All Saints Parish Newsletter 26th August 2016
Dear Friend,
Shared meals were an important teaching-context for Jesus, occasions during which he demonstrated that his ministry and his proclamation of the Kingdom were radically inclusive. We see this especially in Luke, who gives more attention than the other gospel writers to matters of table-etiquette, table fellowship and the households in which meals took place.
In Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 14.1, 7-14) Jesus’ host and his fellow Pharisees have invited Jesus with hostile intent, and ‘watch closely’ how he will behave (.1). But Jesus also watches them (.7), and upends their expectations of social order and honour. They choose the best places for themselves, exposing themselves to the shame of being moved lower. True honour, Jesus points out, comes from being asked to move higher by one’s host (.10-11). The point is clear enough to be appreciated by those to whom it is addressed; how much clearer to the hearers of Luke’s Gospel, who know that this is how God will act – as we hear Mary sing in her revolutionary song, the Magnificat, reported only by Luke:
He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
Having got this off his chest, Jesus addresses his host: he is equally pushy in calling for the host to ignore social conventions of reciprocity, according to which invitations are given to those of equal or higher social standing who will then be obliged to repay them.
His advice to the host is at best presumptuous (especially in this culture, a guest may not tell a host how to behave) and probably profoundly shocking. The Kingdom and God’s generous dealings with us should shock, lacking the logic of self-interest and self-preservation. To give to those who cannot give back is to do as God does: the parable which follows this episode is that of the rich man giving a banquet to which the invited guests do not come, having made weak excuses; the host then sends his servant to gather in all the outcast and marginal people he can find in their place. The kingdom of God, and God himself, Jesus says (and shows), is like that.
Yours in Christ,
Fr Michael Bowie,
Assistant Priest
All Saints Margaret Street
Please pray for those who have asked for our prayers: Asia Bibi, Alixe Bainbridge-Spring, Br. Michael OSB, James Cary-Elwes, Jean-Yves Darcel, Fr Andrew Davis, Mark Dougly, Kate Down, Maureen Fellows, David Fettke, Ghislain Hamelin, Lewis Harvey, Gwyneth Hopkins, Maria Keen, David Kennett, Raymond King, Andrew Laird, Tom Leader, Colin Menzies, Miriam Nelson, Fr. Robert Norwood, José de Oliveira, Oliver Orr, David Pearce, Agnes Poitevin-Navarre, Canon John Rees, Barbara Reynolds, Bill Rodger, Bishop John Salt, Alma Sheard, Dorothy Skidmore, Stella and Helen Skinner, Rose Stephens, Judy Stewart, Tony Tomlin, Christine van Dyck, Lynn Van Keulen, Robert Walmsley, Jenny Ward & Baby Emily and Joy Wright.
For the recently departed: Jacques Hamel (priest), Gus Bialick, John Barnes (Priest), Cynthia Drury, Michael Hartley, Tom Tudor, Neil Johnson, Sr Helen Columba, Geoffrey Hughes, Lily Caplin and Gwen Fairchild whose Funeral is on Friday 26 August.
Remember past priests, benefactors, friends, and all whose year’s mind occurs this week including: Christine Sanderson, Michael Bull (Server), Nora Leyland, Kenneth Eaves, Evelyne Mginah, Denis Campkin, Joan Saint, John Miller, Amelia Stephens, Tom Chalmers (Benefactor & member of the PCC), Peter Davidson, Patricia Williams, Edward Tagoe, Vera Arde-Acquah, Sophie Garrett, Betty Little and Francesca Morcom.
For full service information: www.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk.
WORSHIP THIS WEEK:
SUNDAY 28 AUGUST, TRINITY 14
HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: Fr Michael Bowie
Missa Brevis – Britten
Ave Maria – Timothy Byram-Wigfield
There is no Sunday lunch service today.
EVENSONG & BENEDICTION, 6pm
Preacher: Fr Julian Browning
Byram-Wigfield in E
Tota pulchra es, Maria – Duruflé
WORSHIP NEXT WEEK:
Bank Holiday Monday 29 August – Low Mass 12 noon only.
SUNDAY 4 SEPTEMBER, TRINITY 15
HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: Fr Julian Browning
Missa Ego flos campi – Padilla
Praise our Lord, all ye Gentiles – Byrd
EVENSONG & BENEDICTION, 6pm
Preacher: Fr Michael Bowie
Magdalen Service – Leighton
Let all the world – Leighton
PARISH NOTICES
Please Note: The date of the 2017 Parish Retreat in Ely has been changed. The new date for the 2017 Retreat will be 19-21 May, replacing 24-26 March. If you already have this event in your diary with the previously published dates, please update now. Please contact Martin Woolley if you have any queries about the Retreat.
NEW STOCKS OF CHRISTMAS CARDS FOR ALL SAINTS
We now have a large number of photographs taken of the Church and special services over the last couple of years. We have been working with the expertise of congregation member Judith Mather of the National Gallery to select the best images and arrange for high quality/reasonable cost reproduction. We hope to have the new card designs available in early September. If you know that you might want to use these, subject to final image/price, perhaps you would let Dee Prior in the Parish Office (Tel: 020 7 636 1788 or e-mail: astsmgtst@aol.com) know of your interest to help us to decide on the number we might want to print.
VICAR’S FUNDRAISING PILGRIMAGE – SPONSORSHIP MONIES RECEIVED NOW UP TO £14,640 – Please send in any last cheques so we can finalise the collection of Gift Aid in September.
Fr. Alan completed 566.5 km of his fundraising walking pilgrimage before knee injury called a halt to his heroic endeavours. If you have/would like to sponsor him and help achieve his target of £20k for the Diocese of London’s projects for persecuted Christians in Iraq and Syria, please send cheques to: PAROCHIAL CHURCH ALL SAINTS, Parish Office, All Saints, 7 Margaret Street, London W1W 8JG. We will process gift aid and forward funds to the Bishop of London’s Lent Appeal 2016.
Donations received to date (with applicable Gift Aid) total £14,640 – please help to close the gap with the target.
PILGRIMAGE TO ITALY IN 2018
Fr Gerald Beauchamp and Fr Michael Bowie are planning a pilgrimage to Italy in May 2018. Ideas so far include Assisi and Loreto. There will be a meeting on Tuesday 18 October, 7.15pm in the All Saints Margaret Street Parish Room (off the courtyard) to look at possibilities. All welcome.
If you would like to come in 2018 but are unable to attend the meeting please register your interest with Fr Gerald (gerald.beauch@btconnect.com). Thank you.
Saturday 10 September 11.30am
WALSINGHAM DEVOTIONS followed by 12 NOON MASS at All Saints.
All welcome.
JOHN LEWIS & WAITROSE ARTS & CRAFTS CLUB
EXHIBITION – All Saints’ Parish Room. Free Admission
Tuesday 13 – Sunday 25 September – open 12 – 6pm daily.
Arts and crafts exhibition with most works being available to purchase – including paintings, drawings, jewellery, sewn goods and cards – a good opportunity to select some early Christmas presents. Purchased art works can be collected after 6pm on Sunday 25 or on Monday 26 September, when the exhibition get-out will take place.
ALL SAINTS’ ORGAN RECITAL
Sunday 18 September, 7.15pm (following Evensong & Benediction)
CHARLES ANDREWS, Associate Director of Music, All Saints.
Programme includes works by Byrd, Howells, Pachelbel, Harris and Liszt.
Entry is free, with a retiring collection in aid of Choir & Music at All Saints (recommended donation £5). The Licensed Club/Bar is open after the recital.
SERVICES & EVENTS FOR SEPTEMBER 2016 BEYOND ALL SAINTS
ST CYPRIAN’S Clarence Gate, NW1 6AX
Saturday 3 September 3pm
CHORAL EVENING PRAYER & BENEDICTION
Responses: Ayleward
Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis: Stanford in G
Anthem: Bairstow – Save us O Lord
With the St. Cyprian’s Singers directed by Julian Collings.
WEST LONDON SYNAGOGUE EVENT – MIDWIVES OF FREEDOM
Sunday 4 September 3pm
West London Synagogue, 33 Seymour Place, London W1H 5AU
Churches Together in Westminster have asked us to publicise a wonderful storytelling event being held to celebrate the European Days of Jewish Culture and Heritage. The organisers say: “There will be two captivating story tellers coming to delve into the shared Jewish and Muslim stories of the women surrounding Moshe/Moses/Musa, in their show ‘Midwives of Freedom’. This is a fantastic performance and it is truly a delight to have Adele Moss and Jumana Moon joining us. As well as the storytelling we will also be providing an exquisite afternoon tea and a guided tour of West London Synagogue.”
Booking essential: RSVP to alex.cameron@wls.org.uk so that they can ensure enough cakes are provided! The West London Synagogue looks forward to seeing you in September.
ACCIDENTAL SAINTS: FINDING GOD IN ALL THE WRONG PEOPLE
ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL, Tuesday 6 September, 6.30-8pm
Nadia Bolz-Weber and Richard Coles are two of the freshest voices in contemporary Christianity and will reflect on what being a saint might mean in the 21st century. To register for free places, please go to www.stpaul.co.uk/adultlearning. Admission is free.
ST CYPRIAN’S FESTIVAL WEEKEND
St Cyprian’s Church, Glentworth Street, NW1 6AX
Thursday 15 September, 7.30pm High Mass
Preacher: Ven Luke Miller, Archdeacon of London
Friday 16 September, 6.30pm Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas performed by Francis Holland School
Saturday 17 September, 7pm Quiz Night – In a combined event, All Saints and St Cyprian’s annual mental challenge evening. Form a team of 6 people or join a team on the night. Price: £10 per person, to include light refreshments. Contact Chris Self: chris_self@btinternet.com or 020 7723 2938 for more details or to register your team.
Sunday 18 September, 10.30am Parish Mass
ST MARY’S BOURNE STREET TALKS
One of London’s principal Anglo-Catholic churches, closely connected with the intellectual thought of the Catholic tradition in the Church of England, will be holding a number of lectures in memory of the distinguished personalities who were instrumental in the life of this church. On Thursday 22 September the talk will be by the Right Rev’d and Right Hon the Lord Williams of Oystermouth, former Archbishop of Canterbury on, when his topic will be, ‘The Malines Legacy: a vision for Anglican – Roman catholic dialogue? Admission is free and the lecture will be held in the church.
ALL SAINTS MISSION ACTIVITIES:-
The charities we had agreed to support through the Lent Appeal 2016 (and including applicable Gift Aid) received the following sums:-
Marylebone Project – £2,666.67 – emergency refuge and rehoming project for homeless women.
Us (formerly USPG) – £2,666.67 – work with those experiencing Aids and HIV in Zimbabwe.
London Diocese Lent Appeal – £2,666.66 – this year supporting Syrian and Iraqi refugees through charities Open Doors and Aid to the Church in Need.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this great achievement – a significantly enhanced total collected through the Lent Appeal compared with recent years – of £8,000.
ONGOING SUPPORT for HOMELESS PEOPLE through:
MARYLEBONE PROJECT run by the CHURCH ARMY – A Day Centre, Residential and Transitional accommodation provider, re-settlement project and Educational and Training Unit for women. The Emergency Bed Unit – for which we have for some years helped to provide the funds for one of the 4 beds – offers a safe haven and refuge for women escaping domestic violence, financial crisis, sexual exploitation and mental health issues.
Year Round Support – we also support the Marylebone Resettlement Project with non-perishable food and toiletries or household necessities like cutlery or bed linen/blankets. Thank you to everyone who contributes food and household essentials via the basket in Church or handed in to the Parish Office. Please continue to donate these so we can help more people in need.
Day-to-day Support – we respond to the needs of homeless people who visit the church, providing luncheon vouchers for the West London Day Centre for rough sleepers who apply to the office and donating £1,000 towards the Soup Kitchen at the American International Church in Tottenham Court Road this year. We also allow individuals, who need a place to shelter or sleep during the day, to rest in the back of the church. We have created an information resource for Church Watchers, giving useful advice to homeless and vulnerable people seeking particular support or services.
In the face of a rising tide of homelessness in London, please help us fund and support people in need through our Mission activities.
Want to help someone sleeping rough but don’t know how?
Call Streetlink on 0300 500 0914 and they will get a visit from the local Street Team who can put them in contact with the services they may need.
FURTHER COMMUNICATIONS OR ASSISTANCE FROM ALL SAINTS MARGARET STREET:-
* If you would like to encourage others to take an interest in All Saints/keep up with what is happening here, please forward this email on to them, or to people you would like to invite to services or tell them about our websitewww.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk, which has a full colour 360 virtual tour for viewing the wonderfully restored interior of the Church – seewww.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk/history/virtual tour – before a visit or if unable to travel.
* If you know of others (near or far) who would like to receive this regular update on what’s happening at All Saints please encourage them to sign up for the email on the All Saints website – see the tab News & Events> Weekly Newsletter.
* If you would like prayers offered at All Saints, please email the Parish Administrator Mrs Dee Prior at: astsmgtst@aol.com. Or make use of the prayer request facility on the website at: www.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk/prayer.
* If you would like any pastoral assistance, please do not hesitate to contact:
The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses: alanmoses111@gmail.com.
Or Assistant Priest Fr Michael Bowie: mnrbowie@gmail.com.
DAILY SERVICES AT ALL SAINTS
On major weekday feasts, High Mass is sung at 6.30pm
SUNDAYS in Church
Low Mass 6.30pm (Saturday), 8am and 5.15pm. Morning Prayer 10.20am
HIGH MASS and SERMON, 11am and
EVENSONG, SERMON and BENEDICTION, 6pm.
MONDAY – FRIDAY
Morning Prayer 7.30am
Low Mass – 8am, 1.10pm and 6.30pm
Evening Prayer 6pm
(Except Bank Holidays – 12 noon Mass only)
SATURDAY
Morning Prayer 7.30am
Low Mass – 12 noon and 6.30pm (First Mass of Sunday)
Evening Prayer 6pm
Confessions
A priest is available for confessions/counsel Monday – Friday from 12.30-1pm and at 5.30pm Monday – Saturday, or by appointment. (Special arrangements apply in Lent and for Holy Week.)
www.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk and e-mail: astsmgtst@aol.com