All Saints Margaret Street.

Dear Friend,

The Gospel at the Easter Vigil this year, Mark 16.1-8, is the original ending of St. Mark.

The women who have come to anoint the body of Jesus find the stone rolled away and a white robed young man who says: “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” 

They flee “for terror and amazement had seized them: and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

Many have found this an unsatisfactory and untidy ending- too abrupt, not upbeat enough. Has the original ending has been lost or was Mark interrupted before he could finish? In the New Testament we find a longer and neater ending was added on.

Some of us have been reading Rowan Williams’ little book “Meeting God in Mark” during Lent. He suggests that the abrupt and disturbing ending was intentional and echoes the rest of the Gospel which is about a Jesus who is always surprising and beyond our grasp.

While terror may not seize us at Easter, amazement should.  The human death which Jesus shared and which will come to us all is an ordinary event, a natural process, but the resurrection is not. It is extraordinary. It turns the world upside down. It should make us wonder.  It is not something we can capture in a slogan. We must spend our life exploring its meaning.

Jesus is not there at the empty tomb because the story Mark tells does not end there. There is no end to the story because it is still being told and written in the lives of disciples whom Jesus has gone ahead to meet. The story did not end with them either. It is being written still in our lives. 

With best wishes for Easter. 

Fr. Alan Moses
Prebendary Alan Moses
Vicar of All Saints Margaret Street
Area Dean of Westminster & St Marylebone

Please pray for those who have asked for our prayers: Jane Allen, Asia Bibi. Fr. Bruce Barnett- Cowan, Jean Bray, James Cary-Elwes, Kate Down, Cynthia Drury, Hugo Gralka, Tim Harding, Yvonne & Philip Harland, Elspeth Harley, Lewis Harvey, Myrtle Hughes, Maxwell Hutchinson, Sheila Kenyon, Molly Leng, Joshua Levy, Christine Loffty, Hilary Morgan, Norman Newby, Malcolm Richards, Jock Scott, Fr. Nicholas Stacey, Buzz Stokes, Celia Swan, Darrell Thompson-Schwab, Joy Wright, Marc Young and Mary.

For the recently departed: Norman Greenfield (Priest), Lowell Blankfort, John Allen (Priest) and Patrick Graham (former PCC Secretary at St Cyprian’s Church), Tay Ntow, Michael Lawrenson, Elizabeth Beet and Hilda Hodds. 

Remember past priests, benefactors, friends, and all whose year’s mind occurs this week: Christopher Ryan, Stanley Eley (Bishop and former curate of All Saints), Peggy Monk, Margaret Leech, Leonard Neville, Muriel Vickery, Richard Davall, Minnie Webb, Olive Routledge, Evelyn Light, Cecil Higgins, Ada Spicer,Anne Garside, Cyril Golding-Bird (Bishop and former Assistant Curate), Thomas Senior (Priest), Brian Phillips, Maud Woodin, Mildred Banyard and Roy Sutherland.

WORSHIP THIS WEEKEND

HOLY SATURDAY – EASTER EVE, 4 APRIL

12 noon          Liturgy of the Day

9pm                HIGH MASS of the Easter Vigil
Preacher: The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses
Missa Brevis – Kodály 

EASTER DAY,  SUNDAY 5 APRIL

11am             Procession, Blessing of the Easter Garden
                      & HIGH MASS
                      Preacher: Fr Michael Bowie, Assistant Priest  
                      Krönungsmesse – Mozart
                      Ecce vicit Leo – Philips 

Easter Sunday Lunch is being prepared by Frances O’Neil. Tickets £5 from the Parish Shop in the Parish Room before and after Mass (subject to availability).

6pm               FESTAL EVENSONG, TE DEUM AND BENEDICTION
                      Preacher: The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses|
                      Magnificat: Service in E – Murrill; Nunc Dimittis: Tone V
                      Dum transisset Sabbatum – Taverner

WORSHIP NEXT SUNDAY 12 APRIL – Second Sunday of Easter 

HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses
Communion Service in E – Darke
Alleluya! I heard a voice – Weelkes 

CHORAL EVENSONG & BENEDICTION, 6pm
Preacher: Father Julian Browning
Service in D – Wood
Haec dies – Byrd  

EVENTS AT ALL SAINTS IN APRIL

Tuesday 14 April, 10.30am – 4pm MASASI DAY – with Bishop James Almasi and Mrs Veronica Almasi from the Diocese of Masasi, Tanzania – Open House in the Parish Room, presentations and lunchtime Mass in Church at 1.10pm. Light Lunch £5 per head. All welcome. To give us some idea of the numbers attending, and to help with catering, please email Shirley Talbot: talbot-a1@sky.com.

Saturday 18 April 3.30pm – FORMER ALL SAINTS CHORISTERS REUNION EVENSONG followed by Tea in the Courtyard (weather permitting). All welcome. Do come and support the former Choristers.

MEETING OF PARISHIONERS AND ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING, SUNDAY 19 APRIL 2015 

A meeting of parishioners will be held on Sunday 19 April 2015 at 12.45pm in Church, at which Churchwardens for the year 2015 – 2016 will be appointed.  Members of the Electoral Roll and residents of the Parish on the Electoral Register are eligible to attend. Any person wishing to be considered for the Post of Churchwarden must be (a) 21 years of age or over, (b) on the Electoral Roll and (c) an actual communicant member of the Church of England. Nominations must be proposed and seconded, and candidates must indicate their willingness to stand. In addition, candidates are asked to submit a short typed or clearly written statement giving the reasons for their wishing to stand, and the benefits they could bring to the post if appointed. Nominations for the post of Churchwarden MAY NOT be made at the meeting.

Prebendary L. A. Moses, Vicar

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) will follow immediately. Only members of the Electoral Roll are eligible to attend.  At the meeting three members of the laity will be elected to serve on the Parochial Church Council for the years 2015 – 2018.  The retiring members of the Council are Janet Drake, Patrick Hartley and Geoffrey Woodcock.  Of these, only Patrick Hartley is eligible for re-election.  Candidates for election must be (a) on the Electoral Roll, (b) at least 16 years of age, and (c) actual communicant members of the Church of England. All nominations must be proposed and seconded by persons on the Electoral Roll and all candidates must indicate a willingness to stand. In addition, candidates are asked to submit a short typed or clearly handwritten statement giving their reasons for standing for election.  Nomination forms may be obtained from the PCC Secretary or the office. Although nominations may be made at the meeting, it would be helpful if completed nomination forms, together with statements, are returned to the PCC Secretary by Friday 3 April to enable the papers to be available one week before the Annual Meeting.  Sidesmen for the year 2015 – 2016 will be appointed at the meeting.

Jaron Lewis, PCC Secretary

Monday 27 April, 7pm – ALL SAINTS’ PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING (following Evening Mass at 6.30pm) – Parish Room

EVENTS BEYOND ALL SAINTS 

Wednesday 8 April, 1.10pm – Organ Recital at St Cyprian’s – COLIN SPINKS (St Mary Le Strand).

Monday 13 April, 7 – 8.30pm St Martin-in-the-Fields
Towards a Politics for the Common Good: A Pre-Election Debate at St Martin-in-the-Fields. Cost: Free with a retiring collection. In the run-up to the General Election we bring together a panel of eminent parliamentarians from different political parties and denominations to discuss their approaches to key election issues in the light of Christian social and ethical teaching. Phone: 020 7766 1100

Parliamentarians                                                    Theologians
Sarah Teather, Liberal Democrat                      Revd Dr Sam Wells                         
Alistair Burt, Conservative                                       Dr Anna Rowlands                          
Dominic Grieve, Conservative
Stephen Timms, Labour
David Lammy, Labour

How can we, as we exercise our democratic right to vote, best serve the Christian principles we believe in? Is it possible to see the issues of our time through a different lens? Can we work together to cultivate a politics for the common good?

Rather than a hustings, guest parliamentarians will be responding to questions posed by theologians Dr Sam Wells (St Martin-in-the-Fields) and Dr Anna Rowlands (Durham University), and audience members from all political persuasions will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A from the floor. The Café in the Crypt will remain open to buy refreshments and for further discussion until 10.00pm.

Monday 13 April, 6 – 8pm – Churches Together in Westminster – MEET THE NEIGHBOURS – hosted by St Mary le Strand, Strand WC2 1ES. All are welcome to join a visit to this beautiful and richly decorated Queen Anne church, designed by James Gibss. Evensong followed by a talk. Evening concludes with refreshments.

NOTICES

REVISION OF THE ALL SAINTS’ ELECTORAL ROLL
The Electoral Roll has to be revised before the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) on 19 April 2015. Inclusion on the Roll is the qualification to attend, participate and vote at the Meeting, or to be nominated for office. The Roll will be closed for revision between Tuesday 24 March and Friday 3 April. No further entries may be made to the Roll between 23 March and the close of the APCM. Would members of the Roll please check their entries on the copy of the Roll available in the Parish Office? Alterations should be notified to me, c/o the Parish Office. Anyone else who wishes to be included on the Roll, and who fulfils the qualifications, is welcome to apply. Competed forms (to be found on the table in Church) should be returned via the Parish Office.

Catherine T Burling,
Electoral Roll Officer

ALL SAINTS RESTORATION PROJECT UPDATE 

EXCELLENT PROGRESS with work and fundraising but FURTHER DONATIONS NEEDED to reduce the reliance on loans
New wiring and lighting, essential CCTV security and fire detection systems cost £372,000. Finishing works on the back of house complete this week. As the project reaches its conclusion, we want to reduce our overall reliance on loans to pay for the works.

We have recently had a number of gifts that have greatly helped. Loans have been successfully reduced from £35,000 to just over £11,000 so any more gifts will reduce this still further.

HOW YOU CAN HELP………. please be as generous as you can, making cheques payable to: All Saints Church Restoration Appeal and sending them to:  
The Parish Administrator, 7 Margaret Street, London W1W 8JG.
Please indicate where Gift Aid may be applied as it increases the value of your contribution by 25% at no cost to yourself. Thank you!

ALL SAINTS’ MISSION ACTIVITIES

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 in 2014 was £3,463 (up significantly on 2013’s support of £2,790) to this Mission Project through the All Saints Festival and Lent Appeals. The Project (in acknowledging our support) said: ‘Such a wonderful amount to have raised, thank you so very much for your valued support’.

A further £3,000 raised in 2014 for Us (formerly USPG) was acknowledged to be a ‘very generous gift’ which will be used to feed communities and generate income to support AIDS orphans in child-headed families in Zimbabwe.

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 all who have contributed generously to this effort. We have been especially successful recently with many donations and been able to 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 project.

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.

* 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.

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 – SATURDAY
Morning Prayer 7.30am
Low Mass – 8am, 1.10pm and 6.30pm
Evening Prayer 6pm
(Except Bank Holidays – 1.10pm Mass only)

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 Holy Week.)

www.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk and e-mail: astsmgtst@aol.com.