December 2011
Rector’s Sabbatical
My plans for my sabbatical have changed quite a lot since I first mentioned it to you in January this year. I was hoping to spend part of my time in Africa before going to the USA. Unfortunately I was not able to make the arrangements to go to Africa before the deadline for applying for funding at the end of September, so I am now planning to travel to Sierra Leone and Nigeria in the final two weeks holiday I have for next year in November 2012 instead. I will be going with members of the congregation and am very much looking forward to it.
For my Sabbatical I have been invited to be the Visiting Scholar at Duke Divinity School, part of Duke University in North Carolina. I will be there for three months and while I am there I am going to try and write a book. The book will be based on the material I used at our Parish Weekend in May this year and will be called Creation and the Trinity - Taking the Bible seriously but not literally. I am aiming to contribute to the debate between atheists like Richard Dawkins and creationist Christians. I want to say that neither of them are right, but that what the Bible has to say about creation is not about how the world began, but why it began and what that tells us about God and ourselves. I am aiming to have a first draft by the time I get back.
I will be flying to Duke via Barbados, for a week’s holiday in the first week of January. I will leave Duke on Easter Monday to fly to New York for a few days before coming home on the 13 April. I should be with you again on Sunday 15 April relaxed and raring to go!
I am very grateful to the ministry team for all the support they are giving to make my sabbatical possible. Please support them while I am away.
Mandy
Gwyneth Barber
It is with great sadness that we report the loss of one of St Leonard’s oldest and longest-serving members. Gwyneth had been a regular worshipper since she, her husband John and their four children moved to Streatham in 1964. Their home in Leithcote Gardens became a place of hospitality and refuge, particularly for younger members of the church, where words of comfort and wisdom were always available along with a pint of John’s home brew. Sadly John died at a comparatively young age in 1980.
Gwyneth was one of the church’s “doers” and served in various capacities including deputy churchwarden and manager of the church hall. Having grown up as an organist’s daughter, she was very supportive of the music and bells at St Leonard’s.
In her later years Gwyneth suffered from increasingly deteriorating eyesight and mobility but still came to church whenever she could. Last year she moved into Uplands care home, where she died peacefully on Tuesday, 13 December, at the age of 92.
The funeral took place at Mortlake Crematorium on 23 December. There will be a memorial service at St Leonard’s some time in the new year.
May she rest in peace and rise in glory.
November 2011
Freedom Club - Advent Bible Study
Thursdays December 1, 8 and 15 from 2.00 to 3.30 pm in Church. We shall use 3 passages from Delia Smith’s Feast for Advent - Spiritual food!
Reading the Bible Aloud
Our project to read the Bible from cover to cover in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible finally came to an end on Thursday 24 November. In the evening the last five chapters of the Book of Revelation were read, followed by a service of thanksgiving. Our local MP, Chuka Umunna, read the lesson and the Very Rev’d John Hall, Dean of Westminster, preached to a large congregation including many of the 200 plus people, not just from St Leonard’s but from other local churches and further afield, who have read chapters over the past nine months.
And then we had a party. In true St Leonard’s style the wine was dispensed liberally and the assorted delicacies on offer were probably a good reflection on the diversity of the people who had taken part in the project. A special King James Bible cake was cut and presentations made to Lisa Wright, without whose enthusiam and tireless organisation the whole thing would never have come to fruition.
PCC Meeting - November
The PCC passed the 2012 budget with an expected increase in giving of 5% and £40,132 drawn from the reserves to cover the deficit. We agreed to the Streatham Society proposal to move the planter to the Rookery at Streatham Common. We also agreed new contracts for the Director of Music and the Assistant Organist.
Children’s Society
A big thank you to all box holders. I have been able to send £240 to support the society’s work. This is in addition to the £60 sent in May, the £75 from the Christmas greetings and £300 from Christingle.
Sue Heeley
Theological Book Group
The next meeting will be on Wednesday 30 November at 7.30pm in the Rectory. The book we have chosen is The Case for God by Karen Armstrong, published by Vintage. Oona Emerson proposed the book and she is going to be leading the session.
It was agreed at the first meeting that:
Spires Christmas Cards
For the first time we are producing Christmas cards to sell in aid of Spires! The art group are designing and we are scanning, printing and producing in house to keep the costs down. We are confident of a good quality product. It is hoped the Cards will be ready within the next ten days. Flyers are available in the Narthex.
Amanda Addo, Director of The Spires
St Leonard’s Day
Our Patronal Festival fell on a Sunday this year and in the evening we were host to the Deanery Confirmation. 25 candidates from St Leonard’s, St Peter’s, Christ Church and All Saints West Dulwich were confirmed by Bishop Christopher, who then celebrated the Eucharist to the accompaniment of the Congolese Mass setting Missa Luba.
Book of Remembrance
The new Book of Remembrance is now displayed in church. It is laid out with one page for each day of the year so that it can be open for remembrance of the dead on the anniversary of their death, they will also be remembered in our prayers at Morning Prayer on that day and during the Eucharist on the Sunday of that week. Anyone who has been buried in the churchyard will be automatically entered into the book but we are also inviting all members of the congregation to add any names they would like to be remembered in this book at a cost of £ 10 per name. If you would like anyone to be added to the St Leonard’s Book of Remembrance please fill in a form which you will find in the Narthex and give it, with cash or a cheque payable to St Leonard’s PCC, to Mimi Heinrichs or Sarah Parry by Sunday 27 November.
St Leonard’s School
The PCC have pledged to support St Leonard’s School with a donation of £750.00 but will not be organising a Fete or Fair this year. Please donate what you would have spent at a fete. There will be a retiring collection for the School over the next month.
The school did well in its recent OFSTED inspection. The inspectors said:
“St Leonard’s is a good school which effectively supports and cares for its pupils and, as a result, helps them to achieve well. The school’s effective monitoring procedures have given school leaders an accurate knowledge of its strengths and areas for development and have led to a good focus on improving the rate at which pupils progress, particularly in reading and mathematics. As a result, pupils progress well from their starting points in the school, attainment is rising and attendance has improved, so that it is now high. Personal outcomes for pupils are good. Pupils appreciate the safe environment of the school and parents and carers confirm this positive aspect. ...
... Pupils make good progress because of the good teaching, the effective use of assessment information to target support and because of their own motivation to succeed. As a result, by the time pupils leave the school, the proportion attaining the expected levels of performance is above the national average.”
[You can read the full report on the school website.]
Posada
Mary and Joseph will be visiting Streatham again this year during Advent. If you could give them a home for a night please complete a form from the Narthex and return it to Sue Heeley by 13 November.
October 2011
Christian Aid East Africa Appeal
Collections at Harvest Festival raised £598.14 for Christian’s Aid East Africa Appeal. The Beer and Barber Shop evening on 14 October raised a further £235.
PCC Meeting
The PCC discussed the 2012 budget which is currently predicted to be in deficit between £25-30,000. They agreed to pray and consider what to do to reduce the deficit and discuss it at the November meeting. The PCC heard a proposal from Re-powering Streatham regarding installing solar panels on the church roof, they will give the PCC more detailed figures and the PCC will discuss it at the November meeting. The PCC also heard proposals from the Christian Police Association, regarding praying for a local policeman, and Lambeth Council, regarding their snow warden scheme. The PCC is considering both these matters.
Priests’ Door (South-east Door)
A new door to replace the one destroyed by the arson attack in May was fitted on Thursday, 6 October. Unfortunately we can’t use it yet as the lock is incompatible with existing keys.
Parish Consultation - Saturday 19 November
We are drawing up the brief for the Architect for his plans for the new toilets and the development of the building. We will be meeting in Church on 19 November from 10 am - 1 pm. Please come along and have your say!
September 2011
Reading the Bible Aloud
Our project to read the Bible from cover to cover in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible reached a significant milestone - the end of the Old Testament - on Thursday 22 September.
The final session will be on Thursday 24 November, when we will be reading the last five chapters of the Book of Revelation, followed by a service of thanksgiving. The Very Rev’d John Hall, Dean of Westminster and an acknowledged authority on the King James Bible, will be present.
Diocesan Course in Biblical Studies and Theology
The Diocesan Course in Biblical Studies and Theology has started again in St Leonard’s. The course covers the Old Testament, New Testament, Doctrine, Ethics and Liturgy and Worship. Application forms will be available in the Narthex. If you would like to know more about the course the Rector can introduce you to other members of the congregation who have already done it. It is a year-long course meeting in Church from 6.30pm-9pm on Tuesdays.
Confirmation
This year the Deanery Confirmation will be at St Leonard’s on St Leonard’s Day, 6 November. Bishop Christopher, the new Bishop of Southwark will be taking the Confirmation.
If you would like to be confirmed, or baptised and confirmed, or received into the Church of England as a full member from another denomination, please let know. You do not need to do anything further if you have filled in a Confirmation Application Form and given it to the Rector already. If you are unsure about confirmation you are welcome to discuss it with the Rector.
Confirmation Classes for Adults began on Monday 5 September from 7.30 pm - 9 pm with the Rector at the Rectory, 1 Becmead Avenue. The full list of dates for the Adult Confirmation course is on the Parish Calendar.
Confirmation Preparation for young people under 18 will be lead by the in the Chapel of Unity after the morning service, starting on Sunday 25 September. Please let her know if you will be attending. Tel. (020) 8761 8037.
Youth Choir
From Hannah Parry-Ridout:
Hello! I would like to introduce myself as the newly appointed Assistant Organist and Director of the Youth Choir. I am very excited about taking up this new challenge and look forward to meeting you all along the way. I have just finished a year as Organ Scholar at Farm Street Church in Mayfair which is a Catholic church with a very specific musical tradition. I have also nearly completed a Masters degree at Royal Holloway, University of London focussing on organ performance. I have worked with children in various ways and am greatly looking forward to working with the young people of St. Leonard’s in creating a choir.
The Youth Choir will start on 18 September with a Tea-Party Rehearsal at 2pm, young people aged 8 or 9 upwards are welcome to come along. I hope that the young people will enjoy learning new skills and the rest of you will enjoy the contribution to the music that the Youth Choir will be able to make. I am also looking forward to working with Michael and the adult choir and I hope that I can help to enrich the musical life of our worship. If anyone would like to ask me any questions or just say hello please .
New Toilets and Kitchen
The PCC have decided to begin work on putting new toilets and a new kitchen into the church. The first stage of this is to consider what our vision for the mission of the church is, how the building needs to serve that vision and therefore what our design brief for the Architect needs to be.
The PCC has appointed a sub-committee to organise this and we would like to involve people who are not on the PCC in the sub-committee as well. We particularly need people with project management and public consultation experience because we want to make sure that as many people as possible are involved in drawing up the design brief for the architect. I am expecting the committee to meet several times over the next few months and to have completed the brief by the end of the year. At that point the work of the sub-committee will be finished. Some members may want to continue to be involved in the redevelopment project, while others may withdraw to be replaced with people with different skills. If you would be interested in serving the church in this way please speak to or .
RIP Pip Wray
We are saddened to hear of the recent death of Maisie (Pip) Wray. Latterly she had been in a home and unable to attend St Leonard’s, but she was a staunch supporter of Evensong for very many years. Pip was a great character with forthright views (for example on the format of the second Sunday service which she once referred to as “that Taizé marijuana”).
May she rest in peace and rise in glory.
August 2011
Picture Galleries
Never mind the antics of celebs, have a look at these:
RIP Ron Loom
It is with great sadness that we have to report that Ron Loom died on 25 July. Ron, who was 89, had been a stalwart at St Leonard’s for 35 years and served for several years as Verger.
His funeral took the form of a Requiem Mass in St Leonard’s at 9.00 am on Friday 12 August and included several of his favourite hymns. Andew Johnson gave a short tribute which managed to include most of Ron’s signature phrases. During communion the choir sang The Lord is my shepherd by John Rutter with oboe obligato provided by Martin Wolf. The coffin left the church to the sound of the Nunc Dimitis sung to a chant by Elgar, followed by Nimrod on the organ, and the bells rang half-muffled as the cortege departed for the committal at Lambeth Crematorium. Ron would have approved, with that combination of moist eye and trembling lip followed by the appreciative grin we knew so well.
May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
Director of Youth Choir
The Rector and Director of Music are pleased to announce that the new post of Director of Youth Choir has been offered to, and accepted by, Hannah Parry-Ridout. Hannah will be joining us from September and we look forward to an exciting new chapter in the life of music at St Leonard’s.
Book of Remembrance Case
At the PCC Meeting last week there were a number of different proposals about where the Remembrance Case should go. We are going to try out each of them over the next few weeks and then discuss it again at the September PCC. Please let members of the PCC, Churchwardens or the Rector know your views.
Advent Stoles
Sue Heeley has made a new purple chasuble for use in Advent and three stoles to go with it. The three stoles are nearly finished, but the decorative braid needs stitching on. It would be lovely if as many people as possible helped with this, doing a few stitches each as a sign of our sharing in the Liturgical life of the Church. You don’t need to be an expert at sewing - just come and find Sue Heeley after the morning Service.
Tower Clock Update (3 - 4)
As of last Sunday morning (31 July), the clock had been going for five days!
6 August - It’s stopped again.
East Africa Famine Appeal
St Leonard’s Church has supported Christian Aid Week and I asked that you continue to support Christian Aid in the future. This you have done magnificently. The drought in East Africa led to an emergency appeal by Christian Aid for additional funds. Retiring collections taken at St Leonard’s over the last two Sundays has raised the sum of £771.11. Would you please congratulate yourselves and accept my sincere thanks on behalf of Christian Aid for your support for the East African appeal.
David How
July 2011
Tower Clock Update (2)
Further to the report in March, the saga of the clock continues. The new gears in the linkage to the clock face were duly fitted but the clock still ran for a few days and then stopped, so the clock builders were called back again. The weights were increased in size but, although they are nowhere near as big as the original (hand-wound) weights, it now appears that they are too heavy for the auto-winder. One weight ran all the way down to the ground floor (they are now meant to fall just a few feet before being rewound), resulting in the most frightful clanking and vibration as the auto-winder strove in vain to raise it - until our gallant churchwarden climbed up and threw the switch to put the hapless motor out of its misery. (Ken is rapidly learning the unpredictable extent of a churchwarden’s duties!). We await the next instalment with interest.
Christian Aid Week
The activities of St Leonard’s for Christian Aid Week this year raised the sum of £1,157.98, some £750 of this was gift aided allowing Christian aid to reclaim tax on this sum (an additional £150). I would like to thank the congregation for their support, effort and generosity in support of Christian Aid Week and hope that this can continue this year and in future years. In 2012 Christian Aid Week will be 13 - 19 May and next March I will be looking for volunteers!
David How
Congratulations to Rebecca Lloyd
Rebecca has been accepted for ordination training by the Church of England and will be going to Westcott House in Cambridge to start her formation In September. Please remember her in your prayers.
Pray and Talk About the Week
Would you be interested in a regular meeting to talk and pray (both!) about issues that have arisen during the week, whether on the news, or in Streatham or closer to home? I’d be pleased if those who might be interested would meet with me in the Chapel of Unity after the services on Sunday 10 July (8.00a.m., 10.00a.m. and 6.30 p.m.) to talk through the &ldqup;ways and means”. If this date isn’t convenient for you, but you are interested in the idea, please .
Ann Morisy
June 2011
Most ancient of all mysteries
On Trinity Sunday morning the Rector preached a most excellent sermon on doubt and faith and the origins of the doctrine of the Trinity. The webmaster strongly recommends anyone who missed it to read it here.
Giving
You will be delighted to know that the ambitious target set by the PCC of an increase of 10% in giving this year has been achieved during the first quarter of the year. This will enable us to move forward with confidence with our programme of improvements to the building as soon as we have appointed a new architect. Many thanks to all who give so generously.
Andrew Hicks and Jane Yan
Barn Dance
The barn dance on Saturday 11 June was enjoyed by all who came, although a few more people would have made it even more of a success. Music was provided by the Rakes Band with caller Marilyn Evans. There was a firkin of Wandle Ale from the local Sambook’s Brewery and a ploughman’s supper. Proceeds will go to Christian Aid.
May 2011
Arson Attack and Churchyard Closure
A letter from the Rector:
28th May 2011
Dear Resident of Streatham
Closure of St Leonard’s Graveyard due to Vandalism
I am very sorry to have to tell you that following a number of incidents where the church yard has been vandalised we have decided to temporarily close the churchyard except for access to the church. We are very disappointed to have taken this step as we see the churchyard as part of the ministry we offer to the community here in Streatham and I know that a great many people appreciate its peace and beauty in the busy town centre.
Unfortunately earlier this week a series of acts of criminal damage culminated in the south door of the church being set on fire. The fire was so serious that the door was destroyed and it was only by the grace of God that the whole building was not set alight. On the same evening one of the ancient tombs was seriously damaged; the top stone was broken in half and the brickwork at one end knocked down.
We feel that given the level of damage and the serious risk of further fire we have no option but to close the churchyard for the time being.
I would like to appeal to you to report it to the police immediately if you see anyone acting suspiciously in the churchyard and to let me or the police know if you know who is responsible for the damage. We hope to be able to open the churchyard to the public as soon as possible, and apologise to you for the loss of this facility in the mean time.
Yours faithfully
The Revd Mandy Hodgson
Rector
Nigel Lloyd
We are sorry to report that Nigel Lloyd, the trumpeter who played for our services at Easter and Remembrance Sunday, died recently after a brief battle with cancer. The funeral took place at Chevening, Kent, on 3rd June.
May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
St Leonard’s Choir at Chichester Cathedral
Choral Evensong in Chichester Cathedral on Monday 2 May (the Feast of St George, translated from 23 April which fell on Holy Saturday) was sung by St Leonard’s Choir (plus a few of the regular ‘extras’ who join us on special occasions), directed by Michael Emery with Martin Wolf on the organ.
The music included responses by Bernard Rose, the evening service in C and the anthem Beati quorum via both by Sir Charles Villiers Stanford.
Book of Remembrance
We will soon be commissioning a new Book of Remembrance to go in the new display stand which is being built. The book will be laid out with one page for each day of the year so that it can be open for remembrance of the dead on the anniversary of their death. There will be an example page displayed in the narthex soon if you want to see what this will look like.
Anyone who has been buried in the churchyard will be automatically entered into the book but we are also inviting all members of the congregation to add any names they would like to be remembered in this book at a cost of £ 10 per name. If you would like anyone to be added to the St Leonard’s Book of Remembrance there are forms in the narthex to fill in. All names must be given in by 1 June 2011.
April 2011
Annual Parochial Church Meeting
The Vestry Meeting and APCM on Sunday 10 April 2011 were completed in record time (about half an hour). Stepanie Bradley and Ken Gordon were elected churchwardens.
Agenda, minutes, accounts and reports can still be downloaded here.
Fairer Shares Survey
The amount we pay to the Diocese for Fairer Shares is being reviewed this year. As part of the process we need everyone who comes to church at least once a month to fill in an anonymous income survey form. Fairer Shares is the way the diocese decide how much money to ask each parish to contribute towards paying the clergy, running the diocese and training. The Church of England asks its members to give 5% of their income to the church so our share is worked out by calculating what our average earning is. This means richer parishes, with larger congregations are asked to pay more and poorer, smaller churches pay less.
If you have been coming to St Leonard’s for more than a year and come at least once a month, please fill in one of these forms that you will find at the back of Church. There are two boxes at the back of church. Please tear off the section of the form at the top on which you need to put the details of your name and address and put it in the box with NAME on and put the bottom part in the box marked SURVEY. We need to know who has returned the form because we need at least 80% of people who come to church at least once a month to fill the form in. If we don’t get enough people filling in the forms then the churchwardens will need to ask people who haven’t done so to fill them in.
If you have any questions about Fairer Shares or Stewardship please ask the Rector.
Redundancy Support Group
We are starting a weekly drop-in for people who have been made redundant and are looking for work. It will be a chance to meet up for support with others going through same experience. The Group will meet at the Rectory, 1 Becmead Avenue, on Wednesdays between 10.30 am and 12 noon.
March 2011
Tower Clock Update
Many of you will have noticed that, having worked for a couple of months after the dial was re-enamelled and the autowinders fitted, the clock then stopped working again in the autumn. Since then the clock builders have been in to look at it.
The work we commissioned on the clock as part of the tower appeal was based on the assumption that the clock itself was in good working order. This is the case. However at some point in the last 200 years the gearing connecting the clock works to the face was replaced. This may well have been after the fire but we are not sure. The gears used were not really the right sort and were not attached to the tower in the right way. When the bells are rung the tower moves quite considerably and the gears in the ringing chamber jump and jam.
The clock builders advise us that they need to be replaced with new ones that are of the right kind attached in the right way. Obviously we were unhappy that this was not noticed by the clock builders when they bid to do the other work on the clock. However it is now clear that the reason that the other quote we had to do this work was £3000 more expensive was that it included doing this.
The new gears will cost £3000 and fortunately we have sufficient money left in the tower appeal to pay for the work. The clock builders, who are a very reputable firm, have also agreed to give us a five year guarantee that the clock will work once this is done.
You will be pleased to hear that the clock should be working again properly by Easter. However it will never run exactly to time as the workings are over 200 years old and the pendulum is wooden so on dry days it will shrink a little and tend to run fast and on damp ones expand and run slow. We should be able to get it to be accurate to around five minutes a week we hope.
If you have any further questions about this please speak to the Rector or Stephanie Bradley.
Revision of the Electoral Roll
If you would like to be able to vote at the APCM you need to be on the church Electoral Roll. We are about to revise the roll prior to the APCM so please fill in a form and give it to Tony Nunn if you would like to join before the 2 April. You need to do this if you have joined the congregation or have had your 16th Birthday in the last 12 months. You also need to do it if you think you are not already on the roll. A copy of the current roll is in the Narthex. [NB This is NOT one of the years when everyone has to re-apply.]
Compline in Lent
There will be a service of Compline with address on Wednesdays during Lent at 7.30pm in the Chapel of Unity.
Lent Lunches and Suppers
If you are willing to host a lent lunch, supper or coffee morning, please sign up on the list in the Narthex, putting the date and time of your offer, how many people you can host and your name and address.
The Guides are planning to hold their Fork Supper on Wednesday 6 April at 7pm in the Church Hall - slideshow, entertainment, quiz and of course food! Please sign by 28 March if you are going.
Mothering Sunday
We are having a Special Celebration at Choral Evensong on Mothering Sunday of our role as Mother Church in Streatham. Our four daughter parishes - Christ Church, St. Thomas and St. Stephen, Holy Trinity with St Augustine Tooting and Immanuel and St Andrew, will join us for the Service. Do come and join the celebration.
Lenny’s Singers
Our junior choir is to be reconstituted under the direction of and will perform for the first time on Mothering Sunday. Young people aged 9 to 15 are welcome to join. Rehearsals will be on Sunday mornings after the 10.00 Eucharist.
Notices
If you need to give a notice during the service, please make sure that you speak to Mandy before the service and come and stand at the lectern as soon as the notices begin.
The Children’s Society
Our Christingle collection reached £253.05, of which £125.68 was gift-aided.
First Communion Classes
Our preparation for admitting children to communion started on Sunday 27 Feb. If you or your child would like to be admitted please complete one of the forms in the Narthex and return it to Mimi, Mandy or Carolyn.
The classes are after Church on Sunday mornings:
11.30am - 1.30pm, 27 February and 17 April
11.30am - 1.00pm, 6, 13, 20, 27 March, 3, 10 April
Half hour to 45 mins after Good Friday Service (for run through).
Bishop’s Visitation to the Deanery
Bishop Christopher, our new Diocesan Bishop, will be visiting our Deanery on Wednesday 16 March. He will finish his day in Streatham with Sung Compline at St Leonard’s and will be giving the address. You are invited to come and meet our Bishop over coffee at 7.30 pm. The Service is at 8 pm. Other members of the Deanery will also join us.
February 2011
Wednesday Eucharist
Please note that from the end of February the 7.30 am Eucharist on Wednesdays will be discontinued.
A message from Sue Heeley in New Zealand
We wanted to let you know we are safe! We were in Christchurch as the quake shook but fortunately at a museum out by the airport. Our hotel is right next to the Cathedral.
I can now update you all to say we have been evacuated to Wellington where we are getting some new clothes and passports with the intention of returning to Auckland on Sunday and then to collect the rest of our luggage and continue our trip.
Fortunately we did have some things as we did leave bags in Auckland but I must say 3 days with nothing more than a ruck sack (not even my handbag and phone) was nasty. We are being told that once things settle down in Christchurch our belongings will be collected, packed and returned to us. Our hotel is okay even though it was next to the Cathedral so it looks hopeful but there is lots to do in the city before they get to worry about people’s bags.
Mystery Worshipper
The Ship of Fools “Mystery Worshipper” has been to St Leonard’s - see http://www.ship-of-fools.com/mystery/2011/2098.html.
Music Questionnaire and St Leonard’s Songbook
Are you musical? Are you interested in music? We have exciting plans to make Sunday 6 March a big celebration of music in our worship, involving as many people as possible. If you have not yet read and completed the Music Questionnaire, do collect a copy (yellow sheet) from the box in the Narthex.
Michael Emery
New Bishop
Rt Revd Christopher Chessun will be enthroned as the Tenth Bishop of Southwark on Sunday 6 March. There will be an inaugural Eucharist of Welcome in Southwark Cathedral at 6.30 pm, at which Bishop Christopher will preside and preach. If you would like to go, please sign the list in the Narthex.
Reading the Bible Aloud 2011
To celebrate the 400th anniversary of King James’ Authorized Version of the Bible, 1611 - 2011, St Leonard’s congregation are going to read the Bible aloud in church from beginning to end on Thursday afternoons and evenings from February to November from 3 — 8 pm. If you and any of your friends would like to join us in reading some or any of the chapters you would all be most welcome. No experience necessary. (Help with strange names if required!). [More details...]
, Tel: (020) 8671 8037
Epiphany - Christ the Light of the World
We have been thinking about Christ the Light of the World over Epiphany and celebrating our international connections. We would like to know which countries have been represented at church during January. 36 different nationalities have worshipped at St Leonard’s since the beginning of January. The map in the narthex has a pin representing each of those nations. There are members of St Leonard’s who come from every inhabited continent on earth.
Parish Holiday - 20 to 22 May 2011
We are organising a Parish Holiday next spring at Orthona in Bradwell on the Essex Coast. It is a stone’s throw from the sea, in a peaceful location, in the middle of the Essex country side. We are planning to take up to 49 people by coach. The cost will be around £100 per adult - but there will be cheaper rates for concessions and children. The accommodation is basic with a good number of family rooms, a few double and single rooms and single sex dormitories. The surcharge for single rooms will be £30 extra, and £20 per person for double rooms. There will be no extra charge for double rooms with children included. You will need to bring your own bed linen and towels and to be willing to help out with the washing up and keeping the place tidy.
The theme of the week-end will be Creation and Recreation and will involve a combination of Prayer, time to think about our faith and having fun together. During some of the activities for adults, there will be separate activities for children and other activities will be all age. It’s a chance for us to get to know each other better, have some fun and grow together in our faith.
If you have already put your name down, please fill in a Booking Form on the back of the brochure and return it with your deposit by the 20 February. Brochures are available in the Narthex - we still have 20 places available.....
St Petersburg
Sarah Dennis is leading a trip to St Petersburg and Karelia in Aug/Sept this year. This mixes sightseeing with visits to various charitable projects including churches in an area where Christianity was ‘liquidated’ 20 years ago. Please contact for details.
Pledges for Giving in 2011
Only 75 pledge forms have been returned compared to the 182 regular contributors in 2010. The amount pledged for 2011 is £63,238, only 57.5% of the amount given (£110,119) in 2010. This is about £57,500 short of the budget set by the PCC in November. In 2011 we have to pay £95,959 Quota to the Diocese of Southwark before we start on all our running costs at St Leonard’s.
Did you know that it costs £467 a day to run St Leonard’s church?
Love Streatham’s Action Saturday - 12 February
Members of Streatham Churches are coming together for a morning of volunteering in the community, in activities such as painting and gardening, to demonstrate God’s love for Streatham in a practical way! We will be meeting at 9.30am at St Leonard’s Church before going to the projects and coming back to the Church for 12.30 for a “bring and share” lunch. If you would like to take part, please register by emailing .
January 2011
Fire Evacuation, 16 January 2011
Thanks to everyone for a speedy and mostly orderly evacuation, We feel it was an improvement on the last one.
As a result the fire evacuation policy will have minor revisions, the new version will be placed in the narthex once agreed by the PCC. These include:
- Avoid congestion at the kissing gate by using all church gates and pavement access to the Glebe.
- Reassure parents that a minimum of 2 extra adults go to the creche to evacuate the maximum of 6 children with the 2 creche workers.
- Laminated cards to be placed on sidepersons’ chairs each week with their instructions for evacuation.
- Sidespeople and deputy churchwardens within the congregation should actively assist in the evacuation.
Christmas Greetings Board
Many thanks for your donations. We are able to give The Spires and The Children’s Society £75 each.
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