All Saints Margaret Street.

Dear Friends,

Elijah is one of the highest-profile Prophets of the Old Testament. Indeed, to a Jewish listener, Moses and Elijah (who appeared together in the narrative of yesterday’s Feast of the Transfiguration) stand for ‘The Law and the Prophets’ (i.e. all sacred Scripture), so Elijah could be said to be the Prophet par excellence.

But on Sunday we meet him at a low point. Having opposed and defeated the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel and earning the murderous hatred of their patron, Queen Jezebel, he has fled into the desert and, in despair, asked God to take his life. We read that God heard his prayer and answered it, but not in the way Elijah asked. God sent an angel with food and water and, strengthened by this food ‘from heaven’ (linking to the continuation of the ‘Bread of life’ discourse in Sunday’s Gospel), Elijah was able to make his way to Horeb, the mountain of God.

Just as his previous despair was not produced by lack of food, so his new strength did not come from the food alone, but rather from the assurance that God was with him. The bread was sacramental.

Often enough we don’t recognise God’s help when it comes. Prayer is not God doing things for us, but God helping us to do things, for ourselves and one another. We will wait in vain for a Cecil B deMille technicolor angel, but God sends us human angels (Hebrews 13.2) all the time. All of us have experienced their ministry, though frequently we fail to notice it.

We have something more that we must not fail to notice: the primary assurance of God’s help and presence is with us day by day in the Eucharistic bread of heaven, our viaticum, our nourishment for the journey to eternal life. At All Saints it is quietly and reliably offered and available to all comers three times a day. If, for you, a habit of attending weekday Mass has been lost or never formed, consider whether it might form part of your rule of life.

Yours in Christ,

Fr Michael Bowie
Assistant Priest 
All Saints Margaret Street

Please pray for those who have asked for our prayers: Asia Bibi. Ella Carroll, James Cary-Elwes, Coretta, Ian Coull, Paul Curno, Elizabeth Day, Mark Dougly, Michael Duggan, Helen Everett, Jonty Gordon, Fr Tony Halton, Yvonne Harland, Lewis Harvey, Hilary Hill, Alice Jullien, Andrew Laird, Dorothy 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: Audrey Lewis (former Lord Mayor of Westminster and good friend to All Saints), Owen Chadwick (Priest), Sister Jane Frances, Charles Hamilton and Estelle Lovell. 

Remember past priests, benefactors, friends, and all whose year’s mind occurs this week including: Sidney Browne, Gay Cardew, Leslie York, Andrew Heley (Benefactor, David Johnstone, Charles Oram, Marie-Olivier Mercy, David Welch, Marie O’Connor, Barbara Davis, Beatrice Taylor, Joan Pulham, Philip Merritt, Valerie Hargreaves-Smith, Thomas Straker, Winifred Golelea, Richard Fitzgerald, John Edmons, Ivy Oram,William Rivington, Mildred Terry and David Tweed (Friend of All Saints).

WORSHIP THIS SUNDAY 9 AUGUST – TENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses 
Missa Princeps Pacis – Lloyd Webber 
I will go unto the altar of God – Harry Bramma 

During the month of August we are highlighting the musicians of All Saints and music written for this church. This morning’s Mass is one of several written by William Lloyd Webber (Director of Music 1939–48) and the motet is another offering from Dr Harry Bramma (Director of Music 1989–2004). 

The hymn ‘Alleluya, sing to Jesus’ is sung today to the rousing tune ‘Hillingdon’, written by Dr Walter Vale (Director of Music 1907–39) and enhanced by a descant by Dr Eric Arnold (Director of Music 1968–88).

Much of the music written for the Choir has been recorded. CDs will be on sale at the back of Church after the service at a special price of £6 or two for £10.

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

CHORAL EVENSONG & BENEDICTION, 6pm 
Preacher: Fr Michael Bowie 
Service ‘plerumque in modo dorico’ – Arnold 
Welcome, sweet and sacred feast – Finzi

This evening we hear the canticles ‘plerumque in modo dorico’ (‘mostly in the Dorian Mode’) of Dr Eric Arnold (Director of Music 1968–88). The Nunc dimittis is particularly striking, although very simply set. The Benediction hymns are both by members of the Choir. John Overton, now an organist and composer in the USA, wrote Benediction hymns while a chorister at the Choir School in 1961 which are a remarkably accomplished offering from a boy of thirteen. James Sherwood is a current member of the Choir whose Benediction settings, written in May this year to feature individual choristers, are the newest work in the All Saints Choir’s repertoire.

WORSHIP NEXT SUNDAY 16 AUGUST – ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY – The music for these services has been chosen by Mhairi Ellis, whose last day this is as a member of the Choir of All Saints.

HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: Father Michael Bowie 
Missa ‘Bell’ Amfitrit’ altera’ – Lassus 
Ave verum – Martin Bruce

The motet this morning is by Martin Bruce, who sang in All Saints Choir first as one of the last boy choristers in the 1960s and later as a tenor. Michael Fleming (Director of Music 1958–68) is represented by his splendid hymn tune ‘Palace Green’ which closes the service, and for which the late Norman Caplin (Honorary Assistant Organist 1968–2011) wrote the descant for Mhairi’s wedding to Michael Adam in 2008.

Much of the music written for the Choir has been recorded. CDs will be on sale at the back of Church after the service at a special price of £6 or two for £10.

Mhairi and Michael would be delighted if you would join them for a glass of wine after the service.

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
Service in E – Wesley
Blest pair of sirens – Parry

This evening, as former choristers and friends join the Choir to sing farewell to Mhairi, the final choral music is Norman Caplin’s first setting of O salutaris and Tantum ergo, written for All Saints. There is another reminder of his harmonic genius in the descant to the Howells hymn tune ‘Michael’.

Mhairi and Michael would be delighted if you would join them for refreshments after the service.

PARISH NOTICES

Wednesday 26 August, 6.30pm – Monthly Requiem Mass. Please add names of those you wish to be remembered at this Mass to the folder on the lectern in the Baptistery.  

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 

Saturday 8 August, 11.30am
Devotions to Our Lady of Walsingham followed by
CELL MASS OF OUR LADY OF WALSINGHAM, 12 noon. All welcome.

Saturday 15 August, 12 noon
HIGH MASS OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (with a circular outdoor procession of the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham from Church along Oxford Street and back to Church for the first time at All Saints).

Preacher: Father Simon Jones, Chaplain Merton College, Oxford
Missa Solemnis in C, K337 – Mozart 
Salve Regina – Poulenc 

Please consider offering your services as a steward as well as attending. 
If you can assist as a procession steward (essential for safety reasons) or by playing a role in the procession itself, contact Dee Prior in the Parish Office on 020 7636 1788 or see Dee or Cedric Stephens, Head Server, after High Mass. The Corpus Christi procession this year (see photos on the All Saints website) was particularly successful with choir and small marching band (with drummer) accompaniment. It attracted a goodly number of friends of All Saints from a broad range of other parishes. We should like to establish in the annual calendar a similar profile for the Feast of the Assumption – so do encourage friends to attend. The opportunity for All Saints to be visible in Oxford Street at lunchtime during the summer is especially welcome.

Saturday 15 August, 3.30pm – NUPTIAL MASS for Benedict and Rolari. Please pray for this couple as they are married at All Saints.

Saturday 22 August – ALL DAY, either side of 12 noon Mass, there will be filming by a Christian film-maker inside All Saints. The film crew will be using the Church and the Parish Room throughout the day. Fr Michael Bowie will be overseeing the arrangements.

Sunday 30 August, 3pm – HIGH MASS – BLESSING of THE MARRIAGE of Patrick and Rebecca. Please pray for this couple as their marriage in blessed at All Saints.

Sunday 30 August – this is the Dr John Birch Organ Scholar Nicholas Mannoukas’s last day at All Saints. We wish him well with his continued studies.

Saturday 5 September – 9-11am and 2 – 4pm BLUE 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.

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, 4pm– DEDICATION & BLESSING of THE MARRIAGE of Valerie and Richard Steward. Please pray for this couple as their marriage in blessed at All Saints.

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) is scheduled for 14 August. When all 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 £411,185. As this complex project reaches its conclusion, and the final invoices are received, we have recently had a number of generous gifts that have eliminated the loans of £35,000 that we initially relied upon for the project to get underway. 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. Thank you!

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