The Parish of St Mary Magdalene, Enfield

From Michael Smith, Chairman, Stewardship Committee
21 Colonels Walk, The Ridgeway, Enfield, EN2 8HN

9 April 2024

Dear Friend

When I wrote a year ago there was a long list of jobs to be done around the church, most of which have been completed but, most importantly, the heating is at last working reliably. Hoorah! Also, many of the activities we were planning in the church have been introduced and new people have been attracted to join us. And, excitingly, we now have the first of our choral scholars with us – and what a difference they make.

It is in this context that I am writing to you now. Our organist and Director of Music, Ben, has moved on to bigger and better things, as we always knew he would, but perhaps not quite so quickly. In order to keep the choral scholars and develop the choir it will be necessary to appoint a new Director of Music of equal ability and experience and in order to do that we need the organ to be kept in the best possible condition. A few years ago you all gave very generously to restore the organ to its original and complete capabilities and I hope you will agree that that has been very successful. However, there is now a problem. The “Choir” box – that is the white box you can see sitting on the top of the organ – is networking properly which is hugely disappointing. This was the part of the organ that we put back into working condition, having not been in operation since 1977. On investigation, we have discovered that there is an almost imperceptible hole in the ceiling above the organ which has allowed dust and grit to enter the box and significantly degrade its performance. This just could not have been foreseen and has taken quite a bit of detective work by the organ tuner to discover where the problem was. It is, to say the least, most unlucky and very unfortunate – there is a vulgar “law” which describes this situation with which I am sure you are all very familiar!

The work needing to be done is to take all the pipes out, clean the box, replace the pipes and tune them. The cost for this work is £10,000 (including VAT which we cannot avoid).

So can I please ask you to help again. As I have explained it is vital to our plans going forward to attract new and younger people to the church and to enhance our worship. Even a small amount will make a difference and, meantime, the amount you are giving on a regular basis through the Stewardship Scheme will allow us to pay the everyday bills for the rest of the year.

There are, as always, many other jobs around the church which need doing and they will be done as resources allow. If you are wondering about the damage to the chancel wall, we are still waiting for a decision from the insurers, if they do not agree to pay for the restoration I am afraid this work will not be done as it is beyond our means. This would be a great shame but the wall, and the paintings, have been stabilised so that there will be no further deterioration.

The plan is to have a Gift Day on Sunday 28^th April 2024. As usual there will be a plate at the back of the church that morning, and gifts will be brought up with the collection at the offertory. Alternatively, you can pay by bank transfer, via the church website, or on the card reader at the back of the church. Details of how to do this are available on the website and in the weekly ASK bulletin. If you still need assistance please speak to me or Ken.

Finally, can I ask you in your customary way to be as generous as you possibly can. Without the changes planned by the Vicar, the Churchwardens and the PCC St Mary’s is at risk of fading away as the current congregation ages. It would be good to get the regeneration of our church well established before it is too late. It will be our legacy to future generations.

With best wishes,

Michael Smith