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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
I’m glad to report that our new ‘leaflet dispenser board’ is being well used. All copies of our monthly publication ‘A Word in Passing’, and all copies of the magazine ‘Inspire’ have been taken by passers-by. What happens to them after that is of course another matter but at least a word and witness are being given beyond our church walls. Speaking of walls – work has been carried out on the unloved flat roof of the Church ‘Primary Room’ and hopefully it will prove waterproof next time the heavens open. We’re also about to do some maintenance work over the front doors preceding the repainting of the doors themselves and the redecorating of the entrance hall. Barnes Fair provides us with another opportunity to be seen, catch up with old (and young!) friends, provide free Christian literature and make some much needed money to keep the Church and our witness going for another year. At the end of July I hope to have a minister friend from India staying with me for a few days. Piyal Mondal serves the Lord in and around the city of Calcutta and will be sharing his work and experiences with us at our morning service at 11 am on Sunday 27th July. Please come along if you can. Finally, we would like to wish Roger and Mair Hutchings a happy, peaceful and fun filled retirement. May God bless you and continue to use you in the building of His Kingdom. Graham Pulham
Holy Trinity
Holy Trinity enjoyed a wonderful community festival weekend last month during the hottest weekend of the summer so far. We extend our thanks to Lowther School, the Castelnau Community Centre and residents of North Barnes for helping to make such a successful and fun filled gathering. Scaffolding has now been erected inside the church and whilst this may have darkened the church it certainly hasn’t dampened our spirits. We have been delighted to welcome some new members and we look forward to the necessary work being completed although this will be several months away. We shall be taking our usual stand at Barnes Fair so do stop by to say hallo! Many of us will be taking time to refresh ourselves during July and August either at home or further afield and we shall enjoy welcoming visitors to Barnes through the summer. Jean Boulton-Reynolds
Methodist Church
Barnes Fair – that extraordinary amalgam of commerce and local groups, business and sheer good fun – means a good deal of hard work by those who offer refreshment and a welcome on the day. Last year the weather was kind, and it was probably the busiest Fair yet. Given sunshine, it could well be even bigger and better this year. We hope all our churches have a good day. For Methodists, a new year begins on the first Sunday of September, especially when the minister of a church changes. All round England, Scotland and Wales, those ministers who are moving this year will be packing their belongings by the end of July, ready for the removal vans and a move to a new appointment. I’m retiring this summer, so these are the last few weeks of my time in Barnes, where together with my family I’ve worshipped for twenty years. My final services will be on August 3rd. I guess that one way or another that change, and the arrival of my successor, the Revd Dr Ebute Obiabo, will be occupying the minds of the congregation in the next couple of months. He will be welcomed at a special service on the 28th of August, to which all BiC readers are welcome. Saying farewell to many friends and colleagues is never easy: I hope and pray that Christian witness in our neighbourhood flourishes in the years to come. Roger Hutchings
St Mary's
The Lambeth Conference, the decennial gathering of bishops from the worldwide Anglican Communion, takes place in Canterbury in July and August of this year. Unfortunately, it will no doubt be overshadowed by wranglings over homosexuality. However, there will be a number of bishops there who represent the living of the Christian faith in circumstances of persecution and strife unknown to the modern British Church. Amongst them, the bishops from Zimbabwe will be very prominent; over the last month, the Mugabe regime has unleashed a wave of aggression towards the Anglican Church, banning services in and around Harare and meting out violence on those who defy the order. In Barnes, we will welcome the Bishop of Matabeleland and his wife, accompanied by the diocese’s Vicar-General (the Bishop’s deputy) and Archdeacon. They will be staying for a week in Barnes and will be talking about their life and ministry at the 10am and 6pm services on July 6th. You will be very welcome to come and hear them and to offer your support to them. Ross Collins
St Michael's
In May a group of us from St Michael`s and St Mary`s went on retreat together to Wychcroft This was lead by Brother Angelo S.S.F in his usual amusing and insightful style It was a wonderful occasion The weather was perfect allowing for walks in the woods and a visit to a small chapel on one of the local estates A retreat is a really good time to simply read, reflect and sort out priorities in ones`s life The weekend was structured around worship and talks given by Br Angelo The retreat house itself is a wonderfully spacious place with its own library and sitting rooms The meals were excellent and you are made to feel at home as soon as you arrive. Though we were only there for two evenings, the sense of time seemed to slow right down and when the moment came to leave you felt that you had been around the place for some time. If you have never been on a retreat yourself there are many different ways of experiencing them, from painting weekends to complete silence, there is one out there just for you. Paul Holland
St Osmund's
We’ve observed the great feasts of Ascension, Pentecost and Corpus Christi with due solemnity. There was a prayerful First Holy Communion Mass for children at St Osmund’s School on May 10th. A further group of seven children had their celebration on June 22nd. The parish Barbeque is also behind us, observed on the feast of SS Peter and Paul. Now we have started the programme of preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation, which is scheduled on November 1st. It will be the first visit to the parish of Bishop Paul Hendricks, an auxiliary bishop in this diocese with responsibility for the parishes in South West London. Our archbishop, Kevin McDonald, should be back in harness as you read this, having completed his period of convalescence as the doctor ordered. Meanwhile, it seems that we are increasingly cast as spiritual aliens in this country, which was once proud of the title of the Dowry of Mary. It is hardly surprising in view of so much new legislation that runs contrary to the Christian tradition on which the framework of our legal system and society has been built. We are not seen to be particularly relevant any more – much spreading of Good News to be done. Fr Anthony Logan
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