December 2008
Posada - Nazareth to Bethlehem via Streatham
Posada is an Advent tradition which originated in Mexico and and involves people taking the crib figues of Mary and Joseph into their homes, symbolising the journey of the Holy Family from Nazareth to Bethlehem. This year 24 households took part in St Leonard’s Posada, giving shelter to the weary travellers (and in at least one case singing carols to them). Rumour has it that while staying with the Mitchells they were roped in to help Charlie with the decorating - now Joseph is well known as a handyman but we trust Mary in her delicate condition was not required to do anything too strenuous! Thankfully they arrived at the stable in good time for the Crib Service on Christmas Eve.
| Sunday 30 November | The Allen Family | Friday 12 December | Moyra Heggie |
| Monday 1 December | Clare and Bob Browne | Saturday 13 December | The La Porta-Robison Family |
| Tuesday 2 December | Stephanie Bradley | Sunday 14 December | The Dickerson Family |
| Wednesday 3 December | The Edmondson Family | Monday 15 December | The Hicks Family |
| Thursday 4 December | St Leonard’s School | Tuesday 16 December | The Mitchell Family |
| Friday 5 December | The Barren Family | Wednesday 17 December | The Fairn Family |
| Saturday 6 December | Ann Davies | Thursday 18 December | The Bartley Family |
| Sunday 7 December | Donna Thompson | Friday 19 December | Liz Urben |
| Monday 8 December | The Aitken Family | Saturday 20 December | Mandy Hodgson |
| Tuesday 9 December | Elizabeth, Rachel and Isabel | Sunday 21 December | The Emerson Family |
| Wednesday 10 December | The Hines Family | Monday 22 December | The Yarlett Family |
| Thursday 11 December | Mary Tschiersch | Tuesday 23 December | The Austen Family |
Mary and Joseph enjoying a spot of characteristic hospitality at Strathbrook Road (Alice and Andrew Hicks).
Rowan Tree
The children of St Leonard’s School were invited to decorate the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Christmas tree this year.
November 2008
Toad of Toad Hall
Our latest dramatic production, which ran from 26 to 29 November, was a spectacular success thanks to Lisa’s expert direction and the unstinting efforts over the past few weeks, not only of the cast but of all those who helped behind the scenes.
The pictures below are just a small selection of those which can be viewed here.
Christmas Market
The Christmas Market on Saturday 15 November raised over £1,200 towards the cost of repairing the church heating.
St Leonard’s Day
The Patronal Festival fell upon a Thursday this year but the Sung Eucharist at 7.30pm was well attended. The Bishop of Southwark, Rt Revd Tom Butler, celebrated and preached and, having exhausted the subject of St Leonard (not the best-documented of saints) in the first two minutes, drew upon the four creatures of Revelation, as depicted in our east window, to illustrate the different qualities to be valued in members of the church: the lion, courageous and outspoken; the ox, hard-working and dependable; the one with the human face, compassionate and understanding, and the eagle, far-sighted but with an eye for detail. There was music from St Leonard’s School and Lenny’s Singers, the choir sang Stanford’s magnificent Te Deum in Bb and the intercessions were led my representatives of the Spires.
October 2008
Henry Fergusson
Congratulations to Henry, who was licensed as a Reader by the Bishop of Southwark on Monday, 20 October.
Render unto Caesar ...
On Sunday 19 October we were pleased to welcome the Very Revd. Graham Smith, Dean of Norwich, who preached on the theme of the Gospel for the day “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s and unto God the things which are God’s”, a timely reminder of Christian duty in the current financial situation. To illustrate his sermon he produced a silver penny unearthed during recent excavations in the grounds of Norwich Cathedral; dated 1025, it bears the head of King Cnut on one side and the cross on the other. Graham is no stranger to St Leonard’s - his father was Rector from 1964 to 72.
September 2008
Parish Conference
St Leonard’s Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow - A vision for the future
The parish conference on 27 September provoked a great deal of discussion about St Leonard’s place in our community, what we have to offer Streatham, and what we need in order to fulfil our potential as a parish. Sue Hutson who came from Southwark diocese to lead the day commented that we were one of the chattiest parishes.
Those present felt that certain strengths of St Leonard’s could be developed more, particularly welcoming those who feel the need for a peaceful place for prayer and meditation and providing space for concerts and performances and other events for the whole community.
To do this we will need to improve our toilet and kitchen facilities, and create more space for meetings, creche and other activities. Different ideas for rearranging the narthex or even adding an extension were considered. If we had more helpers we would also be able to be more dynamic. Those who were at the conference wrote down what skills they might be able to offer the church, whether it be cleaning, caring, or management. If you weren’t there, you can still let us know your skills. Please tell (020 8679 6358).
If you have any more ideas, do talk to a member of the PCC. The PCC will be thinking through the plans in more detail over the months to come.
August 2008
PCC Digest
Finance Report: Karl Cheng reported that in the first half of the year the parish has a deficit of £4,500.
Dates for your diary: 8 November - the Leonardtide Fete.
We are glad to see three new members of the children’s choir and will be spending £168 on robes for them.
The PCC accepted a report on making church life accessible to disabled people. We will be working on the recommendations, including installing a handrail by the steps up to the Sanctuary. The report will be displayed on the noticeboard.
Following the consultation we will be ordering weekly Bible sheets at a cost of £320 per year.
July 2008
Arts and Crafts Exhibition
In the gallery - July 5 to 13.
June 2008
An Icon for Caroline
In recognition of her three years service as churchwarden through one of the most challenging periods in a church’s life (the retirement of a Rector, an interregnum and the first year with the new Rector), Caroline Leveaux has been presented with an icon painted by a Russian Orthodox iconographer. Caroline’s interest in all things Russian is well known and, as fellow-warden Rob put it, being a churchwarden often means getting bogged down in the practical aspects of running a church, so the icon is a reminder of the spiritual dimension which she now has more time to appreciate.
Caroline writes: “Thank you all for your beautiful and thoughtful gift of the icon, which I will treasure. Also, for your kind wishes in the card and the beautiful Sunday School poster, which I have put up where I can see it. It was a pleasure and privilege to be church warden for St Leonard’s. Thank you again.”
Handrail
The PCC is considering putting a handrail on the wall by the steps (piano side) into the Sanctuary. The Rector and Churchwardens would like to hear from you if you think this would be helpful when going up for Communion in the Sanctuary.
May 2008
Music for Contemplation
The recital on Sunday 25 May brought a new musical experience to St Leonard’s. Sitting cross-legged on a rug at the top of the chancel steps, Dawa (bansuri - bamboo flute) accompanied by Stewart Fenwick (tabla - drums) performed Raga Yaman in Teen Tala, an improvisation on a traditional Nepalese/Indian theme. Dawa comes from Kathmandu, where he gained a BA in Ethnomusicology before moving to London for post-graduate studies at Trinity College of Music. Stewart, from York, abandoned his western-style drum kit many years ago to learn Asian drumming techniques and is now much in demand as a tabla player. [MP3 file (13Mb)]
The whole event had an international flavour. Also on the programme were Bach suites played by Iva Lokajickova (recorder), Alexandra Martha Ursache (viola) and Agnieszka Orlowska (viola) who hail from the Czech Republic, Romania and Poland respectively and are all highly talented young musicians, having studied at the Royal College or Trinity. The main items were interspersed with some quiet reflective motets sung from the lady chapel by a few familiar voices.
Christian Aid Week
Fund-raising events include both wine and beer tastings plus the usual Saturday night show featuring local talent. The total so far (excluding Gift Aid) is over £1,800.
Churchyard
Sadly it has become necessary once more to lock the churchyard gates when the church is not open. The decision was taken by the Rector and Churchwardens on the advice of the police, following another spate of antisocial behaviour in the churchyard. We apologise for any inconvenience to the rest of the community.
April 2008
Vestry and Annual Parochial Church Meetings
The meetings were held on Sunday 27 April after the Parish Eucharist.
At the Vestry Meeting Robert Edmondson and Moyra Heggie were elected as churchwardens, there being no other nominations.
Alice Hicks, Henry Fergusson, Ann Morisey, Kayode Ogunmekan, Nici Yarlett were elected as Deanery Synod representatives. Five new PCC members (Oona Emerson, Joyce Joko-John, Marianna Nicholson, Jane Stephens and Jim Yarlett) were elected to serve for three years and one (Sarah Robinson) for one year. This leaves one vacancy on the PCC. There were three nominations for the new posts of deputy churchwarden. Following a vote, during which Charles Gibson fulfilled the role of returning officer with great aplomb, Charlie Mitchell and Veronique Dochain were duly elected.
The Rector’s report for her first full year in office focused on the ministry to children, an area which had been identified as a priority for the new Rector in the parish profile, and included the results of the recent survey on all age worship.
The Electoral Roll currently stands at 253, there having been two removals and 53 additions since last year. The Treasurer’s report was accepted without comment.
Tributes were paid to Caroline Leveaux, standing down as churchwarden after a three year term which included keeping the parish running during the interregnum, and a presentation was made to Ruth Bradbury who is taking a well-earned rest after organising the church cleaning for more than 20 years as well as being the PCC minute secretary for much of that time.
Typical English Weather
First it snowed on Easter Day. Then (after a couple of days when it was almost safe to venture out in a tee-shirt), it snowed somewhat more heavily on Easter 3.
There’s something about snow. You know it’s out there the moment you begin to draw the curtains, from that strange intensity of the light, but this time there were huge flakes swirling past the window and a good two to three inches of the stuff piled up on the car.
Fortunately the roads were clear and, driving to church, the view from the top of Streatham Common was spectacular. I never fail to be moved by a snow-clad English landscape. The way it lays crisp and untrodden on the ground or hangs lightly on the branches of the trees is both awe-inspiring and profoundly peaceful.
“White earth sometime in the night hath laid her low, hath laid her light...”
Sadly by the time we left church it was already melting and the idea of a walk rapidly losing its appeal. But then, maybe it’s precisely the ephemeral nature of snow that makes it so evocative.
Beholding such beauty at Eastertide, could anyone doubt that God exists - or that he has a sense of humour?
TN
[Picture by Alice Hicks]
Confirmation
The Deanery Confirmation will be at St Leonard’s this year on Sunday, 13th July at 6.30 pm. If you would like to be confirmed please fill in one of the forms in the Narthex and return it to Mandy.
Adult Confirmation Classes will be at the Rectory on Monday Evenings from 28 April.
Lisa Wright will be running the classes for the younger members at 11.15 am (for ¾ of an hour) in the Chapel of Unity on Sundays: 20, 27 April, 11, 18 25 May, 1, 8, 15, 22 June, 6 July.
St Leonard's 14+ Facebook Group
If you are a member of St Leonard’s Church and aged 14-19 years why not join our facebook group? To join the group you need to be a facebook member and then request to join the group. Please see or for further details.
Zimbabwe Appeal
The Bishop of Southwark has asked churches in the Diocese to help support clergy in the Diocese of Harare, which has been left penniless following the departure of the former bishop Kunonga. The appeal will be administered by UPSG. To date we at St Leonard’s have collected over £800 (not including the tax rebate). Thank you all very much for your generosity.
March 2008
Reader Emerita
After 25 years as a lay reader Mimi Heinrich is now semi-retired and has been re-licensed by the Diocese as Reader Emerita. This means that she will still be able to preach and take services from time to time but her duties will be a little less onerous. The churchwardens made a presentation to Mimi during the Parish Eucharist on Passion Sunday, including a “book of memories” compiled by the congregation.
Southwark Council Awards
Congratulations to Pat Walton and Tony Emerson who have both received Southwark Council Awards for services to the community.
66.666%
Conratulations too to Judge Charles Gibson who attained the significant age of two thirds of a century on Passion Sunday. We understand that, Lent notwithstanding, a bottle or two of fine Claret may have left the garden shed to mark the occasion.
[The aforementioned numerals should not of course be confused with a certain number which occurs in the Book of Revelation.]
February 2008
The Freedom Group
The new group for retired folk now has a name. Its second meeting will be on 29 February - Communion at 12.30, followed by a light lunch and a talk by our archivist, John Brown, on the history of our church and churchyard. Friends - of whatever age - welcome.
Toddler Church
Streatham Churches Carbon Challenge
This Lent St Leonard’s and English Martyrs wll be involved in a joint project to try to reduce our carbon footprint. For more details, click the footprint logo at the top right. (If you can’t see it, try clicking the Refresh button.)
January 2008
New Look
The website has been given a make-over for the New Year and features the new St Leonard’s logo designed by Kristen Streten.
Pages have been expanded slightly but will fit a maximised browser window at XGA resolution (1024 X 768 pixels) - this has been the minimum standard standard of display for several years now. If you have an older monitor (e.g. SVGA 800 X 600) you may need to use the horizontal scroll bar. On a larger display, the page content will be centralised.
The navigation links now appear at the top right hand corner instead of on the left of the page.
NB - If you are a frequent visitor to this website, your browser may have cached files relating to the old pages. This can sometimes cause problems with a revamped site. If a page does not seem to render properly, try clicking the Refresh button (or right-click and select Refresh).
Children at Communion
St Leonard’s will be admitting children to receive Holy Communion from Easter Sunday.
In an excellent sermon on 20 January Mary gave a concise and well-researched exposition of the Church’s doctrine and policy on Baptism, Confirmation and Communion over the past two millennia. (It was fascinating to learn how the policy has often been shaped by practical considerations such as the ease with which bishops could travel around their dioceses.) Whereas until recently Communion was only given after Confirmation, the official view of the Church of England is now that Communion should be available in both kinds to anyone who has been baptised, including young children.
Children who would like to receive Communion or parents who would like their children to receive should speak to Mandy as soon as possible. For those not yet baptised, there will be a Baptism during the Parish Eucharist on Easter Sunday.
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