NEWSLETTER
– APRIL 2009
Holy Week and Easter
is
the centre of the Christian year - even more important than Christmas!
Augustine said We are an Easter people, and Alleluya is our song.
Details of all services are on a separate flyer, of which there are
plenty of copies in church for you to take and share with friends and
neighbours. There are also A4-size posters, if you can use these.
Two
other events to mention: a performance of Fauré's Reqiuem by the London
Docklands Singers at All Saints Poplar on Saturday 4 April at 7pm; and
a programme of children's activities in Easter week (13-18) at St
Paul's Cathedral, including mosaic-making. More details from the
Rector, if you're interested.
The Annual Parochial Church Meeting
will
follow the morning service (at which there will be no sermon! - the
meeting is our corporate response to the word of God) on Sunday 19
April. It will be in the crypt hall, and all are encouraged to stay -
including children, who will be giving their own report. Nomination
forms for wardens and church council members will be posted in church
ahead of the meeting, and also the revised Electoral Roll for checking.
Patronal Festival - Thursday 23 April
We
have been waiting on Tower Hamlets for arrangements for the official
re-opening of St George's Gardens on this day, but so far the
department responsible, 'Public Realm', does not appear to have made
any definite plans! So we will go ahead, as usual, with our own evening
service that day, and inviting other churches in the deanery to join
us. The preacher will be the Revd Jeremy Crossley, Rector of St
Margaret Lothbury (and until recently Area Dean of the City), who was
such a good friend of St George's during the vacancy. He is delighted
to have been invited, and we shall be delighted to see him again. A
bring and share supper will follow the service.
[At
this point the printed newsletter contains a paragraph about the
tree recently planted in St George's Gardens in memory of Joseph and
Sarah Ramanoop, but as it contains some factual errors - including what
sort of tree it is! - a corrected version will appear next month.]
London Marathon - Sunday 26 April
Roads
around church seem to close earlier each year! We have been in close
contact with PC Barry Cambridge of the Metropolitan Police who is
responsible for local arrangements, and have received clear assurances
that cars will be allowed through the barrier at the junction of Cable
Street and Cannon Street Road for our 9am service. (They do not issue
permits because they have found that they are open to abuse.) We have
his phone number, and also a personal hotline, in case there are any
problems on the day; these numbers will be displayed in church.
We
have been busy stockpiling supplies for serving refreshments to the
crowd, and need a good number of folk to help on the day - not just to
serve, and direct people to our loos, but to be a WELCOMING PRESENCE.
We
now have three banners on the railings along The Highway, aimed at both
cars and pedestrians. We hope that these too will help to put us on the
map!
Concerts
The series of three Sunday 5pm concerts which
Elspeth and others have arranged continues in May. Christopher White's
string trio will perform on 3 May, and a baroque ensemble on 17 May.
Please put the dates in your diary, and help us build a good audience!
Mothering Sunday, and Lent projects
It
was good to welcome Sheenagh Burrell and her husband Richard on
Mothering Sunday. Sheenagh is one of the officers for ALMA (the Angola
- London - Mozambique link), as well as a Reader in the diocese, and
she spoke about this year's diocesan Lent project with its theme of
providing water - which, like mothering, is a key part of nurture. The
children led our prayers of penitence on the same theme, by watering a
plant as a sign of our dependence on God's grace. More details at
<www.almalink.org>
We have leaflets and Gift Aid envelopes
for this project, as well as labels for WaterAid jars, and hope that
everyone will support either or both of these projects as part of our
Lenten commitments. Please return envelopes and jars to church at
Easter.
Dates for your diary
Christian Aid Week is
10-17 May, and on Sunday 17 a 'Circle the City' event is planned,
starting with a service at St Mary-le-Bow at 1.15pm which leads into a
walk exploring the City, from the Tower to Fleet Street, to raise money
for Christian Aid and KEEP HOPE ALIVE. More details next month, and in
church - or visit <london@christian-aid.org>
A Stepney
Area vocations day will be held on Saturday 20 June (10.30-3.30), with
a range of speakers about opportunities for lay and ordained ministry.
There have been many training developments recently, and they are
hoping that there will be at least three people from each parish
present, to find out more. Have a word with the Rector if you're
interested, especially if you would like to explore your own calling
and training!
For your prayers
Please continue to remember
Jackie Saward; Patrick Davey; Ben, and his new wife Ellen; Frederick;
John Allison's sister Margaret; Hilary Oliver; Archdeacon Lyle; Diane
Webb; Jean; and all others who ask us to remember them.
Fire at the Gurdwara, Harley Grove, Bow E3
A statement issued recently by various groups, including the Tower Hamlets Inter Faith Forum
We
are deeply saddened to hear of yesterday’s fire at the Gurdwara in
Harley Grove, Bow. This magnificent building, currently a Sikh temple,
has been used as a place of worship by many groups over the years and
it is terrible to see it damaged in this way. The origins of the
fire are currently being investigated, however the Police are keeping
an open mind to the cause. Should arson prove to be the cause of the
fire, we must be vigilant and stand united in ensuring that any such
criminal action does not undermine the extremely positive relationships
we have in place within our borough.
It is heartening to
hear of the support provided by local people to representatives of the
Gurdwara in the immediate aftermath of the fire, when they opened their
homes to provide comfort to those affected. This kind of support
reflects the commitment that the Tower Hamlets Interfaith Forum,
Council, Police and local people have to continuing to bring local
communities closer together under the banner of One Tower Hamlets.
It
is vital that this incident does not undermine the mutual support and
wider community cohesion evident in our vibrant borough. We have
held meetings with the local community and key partners to ensure a
co-ordinated and timely response. We recognise that this fire will be
very traumatic for local people and particularly for the Sikh
community. Support will be provided to the Management Committee of the
Gurdwara to find an alternative place of worship to try to minimise the
disruption this terrible event has caused.
Councillor Lutfur Rahman, Leader of the Council
Paul Rickett, Chief Superintendent, Tower Hamlets Police
Reverend Alan Green, Chair of the Inter Faith Forum
Butta Singh, Management Committee Member, Gurdwara Sikh Sangat
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