Barnes in Common

the magazine of Churches Together in Barnes
September/October 2006

Home
Current issue
Previous issues
Noticeboard
Discussion board
About CTiB

Church News

Baptist Church   |   Holy Trinity   |   Methodist Church
St Mary's   |   St Michael's   |   St Osmund's

Baptist Church

Along with the other churches we too had a successful Barnes Fair – raising funds and offering free Christian literature. Thanks to all for their sterling effort. Summer is always an interesting time in the church with regards to visitors. The oft heard words of locals – 'I didn't know there was a church there', or 'Baptist church! Where is that?' is more than countered by visitors from Kenya, Venezuela, South Africa, Philippines, etc. who do enquire and find us. Yes, more could be done to raise our profile, but words from Proverbs 8:17 also come to mind, '...those who truly seek me will find me.' What a difference intention makes!

We continue to enjoy our monthly service at Viera Grey. The resident's appreciation makes it a most rewarding experience. Favourite hymns, a reading from Scripture, a brief word followed by prayers and then the task of getting hymn books out of eager clutches. The focus for this year's Baptist Missionary Society Harvest Appeal, 'Body and Soul', will be the Karen and Karenni people of Myanmar (Burma) with a video being shown at both our morning and evening services. Our Harvest Supper and Social will take place on the following Monday. Visitors from any church of none are welcome to all our services.

Graham Pulham

Back to the top

Holy Trinity

With the summer holidays now over and coming back refreshed, we are now looking forward to further changes at Holy Trinity. Our stall at Barnes Fair was profitable and special thanks are given to John and Lilian Richmond, not forgetting Jane and Adam Tyreman, who worked very hard to make it a success. Also thanks to all other volunteers and supporters who helped and turned up on the day.

Our service on 9th July – at which the Diocesan Missioner Michael Hart preached and held an after service 'workshop' – proved an enlightening experience and gave us a greater insight into how to achieve further growth at Holy Trinity and reach out to draw a wider community in.

Our first 'All Ages Service' will be held on Sunday 3rd September at 10.00am and thereafter every first Sunday of the month. Following this service we will serve a continental style 'late breakfast'. Additionally on the first Sunday we will hold a said Holy Communion at 9.00am.

On Sunday 10th September we will be launching our new Common Worship Service at 10.00am Preparations toward the updating of our liturgy have taken a considerable time, and we thank everybody on the Worship Planning Group for their hard work and input.

On a lighter note: the Church hall kitchen has recently undergone much needed refurbishment and is looking modern and bright. We also have the luxury of a donated dishwasher. So once it's plumbed in no more volunteers will be required for washing-up!

Edwina Naughton and Jean Boulton-Reynolds

Back to the top

Methodist Church

We are celebrating our actual Centenary on the nearest weekend to the date of the opening, 23 and 24 September. On the Saturday we have a family Banquet, and then on the Sunday morning, we'll be welcoming old friends and new, when the preacher will be the Revd. Tom Stuckey, who until a few weeks ago was the President of the Methodist Conference: we're greatly looking forward to his visit.

We decided to have a Centenary Exhibition, which opens on September 2nd, and we very much hope that you'll find time to drop in to see it. It'll be open every day right through until October 14th, from 2pm – 4pm, and at other times to welcome schools and others. It'll also be open during the Coffee Shop hours on Saturday mornings. Admission to the exhibition is free: it's mainly pictures, but there are also archives to look at if you're interested.

And on October 1st, we begin our 'First Sunday' sequence of varied worship and distinguished visiting speakers: on that day, at 11.45, we meet Stephen Whittle, formerly of the Broadcasting Standards Council and more recently Controller of Editorial Policy at the BBC. Stay for a light lunch. More details on our website: www.barnesmethodistchurch.orq.uk.

Roger Hutchings

Back to the top

St Mary's

The church calendar and the academic year do not really coincide, but it always seems like September is the start of a new church year. At St Mary's, the Patronal Festival on the second Sunday launches us back into routine after the summer. This year, it is on the 10th and we will celebrate our dedication to St Mary particularly at the 10am Parish Communion where we will be joined by the Barnes Concert Band and our old Rector, the Reverend Richard Ames-Lewis, as preacher, and at Choral Evensong at 6pm. Under our new Director of Music and Organist, Cameron Burns, we have started a series of Choral Evensongs and there will be another one on Saturday September 30th at 6pm to celebrate Harvest Festival. This will be followed by a meal in the Kitson Hall. In October we are launching an after school club with London Scottish Rugby Club for 5-7 year olds. This will be a mixture of non-contact rugby training and 'Sunday' School. If you are interested in any of these services or activities, please contact me on 8404 3177 or email rosscollins@blueyonder.co.uk.

Ross Collins

Back to the top

St Michael's Church

In July we had our annual pilgrimage to Walsingham. This is always an enjoyable event and it was a great relief to escape from the London heatwave. The grounds around the shrine were an oasis of calm and beauty. We looked on in envy as the lawns and flowerbeds were regularly watered by the gardeners. Though it was interesting to note that the pilgrims this year were not allowed to take home any water from the Holy Well, as it was so low! What is an added joy is the meeting again with the pilgrims who you met the year before and catching up with their news.

We had our first meeting of the St Michael's Book Group which meets once a month. The book we discussed was 'Finding Sanctuary' by Abbott Christopher Jamison of Worth Abbey, recently filmed on television in the series The Monastery. The book's theme is 'Monastic Steps for Everyday Life'. How in the pressured world we can find ways of creating a sanctuary for our inner lives to grow. This is a good book to take on holiday and read as it is a very calming experience.

In September the Bishop of Kingston will bless our new community centre. The date for the official opening has yet to be set.

Paul Holland

Back to the top

St Osmund's Church

July has been an enjoyable month with plenty of activity. There was our barbecue in the presbytery garden, all ages were there – made enjoyable by the happy band of volunteers braving the heat; plenty of food and refreshment. Many customers supported the stall at Barnes fair. At the Fair the school won first prize for their float, Reception children as cheering passengers, the lorry decorated with a Spirit of Barnes theme and giving advertising space to familiar shop-keepers' premises (we don't think any hostelries featured).

At school the Junior production this year was Bugsy Malone – let it not be said that children don't learn to sing any more in school. And the costumes were splendid. Year 6, leaving now for secondary schools, excelled in their participation at the Mass in church to mark the end of the term and academic year. It is always an emotional occasion with tears of gratitude for teachers and friends and promises to keep in touch. In September the archbishop's visit for Confirmation will be upon us in no time.

Fiona Keen and Father Logan

Back to the top