All Saints Margaret Street.

Dear Friends,

On Sunday, after a five-week detour into St John’s Gospel, we return to this year’s main guide, St Mark. Not only have we detoured into John, but we’ve also skipped a short section of Mark: the feeding of the five thousand. In place of that we’ve had a five week meditation on how Jesus feeds us as the true bread from heaven; on how eternal life, real life, what gives meaning to breathing, is that which comes to us from above, from God. The Word of God is a person, not a text, and we come to Mass to encounter him in word and sacrament, to be nourished in eternal life.

So where do we pick up our principal guide for the year? Perhaps unsurprisingly we’re still on food. But now we are considering the old Manna, if you like, the traditions about eating which form part of distinctive, community-defining, Jewish life, and which, as we learn in Acts, were among the first issues the church had to face in gathering in all God’s children to the family of their heavenly Father. Would Gentiles have to undertake all the requirements of the Jewish Law?

Our problem with this early argument is obvious enough: we don’t see a problem any more. After twenty centuries of Christian teaching, the idea that particular foods, let alone particular rituals of hand-washing, define our relationship with God is so odd that preachers routinely have to explain it before rejecting it. We would classify these behaviours on an OCD spectrum.

Faced with issues of poverty, injustice, corruption of the state and natural disasters which continue to blight the lives of our brothers and sisters throughout the world and in our own country, why are we still talking about ritual uncleanness? What can we make of this old argument between Jesus and the conscientious keepers of the Jewish Law?

Context helps. The broader context in which this interchange between Jesus and the Pharisees occurs presents an interesting backdrop. It follows the feeding of the five thousand and the healing of large numbers of sick people. These incidents pose an obvious contrast with issues like ritual washing before eating. And this interchange with the Pharisees is in turn followed by the stories of the persistent faith of the Gentile woman of Syrophoenician origin, who asks only for crumbs and whose daughter is healed, and the restoration of hearing and speech to the deaf man living in the Gentile area called the Decapolis (7:24–37). Jesus’ critique of Jewish laws and traditions (“Thus he declared all foods clean,” 7:19, a verse that has been cut out of Sunday’s reading) is immediately brought home by the healings of these non-Jewish people.

The core of Paul’s teaching in his crucial letters – Romans and Galatians – is about exactly this: whether or not these Jewish laws and traditions are the key to relationship with God. Paul helped create the Christian church by relativising these previously distinctive markers of God’s people; without that change there would be no Christian Church. Sunday’s gospel is part of the evidence that this change comes from Jesus himself, not just Paul.

Yours in Christ,

Father Michael Bowie,

Assistant Priest,

All Saints Margaret Street  

Please pray for those who have asked for our prayers: Asia Bibi, Peter Burbidge, Ella Carroll, James Cary-Elwes, Coretta Quarty, Ian Coull, Paul Curno, Dennis Davis, Elizabeth Day, Mark Dougly, Michael Duggan, Helen Everett, David Fettke, Jonty Gordon, Yvonne Harland, Lewis Harvey, Alice Jullien, Andrew Laird, Tom Leader, Anthea Lepper, William Lightening, Christine Loffty, Simon MacGregor, Sister Martha (SMNC Tanzania), Hilary Morgan, David Pearce, Prebendary Tunde Roberts, Nick Russell, Jock Scott, Stella Skinner, Judy Stewart, Buzz Stokes, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Christine van Dyck, Debbie Wheeler and Joy Wright.

For the recently departed: Owen Chadwick (Priest), Sister Jane Frances, Colin Hamilton, Estelle Lovell, John Scott, Tore Bergquist, James Hamilton, Graciela Muňoz, Agnes Hagan, Julian Piecha, Brian Cairney

Remember past priests, benefactors, friends, and all whose year’s mind occurs this week including: John Miller, Amelia Stephens, Tom Chalmers, Peter Davidson, Patricia Williams, Edward Tagoe, Vera Arde-Acquah, Sophie Garrett, Kathleen Heales, Betty Little, Francesca Morcom, Harold Matts, Joanne, Guy & Alicia Wace.

WORSHIP THIS SUNDAY 30 AUGUST – THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: Father Michael Bowie

Mass for four voices—Byrd

Holy is the true light—Harris

There are no Sunday lunches during the month of August. Sunday lunch service will resume in September.

CHORAL EVENSONG & BENEDICTION, 6pm

Preacher: Father Barry Orford
Collegium Regale – Howells
Save us, O Lord – Bairstow  

WORSHIP NEXT SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER –FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY –
HIGH MASS, 11am

Preacher: Father Julian Browning

Cantus Missae—Rheinberger

Ave verum corpus—Elgar

CHORAL EVENSONG & BENEDICTION, 6pm

Preacher: Father Michael Bowie
Service in G—Howells

Salve Regina—Howells

PARISH NOTICES

Wednesday 26 August – Sunday 6 September 2015

The Parish Office will be closed during this holiday period. Voicemails and emails will be checked from time to time and dealt with.

EVENTS AT ALL SAINTS in AUGUST and SEPTEMBER

Today, 3pm – HIGH MASS – BLESSING of THE MARRIAGE of Patrick and Rebecca. Please pray for this couple as their marriage is blessed at All Saints.

Today – this is the Dr John Birch Organ Scholar, Nicholas Mannoukas’, last day at All Saints. We wish him well with his continued studies.

Saturday 5 September – 9-11am and 2 – 4pm
BLUE BADGE GUIDE TRAINING inside All Saints.

Saturday 12 September, 1pm
AGM OF THE CHURCH MUSIC SOCIETY followed by a talk and tea for Society Members only. 3.30pm EVENSONG – to which all are welcome.
Setting: Brewer in D. Anthem: Blessing, glory, wisdom and thanks – Brewer.

Sunday 13 September, 7.15pm (after Benediction)
ORGAN RECITAL – Charles Andrews, Associate Director of Music.
Programme: Concerto in C after J. E. Prinz von Sachsen-Weimar BWV595 – J. S. Bach
An Wasserflüssen Babylon – J. Pachelbel
Miserere (four parts) – W. Byrd
Minuet – W. Lloyd Webber
From Zwölf Orgelvorträge op. 174 – J. Rheinberger
Scherzoso – Abendruhe – Romanze – Aufschwung – Improvisation – Finale

Retiring collection to support the Choir and Music at All Saints (suggested donation £4)
The All Saints Licensed Club/Bar below the Church will be open after this recital.

Saturday 19 September, 4.30pm
DEDICATION & BLESSING of THE MARRIAGE of Valerie and Richard Steward.
Please pray for this couple as their marriage is blessed at All Saints.

EVENTS ELSEWHERE in SEPTEMBER

Saturday 5 September, 3pm, St Cyprian’s Church, Clarence Gate
CHORAL EVENING PRAYER & BENEDICTION
Responses: Reading; Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis: Blair in B minor
Anthem: Stanford – For lo, I raise up
With the St Cyprian’s Singers, directed by Julian Collings.

Tuesday 15 September, 7 – 9pm, St Martin-In-The-Fields TALK
LIVING WITH DEMENTIA: An Evening on Dementia and Faith – this is the second evening in a series exploring the lived experience of dementia, discovering how the church can support those with dementia and their carers, and considering how dementia affects our understanding of what it means to be human. With refreshments and opportunities for sharing and questions. Chaired by Neil Bunker, Mental Health Liaison Priest for Westminster with Sam Wells, Vicar of St Martin’s, Canon David Warbrick, Clive Wright and those working in the field. Suggested donation £5. All welcome. For more information, contact: Revd Katherine Hedderly – Katherine.hedderly@smitf.org. T: 020 7766 1102.

Tuesday 15 September, 7pm, St Cyprian’s, Clarence Gate
FEAST OF TITLE – High Mass
Preacher: The Revd Clare Dowding, Rector of St Paul’s Rossmore Road
Mass Setting: Dove – Missa Brevis
Motet: Bullock – Give us the wings of faith
Director of Music: Julian Collings

Monday 21 September, 7pm, St Matthew’s Westminster
PATRONAL FESTIVAL
Preacher: Bishop Nigel Stock, Bishop at Lambeth
There will be a reception after the Mass to which everybody is welcome. Please feel free to bring along friends and colleagues.

ALL SAINTS RESTORATION PROJECT UPDATE

All five pendant lights are fully illuminated. The fitting of the specially made light fittings for the choir stalls (to be attached to the wrought iron grilles) took place on 18 August. When all fittings are in place we will be able to fine-tune the settings of the overall lighting scheme, although some of this work will have to wait until the darker days of autumn. Funds for the project continue to be raised and the total received at the time of writing is now a splendid £411,580. Any more gifts will allow us a small reserve against the final cost of the works. If there are any surplus funds when all bills are paid, these will go towards future restoration projects at All Saints.

We are indebted to all those donors who have helped us replace the out-dated electrics and relight the church so that all the achievements of earlier phases of restoration work over the last twenty years are now revealed. Thank you!

HOW YOU CAN HELP………. please make cheques payable to:
All Saints Church Restoration Appeal and send them to:  
The Parish Administrator, 7 Margaret Street, London W1W 8JG.
Please indicate where Gift Aid may be applied or send in a completed Gift Aid envelope from in church, as it increases the value of your contribution by 25% at no cost to yourself.

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.

Seasonal Appeals – The grand total collected at All Saints for mission activities in 2014 was £6,463 through the All Saints Festival and Lent Appeals. £3,463 went to the Marylebone Project and a further £3,000 to Us (formerly USPG).

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 allowing a few 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 website www.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk, which has a full colour 360 virtual tour for viewing the wonderfully restored interior of the Church – see www.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk/history/virtualtour – before a visit or if unable to travel.

* If you know of others who would like to receive this correspondence 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@hotmail.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   CHORAL 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