All Saints Margaret Street.

Dear Friends,

This comes to you on St. Valentine’s Day, the feast of an early Roman martyr transformed mysteriously into a festival of romantic love.

Earlier this week, at the General Synod I listened to reports and debates on gender-based violence, safeguarding the vulnerable, and same-sex relationships; as well as women in the episcopate and the Girl Guide promise. 

As a church, along with other institutions, we are having to come to terms with our failures to protect children in the past.  The Church is putting in place measures to ensure abuse of children and vulnerable adults does not happen under the cloak of its authority.  To some this seems an over-reaction but we have a duty of care and of rebuilding trust.

As a society, we are having to come to terms with the shocking reality of sexual violence. It is clear that many men regard women as sexual objects, rather than as persons with rights and dignity. Conviction rates for rape remain scandalously low and some police and prosecution services still seem not to take this horrific offence seriously enough.  Most women who are murdered in our country will die at the hands of a partner.  In ethnic conflicts from the Balkans to the South Sudan, rape has been a routine atrocity.

You have received this letter by email. The Internet has revolutionised the way we communicate with each other, but that does not mean that it has made what we communicate better.  It is used for the transmission of huge amounts of pornography – often of the most violent and degrading kinds.

Evidence suggests that many children and young people learn more about sex from internet pornography than from sex education at school.  Some boys think that this is the way they should treat girls and girls that this is the way they should expect to be treated. Sex is seen as gratification rather than as part of a loving relationship. Not much sign of romance there!

I suggested recently that homophobic violence could be encouraged by Christians who seek to defend marriage by condemning homosexuality.  These Christians are often advocates of male “headship;” the authority of men over women as something divinely-ordained.  They would argue that this should be a relationship of mutual respect, but the effect has too often been to justify violence by men against women.

Respect for the dignity of human beings, children and adults, whatever their sexual orientation, their right to be protected against abuse, discrimination and violence, is a seamless robe. To tear it in one place is to damage the whole.

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: Jean Brackston, Christopher Cain, Rachel Clayton, Rosie Davis, Ursula Edwards, Charles Forker, Joan Foster, Canon David Garlick, Geoff, Paul Gibson, Yvonne Harland, Fr Kevin, Denise Inge, Jill, Craig Laughton, Katherine Lee, Joshua Levy, Christine Loffty, Kerry Manuel, Norman Newby, Andrew O’Connor, Hazel Reynolds, Stephen Short, Erica Telfer, Colin Titmus, Mary Tustin. 

For the recently departed: Paul Mothersdale (Priest), Baby Charlotte, Isabella Fotheringham, James Rone (Priest), Christopher Leigh Hunt (Priest).

At the anniversary of their death (during the coming week): Frederick Howard (Churchwarden), Letty Attlee, Jack Hope, Alice (Lill) Mackay, Mavis Symes, Guida Crowley, Joan Williams, John Vickery.

WORSHIP AT ALL SAINTS THIS SUNDAY:

SUNDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2014 – Third Sunday before Lent
Preachers & Music:
HIGH MASS, 11am
Prebendary Alan Moses
Missa ‘Sæculorum Amen’ – Guerrero
Let all mortal flesh keep silence – Bairstow

CHORAL EVENSONG & BENEDICTION, 6pm
Fr Julian Browning
The Fourth Service – Batten
O Lord the maker of all thing – Mundy

EVENTS & NOTICES THIS WEEK
Monday 17 February – there is a meeting of the Standing Committee of the PCC at 7pm in the Vicarage.

Thursday 20 February, 10.30 – 12.30, Parish Room – SINGING FOR THE BRAIN run by The Alzheimer’s Society.  Please see leaflets on the table in Church. If anyone is interested in joining this session (7^th of 12) please contact: Samerah Malik of The Alzheimer’s Society on 07891 888539.

Thursday 20 February, 9pm – BBC 2 – Bible Hunters, the second of a two part investigation looking at the discoveries of early Christian manuscripts in Egypt.  Part 1 was shown on Thursday 13 January, 9pm – BBC2. CTVC (an educational film company working with the Smithsonian Institute) filmed High Mass at All Saints during September 2013 and some of that footage has been included in the final programmes.

Saturday 22 February – Cell of Our Lady of Walsingham – Day Pilgrimage to Guildford Cathedral – please see the poster on the church noticeboard for fuller details or contact Ross Buchanan on 020 7221 1312. If you want to travel by train as part of a group, meet Ross under the clock at Waterloo Station at 10am.

Friday 7 March – Women’s World Day of Prayer – 12.45pm – 1.15pm A Short Lunchtime Service OR 2.30pm – 3.30pm THE WOMEN’S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER SERVICE (International and Interdenominational) – PRAYING FOR EGYPT at The Chapel, Methodist Central Hall, Storeys Gate, Westminster.

Security in and around All Saints Church
Please do not leave valuables unattended in Church at any time – the Police have alerted us to a spate of thefts in this area of central London in recent weeks and have asked us to be particularly on our guard. Please be vigilant and if you do see anything suspicious, let the Clergy or Churchwardens know.

Warm clothing to spare for homeless people?
WRG, a creative agency in the Parish of All Saints on Great Titchfield Street is working with St Mungo’s to collect gloves, scarves, hats, footwear, sweaters or anything else that would keep a homeless person warm. They have been collecting these items during the winter and making a colourful display in their reception window. If any of you has items you could donate for this worthy cause, please drop them off at the Parish Office and the Parish Administrator will take them in to WRG. Thank you for the donations to date!

Food Donations for the Marylebone Project for Homeless Women
Just to remind you that we keep a basket in church in the Baptistery for donations of non-perishable foodstuffs – soups, tinned meat, biscuits, chocolate and similar are much appreciated by this All Saints’ Mission Project for Homeless Women. Do drop off what you can – the reason the basket may often appear empty is that we gather up contributions as they come in and then pass them onto the Project. Thank you for the donations to date!

WORSHIP AT ALL SAINTS NEXT SUNDAY
SUNDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2014 – Second Sunday before Lent
Preachers & Music:
HIGH MASS, 11am
Fr Julian Browning
Mass’ The Western Wynde’- Sheppard
Salve Regina à 5- Victoria

Choral Evensong & Benediction, 6pm
Prebendary Alan Moses
Service in A – Naylor
Hail gladdening light – Wood

ALL SAINTS RESTORATION APPEAL – Lighting & Electrical Renewal Update

The display of our proposals for this Restoration Project continues in the Baptistery. We are delighted to announce that we have now raised or had pledged almost £171,000 (68% of target). Thank you to everyone who has contributed donations large and small; we are extremely grateful. We hope that works will commence after Easter in 2014.

The balance for which we still need your help is: £79,000.

If you have still to contribute, please make cheques payable to: All Saints Margaret Street PCC Restoration Account and send to: Restoration Appeal, All Saints Church Parish Office, 7 Margaret Street, London W1W 8JG. 

If you are a UK tax payer and have signed/will sign a Gift Aid declaration with us, your donation to the Appeal is increased by 25%. Please ensure we have your full name (with initial/s), address and postcode. If unsure if you have signed a Gift Aid declaration form, please pick one up from the table in church, fill in and return to: Mrs Dee Prior, Parish Administrator. Thank you for your contribution.

Further Communications or Assistance from All Saints Margaret Street – If you would like to encourage others to receive this weekly email, please forward this email on to them, or to people you would like to invite to services. If you know of others who would like to receive this correspondence, or for whom you would like prayers offered at All Saints, please ask them to email the Parish Administrator Mrs Dee Prior at: astsmgtst@aol.com.

If you would like any pastoral assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses: alanmoses111@gmail.com.