Clergy letter - mortlakeparish.org.uk

Clergy letter

An Adventure in Space and Time

Anyone unaware of my passion for Doctor Who must have been locked in the

church sheds for the past three years and failed to spot my personalised

numberplate or the various related items in the Vicarage!

It’s been an exciting year for us fans, as the programme welcomed the first

female Doctor. I found myself thinking the other day for a science fantasy TV

show that’s been running for 55 years (and for the fans who have been on

board since the early years) it’s been a real adventure in space and time.

A couple of years ago I recorded a series for Manx Radio which we entitled “An

Advent Adventure.” It could very easily have had the additional “...in Space and

Time” affixed, because actually our journey through Advent, Christmas, and

Epiphany is a bit like an adventure in space and time.

For each of these seasons requires us to do a bit of time travelling – looking to

the past for the benefit of wisdom and experience; looking to the present, so

we’re in touch with reality and discovering the truth in the here and now; and

looking to the future, when we anticipate the coming of Christ at the end of

time as King.

They are “adventures” because we can’t get through them passively. We have

to get involved. And while we may not meet any Time Lords along the way, we

are most certainly bound for an encounter with the Lord of Time, for whom a

thousand years is like a day, who “inhabits eternity” according to Isaiah.

Advent calls us to prepare for the coming of Christ both at Christmas and in the

time to come, Christmas calls us to celebrate the first coming of Christ at

Bethlehem and look ahead to his glorious coming again, and Epiphany calls us

to share the good news of Jesus with everyone. None of it involves sitting next

to a fire with our feet up!

And all three distinct church seasons are definitely “bigger on the inside” – if

only we would find the time and the space to make the very most of them in the

middle of all our joyful celebration, decorating, gift-giving and receiving,

resolutions, and recovery!

As I wish everyone the most challenging of Advents, the holiest of Christmases

and the happiest of New Years, perhaps there’s a true blessing for us sci-fi fans

as well: the geeks shall inherit the earth!

David Guest

1

Barnes Green Centre

Church Road

Barnes SW13 9HE

6th Nov: Dr Charles Lee Anne Frank, Auschwitz

and the Holocaust

13th Nov: Glyn Wallis-Jones Literary London

20th Nov: Peter Burrows-Smith The Deer of Richmond Park

27th Nov: Jevan Chowdhury Moving Cities: All the

world's a stage -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

---

4th Dec: Vicky McGrath Richmond: before and

after the railway

11th Dec: Katharina Guenther Francis Bacon: Portraits

from Photographs

18th Dec: Carols, Christmas

Poems & Mince Pies

Coffee from 10.30am

Talks begin at 11.00am

and last approximately 40 mins

All Welcome

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Contents of

Interest

Clergy Letter 1 An Adventure in Space and Time

Christmas Angels 3 Advance Notice

Glass Door 5 Shelters at Christ Church & All Saints

Christmas Day lunch and tea 6 Would you like to be a guest or help?

Julian Meetings 7 Do you long for silence?

A Parish Quiet Day 8 Start of Advent

Cosmo’s War 8 Saturday 10 November

Home-Start 9 Talk on 25 November – do come

Christingle Service at All Saints 16 22nd December A tour of new American Embassy 17 25 from the Parish attended

Pilgrim Course 18 Dates for your diary

We need to talk about death 21 Does this appeal to you?

Mamma Mia Sing-along 23 A fun event for the whole Parish

What’s on …. FiSH talks 2

Remembrance Day Services 3

A Seasonal Soiree 4

NOV/DEC CALENDARS 10/11-14/15

CHRISTMAS SERVICES 12 - 13

Burns Night Dinner 19 Mothers’ Union Bring and Buy 20

and finally…

Songs & Stories 22

Registers 24

Christmas Angels –

Advance Notice! We are planning to support three local children’s and

young people’s charities as we did at Christmas last

year.

Crossroads - for young carers.

Refuge - helping those suffering domestic violence

Richmond Resettlement - helping young people who cannot live with

their families.

We aim to give vouchers to the young adults and teenagers. For children

aged 0 -10 years we will give presents so we'd be pleased to receive these

too. No need to wrap them as we will match the present to the child once

we have more details from the charities. We plan to gather everything in by

2 December. If you would like to contribute, please give your gifts to: St

Mary’s - Ginny Waterkeyn or Mary Abel, Christ Church - Karen Brown, All

Saints – Fr Alex Barrow. Thank you!

Karen Brown, Ginny Waterkeyn, Mary Abel, Revd Alex Barrow

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Remembrance Day 11th November, 2018

10.55am Act of Remembrance

at Sheen Lane War Memorial with 2 minutes silence, trumpeter and music from

our parish choirs

(9.30am Sung Eucharist in all three churches,

after which processions will set off for Sheen Lane War Memorial)

Please do join with others from our neighbourhood in this community commemoration

3.00pm A short service of music (including the choir) poetry and readings at St Mary's to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1. All are welcome.

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Glass Door night shelters at Christ Church and All Saints

The parish is hosting night shelters for Glass Door this winter at All Saints on

Wednesdays and Christ Church on Fridays. Last year we opened in January, this

will be a longer season starting in November, but both churches are in the

enviable position of having lots of volunteers. The volunteers are members of

our congregations and also our neighbours, word spreads and the offers come

in.

The shelters will operate as they did last year, but sadly the number of guests is

likely to increase, probably about 25 men and women each night. There is a

Glass Door caseworker based at the Vineyard Centre to help guests find work

and housing, and two Glass Door staff who stay overnight at the shelter and

serve breakfast. The volunteers welcome the guests and cook and serve the

evening meal. Some of the guests like to talk, others are too weary to do more

than eat and sleep. Before the meal the Glass Door leader gathers the

volunteers to offer guidance, the key message of which is respect for and by

guests and volunteers. This is followed by a short prayer of thanksgiving.

The seven churches offering hospitality have to be sure that they don’t all serve

the same dish. This calls for some creative thinking, but we have enough cooks

on our rotas to prevent lasagne (or whatever it is) fatigue. Waitrose and Cavan

Bakery have both been generous in their support for the shelters. Their staff

have volunteered, they have given us money for food as well as a month of

green tokens, and delicious unsold bread. These gifts mean that last year we

did not have to claim expenses for food from Glass Door which in turn means

that more of the money raised through the efforts of, for example, Alex Barrow,

who joined the Glass Door sleep out, and Francis Neal who ran the London

Marathon, is available to finance caseworkers, a hugely important role.

Thank you from the Volunteer Coordinators to everyone who is supporting the

night shelters, as Glass Door says ‘we couldn’t do it without you’.

Olwen Williamson, Kate Woodhouse (CC) and

Elizabeth Mends, Lucy Mayfield (AS)

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6

Be still and know that I am God Psalm 46:10

Waiting on God in the Silence

Do you long for silence? To leave the world of words and noise and busyness

behind and fall into the silence of God for just a short time. To still your mind

and body and find refreshment and renewal.

The Julian Meetings for Silent Prayer (Julian Group) is a time of silent prayer in

the company of others. We sit on comfortable chairs, start with a short

sentence from scripture (or a spiritual writer), followed by half an hour of

silence, and end with the Grace. Followed by simple refreshments.

The meetings are monthly. From November we will be meeting on the third

Monday of the month, gathering in the St Mary’s Room at St Mary’s, starting at

6.00 p.m. and finishing by 7.00 p.m.

The next meeting is on Monday 19th November 2018, 6.00 p.m. at St Mary the

Virgin, Mortlake High Street. And the December meeting is on Monday 17th

December.

Do get in touch with me - [email protected] or 8878 3759 if

you would like to find out more, or just turn up.

Deirdre Munro

7

A Gold Medal for

Christ Church

Richmond Borough in Bloom awarded Christ Church

garden a gold medal.

Congratulations and thanks to all those who mow,

hoe, plant, weed and trim for much of the year,

mailto:[email protected]

A Parish Quiet Day for the start

of Advent

In preparation for the season of Advent we are holding a parish quiet day using

paintings as the basis for our meditation and reflection.

The annual quiet day is open to all in the parish and will be held in the hall at

Christ Church from 10am - 1pm on Saturday, 1st December

The season of Advent is supposed to be a time of quiet preparation and prayer

before the Christmas festival, but all too often we are too busy to make the

most of this important period of watching and waiting.

In "The Art of Watching and Waiting" we will look at some works of art as the

basis for the quiet day and there will be a short meditation on each before the

opportunity to spend time quietly to pray, read, walk, or think - the talks are a

springboard to however you might like to use the time helpfully. Our quiet days

don't mean we don't talk to each other! However, they do provide an

opportunity to take a breath, open ourselves up to God in prayerful response,

and enjoy a positive time of rest and refreshment.

Coffee and tea will be available throughout the morning and you are welcome

to bring a packed lunch so you can enjoy a chat and fellowship afterwards.

David Guest

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COSMO'S WAR Many of you will have known the late Julia Rhys at Christ Church. Her

father Cosmo Clark became a Royal Academician, but in 1916, as a 17

year old Art Student, he joined the Middlesex Regiment and survived

the Somme. His letters home to his family (who were facing Zeppelin

raids in Chiswick) survive, and Bernard Adams has drawn on them to

produce a play.

This will be produced as a dramatised reading in Christ Church on

Saturday 10th November, 7.30pm

in memory of the ending of the First world War, with proceeds in aid of

the veteran's charity Combat Stress.

Tickets £10 at the door, £3 for under 18s.

Home-Start Richmond, Kingston and Hounslow is one of the charities the

parish has decided to support for the next three years. It is a family charity

giving a supportive start to struggling families with children in those critical

early years under the age of 5.

Volunteers visit families at home to offer emotional and practical support to

parents, guiding them through and building their resilience to the demands and

stresses that parenting brings. Ultimately helping to prevent family crisis and

breakdown. Volunteers undergo a rigorous training course, which is part of the

cost of about £1200 to support each family.

Rhonda Senior has been a Home-Start volunteer for about 3 years. She writes:

during that time, I've worked with three local families. I typically visit the family

in their home on a weekly basis. More often than not, there is no father figure

in the children's lives, and the mother generally has little no support from her

own family. The challenges of lone parenting are compounded by financial

strains, learning disabilities and on-going mental / physical health issues.

During my weekly visits, I often play with the children so the mother has time to

tend to other tasks, and/or chat with the mother and provide emotional

support through listening, encouragement and advice. I can genuinely say it

has been a true honour that each family has welcomed me into their lives. I

think they value the judgement-free befriending, as well as the consistency and

reliability of the visits. I highly recommend volunteering to any parent who has

a few hours per week to spare!

Talk by Claire Leonard from Home- Start Sunday 25 November at 12noon at St Mary’s

We are delighted that Claire Leonard will be coming to the parish to talk about the work of Home-Start. This will be a short talk, followed an

opportunity to hear about the work of Home-Start and ways in which we can help.

Previous talks in this Sunday morning slot from charities that the parish supports have been excellent, informative and interesting. Do please try

and come.

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7

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November Calendar

Thursday 1st 10.00am Songs and Stories at Christ Church

6.30pm Contemplative Prayer Group – 18 Deanhill Rd

Friday 2nd 2.00pm Mothers’ Union meeting at St Mary’s

Saturday 3rd 12.30pm Parish Circle Dancing at St Mary’s

Sunday 4th 4th Sunday before Advent 3.00pm Memorial Service at St Mary’s

Monday 5th 9.30pm Tiddlywinks at St Mary’s

Wednesday 7th 10.00am Songs and Stories at All Saints

8.00pm Finance and Property meeting

PM/AM Glass Door night shelter at All Saints

Thursday 8th 10.00am Songs and Stories at Christ Church

Friday 9th 11.00am Sheen Lane Day Centre Service

PM/AM Glass Door night shelter at Christ Church Saturday 10th 12.30pm Cursillo Diocesan Ultreya bring & share lunch

Sunday 11th 3rd Sunday before Advent Remembrance Sunday

9.30am Services at each church start

11.00am Service of Remembrance at War Memorial 3.00pm Service of music to mark WW1 centenary

at St Mary’s

5.00pm Memorial Service at Christ Church

Monday 12th 9.30am Tiddlywinks at St Mary’s

8.00pm Christ Church Consultative meet – Christ Church


10.45am Oxford House Service

8.00pm St Mary’s Consultative meet at St Mary’s



10.45am Alexander House Service

Friday 16th PM/AM Glass Door night shelter at Christ Church

Sunday 18th 2nd Sunday before Advent 6.00pm A Seasonal Soiree concert at All Saints


6.00pm Julian Group meeting at St Mary’s

HALL AND ROOM BOOKINGS

Rooms are available for community groups, classes,

children’s parties and social functions, at all three churches

St Mary’s

Parish Office 8876 1630 [email protected]

Christ Church

Mireille Stanton 8876 7744 [email protected]

Community Hall

Deirdre Munro 8878 3759 [email protected]

Church and Vestry Rooms

All Saints

Peter Hayward 8878 9292 [email protected]

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November Calendar

Wednesday 21st 10.00am Songs and Stories at All Saints


Thursday 22nd 10.00am Songs & Stories at Christ Church

Friday 23rd PM/AM Glass Door night shelter at Christ Church

Saturday 24th 10.30-12noon Mothers’ Union Coffee morning/Bring and Buy

at St Mary’s

Sunday 25th Sunday next before Advent

12 noon Mission Giving talk on Home-Start at St

Mary’s

Monday 26th 9.30pm Tiddlywinks at St Mary’s

Wednesday 28th 10.00am Songs and Stories and All Saints

8.00pm PCC meeting in All Saints Hall






CHRISTMAS

ST MARY’S

Sunday, 23rd December: 6.30pm Carol Service by Candlelight

Monday, 24th December – Christmas Eve 5.00pm Children’s Crib Service 11.30pm Midnight Mass

Tuesday, 25th December – Christmas Day 8.00am Holy Communion (BCP) 10.00am Festival Eucharist with family friendly talk and activity

CHRIST CHURCH

Sunday, 23rd December 5.00pm Carol Service by candlelight followed by

mulled wine

Monday, 24th December – Christmas Eve 4.00pm Crib Service for all the family

11.30pm Midnight Communion

Tuesday, 25th December – Christmas Day 8.00am Holy Communion (BCP)

11.00am Family Service (bring along Christmas gifts you’d like to show)

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SERVICES

ALL SAINTS

Sunday, 16th December

6.30pm Carol Service by Candlelight

Saturday, 22nd December

4.00pm Christingle Service – for all the family

Sunday, 23rd December 10.00am All Age Eucharist and Nativity Play

Monday, 24th December – Christmas Eve 11.30pm Midnight Mass

Tuesday, 25th December – Christmas Day 8.00am Said Eucharist 10.00am Christmas Day Festival Eucharist

with children’s procession to the crib (Note – no 12 noon Late Service)

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CAROL SINGING

All Saints will be carol singing in their

area on:

Saturday, 15th December: meet at 4.00pm at Mortlake Station

Tuesday, 18 December: meet at church at 6.30pm

.

14

December Calendar

Saturday 1st 10-1.00pm Parish Quiet Day for Advent at Christ Church

12.30pm Parish Circle Dancing at St Mary’s

Sunday 2nd Advent 1

6.30pm Advent Carol Service at All Saints

Monday 3rd 9.30pm Tiddlywinks at St Mary’s


10.30am Alexander House Service



6.30pm Contemplative Prayer Group – 18 Deanhill Road


Sunday 9th Advent 2





Friday 14th 11.00am Sheen Lane Day Centre Service

2.00pm Mothers’ Union Communion and Carols at

St Mary’s

PM/AM Glass Door night shelter at Christ Church

Sunday 16th Advent 3

6.30pm Carols by candlelight at All Saints


6.00pm Julian Group meeting at St Mary’s

Tuesday 18th 6.30pm All Saints carol singing in the streets


10,30am Alexander House Service

3.00pm Oxford House Service



Friday 21st PM/AM Glass Door night shelter at Christ Church

Saturday 22nd 4.00pm Christingle Service at All Saints

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December Calendar

Sunday 23rd Advent 4

5.00pm Carols by Candelight at Christ Church

6.30pm Carols by candlelight at St Mary’s

Monday 24th 4.00pm Crib Service at Christ Church

5.00pm Crib Service at St Mary’s

11.30pm Midnight Mass at St Mary’s, Christ Church

and All Saints

Christmas Day

Tuesday 25th 12.30-4.00pm Parish Christmas Day lunch and tea at

St Mary’s


Sunday 30th Christmas 1

For details of all Christmas Services

See pages 12 and 13

FiSH Lunchtime Concert

Come and join us for a light lunch with music

from Madeleine Warwick

at St Michael’s Community Centre,

Elm Bank Gardens, Barnes, SW13 ONX Call 8876 3336 for further details.

Friday 7th December - 12.30pm – 1.30pm

Donations to FiSH (suggested £5.00 to cover lunch costs)

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Christingle Service at All Saints Saturday, 22nd December

at 4.00pm

Join us with your family and friends and enjoy this short and

informal service, proceeds of which go to the Children’s Society

The Christingle orange, decorated with dried fruits, sweets,

a red ribbon and a candle, is a traditional Advent symbol

that will be provided at the service.

Advent Carols at All Saints

Sunday 2nd December, 6.30pm

All Saints' Church, East Sheen Avenue, SW14 8AT

As you begin to prepare for Christmas, join us for a beautiful

service of readings, pieces of music sung by the choir, and

Advent carols - all followed by mulled wine and mince pies. We

hope to see you there, and do invite your friends and

neighbours too!

‘O come, O come, Emmanuel!’

On 3rd October

25 members of the parish attended the

guided walk around the new American embassy and newly reborn Battersea

Power Station with Pauline Lake, a blue badge guide. It was good to chat to

members of the three churches in the parish. Do join us on our next visit!

Mireille Stanton

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#

FiSH your local voluntary

neighbourhood care scheme

Do you need help?

Can you help as a

volunteer or sponsor?

Call FiSH helpline

weekdays 9.00 - 12.00

on 8876 3414

visit: www.fishhelp.org.uk

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We will be running the next six sessions of this popular course in early

2019, this time focusing on the Lord’s Prayer.

Dates for your diary are:

9th January at St Mary’s Rectory 170 Sheen Lane

16th January at 17 Sheen Gate Gardens

23rd January at 86 East Sheen Avenue

30th January at St Mary’s Rectory 170 Sheen Lane

6th February at 17 Sheen Gate Gardens

13th February at 86 East Sheen Avenue

The course runs on Wednesdays over 6 weeks starting at 8pm. All are

welcome and the course is suitable for anyone wanting to think more

deeply about their faith and for those considering Confirmation.

Sign up sheets will be available in the three churches.

More information from the clergy.

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are holding a

Bring and Buy COFFEE MORNING

SATURDAY, 24th NOVEMBER

10.30am – 12 noon

St Mary’s Room St Mary the Virgin Church

Mortlake High Street, SW14 8JA

Come and enjoy a cup of tea/coffee, mince pies and a chat

Please come and support us and do not forget to bring with you any unwanted gifts.

Everyone Welcome

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We Need to Talk about Death

We don’t talk about death despite Benjamin Franklin’s pronouncement of its

certainty, along with taxes. And we talk plenty about those.

No longer do people do their dying at home as was usual not so very long ago.

The process of dying is alien to most of us. And yet there will be very few of you

reading this who have not experienced the death of someone close to them – a

grandparent, parent, sibling, child, friend. Death is part of life but we push it

away, hide the process in hospitals, don’t talk about it, feel embarrassed.

If we don’t talk about death, if we don’t know about the process of dying, how

can we ready ourselves for that moment? For ourselves or for those closest to

us. How can we prepare ourselves for saying goodbye? For righting wrongs

maybe? How will our families know what we want at our funeral if we don’t plan

it? I need to let people know what hymns I’d like to be sung, and that I really,

really don’t want “I Did it My Way” played. Why shouldn’t my funeral be as

carefully planned as my wedding?

And no I don’t talk about death either. But I’ve been thinking about death and

reading about it. Recently I read With the End in Mind by Dr Kathryn Mannix, a

palliative care doctor. She writes movingly about the process of dying and of

the sometimes denial of patients and families in the face of the inevitable. I’d

always had a fear of dying, not death itself but dying. Her accounts of the

process, which follows a very similar pattern in the numerous people’s deaths

she describes, was very comforting.

There are safe places to share these conversations: Death Cafes, whose

objective is 'to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people

make the most of their (finite) lives'. https://deathcafe.com and Grave Talk

also an organised café space to talk about death, dying and funerals.

https://churchofenglandfunerals.org/gravetalk/

The Dying Matters website https://www.dyingmatters.org has helpful

information.

Let me know if talking about death appeals to you.

Deirdre Munro

21

https://deathcafe.com/

https://churchofenglandfunerals.org/gravetalk/

https://www.dyingmatters.org/

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For under 5s

Mondays from 9.30 - 11.00am with music and singing 10.40-

11.00am during term time at St Mary’s. Drop in for pre-school children

and their carers.

£3 per child – refreshments free.

All welcome

Songs and Stories

for pre-school children and carers

Wednesday at 10am at All Saints

(during term time)

Thursday at 10am at Christ Church

(during term time)

please contact:

Sarah McLaughlin [email protected]

(All Saints)

Brenda Morris - 8876 2037

(Christ Church)

Sheen Lane Centre

Wednesdays & Thursdays

10.30am – 12.30pm

Fridays

10.30am – 12.30pm

(not first Friday in the month)

Pop in and visit us

All Welcome


A date for your diaries.....

7pm on Saturday 9th February 2019

at All Saints Church

A fun event for the whole parish

Come in your best 1970s outfit, ready to sing

and dance to the music of Abba

Bring and share supper – 70s theme if possible

More details to follow

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From the Registers

Baptisms:

2nd September: Emily Starr of Burdenshott Avenue

Nicholas Hinds of Westhay Gardens

7th October: James Taylor-Harris of Derby Road (Christ Church)

7th October: Edward Pratt of Worple Street (St Mary’s)

16th September: Jeremy Robinson of Gilpin Avenue

14th October: Beatrix Meehan of Palewell Park

21st October: Otto Stratton of Grosvenor Avenue (All Saints)

Weddings:

7th September: Rupert Maryniak and Caroline Priestley at

Christ Church

8th September: Richard Evans and Caroline Lewis at All Saints

27th October: Alexander Badeni and Alexandra McMillan at

Christ Church

Funerals:

3rd September: Jennifer Rhodes of Graemesdyke Avenue

19th October: Paul D’Aguilar of Sheen Gate Gardens

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PARISH LINK

The next edition – covering January and February - will be in

church - Sunday, 13 January

If you have any items you would like included please

send to Anne Reeves by weekend of 4 January

email: [email protected]

or hard copy to the Parish Office

or speak to Kate Woodhouse (St Mary’s), Prudie Mennell (Christ

Church), Kathy Sheldon (All Saints) or a Churchwarden


Documents

Clergy letter - mortlakeparish.org.uk