All Saints Margaret Street.

Dear Friend,

TRINITY 9 

Lord, teach us how to pray aright
with reverence and with fear
Though dust and ashes in thy sight
we may, we must draw near.

The fascinating little story which follows the giving of the Lord’s Prayer in Sunday’s Gospel, that of ‘The Friend at Midnight’ (about the man who keeps knocking until he gets what he wants) is found only in Luke. We might think from the English versions that the parable is telling us simply to keep on praying without being discouraged, the attitude urged on us by the familiar sayings (found also in Matthew) which follow this story: ‘go on asking…’; ‘go on seeking…’; ‘go on knocking…’ The householder who is so reluctant to stir from his bed eventually gets up because of his friend’s ‘persistence’. ‘Persistence’ is the English word almost always used in translation. But persistence is a virtue, whereas the Greek word in the story, á¼€ναίδεια (ANAIDEIA), denotes almost a vice: shameless audacity, ‘brass neck’.

So something more than persistence in prayer is being commended here. There is an inescapable effrontery in the business of prayer, which this story brilliantly captures (repeated in the story of the unjust judge in Luke 18 – Luke was obviously struck by this line of teaching). If God is indeed all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving, then every prayer, the instant prayer for help as much as the prayer that beats on heaven’s door until the knuckles bleed, has an element of impertinence. Yet that is no reason for ceasing to pray. As the hymn goes on:

We perish if we cease from prayer, 
O grant us power to pray;
and when to meet thee we prepare,
Lord, meet us by the way.

All prayer is audacious, maybe even a little mad. If intercessory prayer is, as we are taught, a conversation, we should expect to hear an irritated voice from heaven answering our petitions with a sharp rebuke: ‘you again!’ That is certainly how Abraham felt in Sunday’s first reading as he tried with repeated wheedling to persuade God to spare Sodom: listening to him we certainly tire of the inexorable numerical logic of the repeated requests. That reading, which the lectionary helpfully links with this Gospel, lets us listen in on the conversation between the patriarch and the Almighty. ‘O do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more,’ says Abraham. Perhaps we need to remember that sentiment in our prayers too. But again, Jesus teaching insists that ‘we may, we must’ imitate Abraham’s audacity and ‘brass neck’ as well.

Yours in Christ,

Fr Michael Bowie
Assistant Priest
All Saints Margaret Street 

Please pray for those who have asked for our prayers: John Adams, Asia Bibi, John Bailey, Alixe Bainbridge-Spring, Peter Brenthall and family, Br. Michael OSB, Vivien Caplowe, James Cary-Elwes, Fr Andrew Davis, Dennis Davis, Mark Dougly, Kate Down, David Fettke, Ghislain Hamelin, Lewis Harvey, Gwyneth Hopkins, Maria Keen, Andrew Laird, Tom Leader, Duncan Menzies, Miriam Nelson, Fr. Robert Norwood, Oliver Orr, David Pearce, Agnes Poitevin-Navarre, Canon John Rees, Bill Rodger, Bishop John Salt, Alma Sheard, Stella and Helen Skinner, Rose Stephens, Madeleine Storer, Tony Tomlin, Christine van Dyck, Lynn Van Keulen, Robert Walmsley, Jenny Ward & Baby Emily and Joy Wright.   

For the recently departed:   Robyn Newton, Arthur Wildash, Julia Holland, Catherine Hancock and victims of the Istanbul, Bangladesh, Baghdad and Nice terrorist atrocities. 

Remember past priests, benefactors, friends, and all whose year’s mind occurs this week including: Ada Rivington, Peter Champion Jones, Edith Wallis, Muriel Williams, Enid Ingle, Edward Reader (Priest), David Sparrow (Priest and 10^th Vicar of All Saints), Jean Neighbour, Teresa Butler, Roy Ellis, Edward Hobson, Herbert Palmer (Priest), Helen Clark, George Maynard, Patricia Self and George Maryon-Wilson. 

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

WORSHIP THIS WEEK:

SUNDAY 24 JULY – TRINITY 9
HIGH MASS, 11am 
Preacher: Fr Stephen Williams, Dean of Newcastle, New South Wales 
Missa Papá´‚ Marcelli – Palestrina 
Morgengesang: “Du hÅ‘chstes Licht, ewiger Schein” Op 138 No 2 –Reger

Sunday Lunch is being cooked today by Robin Clutterham and team. The menu is cold Salt Beef, medley of pickled vegetables, potato salad, lettuce and tomatoes. Dessert is chocolate mousse and mango, with coffee to follow. Tickets: £5 from the Parish Shop in the Parish Room before Mass and in the Courtyard afterwards. 

FIRST EVENSONG OF S JAMES, 6pm 
Preacher: The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses
On the 8th Tone, à 8 – Marenzio 
Jubilate Deo – à 8 – Gabrieli

WORSHIP NEXT WEEK:

SUNDAY 31 JULY – TRINITY 10
HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses
Missa Secundi Toni – Lassus
Ave maris stella – Grieg

EVENSONG & BENEDICTION, 6pm
A Festival Evensong as part of the Max Reger centenary commemorations:
RegerFest in London 23 – 31 July
Double Choir setting in G – Wood
Mitt Gottes Hilf (Schlachtgesang), Op 138, No 7 – Reger

PARISH NOTICES 

UPDATE ON THE VICAR’S FUNDRAISING PILGRIMAGE & WHAT TO DO ABOUT SPONSORSHIP MONIES 

Fr. Alan completed 566.5 km of his fundraising walking pilgrimage before knee injury called a halt to his heroic endeavours. If you have/would like to sponsor him and help achieve his target of £20k for the Diocese of London’s projects for persecuted Christians in Iraq and Syria, please send cheques to: PAROCHIAL CHURCH ALL SAINTS, Parish Office, All Saints, 7 Margaret Street, London W1W 8JG. We will process gift aid and forward funds to the Bishop of London’s Lent Appeal 2016. Donations received to date total £13k – please help to close the gap with the target.  By the church door is a map and folder of photos and ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ bulletins, which record the journey the Vicar travelled.

CHRISTIAN AID COLLECTION 
We have received a poster and letter of appreciation from Christian Aid (displayed on the courtyard noticeboard) for the £535 sent in to them from All Saints following Christian Aid week donations. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this good cause. This was an uplift on the 2015 collection.

PLEASE NOTE ADVANCE WARNING OF POTENTIAL TRAVEL DISRUPTION: Saturday 30/ Sunday 31 July – Prudential RideLondon (Festival of Cycling) – roads and bridges will be affected across Surrey and London – plan ahead and know your travel options. Search TfL Ride London. Roads in Westminster like the Mall, the Strand and Trafalgar Square, Aldwych, Kingsway, High Holborn, Piccadilly and Knightsbridge, Millbank and Chelsea Embankment are closed for use for the cycling events and the ripple effect onto a wider network of roads in the centre of London is inevitable. There are lots of places to watch the Prudential RideLondon events – visit www.PrudentialRideLondon.co.uk.

SERVICES & EVENTS FOR JULY and AUGUST 2016 BEYOND ALL SAINTS

ST JAMES FEST 2016 AT ST JAMES MERTON

Fr Jim Rosenthal, known to many of us, invites us to attend the Patronal JamesFest at his church on Saturday 23 July beginning with a 1 pm Concelebrated Mass, followed by Spanish food and drink, Pilgrimage to Compostela programme (including Camino Testimonies and a viewing o portions of the Martin Sheen film The Way) and a Pilgrimage Service at 5 pm with the Vicar Fr Alan Moses preaching. All welcome but RSVP is essential please to determine numbers – phone 020 3016 5156 or text: 07742 856149. Transport: Wimbledon Station and then the 164 bus from outside the station to the door of the Church. 

COMPLINE at ST CYPRIAN’S – coming up Thursday 28 July at 9pm
Compline is a service of evening prayers forming part of the Divine Office of the Western Christian Church, traditionally said (or chanted) before retiring for the night. It is planned to recite the office of Compline at St Cyprian’s on the last Thursday of each month at 9pm. It is a short, reflective service, comprising psalms, prayers and a hymn, said or sung. We will observe silence before and after the service, which we hold in the choir, in candlelight and the minimum of artificial light. Laypersons will lead compline, and all are welcome. The dates for the next few services will be the following Thursdays: 28 July and 25 August.

ST MARY’S BOURNE STREET TALKS 
One of London’s principal Anglo-Catholic churches, closely connected with the intellectual thought of the Catholic tradition in the Church of England, will be holding a number of lectures in memory of the distinguished personalities who were instrumental in the life of this church. On Thursday 22 September the talk will be by the Right Rev’d and Right Hon the Lord Williams of Oystermouth, former Archbishop of Canterbury on, when his topic will be, ‘The Malines Legacy: a vision for Anglican – Roman catholic dialogue? Admission is free and the lecture will be held in the church.

ALL SAINTS MISSION ACTIVITIES:- 
The charities we had agreed to support through the Lent Appeal 2016 (and including applicable Gift Aid) received the following sums:-  

Marylebone Project – £2,666.67 – emergency refuge and rehoming project for homeless women. 
Us (formerly USPG) – £2,666.67 – work with those experiencing Aids and HIV in Zimbabwe.  
London Diocese Lent Appeal – £2,666.66 – this year supporting Syrian and Iraqi refugees through charities Open Doors and Aid to the Church in Need.  
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this great achievement – a significantly enhanced total collected through the Lent Appeal compared with recent years – of £8,000. 

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.   

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 donating £1,000 towards the Soup Kitchen at the American International Church in Tottenham Court Road this year. We also allow 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/virtual tour – 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