Parish News
A Prayer for this week
O God the King of glory,
you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ
with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:
we beseech you, leave us not comfortless,
but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us
and exalt us to the place
where our Saviour Christ is gone before,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Living the Questions...
is a chance to question afresh the core issues of the Christian faith via a 20 minute dvd and a group discussion. Sessions last from 12.15-1.45pm on Sundays in the Austen Williams Room. Dates for next term: 13, 20 May, 10, 17, 24 June, 8, 15 July. For further details contact Revd Rosy Fairhurst.
Concert in aid of the Friends of St Martin’s, Saturday 19 May at 7.30pm
Peter Dyson, the Belmont Ensemble and English Chamber Choir will perform the Vivaldi Gloria and other works by Handel and Purcell by candlelight. Tickets from the box office or online, www.smitf.org.
Monday 21 May, Rio+20 Earth Summit: What should we do now?
An open panel discussion taking place in the church at 7.00pm, chaired by Joan Walley MP and the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, including a presentation from the Rt Hon John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons. Free and open to all, no tickets required. See flyer for details.
The St Martin's breakfast group
The St Martin's breakfast group meets next on 23 May 2012 in the Crypt Cafe from 7.45-8.30am. All are welcome. For more information contact Caroline Barnett or Revd Will Morris via the Parish Office.
Burrswood Centenary Service, Wednesday 23 May, 3.00pm
A thanksgiving service to commemorate the centenary of the 20th century healing visionary Dorothy Kerin, founder of the Burrswood hospital and centre for healing. The preacher will be the Rt Hon and Rt Revd Dr Richard Chartres KCVO, Bishop of London. All are welcome.
Pentecost 27 May 2012 10.30am
We will join with our Chinese Speaking Community to celebrate Sung Eucharist for Pentecost. The theme is For the Whole Earth and will focus on the urgent call to care for God’s creation and how we like those first apostles are called to reach out to respond to that call. After the service our Environmental Sustainability Task Group will launch our SMITF Environmental Policy and discuss our communal and personal engagement. There will be a shared meal and a glass of wine provided all sustainably sourced by our Hospitality Committee! Suggested donation for lunch £5. ALL ARE WELCOME. Also don’t miss the Whole Earth Exhibition on St Martin’s Railings and in the courtyard from 17 May.
Saturday 2 June, Come and Sing Royal Music in the Royal Parish Church
Join members of the Choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields to rehearse and perform Royal Music under the direction of Andrew Earis, Director of Music of St Martin’s, including works by Parry, Vaughan Williams and Handel. 10am: Doors open, 10.15am: Workshop, 12.30pm: Performance. Workshop Registration (including score hire) £10. Book at the St Martin-in-the-Fields Box Office, phone 020 7766 1100 or online at www.smitf.org.
Choral Thanksgiving Service to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Sunday 3 June, 6.30pm
We continue our Diamond Jubilee celebrations with this special choral thanksgiving service using prayers specially written for the occasion. With the Choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Led by Revd Katherine Hedderly and Revd David Jackson.
100 Days of Peace Prayer Vigil
To mark the beginning of the Olympic Truce, the 100 days of peace in preparation for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, St Martin’s will be hosting an ecumenical interfaith prayer vigil overnight from Friday 8 to Saturday 9 June. The Vigil begins at 11pm on Friday, with prayer throughout the night. Each hour of the vigil will be led by a different group including, Westminster Interfaith Group, Christian Aid, More Than Gold, Pax Christi, London Citizens, London Peace Alliance, and others. A gathering of choirs will lead us into a final act of worship on Saturday morning at 11am, led by St Martin’s with the Rt Revd Richard Chartres, Bishop of London and the Archbishop of Westminster the Most Revd Vincent Nichols, along with leaders of the different faiths giving a message of peace for the Olympics.
All are welcome. The Café will be open for meals until 10.30pm on Friday and for breakfast at 7am on Saturday. The event is free but you will need to register by contacting: 100 Days of Peace SMITF event, 4 Vincent Road, London N15 3QH, or email barbarakentish@rcdow.org.uk
For more information contact Revd Richard Carter or Revd Katherine Hedderly via the Parish Office.
Confirmation at St Martin's
The Bishop of London will preside at this year's service of confirmation on Sunday 10 June at 10.00am. This will be a joint service with both our Chinese and English speaking congregations. All are welcome to come and support the adults and young people from our congregations being confirmed.
Paved with Gold, Monday 18 June, 6.30pm
An exciting concert with our own Choral Scholars, Streetwise Opera and Woven Gold, the refugee choir, singing songs from the streets. Tickets £10 from the Box Office, all profits to support the Connection at St Martin’s.
New Vicar
We are looking forward to the arrival of our new Vicar, the Revd Dr Sam Wells and his family. Sam’s collation by the Bishop of London will be on Monday 2 July, at 6.30pm. The service will be followed by a reception in the Crypt. Please RSVP to Angela Anderson (angela.anderson@smitf.org) in the Parish Office by 11 June so that we know numbers.
Save the date/Parish At Home Day, Saturday 14 July
This year instead of an Away Day we are having an At Home Day which will be a chance to meet our new Vicar and his family and have a picnic together in the park. The day is open to all members of our congregation and to C Club.
Renewal Project
Six years, two months and five days after it started, the very final part of the project is complete. Although we moved in ages ago, there have been various 'snaggings' which Hugh Player and his team have been diligently sorting out. These are now complete, and it is great that Sam Wells can start with this very clean slate. And, as if in anticipation of having this to celebrate, last month our Café in the Crypt was honoured with a Les Routiers award. Congratulations! We always knew their food is first-rate, and it is fitting to have this accolade.
Parish Pipeline
The latest (May 2012) edition of Parish Pipeline has gone out, giving details of what’s happening over the next few weeks. Copies of Parish Pipeline are available at the back of church. Everyone on the electoral roll or parish list should have received a copy by e-mail; if not please e-mail Elinor Newman (elinor.newman@smitf.org) in the Parish Office.
Mentoring and the workplace
The work lives of our congregations are incredibly diverse. Some people are new to the workplace, others have decades of experience. And this is true across a wide range of occupations. Some of these younger people may have doubts, worries or concerns – ethical or practical – about their job that they cannot share with their peers or others at their place of work. Others may feel trapped in their current job, but not know how to find a new one. If you are interested in being mentored, in offering your experience as a mentor, frustrated in your own job, or interested in helping others consider how to find new jobs, please let Revd Will Morris know, and we will see if it is possible to start to match needs with experience. Contact william.morris@smitf.org
Our reflective Sunday 6.30pm evening service
We continue our popular reflective services for Sundays from 4 September at 6.30pm:
The first Sunday in the month: Salt and Light: A Taizé Service. Using the meditative chants of the Taizé Community and a group of musicians, this service leads us deeper into reflection and prayer.
The second Sunday of the month: Bread on the Edge: A Eucharist Service. An informal Eucharist service celebrated around the altar, with word, prayer, music and reflection that invites us to share in the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection and his inclusive love for all.
The third Sunday in the month: Go in Peace and Live in Love: A Service for Healing. This service focuses on themes of healing and offers the chance, for those who want, to receive prayers and anointing for healing for themselves or others they care for.
The fourth Sunday of the month: The Word Among Us: A Service of Meditation upon the Bible. Focused around St Martin's new St John's Bible these services explore the meaning of passages of scripture for our daily lives.
The fifth Sunday in the month: Themes for our Time: A Service of Reflection. In word, music and prayer each month we focus on a different theme and examine our response.
Thursdays 1.15pm-1.45pm/Lunch-Break : Praying with the Scriptures during the working day
The pattern of midweek services includes an opportunity to explore and reflect on the meaning of the word in the middle of the day.
Lay Chaplains and Clergy in Church
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 4.30-5.30pm, a member of the clergy team is available, either in church or immediately contactable by phone in the office, to meet with those who wish to see a priest. The lay chaplains, who are skilled in listening from a specifically spiritual perspective, will continue to be available in church on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 10.30am and 12 noon. Therefore the normal weekday availability is:
Monday 10.30am - 12 noon Lay Chaplain
Tuesday 4.30pm - 5.30pm Member of Clergy
Wednesday 10.30am - 12 noon Lay Chaplain
Thursday 4.30pm - 5.30pm Member of Clergy
Friday 10.30am - 12 noon Lay Chaplain
Archaeological Find
Amongst the items found by the Museum of London Archaeological Service during their work at St Martin's is a Roman limestone sarcophagus containing a human skeleton. The burial has now been dated as late 4th or 5th century AD and is one of only a few such burials found in the UK in modern times. The find is of great significance as it points to the possibility of this being a sacred site for much earlier than previously thought and also provides important information on the history of Roman London.
Parish Office
The Parish Office is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. The telephone number for the office is 020 7766 1100 and the email address is: clergyoffice@smitf.org
Friends of St Martin-in-the-Fields
The Friends aim to form a link between members of the congregation, those who can no longer participate and visitors attracted by what they find here. Why not join us? See leaflets in the Porch or send your details to: Friends Subscription Secretary, 6 St Martin’s Place, London WC2N 4JJ.
