All Saints Margaret Street.

Dear Friend,

The 4 October is normally St. Francis’ day but not this year because it is a Sunday.  Here at All Saints, we will be keeping our Feast of Dedication: the annual commemoration of the consecration of the church. 

There is a Francis connection: one of the buildings which inspired Butterfield’s design is the great church at Assisi built as a shrine for his body. What would one so committed to poverty have made of this?

In his mid-twenties, as this son of a prosperous merchant was discovering the life to which God was calling him, he found a half-ruined chapel called San Damiano.  As he prayed before a painted crucifix, he heard Christ saying to him:  “Francis, go and repair my house which is falling into ruin.”  So he began to rebuild the chapel; using money raised from begging and the sale of cloth from his father’s warehouse. 

Later, he would discover the ruined chapel of St. Mary of the Angels and restore this too. It was there, on the Feast of St. Matthias, that he heard the priest read at Mass:  ‘As you go, preach, saying, “the Kingdom of God is at hand….Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the labourer deserves his food…….As you enter the house, salute it, saying, Peace be to this house.”

The Church in Francis’ day had more problems than tumbledown chapels. Calls for its reform could easily develop into heresy; especially when a wealthy and powerful hierarchy found itself up against preachers whose simple lifestyle contrasted sharply with theirs. Parish clergy whose education was rudimentary were no better placed. The Church needed to find ways of ministering in expanding cities. 

It was this church, not just buildings that Jesus sent Francis to rebuild.   He recognized the gospel imperative to “preach.”  People needed to hear the gospel and its preaching needed to be authenticated by lifestyle: words needed to be matched by actions.

What is Jesus asking us to do?  Well, our church building is not falling down. We have spent much time, effort and money on restoring it. However, we would be foolish to ignore the warning signs of a church which is in need of renewal.  We face challenges at least as severe as those Francis knew. The growth of cities with their increasingly anonymous and atomized populations, has reached levels he could barely have imagined.  Knowledge of the basics of Christian faith is low or non-existent in many.  People need to be taught.

The Church’s hierarchy no longer lives in ostentatious wealth or its parish clergy in ignorance. However, its reputation has been damaged by abuse and cover-up. Attention paid to “leadership” badly needs to be matched by a passion for holiness.

Before he would preach to people, Francis would follow Jesus’ command to greet people in peace: “Good people, the Lord give you peace.”   This was to establish a relationship with them first.  Pax et Bonum would become the Franciscan motto.  Pope Francis is trying to say something like this as he seeks to persuade bishops and others to make sure that condemnation is not the first word people hear from the Church.  If it is it will probably be the last too.  Let our first words to people who come to our church, or whom we encounter outside it, be of peace and welcome.

Yours in Christ,

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: Asia Bibi, John Bradshaw, Peter Burbidge, James Cary-Elwes, Ian Coull, Paul Curno, Dennis Davis, Elizabeth Day, Mark Dougly, Kate Down, David Fettke, Prebendary John Gaskell, Jonty Gordon, Gaby Grace, Lewis Harvey, Pat Hunt, Alice Jullien, Andrew Laird, Tom Leader, William Lightening, Christine Loffty, Simon MacGregor, Sister Martha (SMNC Tanzania), Hilary Morgan, Miriam Nelson, Gordon Orme, David Pearce, Chris Tambling, Canon John Rees, Nick Russell, Jock Scott, Stella Skinner, Rose Stephens, Judy Stewart, Buzz Stokes, Christine van Dyck, Jo Vincent and Joy Wright. 

For the recently departed: Helen Everett, Kenneth Leech, Dennis Allen, Margaret Thorpe, David Willcocks and Sybil Fox.

Remember past priests, benefactors, friends, and all whose year’s mind occurs this week including: Edna Thompson, John Clayton, Alan Harrison (Priest), Sarah Venn, Mabel Moore, Pauline Rolph, Eric Kay, Grace Miller, Emma Titley, Ann Armstrong, Fred Edwards, Gwendoline Clementson and Suzette Shores.

WORSHIP THIS SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER – EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY – HIGH MASS, 11am 
Preacher: The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses
Missa Brevis in F, K 192 – Mozart
Locus iste – Bruckner

After Mass – there will be an Events Committee meeting in the Parish Office.

Sunday Lunch (two courses with coffee) is served – Christine Auton is the chef. Tickets £5 available from the Parish shop in the Parish Room before and after Mass.

CHORAL EVENSONG & BENEDICTION, 6pm
Preacher: Fr Michael Bowie
Dyson in D 
O clap your hands together – Gibbons                                          

WORSHIP NEXT SUNDAY 11 OCTOBER – NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY – HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: Father Julian Browning
Communion Service ‘for the King’s College, Cambridge’ – Howells
Almighty and everlasting God – Gibbons 

Sunday Lunch (two courses with coffee) is served –Chris and Jan are the chefs. Tickets £5 available from the Parish shop in the Parish Room before and after Mass.

CHORAL EVENSONG & BENEDICTION 6pm 
Preacher: The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses 
Second Service – Byrd 
Prevent us, O Lord – Byrd

PARISH NOTICES

CHARITY SWIMMING FEAT – more money raised!
Redoubtable parishioner Yvonne Craig asks us to supplement last week’s thank you with further warm gratitude for the more than £1000 All Saints parishioners have helped donate in support of the Alzheimer’s Society and refurbishment works at St Anne’s Soho. The cheques will be placed in St Anne’s offertory bowl this Sunday with a list of the names of the donors. Yvonne, aged 90, was sponsored to swim 20 lengths of a public swimming pool. If there are any further donations for these two worthy causes, they can still be handed in to the Parish Office at All Saints. Yvonne is keen that we let you know that she has previously fund-raised for All Saints, before turning to these new causes.

DEVONSHIRE MARBLE AT ALL SAINTS 
Some readers may remember a visit, tour of church and talk at All Saints earlier this year -given by Geology Professor Gordon Walkden and attended by about twenty people, including representatives from English Heritage. This came about during the period when Professor Walkden was writing a new book on the subject, which is now published. He writes: 

‘I would particularly like to draw your congregation’s attention to the November launch event of my book at the Lloyd’s Register building on Fenchurch Street. This is on Friday 6 November at 3pm. Lloyd’s has one of the finest Devonshire Marble interiors in the country and this is a rare chance to see it.  If anyone is interested in attending the formal lecture they can apply for a ticket by email as follows:  Booking essential at Barbara.Jones@lr.org; place ‘Marbles Talk’ in subject box.

Thank you for your assistance with my Devonshire marbles project.  The broad details are as follows: Devonshire marbles: Their geology, history and uses (2 vols), 500pp.by Gordon Walkden, published by the Geologists’ Association, Autumn 2015. £12.’

TICKETS ON SALE NOW for KEATS ANCIENT AND MODERN – an afternoon of entertainment at All Saints – Sunday 15 November at 3pm. Come and see a film featuring one of our own congregation in the role of Fanny Brawne with the poet John Keats and hear the life story of a modern day Dr John Keet. £10 a ticket including a glass of wine – in aid of the All Saints Church Restoration Appeal. Tickets will be available from Sandra Wheen, Christine Levy and Pamela Botsford any Sunday after Mass.

WALSINGHAM CELL VISIT – DECEMBER 2015 – TO NOTRE DAME DE FRANCE (French Church off Leicester Square) – the All Saints’ Cell of Walsingham plans a visit on Wednesday 9 December, 7pm to Evensong with a Talk on the history of the Church by Fr Kevin Mowbray followed by drinks. A fine modern ecclesiastical space with renowned Lady Chapel by Jean Cocteau and other historic and contemporary works of art, including a painting of Joan of Arc and a sculpture representing Our Lady of Mercy above the entrance welcoming visitors as they walk in from the street – Leicester Place. The sculptor was a famous French artist Georges-Laurent Saupique (1889-1961) who was head of the restoration work of Reims cathedral. All welcome.

Please see the noticeboard in Church where other events may be advertised as space is limited in the Newsletter.

EVENTS AT ALL SAINTS in OCTOBER 

Sunday 4 October – following Benediction at 7.15pm – CANCELLED – ORGAN RECITAL in aid of IRAQI CHRISTIANS IN NEED (ICIN) – Carl Bahoshy – unfortunately, this event scheduled to support Iraqi Christians has had to be postponed by the recitalist. We are trying to find a new date.

Wednesday 7 October – 6.30pm – ALL SAINTS CELL OF WALSINGHAM – Mass and Rosary.

Sunday 11 October after Mass – there will be a Health & Safety Committee meeting.

Sunday 18 October after Mass – there will be a Buildings Committee meeting.

We hope that regular Yoga Classes will begin at All Saints in the Parish Room between 6.15 and 7.15pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting the third week in October. If anyone is interested in having further details of these sessions, being run by a local qualified teacher, contact Dee Prior in the Parish Office on 020 7636 1788 or e: astsmgtst@aol.com. 

Wednesday 21 October, 6.30pm – Mass and Confirmations, with Bishop Stephen Platten.

EVENTS ELSEWHERE IN OCTOBER 

Tuesday, 6 October 2015, 7 – 9pm – Churches Together in Westminster “Meet the Neighbours” evening being hosted by Hinde Street Methodist Church. All are welcome. 
7pm        Arrivals and welcome 
7.15pm   Three short Talks: “The Handsomest Chapel in London” A gallop through the history of Methodist witness on this site in Hinde Street by Alan Brooks, Hinde Street historian. “The Heart strangely warmed” What have Methodists done for us (apart from singing…)? by The Revd Val Reid, Hinde Street minister. “Going to those who need us most” The inspiring history of West London Mission’s Social Work by Jon Kuhrt, Executive Director of social work. 
8pm        Q and A with the speakers. 
8.15pm   Refreshments, a chance to chat, ask more questions, and meet the neighbours. Ending by 9pm. Contact details if you have any queries: Church Tel 020 7935 6179 & www. hindestreet.org.uk. Hinde Street Methodist Church, Hinde Street, London W1U 2QJ

ALL SAINTS RESTORATION PROJECT UPDATE

All five nave aisle pendant lights are fully illuminated and the fitting of the specially made light fittings for the choir stalls (attached to the wrought iron grilles) took place on 18 August. A further CCTV camera is to be installed on 8 October, after which we will be able to fine-tune the settings of the overall lighting scheme. Funds for the project continue to be raised and the total received at the time of writing is now a splendid £412,709. 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. The new CCTV and fire alarm system provide security and fire protection too. 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 – we made a substantial delivery to the Project in the first half of September and immediately fresh supplies came in and have continued to build. Thank you! Please continue to donate these so we can help more people in need as the cold weather begins.  

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