Magazine January 2018

Parish Magazine ~ January 2018
30 The Ridgeway,
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
From the Parish Registers
Baptism
29 October 2017
Rae Wren Elizabeth Vinton
3 December 2017
Wilfred Jones 23 December 2017
Jill Collins 23 December 2017
Ruth Daniel
If anyone is celebrating a birthday or anniversary and wishes to take up the elements please inform the churchwardens.
For a PDF file of the Parish Magazine for this month please click here.
Thank you
Thanks to generous donations for the bathroom stall at the Christmas Fair and also to those who kindly purchased things about £140 was raised.
Eleanor Pritchard
Regular Weekly Events
Sunday | 8:00 am | Holy Communion |
10:00 am | Eucharist (Second Sunday in month Family Service) | |
6:30 pm | Evensong (or other ‘special’ service) | |
Please see the Google calendar for any further information regarding Sunday Services | ||
Monday | 10:00 am | Mattins (BCP) |
6:00 pm | Home group | |
Tuesday | 7:45-9:00 pm | Bell Ringing Practice |
Wednesday | 8:30 pm | Drama Group |
Thursday | 10:30 am | Holy Communion (BCP) |
7:30 pm | Choir Practice |
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
News About Coffee Mornings
Thank you to folk who came to our coffee morning on 20 November 2017. We raised about £230 plus tax to come, and also received several items for the Fair and the toy service.
Janet & Keith Whelpdale
Our first coffee morning for 2018, to be held on Tuesday 16th January is cancelled.
16th January ~ Cancelled
20th February ~ Eleanor Pritchard
20th March ~ Jackie Fish
17th April ~ Gill and David Bird
15th May ~ June Carr
19th June ~ Laura and Ken Cope
17th July ~ Kate and Bob Bissett
21st August ~ Betty Buck
18th September ~ Bernard Quinn
16th October ~ Gordon Giles
20th November ~ Maureen and Keith Rew
18th December ~ Rita Barker
all above dates are the third Tuesday in the month and commence at 10:45 am.
Rita Barker
Fellowship
I would like to say a personal thank you to all the tea makers, the washer uppers, the cake makers and those who get out and put away the tables and chairs for Fellowship meetings and the extra events during the year. I really could not do without your help.
2018
January 17th
we look forward to learning more about our Oak Hill student Ross.
February 21st
Mr Alan Goldring will be telling us about the work of MAF Flying for Life, a charity that transports people and or equipment in emergency.
March 21st
we welcome our friend David Nash to give us a presentation “Lord, I believe; but help my unbelief”. Poems about believing in God in difficult times. We shall be enjoying some audience participation.
Maureen Lunn
Northwest Group News
For the Group’s next United Service, we have been invited by the Town Group to join them on Sunday 21 January 2018. The service will be held at the Salvation Citadel, Churchbury Lane, Enfield and will start at 4.00 pm.
Michael Dixon
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
North Enfield Food Bank
Week by week we make regular donations to the food bank and obviously their requirements change with the passage of time. Below please find details of their latest needs:-
Urgently Needed Items:
Tinned Tomatoes, Tinned spaghetti/spaghetti hoops, tinned meat, tinned fruit and vegetables, tinned meat soup, instant mash, instant noodles/noodles, tinned puddings, savoury snacks – crisps/popcorn/crackers, rice pudding, custard, chocolate/snack bars, biscuits, shampoo/conditioner, shower gel, toilet roll, washing powder.
We’ve got plenty of:
Beans, pasta, beans/pulses (kidney, black-eyed peas and lentils), cereal, tea, sugar.
Michael Dixon
Carol Singing 2017
A portfolio of carol singing and charitable activities this Christmas yielded the following donations for Crisis, the BHF and SSAFA:
6/12 Merryhills BHF £237.29
16/12 Amesbury Court £57.37
18/12 Drama - £162.05
20/12 Little Green Dragon (TBA)
21/12 Enfield Market £21.06
23/12 Enfield Market £57.53
Meanwhile on 20/12 South Ken. Station the Vicar and others raised £624.87 for SSAFA
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
