Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! And Happy Christmas! Christmas is not over yet… Whether you have taken your decorations down or not, we continue to bask in the glow from the Christmas Crib throughout January, until we turn towards Lent after Candlemas. That said, we have had an excellent Christmas weekend at St Mary Magdalene’s, as we always do, with around 500 people attending our Crib Christingle Services and another 200 or so at the Communion Services, to which we might add the full house at the super Carol Service a week earlier. Huge thanks, as ever, to all the people without whom most of this would not be possible: the Drama Group, flower folk, servers, bellringers, Keith and Jonathan and the choir, and everyone who made Christingles, cleaned the church, counted the money, handed out service sheets and helped us present the genuinely warm welcome that is our duty and our joy. To all this, I add my own, and Jessica and Maria’s personal thanks for all the kind wishes, cards and gifts we received. I love Christmas here, not leastly because it is like a huge family gathering and reunion. We have many who only come at Christmas, and while we would love to welcome such large numbers at every service, we also recognise the desires, attitudes and needs of everyone in our local community, and relish the opportunity to welcome parishioners, pilgrims and guests at any time. We do Christmas so well, with worship, music, candles and fellowship that witness to the mutual love and affection in which we all hold each other throughout the year. This is a key part of our mission as a parish – and through it we evangelise to every pew. And now the Tree comes down, we continue to ponder as we journey towards Candlemas and Lent.

For just as the shepherds, summoned to the cradle, left, returning rejoicing, we also leave the crib behind for another year. But like them, and Mary, we ponder, we evangelise and we worship. Like Mary, we ponder – we continue to reflect on the revelations that we have seen, and the Epiphany season helps us with its focus on Magi, Marriage Miracle and Baptism. The shepherds left the crib and returned to their fields, rejoicing and telling others what they had seen – they were the first evangelists, long before the Gospel was written. And they, like the Magi after them, had come to the manger to worship, to worship Christ the new-born king.

So it is we, as we sit in our pews, think of the PEW – the call in the Christmas season to Ponder, to Evangelise and to Worship. I can’t think of a better New Year’s Resolution than that.

Gordon

Canterbury 1170 - Thomas Becket

Writing at Christmas as I am, this year brings to my mind the sermon preached by Thomas Becket on Christmas Day 1170. It was a sermon in which he talked about God’s peace and also about martyrdom and was at the centre of the ‘Murder in the Cathedral’ production presented in the Church in September 2017. As the director of the production I had always wanted to take it beyond St. Mary Magdalene and it was indeed also performed at St Thomas a Becket, Northaw as well as St. John’s, Clay Hill. To take it to other churches and congregations was the sort of outreach and fellowship I had envisaged and it was delightful to work with the congregations of other churches both in the performance company and in generally facilitating the performance each night. The acting company was joined by singers and the final performance at St. Mary Magdalene on the Sunday night was one I shall never forget. Almost 200 people were in the Church that night.

So with Christmas and Becket’s sermon in my mind I wanted to thank you on behalf of the company for your support that night. The St. Mary Magdalene performance was in aid of the Organ Restoration Fund and, after costs, £1,300 was passed on to the Church. A recording of the performance, with sound track, together with still photographs will be available after Christmas and any subsequent donations received for those will also go to the Organ Restoration Fund.

Now Christmas Day is passed of course, although memories of the production that I had wanted to do for so many years and that sermon will stay with me for a long time. However it was spent, I hope that your Christmas Day was a thoroughly enjoyable one.

Chris Moon

Lunchtime Recitals

For some the fact that Marion and Michael Smith could not come and entertain us in December was disappointing but for those few who came to hear Elia Staurou the concert was very rewarding. The young man played music by Chopin, Liszt, Faure and Gershwin in a very professional way. The 2018 programme is complete and at 12.30 pm on Wednesday 10 January Matthew Geer will play the organ. All are welcome and also to the lunch including homemade soup available afterwards.

Eleanor Pritchard

12:30 pm - 1:00 pm
Retiring Collection
Ploughman’s Lunch £3.50, if required, in the Choir Vestry afterwards
Do come along if you are free. Ploughman’s lunch with hot soup will be available afterwards at the very reasonable price of £3.50.

Concert Programme For 2018

10th January Matthew Greer ~ Organ

14th February Adriana Lucia ~ violin

14th March Enfield Grammar School Brass Group

11th April The Anern String Trio

9th May Gordon Giles and Roddy Elmer ~ flute and piano

13th June Catherine Leonard ~ piano

11th July Sandra Sinclair ~ violin

August ~ no concert

12th September Bush Hill Recorder Consort

10th October Serafini Trio

14th November Michael and Marion Smith ~ organ and piano

12th December Carols from The Cambridge Carol Book

Magazine Stapling Rota 2018

6 January 2018
Ken & Laura Cope, Gill Bird

27 January 2018
Peter & Carol Lamb, Eleanor Pritchard

24 February 2018
Ken & Laura Cope, Gill Bird

31 March 2018
Peter & Carol Lamb, Eleanor Pritchard

28 April 2018
Ju (Yezi) Lan Zhen, Val Hayes Shivane Woodger

26 May 2018
Vic Harrington, Pam Hagan, Helen Clarke

30 June 2018
Ju (Yezi) Len Zhen, Val Hayes, Shivane Woodger

28 July 2018
Ken & Laura Cope, Gill Bird

25 August 2018
Peter & Carol Lamb, Eleanor Pritchard

29 September 2018
Vic Harrington, Pam Hagan, Helen Clarke

27 October 2018
Ju (Yezi) Len Zhen, Val Hayes, Shivane Woodger

(10.00 am Saturday Morning in the Church or earlier as arranged)

If you know of any lady or gentleman who would be able to help with stapling or if you are unable to keep the above dates please contact either Michael or Janet Dixon or Janet Whelpdale.

2018 Forthcoming Events

January 27 7:30pm
Golf Club Parish Feast

January 28 6:30pm
Candlemas Taizé Service

February 14 8:00 pm
Ash Wednesday Service

February 24 2:00 pm
Lent Study Day on Science and Religion

March 11 10:00 am
Mothering Sunday Family Communion

March 21-24 7:30 pm
Bernstein’s Candide Performances

March 25 10:00 am
Palm Sunday Service

March 27 7:30 pm
Agape Supper

March 29 8:00 pm
Maundy Thursday Holy Communion and Vigil

March 30 5:00 pm
Good Friday Liturgy

April 01 10:00 am
Easter Sunday Holy Communion

April 20 7:30 pm
Bingo with Fish and Chips night

April 29 6:30 pm
Choral Evensong followed by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting

May 19 10-12
Spring Fair

June 9 7:30 pm
Jazz Evening in Hall

June 14-17 7:30 pm
Drama Group production tbc

June 30 4:00 pm
Parish Barbecue

July 7 7:30 pm
Southgate Symphony Orchestra Concert in Church

July 14 10:00 am
Sponsored Walk

July 22 10:00 am
Patronal Festival

August 6-9
Launde Abbey Parish Retreat

September 8 7:30 pm
Poetry and Prosecco

September 29 5:00 pm
Parish Concert

October 14 10:00 am
Harvest Festival followed by a Bring and Share Lunch

October 27 3:15 pm
Choral Evensong at Rochester Cathedral

October 28 4:00 pm
All Souls’ Service

November 3 7:30 pm
Pizza and Quiz Evening

November 11 10:00 am
Remembrance Sunday with Act of Remembrance

November 15-17 8:00 pm
Drama Group Production tbc

December 2 6:30 pm
Advent Carol Service

December 8 10:00-12:00
Christmas Fair

December 16 6:30 pm
Candlelit Nine Lessons and Carols