All Saints Margaret Street.

Dear friends,

Our PCC is excited to be able to publish its Mission Action Plan for the next five years. This was finally approved at a meeting last night and has been the fruit of six months of reflection and wide consultation, as our parish looks to the future and thinks about how we can put into action the things we feel God is calling us to accomplish in his name.

I ask you to keep these plans in your prayers and to ask God to bless our parish with the resolve, resources and organisation we will need to make these exciting proposals a reality. A copy of the plan is enclosed with this email so you can all read it in full.

Our Mission Action Plan is the product of a process of discernment which began with a PCC away day last year, and which was followed up by extensive discussion in a series of PCC meetings as we refined our thoughts and aspirations. The idea behind a Mission Action Plan is that a PCC sets itself a series of measurable, achievable goals in order to focus its planning and work over a set period of time.

Our PCC discerned that now COVID and the disruption it represented is substantially behind us, God was calling our parish to focus on three areas: first, congregational growth and development; second, a major re-thinking and renewal of how we fund music in our parish; and third a programme of works orientated towards maximising the use, accessibility and income producing potential of our extensive buildings.

In the area of congregational growth, our PCC felt strongly that our parish needs to radically rediscover a commitment to charitable action, volunteering and making a practical difference in the world. To that end, projects will be planned focussed on combatting loneliness amongst the elderly, and also supporting local action relieving homelessness in the West End. We hope these will make it more easy for people to feel they are living out their Christian discipleship in ways that are not just liturgical, but which make a concrete difference to the world we live in.

In order to help our congregation grow in number, our PCC has also committed itself to renewal of the welcome we offer on a Sunday morning, to a review of our online presence, and to launching a new monthly Mass German speakers.  Our aim is that average total in person attendance on a Sunday will be at least 200 by the beginning of 2029.

A second major area our PCC wants to focus on over the coming five years is the question of how we fund music in our parish. Our aim is to launch a major fund-raising capital campaign beginning in 2025 to find substantially greater funds for our Music and Choir Trust so that a greater proportion of our annual music budget is covered by the income produced by that endowment.

The current paradigm on which our parish finances operates post-COVID needs a substantial shift involving significantly more income if our parish is to continue offering the liturgical programme it does, and to have the funds it needs to invest and grow in other areas. We hope a major music capital campaign will provide a major part of the answer to this problem.

A third focus of development is the question of how we can make the best use of our buildings. It has been noted by our PCC that extensive space in our undercroft and ancillary buildings is underexploited, in a pretty grotty state, or difficult to access. We lack the lavatory, kitchen and meeting room facilities that we so often feel we need. A thorough examination of how we can make all our buildings more accessible is required, as is a renewed sense of what we need our buildings for, how they can be used to contribute better to our parish’s mission and life, and how we can gain better income from them.

To address all these questions, our PCC has committed to launching a major building  project, which will renew our parish’s physical plant and provide the facilities we need in the next chapter of our parish’s life.

Our aim is that, with God’s help, in five years’ time (by the beginning of 2029) the following will be the case: our Sunday attendance will have grown to an average total Sunday in person attendance of 200; charitable action will have returned to being part of our parish’s life and an expression of our parishioners’ Christian discipleship; a substantially greater proportion of the cost of our music programme will be met by income from the Choir and Music Trust Fund, freeing funds from our PCC budget for other purposes; income from our buildings will have increased; and our parish will have better, more accessible, and more extensive facilities for welcome and hospitality.

I ask you to pray for our PCC and for our whole parish as we seek to put this exciting plan into action over the coming years. Let us ask the Father that he will continue to bless our parish, that he will help us grow in faith, action and number, and that he will strengthen our efforts to make Jesus Christ known, loved and worshipped in the city we live in.

Fr Peter

Candlemas – tonight!

Friday 2nd February 2024
6.30 pm – High Mass
Preacher: The Revd James Wilkinson, Assistant Priest, St Andrew’s Holborn, and Chaplain to the Bishop of Fulham.

We will be joined on Candlemas by members of our deanery clergy chapter, and there will be a parish supper after the High Mass, to which all are invited.

To celebrate Shrove Tuesday, we will be hosting a special Crêpes Suzette dinner at Le Beaujolais restaurant on Litchfield Street in Soho on Tuesday 13th February 2024 at 7.30 pm.

The cost will be £50 for three courses. Instead of the usual cheese trolley, you are welcome to choose, as a special treat for Pancake Day, the restaurant’s famous Crêpes Suzette as a way of finishing Ordinary Time and preparing for Lent. To book a place, please email the parish office.

Incense sponsorship

We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed so generously over the past week to our appeal for incense sponsorship. We received around £200 in sponsorship in a matter of days. This is a wonderful success and we are hugely grateful! Now we just need a last £70 to cover our remaining incense costs for the next year.

The idea behind this scheme is as follows. In an attempt to reduce costs in our annual sacristy bill, we are inviting parishioners to sponsor the cost of key items that we have to buy each year.

We have just received a year’s supply (18 boxes) of incense from Mucknell Abbey. Each box can be sponsored for £15. Please be in touch with our parish office if you wish to sponsor one or more of our last boxes and want to pay electronically by PayPal. It will also be possible to sponsor incense on Sunday morning and pay in cash.

This will make a huge difference to balancing our budget and we are very grateful for any support we receive!

Young Adults Group – hiking trip

Weather permitting, our next Young Adults Group walk will take place on Saturday, February 3rd, in Epping Forest. This is aimed at our younger folk, but anyone who feels up to 10-12 muddy miles is very welcome to join! We’ll stop for lunch half way. Be in touch with Fr Alan if you would like to take part.

Confessions: Fr Rowlands

Fr Graeme Rowlands will be available to hear confessions and/or offer spiritual counsel at the following times: Tues 13th Feb – 5.30 pm; Tues 21st Feb – 5.30 pm; Wed 28th Feb – 5.30 pm; Wed 6th March – 5.30 pm; Mon 11th March – 5.30 pm; Mon 18th March – 11.00 am.

Confirmation classes

Anyone interested in being baptized, and/or confirmed should be in touch with Fr Peter or Fr Alan. Confirmation classes will begin in the New Year. Our confirmation next year will take place on Pentecost Sunday, 19th May 2024, when we will be joined by the Bishop of Fulham to administer the sacraments of initiation.

Zoom Theology Seminars

Our next Zoom Theology seminar will take place on Tuesday, March 19th, 2024 and will be entitled, “Holy Murder”!  Fr Alan will be leading us in comparing detective novels with a religious context, teasing out the theological and ethical themes that emerge from them. We’ll focus particularly on P.D. James’ classic Death in Holy Orders, and The Rev’d Richard Coles’ Murder before Evensong.

More information about our online Zoom Theology Seminars (including Zoom links) can be found here.

Walsingham Pilgrimages 2024

Now is the time to sign up for our two main pilgrimages to Walsingham over the next year. Please be in touch with our parish office to book a place and to make payment electronically:

National Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
Monday 27th May 2024 – leave All Saints’ Margaret Street at 7.30 am.
This is a day pilgrimage to Walsingham which takes place on the last Bank Holiday in May each year. We travel together in a coach from Margaret Street, setting off first thing, and return late in the evening of the same day. The pilgrimage includes a large outdoor Mass in the Abbey grounds of Walsingham, with sermon and procession in the afternoon. The cost is £20 and the coach leaves All Saints’ at 7.30 am.

Annual parish weekend pilgrimage to Walsingham
Friday 19th July to Sunday 21st July 2024
A weekend pilgrimage away in Walsingham involving: Pilgrimage Mass at the Shrine Church; evening processions; sacraments of healing; sprinkling at the holy well and finishing with procession of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction.  Cost:  £190 Friday pm to Sunday evening (including full board plus mini-coach from Kings Lynn – pilgrims need to book their own train ticket to Kings Lynn). There is an option for pilgrims who wish to stay on until the Monday and return on 22nd July – this costs £280.

Flowers

The flowers this week are given by Francis Davis in memory of his mother Barbara, whose anniversary falls on Candlemas.

If you would like to mark an occasion with flowers, please contact Shawn Welby-Cooke.

Attendance last Sunday

Prayer List

The Friends of All Saints’ Margaret Street:

February 4th – Gwynedd Sooke, Richard and Louise Stallwood, Iain Stewart, Jason Stewart, Ian and Veronica Summers, Colin Symes, Ann Tacchi
5th – Sebastian Taite-Ellis, Michael Taylor, Kitty Thompson, Charles Thomson, Dr James Thomson, Jeremy Thorp, Dr Christine Vaughn Lillie
6th – Sam Walsh, Christopher Walsh, Christopher Waterhouse, Philip Wayne,
Fr. Benjamin Weitzmann, Mats Wendt, Michael Westcott, Dr Roger White
7th – Matthew Whittaker, Tim Widdowfield, David Wilcox, T. Bradford Willis, Ian A. Wilson, Juliet Windham
8th – Dr Philip Wood, Martin Woods, The Rev’d John Wylam, William Yale, Catherine Young, Michael Young
9th – Mark Allan, Martin Amherst-Lock, Mary Attenborough, Robert Austen, Richard Ayling, James Babington Smith, Ruth Baker
10th – Stephen Baldwin, Stephen Barber, Dr William Benefield, Fr Adrian Berry, Charlotte Black, Graeme Bloom, Colin Bodkin

The sick:

Javier Barbetta, Martin Berka, David Craig, Jason Dunlop, Clara Exton, Gill Hargreaves, Fr. Harry Hodgetts, Elizabeth Lyon, Lionel and Lynn Persey, James Roger, Bruce Ross-Smith, Paul Sturgul, Doreen and Melvin Warren, Jean

The faithful departed:

Brian Clifford, Frances Gayler, Gary Hargreaves, Deidre Laing, Adam Persey, G. Venkatramani, Rodney Whiteman Pr

Those whose anniversaries of death fall at this time:

February 4th – Agnes Theobald, Vera Aspinall, Marjorie Hague
5th – Dorothy Collins, Philip Morrell, George Venn, Sarah Hudson, Iris Harrison, Norman Holden, Rond Pethers
6th – Donald Scott
7th – Beatrice Reed, Jane Twinch, Dorothy Dent, Grahame James
8th – Bernard Anslow, Armorel Griffiths, Robert Streit
9th – Joan Adams, Pamela Brett, Hazel Otway, Eileen Mann
10th – Margaret Booker, Diana Juniper, Caroline Farrer
11th – Phyllis Woodcock, Frank Walker Pr, Winifred Bloomer, Victoria Nettey

Tuesday 6th February – Ss Paul Miki and Companion Martyrs
12.00 pm Mass
6.30 pm Mass

Wednesday 7th February – Feria
12.00 pm Mass
6.30 pm Mass

Thursday 8th February – Feria
12.00 pm Mass
6.30 pm Mass

Friday 9th February – Feria
12.00 pm Mass
6.30 pm Mass

Saturday 3rd February – St Scholastica
11.30 Rosary
12 noon Mass
6.30 pm Vigil Mass of Sunday