mother hen gathering her brood under her wings." Thus Jesus.

I'll leave the theological developments of that theme to you.

Join us at 10am on Sunday.

(What about the picture? It's by local artist Anita Klein and just seems to capture the spirit of Mothering. I can't say it's religious, but there's something special about it.)

Chapel on the Hill

As I write, there are more developments: Father John is with a diocesan representative checking out the snagging problems. Below is Ian, hard at work doing some measuring. He and Robin gave the electrics a thorough analysis last week.

Father Robert

Chapel on the Hill developments

Well, we're now "in": we've got the keys to the Chapel. See below Ian (churchwarden), Father John, Martin (churchwarden emeritus) and Bud (churchwarden extremely emeritus) check out the main space.
Yes, there are lots of teething troubles, but yes, it's also an exciting development for us.

I've just returned from the Chapel on the Hill now (Saturday afternoon), and Ian and our electrics man Robin have been checking out some of the circuiting. There will be work going on on all sorts of areas from now on. For example, I'm currently ensuring we get an address and a postcode! Even small things need attending to.

Meanwhile, of course, Lent continues.
Our Lent groups were brilliantly attended once again this week: we were dealing with our personal relationships, and this week, we're dealing with the wider world.

All part of Making the Difference .

And of course Stations of the Cross continue at 4pm.
If you haven't visited us before, you're always welcome.
Remember, our main worship is the eucharist at 10am each Sunday.

Father Robert
PS Thanks to everyone who filled in the "Signs of Growth" questionnaire. I'm sure it will throw up some fascinating information for the diocese and for every one of us.

Lent courses, Stations of the Cross

Our Lent courses are off and running now, and we had a great session about Values.
The lunchtime had 8 people and the evening course had 25 and we're expecting similar numbers on Friday, which is fantastic.
Here's a short-circuited version of one exercise:
What one value do you hold dearest of the following five?
Plain-speaking, caring for others, family, kindness, fairness.
Why are you drawn to one more than the others?
To what extent is this driven out of the Gospel? Can God build on your values, as they are, or do you need to adjust your sights?
Next week, we're thinking about how our values permeate our relationships. It'll be great and it's not too late to join.

If you join us at the Sunday eucharist (8am or 10am) this week, you'll be taking part in a mammoth diocesan survey about why people come to church. It's never been done on this scale before and should be really worth it. Eventually, the results will feed into academics at the University of London and it will tell us more about the heart of our church than anything done before.

Finally, do join us for meditations on the first three Stations of the Cross, at 4pm on Sunday. This is the first of the occasions when we consider Christ's final day. Quiet and beautiful, different members of the Church take it in turns to lead. This will be at 4pm every Sunday for the next five weeks.

Father Robert

Ash Wednesday, Lent Courses

Tonight, at 8pm, there's a special service for Ash Wednesday with the Imposition of Ashes.

It's a time to reflect on our own place within the world: "You are made from ashes and to ashes you shall return." Serious words for a serious reminder.

Ash Wednesday kicks off Lent, a big time for spiritual reconfiguration and recommitment. I know of hardly any other church which takes Lent courses so seriously.

That's partly because they are good - I guarantee that you'll be interested and energised by them - but also because people here take their faith seriously.

31 people have signed up already. Please consider adding your name too. it's also a great way of getting to know other people in the congregation.

Tuesday 12 noon

Tuesday 7.45pm

Friday 12.30

Friday 7.45pm

Each session lasts a total of two hours, but that includes sharing a simple meal together first.

Sign up on the noticeboard at the lobby or email or telephone Father Robert.

This year's theme is "Making the Difference", as we look at ourselves, our lives, our friendships (our enemies?), our understanding of death and the hereafter... and then see what difference the new perspective makes. I guess it's trying to see our lives more closely from God's perspective than we do normally.

Also worth noting, a Service of Healing and Wholeness, at 4pm this Sunday.

Father Robert

Pantomime, Chapel developments, Lent soon

This week, do come to the sensational Pantomime at the parish church, Vancouver Road The Land of Green Ginger. We run for four performances only, Thursday 19th Feb, 7.30pm, Friday 20th Feb, 7.30pm, Saturday 21st Feb, 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

The costumes are extraordinary, the set is going up right now, and the acting is ludicrous.

Meanwhile, we're pushing ahead with the more mundane things about the Chapel: getting the address registered with the post office, sorting out refuse collection... It's not glamorous but it's part of what we need to do to get the project going and make ready for all the properly spirit-filled things that will take place there. if you want to book the office space, then call us on 0208613 0295. We aren't always able to respond directly, but we will get back to you.

Finally, of course, Lent is coming up. We take Lent seriously here and Lent groups are always well attended. We're preparing the material right now.

Father Robert

Pantomime, The Land of Green Ginger

Oh yes it is. Oh, no it isn't...

If you walk past the church on any evening this week, you're quite likely to find some of these lines being given with gusto. It's last minute rehearsal time for "The Land of Green Ginger." The costume fitting is on Sunday when we're also building the set. Dress rehearsal is next Wednesday and the curtain goes up on Thursday. 8 days' time.

The entire cast is from the congregation and we're bringing out some unlikely talents. But the leading lady has got tonsilitis, the chief comic lead has been felled by a chest infection, and the pantomime dame has lost his hearing aid and so can't hear his cues...

Can we pull it off despite the challenges?
Will Abu Ali win Silverbud's hands despite the Evil princes?

You'll just have to come to find out.
Thursday 19th Feb, 7.30pm
Friday 20th Feb, 7.30pm
Saturday 21st Feb, 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

Tickets for £5. Concessions for £3.
It's going to be great.

Father Robert

Snow can't stop the parish pantomime

For those who aren't around, this is what the Church and the Chapel on the Hill are like right now.

Of course, it's fabulously beautiful, and the snow has created a wonderful community spirit, but it also makes life harder for quite a few of us who find it hard to get about with ice around.

In terms of upcoming notices, we've two more weddings on Saturday, Granz and Tracian and Gareth and Kerry-ann.

And the big parish pantomime. The Land of Green Ginger is coming up on 19th to 21st February. It's a sequel to Aladdin.

Father John is Tictac Ping Foo, the evil prince trying to stop the heroic Abu Ali (yours truly, though I say it myself) from winning the hand of the beautiful Silverbud (Naomi).

You may also see Father Alan as Widow Twanky, Paul as the Genie of the lamp, Graham as Sulkpot Ben Nag Nag, Silverbud's irate father, Trudi as a button nosed tortoise and Reverend Michael, as Rubdub Ben Thud, Tictac's ally cum foe. Angelina Jolie stars as the evil princess.

What will happen, will it end happily ever after? You'll have to come and see.

Of course, all the cast all know their lines. (Oh, no, they don't. Oh yes, they do...)

Thursday 19th to Saturday 21st. Doors open 7.30pm each night. Tickets on sale from this Sunday.

Fr Robert

PS I was lying about Angelina Jolie.