All Saints Margaret Street.

Dear Friend,

‘Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.’  (Luke 4: 1)

Perhaps it is because we live in ‘a green and pleasant land’ that deserts exercise such a fascination for us. Most of us only experience them on TV or cinema screens; David Attenborough documentaries; ‘Lawrence of Arabia’; or the latest conflict in the Middle East, or perhaps on a brief holiday.

If we are Christians, we hear a lot about the desert in scripture, especially in Lent. Long stints in the wilderness are a recurring feature:  the Israelites’ 40 hard years of formation as God’s people as he revealed his will for them through Moses; the prophet Elijah’s 40 day trek through it to Mt. Horeb where he would experience God as the sound as it were of silence and Jesus’ 40 day struggle with the devil in Sunday’s Gospel. 

Since then, the renewal of the Church has often begun with people going off into the wilderness, at times when the church has seemed too compromised with the world, to rediscover a purer form of discipleship. Among the first were the Desert Fathers who went into the waste places on Egypt and Syria in the 4^th century. 

They discovered that wildernesses are hard places to survive in. They reveal our dependence on God and on other people. Even hermits needed some kind of communal support. As well as the physical challenges of a harsh environment, those engaged in the spiritual struggle which came with a life committed to prayer, simplicity and silence, found they needed spiritual guidance if they were to survive and grow in the spirit. Christians do not prayer so that we can ‘chillax.’  Prayer does often have a calming effect on us, but it also leads us into an inner struggle.

Our situation amid the crowds and noise of a city may seem the exact opposite of the emptiness and silence of the desert.  But the city can be a barren place too.  When the desert fathers went into the wilderness, or Benedict and his monks established their monasteries, or the Cistercians tamed wildernesses at places like Rievaulx and Fountains in Yorkshire, far from civilization, they found that by their labours, study and prayer they created oases in the desert.  Gardens blossomed and bore fruits of soul as well as body.

Our calling at All Saints, set in the midst of the city and yet on its margin too, in it but not of it, is to create such an oasis: a place of prayer, worship, beauty and care; a place where people who seek God may find the support and guidance we need; a community in which to be shaped and trained as God’s people.

Such a calling is no easy matter:  like the Israelites, we will murmur and complain at times. Why do we have to bother with all these odd people who come to our door?  We will chafe at the disciplines of holiness and hospitality and be tempted to abandon them.  It’s easy enough to do; there are no real sanctions.  There will be times when we would flee from prayer rather than see ourselves in its searing clarity.  But, if we persevere and support one another in that perseverance, we will find it a place where God strikes water from the rock and feeds us with the bread of heaven.

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 Bailey, Fr Allan Buick, Vivien Caplowe, James Cary-Elwes, Dennis Davis, Elizabeth Day, Mark Dougly, Kate Down, Alban Fellows, David Fettke, Jonty Gordon, Adrian Gunning, Ghislain Hamelin, Lewis Harvey, Minnie Hodgetts, Julia Holland and family, Myrtle Hughes, Pat Hunt, David Jewkes, Alice Jullien,  Julie Knight, Andrew Laird, Tom Leader, Christine Loffty, Miriam Nelson, Oliver Orr, David Pearce, Canon John Rees, Jock Scott, Patricia Searle, Stella and Helen Skinner, Rose Stephens, Christine van Dyck and Joy Wright.   

For the recently departed:  Peter Burbidge (whose Memorial Service is on 19 February), Robert McWatt, Roger Radford, Hilary Morgan, Kate Thomas, Frederick Porter, Brother Damian SSF, Norman Newby, Ian Coull, David Garlick (Priest), Gaby Grace, Richard Wood and Dora Parsons.

Remember past priests, benefactors, friends, and all whose year’s mind occurs this week including: Margaret McWilliam,  Mary Dick, John Knight (Priest), Charles Forker , Marion Clark, Constance Rivington, Henry Hewetson, John Bartle, Alec Rodger, Margaret Menzies, Frederick Howard (former Churchwarden), Letty Atlee, Jack Hope, Lill Mackay, Angela Thomson and Mavis Symes.

For full service information: www.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk.

WORSHIP THIS SUNDAY 14 FEBRUARY – LENT 1
LITANY IN PROCESSION & HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses
Mass for five voices – Byrd
Salvator mundi I – Tallis

There is Sunday Lunch service – the chef is Robin Clutterham  and the menu is Melanzane alla Parmigiana, with French bread and salad. Dessert is Banoffee Pie, and Coffee. Tickets £5 on sale in the Parish Shop in the Parish Room before and after Mass (subject to availability).

CHORAL EVENSONG & BENEDICTION, 6pm
Preacher: Father Michael Bowie
The Short Service – Byrd
Salvator mundi II – Tallis  

WORSHIP NEXT SUNDAY – LENT 2
HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses
Mass for Double Choir –
Frank Martin
Der Mensch lebt und bestehet nur eine kleine Zeit – Reger 

CHORAL EVENSONG & BENEDICTION, 6pm 
Preacher: Fr Michael Bowie
Service for Double Choir in G – Wood 
Dear Lord of life – Tomkins

PARISH NOTICES

PRAYERS ON THE MOVE http://prayersonthemove.com  is a campaign to encourage people to give prayer a go. The main focus is on posters on the underground and on buses in London and Newcastle. To accompany these posters we also have a free app, booklet, website and merchandise.

Prayers on the Move was featured in the Church Times last Friday and is being supported by the London Diocese. The main event in London will be a Prayer Walk through the city of Westminster, starting at Westminster Abbey and ending at Trafalgar Square, on Friday 19 February at 10am – 12 noon. The event page is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/442624629274937/.

SPCK has some volunteer ushers to help lead the march and guide the crowd in the right direction. However, they also need more volunteers to help out as they have no idea how many people are likely to turn up on the day! Also, if by chance anyone in your congregation is trained as a road safety marshall and is available on the day SPCK would be very grateful indeed to hear from them!

There will be free goody bags for all volunteers. Anyone who is able to help is asked to please contact Lucy Whitaker at SPCK –  lwhitaker@spck.org.uk or call 02075923963 for more details.

ALL SAINTS LENT APPEAL 2016
As part of Lenten almsgiving, collections for our Appeal will be shared equally between the following three charities:  

1. Bishop of London’s Lent Appeal 2016
   Fundraising for two reputable charities active among the beleaguered Christian communities in Iraq and Syria:
   Open Doors – providing emergency food supplies and hygiene kits to 10,000 families every month in Syria and
   Aid to the Church in Need – focusing in Iraq on urgent needs for housing, medicine and education to allow the Church to maintain its Christian presence and witness Jesus Christ.
2. Us (formerly USPG)
   Supporting the church in Zimbabwe working with those affected by HIV and AIDS and providing local clergy and lay leaders with skills and training to undertake that vital work.
3. The Marylebone Project – our regular year-round mission project, run by the Church Army – empowering homeless women into independent living. Our money goes towards the emergency bed unit, providing urgent accommodation for women escaping domestic violence, financial crisis, sexual exploitation and mental health issues.

In 2015 we raised a total of £3,900 (including applicable Gift Aid). Please give generously this year so we can try and raise over £4,000 in 2016.

Lent Coin Boxes are now available in church and plate collections will take place at particular services in Holy Week. Please make cheques payable to: Parochial Church All Saints (Lent Appeal). Please Gift Aid donations wherever possible – signing and completing a yellow envelope to accompany cheque or coins to increase the value of your donation by 25%.

Please return donations to the Parish Office by Sunday 3 April. 

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

UPCOMING SERVICES & EVENTS – at ALL SAINTS

SMALL CHOIRS FESTIVAL 2016 – the day was well supported and participants very much enjoyed being at All Saints. The organisers have expressed their appreciation for all the support they were given and re-booked with us for 2017. Long-term planners may like to note the date:  Saturday 4 February 2017, 2-5pm, Festival service 5pm-6pm.

LENT at ALL SAINTS
Reading and Meditating on God’s Holy Word
In addition to our normal reading and preaching on scripture in the liturgy at All Saints, we are providing some opportunities for study:

FEBRUARY/MARCH FILM NIGHTS
A series of films will be shown in church on Thursdays after the Evening Mass.

18 February – Romero 
The story of the martyred Archbishop of San Salvador.  

25 February – Calvary
The personal calvary of an Irish priest threatened by death.  

3 March – The Gospel According to St. Matthew
Pier Paolo Pasolini’s masterpiece.  

10 March – Of Gods and Men Xavier Beauvois’ film of the life and death of Trappist monks in Algeria amidst Islamist violence.

READING GROUP
Fridays at 11am from 5 February, the Vicarage.

We are reading the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book: I Am With You, written by the Revd. Dr. Kathryn Greene-McCreight who is a chaplain at Yale University and is an assistant priest at the Christ Church, New Haven.  In I Am With You she explores the scriptural portrayal of God’s presence among us as light in darkness. Readings of Scripture are woven into a framework patterned on the seven monastic hours of prayer and the seven days of creation.  

The devotion of STATIONS OF THE CROSS will take place after the Evening Mass at 7.05pm on Fridays during Lent (starting Fri 12 February).

PARISH RETREAT, 6 – 8 May 2016 
The 2016 All Saints Parish Retreat will be from 6 – 8 May at Bishop Woodford House in Ely. It will be conducted by Fr Barry Orford. If you want to come, or would like further information, please contact Martin Woolley on 07976275383 or at m.g.woolley@btinternet.com. Rooms will be allocated in the order in which bookings are received.  

EVENTS FOR FEBRUARY 2016 BEYOND ALL SAINTS

LENT LECTURE
John Keble Church, Mill Hill, Dean’s Lane HA8 9NT,
11am – 2.30pm, Saturday 20 February

‘No Abiding City: Christian presence, problems and possibilities in the Middle East’. Lecture to be given by: The Rt Revd Michael Lewis, Bishop of Cyprus and Gulf in the Episcopal Province of Jerusalem and the East.

This is a free event, but a small contribution of £3 on the day would be appreciated to cover the cost of lunch. For further information please contact: revrana@hotmail.com.

JESUIT REFUGEE SERVICE INFORMATION EVENING,
Tuesday 23 February, 6.45pm at Farm St Jesuit Church Hall,
114 Mount St, London W1K 3AH. Come and hear about how JRS is supporting refugees in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon as well as here in the UK and find out what you can do to help.  Speakers: Fr Michael Zammit SJ, Regional Director JRS Middle East and Sarah Teather, Director JRS UK.   Free with a retiring collection for the work of JRS.

POETRY TEA PARTY, Saturday 27 February 3pm, at Pamela’s.  All welcome.  Please bring Poetry and Prose for ST DAVID’S DAY (coming up soon).  To accept, or to ask for Pamela’s address, please speak to Pamela or Sandra in the courtyard or ring Sandra on 020 7637 8456 leaving your name and phone number.  Cost £6 towards the All Saints Restoration Appeal.

HUGH PRICE HUGHES LECTURES 2016  
All lectures will be held at Hinde St Methodist Church at 7.30pm.  Admission is free & all are welcome! www.hindestreet.org.uk/hph

This series will invite you to reflect on how other ways of knowing and seeing – “faith” commitments for some – relate to their Christian faith. These alternative and complementary ways of knowing and seeing, sometimes portrayed negatively by people of faith, have the potential to deepen our understanding of our faith commitments and enable us to engage more constructively with the wider world.

When science exceeds faith, and vice-versa:
reflections on belief by an evolutionary biologist
9 February – Dr Robert Asher
Curator of Vertebrates in the University of Cambridge & Paleobiologist

Thinking globally, act locally
8 March – Polly March
Head of Campaigns & Policy at Global Justice

12 April – Rev Ric Stott
Artist & Methodist Pioneer minister

Identity, Modernity and Faith 
10 May – Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
Journalist

Living as Christians in Multi-faith Britain and
the Importance of Religious Literacy
14 June – Michael Wakelin
Religion & Media Consultant

From 6.30pm, Tuesday 1 March 2016
Churches Together in Westminster MEET THE NEIGHBOURS hosted by
The Salvation Army, Regent Hall, 275 Oxford Street (opposite BHS)

The visit will include: an act of worship together, a short talk about the history of Regent Hall and the Salvation Army including its activities and outreach, music (a chance to hear the Regent Hall Band playing) and refreshments. All are very welcome to join.

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. 

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 during the cold weather.  

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 websitewww.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk, which has a full colour 360 virtual tour for viewing the wonderfully restored interior of the Church – seewww.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk/history/virtualtour – before a visit or if unable to travel. 

* If you know of others (near or far) who would like to receive this regular update on what’s happening at All Saints 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@gmail.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