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Barnes in Commonthe magazine of Churches Together in Barnes
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Church NewsBaptist Church | Holy
Trinity | Methodist Church Baptist Church
My recent visit to Calcutta (Kolkata) was indeed a culture shock and highlighted just how thankful we should be for the many things – food, water, medicine, hygiene, greenery, etc – we so easily take for granted. Lying awake at night in the sweltering heat (especially when the electricity supply fails) and listening to the very large rats squeaking as they fight just the other side of the open bedroom window were just some of the minor inconveniences you've got to learn to live with! But the most enduring memory is that of the kindness and hospitality of the many Christian folk I met as I travelled to village 'house churches'. Being able to share God's word with them, pray with them, and attempting to answer questions about Christianity, the U.K. and life in general was a great privilege as well as great fun. As a Church we're seeking to grow in our relationship with the 'Go! West Bengal' house churches. It's a wonderful opportunity for us to help support our Christian brothers and sisters in India as they seek to grow God's Kingdom in some very demanding circumstances. The closing months of the year bring with them a familiar list of Church services and other activities. At the beginning of November we will be attending the London Baptist Association Road Show at Teddington Baptist Church "Making disciples – sharing the good news of Jesus", at which the LBA strategy for future years will be aired and discussed. Then on the 16th we have our Church Thanksgiving Service and evening tea and looming up behind that Advent and the Joy? of Christmas – the one occasion I might wish I was back in Calcutta! Graham Pulham
Holy Trinity
The first phase of our building repairs is almost complete and it's now 'all hands to the deck' to have a good clean! The next phase is the redecorating of the church but we have this on hold in order to raise funds to meet the overall costs of both phases. It is a joy to know that we now don't have to rush for the buckets every time it rains! To mark World Mental Health Day we were delighted to welcome our guest preacher on Sunday 19th October, Cathy Wiles from SW London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust. In response to growing interest amongst church leaders, we are holding our first Space To Be Conference on Saturday 15th November, 1.00-4.00pm. The Conference is for church and community leaders to learn about the project and we have 4 invited key speakers on related subjects: Revd Annie Dixon:"The Therapeutic Touch"; Ruth Allonby: "Dual diagnosis and holistic therapy"; Diane Craven: "Children and Spirituality"; Colin Brice: "Spirituality and Mission". Online booking for this conference can be found at holytrinitychurchbarnes.co.uk/spacetobe We are also developing our plans for a new parent and toddler group and a coffee morning for the elders in our community and we hope to launch both these in the New Year. In the meantime we look forward to welcoming our community to our services throughout November and December. Jean Boulton-Reynolds
Methodist Church
We are delighted to have in our midst our new minister, Dr Ebute Obiabo. Ebute is from Nigeria, although he has been in the UK for twenty years, during most of which time he has been translating the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into the language of his own people the Idoma. Ebute has ministerial responsibility for three churches – Barnes, Chiswick and Brentford. He is leading a weekly Bible Study and prayer meeting at the church on Tuesdays at 7.30, to which anyone is welcome. We are continuing with our FIRST SUNDAY series when the church is open all day and in November we are proud that our guest is Bishop Richard Harries. In December we welcome Mrs Pat Henchie, the Headteacher at Lowther Primary School, whose visit will coincide with our Toy Service, after which the toys will go to the Battersea Mission. Once again we are hosting Cards for Good Causes from early November. The shop is open every day except Sunday. As we prepare to celebrate the coming of Christ, plans are under way for our Christmas services. The darker evenings can be a little depressing but the light which shines in Christ is a light for us all. Susan Gibson
St Mary's
The last edition ran a very good interview with the Bishop of Matabeleland, Wilson Sitshebo, who was visiting Barnes before the Lambeth Conference. It told of the struggles of the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe and the hope they still had in the future. Very sadly, shortly after returning to Bulawayo, Bishop Wilson suffered a stroke and died, aged 55. Our prayers and sympathies have already gone to his wife Chipo, who was with him on his visit, and his family. It creates yet another challenge for the Church to overcome, particularly since the much publicized agreement between Mugabe and the opposition has taken Zimbabwe off the worldwide agenda, allowing Mugabe the chance to avoid giving up any power at all. We will continue to pray for them at our services through the autumn and Christmas. On a more positive note, we are glad to welcome our new curate, the Revd. David Thomas, to the Team, who will be serving here part-time, to greet the Revd. Joseph Ayok-Loewenberg, back with us for a while from Southern Sudan, as well as looking forward to working with the Revd. Dr Ebute Obiabo at the Methodist Church and with Father Dominic Allain at St Osmund's Roman Catholic Church. Ross Collins
St Michael's
In August we were fortunate to welcome two choirs to join us during the Sunday Mass, Cantus Firmus under the direction of Nicholas Harries, and the newly-formed Howells Singers conducted by Richard Lyne. Both choirs added a wonderful dimension to our worship, for which we are grateful. At the end of September Tony Henwood, our Director of Music, stood down after eleven years of service to St Michael's church. We will miss the brilliance of his improvisations and his sensitivity towards the liturgy and wish him well for the future. We have appointed Richard Lyne as our new director and are looking forward to working closely with him. We also welcome Revd David Thomas, a newly-ordained Deacon who will be joining the Barnes team Ministry. In the summer the floor was re-laid in the Community Centre, the under-floor heating was replaced and plastering of the ceiling was renewed. This had to be redone due to the damage caused by theft of the lead from the roof. In our Sunday School we also have with us a gap year student from Germany, Francy, who will be looking after our older children. The Sunday School is flourishing and our thanks for that must go to Hannah Childs and her wonderful team. Paul Holland
St Osmund's
I am writing this on October 1st, the day that Father Logan leaves us after twenty years, and that Father Dominic arrives in our parish. This momentary interregnum means that the writing of this column has fallen to me. I say 'interregnum' as a Catholic priest is very much in charge of his parish. We have had many happy years under the benign rule of Father Logan. We look forward to new ideas from Father Dominic. At the end of September there was a very happy party to say farewell to Father Logan, aided by perfect weather. After the Induction of Father Dominic and the Confirmation of twenty-four young parishioners, some things seem set to go on as before: there is the annual Parish Bazaar on Saturday November 22nd. Riq Willitts
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