All Saints Margaret Street.

Dear Friends,

We have begun the 40 day fast which is inspired by our Lord’s 40 days in the wilderness: that period of preparation between his baptism and the beginning of his public ministry.

The First Sunday is dominated by the gospel account of his fasting and temptation, so the other readings may get neglected.  The story of the Fall from Genesis contrasts with Jesus’ resistance to the temptations of his call.

This is the language of myth and we should not read into it assumptions about women being more prone to temptation and more responsible for human sinfulness than men. I have never seen any evidence that men are any less prone to sin than women, or that women are weaker when it comes to resisting temptation.  We are all prone to blaming others for our failings. What is undeniable is that we share in a common humanity which falls short of what God intends for us.

The epistle (Romans 5.12-19) is a theologically dense and yet lyrical passage which takes the language of the fall in Genesis as the basis for understanding what Christ has done. Where the “first Adam,” that is our common humanity, failed and fails in relationship with God, the second Adam’s loving obedience restores that communion. Paul celebrates the gift of a humanity restored to relationship with God as incomparably greater than our failure. 

Theology is sometimes best grasped when it is sung and the best commentary on this may be Newman’s hymn “Praise to the holiest in the height.”

O wisest love! That flesh and blood
    Which did in Adam fail,
Should strive afresh against their foe,
    Should strive and should prevail. 

Christ comes in the flesh and blood of our common humanity, in order to redirect and remake it; to renew our relation with God and with each other from within. This is the atonement, not as some external legal transaction, but a profound identification, God at one with us, with revolutionary consequences for us:

And that a higher gift than grace
    Should flesh and blood refine,
God’s presence and his very Self,
    And essence all divine.

Lent is not about earning what is a gift. It is about learning to receive it. In our pretended self-sufficiency, that can be far harder.

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: Harry Allan, Jean Brackston, Rachel Clayton, John Cook, Rosie Davis, Ursula Edwards, Canon David Garlick, Geoff, Yvonne Harland, Denise Inge, Jill, Fr Kevin, Katherine Lee, Joshua Levy, Christine Loffty, Kerry Manuel, Norman Newby, Andrew O’Connor, Stephen Short.

For the recently departed: Charles Forker, Doreen Tallis, Mary Tustin, Katherine Roger, William Roger, Mary Lundell, Clare Connly, Gavin Rider, Sister Margaret ASSP.  

At the anniversary of their death (during the coming week): Arthur Smallwood, Alice Styan, Dorothy Gregory, Dennis Cooper (Priest), Charles Mills, Rooie Bullock, Peter Harding (Priest), Clarke Vaugham, William Allen Whitworth (Priest and Third Vicar of All Saints), Emily Woodard, Peter Brealey, Rosemary Lloyd, Barry Blacklock, Elizabeth Middlemist-Downer, Annie Slater, Revd Basil Whitworth, Ann Sculley, Sydney Heales, Vera Martin, Peggy Shepherd, James Robertson (Priest).

WORSHIP AT ALL SAINTS THIS SUNDAY, 9 MARCH, First Sunday of Lent LITANY IN PROCESSION & HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: Fr Julian Browning 
Missa ‘Emendmus in melius’ – Palestrina
Emendmus in melius – Byrd

Choral Evensong & Benediction, 6pm
Preacher: The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses
Service in the Dorian mode – Tallis
Salvator mundi II – Tallis  

EVENTS & NOTICES THIS WEEK and NEXT
Sunday 9 March, there will be a meeting of the Events Committee in the Parish Office after High Mass and the ‘This is our Faith’ Group meets in the Vicarage at 4pm.

Thursday 13 March, 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 (10^th of 12) please contact: Samerah Malik on 07891 888539.

LENT 2014 – STUDY GROUPS and STATIONS OF THE CROSS during LENT

“The Joy of the Gospel” – a study of Pope Francis’s Letter on “The Proclamation of the Gospel in Today’s World” – Thursday Evenings from 6 March, 7pm in the Parish Room.

“Love bade me welcome”- The Poetry of George Herbert – Friday Mornings from 7 March, 11am in the Vicarage. If you would like to take part in either of the Lent Study Groups, please sign the list in church or email the Parish Office at astsmgtst@aol.com.

THE WAY OF THE CROSS – Friday evenings in Church at 7pm throughout Lent starting on Friday 14 March.

ALL SAINTS’ LENT APPEAL 2014

Our Lenten self-denial is complemented by giving alms to those in need.
Almsgiving this year is divided between All Saints’ Mission Projects:

• The Church Army Hostel for Homeless Women in Marylebone, providing emergency housing and enabling them to find long-term accommodation and work.
• The work of Us (formerly USPG) in Zimbabwe tackling the stigma associated with people having HIV-Aids

 and The Bishop of London’s Lent Appeal, which will support:

• ALMA (The Angola, London and Mozambique Association) and
• The Bishop of London’s Mission Fund, which is aimed at reaching ‘beyond the walls of the church’ to increase its mission work in areas of social need as well as keeping pace with the needs of the growing church in London. Since 2004, 100 projects + have received grants totalling £3.8M.

Lent Boxes are available for you to collect in church. Please return by Easter.

OTHER NOTICES

REVISION OF THE ALL SAINTS’ ELECTORAL ROLL
The Electoral Roll has to be revised before the Annual Parochial Church Meeting on Sunday 30 March 2014. Inclusion on the revised Roll is the qualification to attend, participate and vote at the Meeting.

The Roll will be closed for revision between Monday 10 March and Friday 14 March. No further entries may be made to the Roll between 10 and 30 March close of the APCM.

Would all members of the congregation please check their entries on the copy of the Roll available in the Parish Office; any alterations should be notified to me, c/o the Parish Office.

Anyone who wishes to be included on the Roll, and who is qualified to do so, should complete one of the forms available from the table in Church, and send it to me no later than Sunday 9 March.

                                                   Catherine T. Burling, Electoral Roll Officer

MEETING OF PARISHIONERS AND ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING, SUNDAY 30 MARCH 2014
A meeting of parishioners will be held on Sunday 30 March 2014 at 12.45pm in Church, at which Churchwardens for the year 2014-2015 will be appointed. Members of the Electoral Roll and residents of the Parish on the Electoral Register are eligible to attend. Any person wishing to be considered for the Post of Churchwarden must be (a) 21 years of age or over, (b) on the Electoral Roll and (c) an actual communicant member of the Church of England. Nominations must be proposed and seconded, and candidates must indicate their willingness to stand. In addition, candidates are asked to submit a short typed or clearly written statement giving the reasons for their wishing to stand, and the benefits they could bring to the post if appointed.

Nominations for the post of Churchwarden MAY NOT be made at the meeting.                                                                            Prebendary L. A. Moses, Vicar

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) will follow immediately. Only members of the Electoral Roll are eligible to attend. At the meeting four members of the laity will be elected to serve on the Deanery Synod for the years 2014-2017. Retiring members are Mr R Buchanan, Mr C Stephens, Dr D Thomas and Mr M Woolley. All are eligible for re-election.

Six members of the laity will be elected to serve on the Parochial Church Council for the years 2014-2017, and three members of the laity to serve for the year 2014. The retiring members of the Council are Miss G Dare, Mr D Fielden, Miss C Hodgetts, Mr R Oram, Mr G Prince and Mr Q Williams. Of these, only Mr Williams is NOT ELIGIBLE for re-election. The one year vacancies have been caused by the resignations from the PCC of Mr D Brash, Mrs D Prior and Dr N Hartman.

Candidates for election must be (a) on the Electoral Roll, (b) at least 16 years of age, and (c) actual communicant members of the Church of England. All nominations must be proposed and seconded by persons on the Electoral Roll and all candidates must indicate a willingness to stand. In addition, candidates are asked to submit a short typed or clearly hand-written statement giving their reasons for standing for election. Nomination forms may be obtained from the PCC Secretary. Although nominations may be made at the meeting, it would be helpful if completed nomination forms, together with statements are returned to the PCC Secretary by Monday 17 March to enable the papers to be available one week before the Annual Meeting. Sidesmen for the year 2014-2015 will be appointed at the meeting.                      Dilys M. Thomas, Hon PCC Secretary

LOOKING AHEAD – DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES

HOLY WEEK – AN INTRODUCTION
Organised by Anglican Catholic Future in the Diocese of London
Saturday 22 March 11am-3.30pm, All Saints’ Parish Room – Led by Fr Christopher Woods and Fr Gerald Beauchamp. Please sign up on the ACF website or by contacting the Parish Office.

Saturday 22 March, 7.30pm, Cadogan Hall – BACH MASS IN B MINOR. Ealing Choral Society, Sinfonia Britannica, Conductor: Jonathan Williams. Bach completed this, his greatest mass setting, in the lat 1740’s shortly before his death. It is recognised as his religious last will and testament and represents the summation of his life’s work in writing masterpieces for the church. Even by his own extraordinary standards, the emotional depth and majestic proportions of this work are awe-inspiring. Tickets £10 – £22 from the Box Office 020 7730 4500 or online.

ORGAN RECITAL – CHARLES ANDREWS
7.15pm after Choral Evensong & Benediction, Sunday 23 March
A programme of pieces by Bach and William Lloyd Webber (to mark the recent Centenary of the latter’s birth). Admission free: retiring collection to support the Choir and Music of All Saints Margaret Street – recommended donation £3.

HIGH MASS OF THE ANNUNCIATION of our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary
at the Annunciation, Marble Arch on  Tuesday 25 March, 7pm
High Mass & Procession of the Image of Our Lady – Preacher: Bishop Rowan Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth. There will be no Evening Mass at All Saints.

MEETING OF PARISHIONERS and ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING (for members of the Electoral Roll only) – Sunday 30 March 2014, 12.45pm

POETRY TEA – Sunday 6 April, 3pm at Pamela’s
Theme: My Favourite Poems or Prose. £6 charge, to raise funds for the Restoration Appeal.  

HOLY WEEK 13 – 20 April
For this particularly special time at All Saints, we welcome as our preacher an old friend of All Saints: Bishop John Flack. His ministry has stretched from West Yorkshire to Rome, as Director of the Anglican Centre and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s representative to the Holy See. More recently he has served as both a parish priest and an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Peterborough.

ALL SAINTS PARISH RETREAT 2014
This year’s retreat is at Bishop Woodford House, Ely, from Friday 30 May to Sunday 1 June. The retreat will be conducted by Fr Julian Browning. A definite price has yet to be fixed. However, Martin Woolley will happily receive expressions of interest, and enquiries from those who need more information to:  m.g.woolley@btinternet.com or on 0207 436 2858 or 07976 275 383. The order of receipt or requests to participate will, as usual, be carefully noted to enable peaceful allocation of rooms and facilities. Full details will be issued in due course to those who put their names down for the 2014 Retreat.

WORSHIP NEXT SUNDAY – 16 March – Second Sunday of Lent

HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher:
The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses
Missa Octava – Hassler
Remember not, Lord, our offences – Purcell

Choral Evensong & Benediction, 6pm Preacher:
Fr Julian Browning 
The Short Service – Weelkes
Call to remembrance, O Lord – Farrant

ALL SAINTS RESTORATION – Lighting & Electrical Renewal Update
The display of our proposals for this Restoration Project continues in the Baptistery. We have now received approval to proceed with this essential work in our Grade 1 Listed Church, but must secure all the funds to go ahead. We are delighted to announce that we have now raised or had pledged £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. 

* 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.

* 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.

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

DAILY SERVICES (open every day from 7am to 7pm)

SUNDAYS
Low Mass at 6.30pm (Saturday), 8am and 5.15pm
Morning Prayer at 10.20am
HIGH MASS AND SERMON at 11am
CHORAL EVENSONG, SERMON and BENEDICTION at 6pm          

MONDAY TO FRIDAY
Morning Prayer at 7.30am
Low Mass at 8am, 1.10pm and 6.30pm
Confessions from 12.30pm -1pm and 5.30pm
Evening Prayer at 6pm

SATURDAYS
Morning Prayer at 7.30am
Low Mass at 8.00am and 6.30pm (First Mass of Sunday)
Confessions at 5.30pm
Evening Prayer at 6pm

On major weekday feasts, High Mass is sung at 6.30pm.

A priest is available in church for confessions or counsel every weekday from 12.30-1pm (except Saturdays) and at 5.30pm, or by appointment. The clergy are always happy to see anyone for whatever reason. Please enquire at the Parish Office (to the right as you enter the church courtyard).

www.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk and e-mail: astsmgtst@aol.com.